Reflections on the state of things…

As I am writing from my iTouch I will be fairly limited in the length of this entry, and I again apologize for the lack of photos, but I felt it would be beneficial to share while I am here as opposed to reflecting from home.
First, the entirety of the situation as I have experienced am currently processing it can by no means be refined to a single post at this point. At times I have felt so overwhelmed with the reality of the Israeli occupation that I am physically fatigued, not to mention the emotional and mental aspect.
Since I have been here I have now travelled through Jerusalem, Hebron, At Tuwani (a small outlying Palestinian village), one of the many Israeli settlements (Susya, which is illegal under international law but unchecked by anyone) and the actual Susia village (consisting of Palestinians in tents due to home demolishing and building on their own land), the Deheisheh refugee camp of Palestinians, too many organizations to count (both Israeli and Palestinians working for peace non-violently, Bedouin villages in the south Hebron hills (basically what the Native Americans are to the US, they are to Israel, except the are also Israeli citizens), Jewish families living “normal” lives, Israelis and Palestinians who have lost family in the conflict and are healing together instead of seeking revenge, villages that have been completely leveled (even the foundation of the demolished homes) without any explanation, and the Israeli who realized that his work was creating the chemicals for Israel to make the atomic and hydrogen bombs it now has, so he quit, told the story (many years ago in London), was kidnapped in London and taken to Israel where he was held prisoner for more than 15 years, then released and told not to talk with anyone, but we got to sit down with him!
Just based off what I have said I’m sure you can imagine that a lot has been happening. And it’s true. The situation is more complex than I would have ever imagined. And although I have seen hope in individuals and groups who are not backing down, and not giving into the violence that has been perpetuating this cycle, it would be naive to say that the situation is not serious, grave, has no easy answer, will not be solved quickly, and is causing severe pain on innocent people in ways that demand change as soon as possible. To see what I have seen on the ground here, and to compare it with what our media supplies us, the lies run so deep that it’s hard to believe any person would construct fabrications at the expense of people’s basic rights to live as human beings. I know this maycome across as cynical, but as a Quaker I seek to always be honest, and I am speaking to what I am seeing, not what I am told by the media. They are two different worlds, one fabricated and the other sadly and very real and unjust for all involved on too many levels.
Unfortunately my battery is about to die. I will write more when I arrive home, and will begin to offer what I have seen through the lens of my camera as I attempt to speak from the lens of my heart. Peace, friends.