| God’s Justice for ALL |
| God’s Justice for ALL |
A group of 80+ gathered to hear another voice for peace in the Middle East at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral on January 13 at 5 pm when author Anna Baltzer, whose grandmother is a Holocaust survivor, spoke of her reflections of living in Palestine [West Bank]—reflections detailed in her book Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories. Anna is a Fulbright scholar and volunteer with the International Women's Peace Service
*, working to end the occupation and bring peace and security to the Middle East.
Introduced by the Very Reverend Spencer Simrill, Dean of St. Mark’s Cathedral, Anna Baltzer, an American Jew, presented with a Julie-Madden-like passion and commitment for social justice and peace for the Palestinian people. Anna detailed the day-to-day difficulties the Palestinian people face to simply get to work, having to get through 20 different Israeli check points—taking up to 4-6 hours to complete—and the difficulty of getting through such check points for emergency medical services.
Anna further critiqued US foreign aid to Israel of $10 million per day that supports the Israeli government paying $25,000 per family to establish Jewish-only residences in Palestine [West Bank]. While such policies establishes what are euphemistically called “settlements”—Anna called them “ethnic colonies.” And in evaluating the Israeli position that the Palestinians are not willing to compromise, Anna sited the fact that the Palestinian people now have only 22% of their original land that was taken from them in 1946.
After detailing many of the day-to-day struggles of the Palestinian people, Anna shifted to strategies to facilitate positive change between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. Her principle suggestion was a strategy that has worked in South Africa and other areas around the world—“BDS”—boycott, divestment, sanctions. However, Anna stated that at the end of the day the real choices are up to the Israelis’ and the Palestinians.
Anna Baltzer's story should rise loud and clear above today's terrorist grabbing headlines—she speaks eloquently of the nonviolent resistance and daily hardships of the Palestinian people doing their best to maintain their dignity while living under occupation. Never ending checkpoints, extremist settlers and wall annexation won't stop them from carrying out their daily lives the best they can. The presence of Internationals and Israeli activists make life more bearable and events run more smoothly and peacefully. Her detailed and pictorial description in her book is a harrowing and necessary read for anyone interested in equality and peace in the Holy Land. Visit Anna’s website at annainthemiddleeast.com for video and segments of her inspiring presentation.
In wrapping up her presentation and ending on a note of encouragement Anna sited the quote, “All truth goes through three phases. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self evident.” It is Anna’s belief that we are at the end of the second phase—a hopeful process is in the future.
*IWPS-Palestine is an international team of women based in Haris (a village in the Salfit Governorate of the West Bank) who provide international accompaniment to Palestinian civilians, document and nonviolently intervene in human rights abuses, support acts of nonviolent resistance to end the brutal and illegal military occupation and oppose the Apartheid Wall. http://iwps.info/en/index.php
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