Walk of Witness - Liverpool

Daoud Nasser from Tent of Nations near Bethlehem spoke at Liverpool Cathedral

Members of Pax Christi England and Wales, from Liverpool and further afield, joined the Time to Act, 'Walk of Witness' in Liverpool on Sunday, 27th September as the Labour Party Conference began in the city. Almost 200 people from churches and charities gathered to call on the UK Government to take meaningful action towards a just peace for all those who call the Holy Land home.

Along with other members of the Just Peace Coalition, including CAFOD, EAPPI, Embrace the Middle East, Christian Aid, Sabeel-Kairos and others, we began with prayer and reflection in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and then, led by church leaders, we took our witness onto the street, walking along Hope Street to the Anglican Cathedral where there were further prayers.

Among those taking part were Rt Revd Ruth Worsley, Interim Bishop of Liverpool, and Bishop Tom Neylon, Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool, as well the Cathedral Deans and the President of the Methodist Church, Revd Mark Slaney.

Following the Walk, Bishop Tom said: "This witness brings together Christians from different traditions united by our commitment to peace. Walking together between Liverpool's two cathedrals symbolises our shared belief that prayer must be accompanied by practical action in support of a just and lasting peace for everyone who calls the Holy Land home."

The beautiful Lady Chapel of the Cathedral was full as the panel of speakers took their places to speak about the present situation in Palestine and Israel. We were privileged to have with us Daoud Nasser, from the Tent of Nations near Bethlehem, who shared the daily realities facing his family and community and their steadfast commitment to nonviolent resistance.

Daoud began by telling us of his arduous journey to get out of Palestine to be with us, as there is no freedom of movement for Palestinians. His family bought the land for the farm in 1916, in the Ottoman era and it was subsequently registered to them under Jordanian rule. Originally they lived in caves underground, as many of us have seen on our visits to the family. Increasingly, the family have been subject to Israeli attempts to seize the land and over the last 35 years they have been battling in military and civil courts to maintain the land that is legally theirs. The farm is now surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements and the settler violence on family members, volunteers and visitors has increased drastically. The risk of future forced displacement is huge.

Speaking about the Israeli Separation Wall, Daoud explained that when it is complete, the farm will be totally disconnected from the nearby town of Bethlehem and their friends, family and community there. Israel has built settler outposts on the edges of the family property and is doing everything it can to push them into a corner and make life so difficult for them that they will leave. Daoud said, "We don't react violently, as they want us to."

I was reminded of visits to the farm, when we were warmly welcomed, offered delicious food and shown the variety of crops on the farm and the initiatives taken to become as independent as possible with water supplies and electricity, as these are frequently cut off by the settlers or Israeli military. It was deeply significant to plant an olive tree as a sign of hope for the future. On another occasion we visited the farm to offer solidarity and see the heartbreaking damage caused overnight when Israeli bulldozers had been brought in and uprooted and buried whole fields of fruit trees.

In the face of all this, Daoud says, "We don't give up."

The Nasser Family Principles are based on their belief that, as "followers of Christ, we are witnesses. We refuse to be victims. We refuse to hate (easy to say, but hard to do!) because we believe that every human being is in the image of God. We try to act differently, based on our Christian faith and look for constructive ways to respond." 'We refuse to be enemies' is a way of life for them and not just a slogan.

As we see the Nasser family and all those in Palestine facing challenges and violence on a daily basis, we can, with them, focus on the positive - which Daoud admitted is getting more difficult - and take any small steps that are possible in behaving differently and nonviolently. We can sponsor the planting of olive and other fruit trees, as a sign of hope and of our solidarity, and commit ourselves to standing up, speaking out and acting for justice.

Daoud invited us to, 'Come and See - and Show and Tell, as being the best way to educate ourselves and to raise awareness of others.

Across Palestine and Israel, communities are living through devastating violence, loss and injustice. Palestinian Christians have called on the global Church to respond, not with silence or despair, but with courage, compassion and action.

The Just Peace Coalition brings together churches and Christian organisations across the UK to respond to that call. Together, we are invited to commit to working and praying for a Just Peace for all who call the Holy Land home.

Daoud said, 'We don't give up'. Nor must we.

This is not simply a moment of awareness - IT IS TIME TO ACT.

LINKS

To add your name to the campaign and join the call for a Just Peace: https://zurl.co/tWrcd

To learn more about the Tent of Nations see: https://tentofnations.com/

See also the Archdiocese of Liverpool report: www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/news/walk-of-witness-in-liverpool-renewing-calls-for-a-just-peace-in-the-middle-east

Ann Farr is Vice-President of Pax Christi England and Wales.