During the Cross-Border Prayer, Gazans on the telephone prayed in unison with the AR gathering, which was on a hill looking over into Gaza. It happened that the same day in the border area Israeli Military exercises were being conducted. On being approached by the AR, the military were pleasantly surprised, and echoed the AR’s prayers for peace.
AR Muslim Co-Coordinator Sheikh Ghassan Manasra prays with fellow peace activists in Gaza over the phone, while being interviewed on Channel 33 News.
This Peace Journey was a journey to the South of Israel, bringing over 85 people from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel together to experience a Bedouin Mosque, Bedouin Farm (the farmer was supportive of peace between Palestine and Israel as his farm is sometimes a recipient of missiles from Gaza), and finally a visit to the ocean, which some Palestinians had never visted.
Says Eliyahu McLean, “In this amazing mosque that the Sheikh from Rahad had traveled to Morocco to get the components, carpets, stained glass, and told the story how they built this huge huge mosque, but no one was talking about the problems of the bedouins. It was the day after the election where politicians said be afraid of Arab voters.”
“Sheikh Khalil Al Baz (AR Peacemaker) spoke up about this – how most of the Bedouins in the south of the Negev live in unrecognized cities and so don’t receive water, electricity, health care clinics, schools, and how there was just a march that ended today of bedouin leaders and activists who marched from the Negev to the Presidents house in Jerusalem to raise awareness that the state should recognize these unrecognized villages.”
“There are a lot of demolitions of Bedouin homes because they are in unrecognized villages…many Bedouins serve in the Israeli army for three years, and come home to find a demolition order on their home. These are not terrorists, the opposite.”
Khalil Al Baz speaks to the group on Bedouin issues in the Negev (Southern region of Israel)
Small break-out groups share about their different religious experiences and practices – here three women discussing Ramadan.
Peace Prayer at the Gaza Border
Gaza in the Distance
Bedouin Farm, in the Negev
Visiting the Beach – a sight of beauty after a long day of prayer
