Of checkpoints, schoolchildren and bullying

A significant part of our work in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is, as we call it in clergy circles, "a ministry of presence". Most of the time that means showing up to be with people, but it also includes listening to stories of grief, brutality or oppression.

Yesterday, my team and I went to the small village of An Nu'man (population of about 200 people and not just a few chickens!) which through bureaucratic error was annexed into the municipality of Jerusalem even though it's just a few kilometers from Bethlehem and is connected in that direction. Because the municipality line was moved, the separation barrier was built by the Israeli government to encircle the village thus cutting it off from Bethlehem (and any family members of the villagers who live there).

Every school day, the children of the village have to go through the Israeli checkpoint in the morning and afternoon to get to/from school. Sometimes that's a very easy process with no delays: the children come through one door into the cubicle, pass through the metal detector, catch the eye of the soldier in the booth, are waved through and then exit the other door.

But often the process is not so simple or safe.

Yesterday, we heard Samar, a twelve year old girl, tell us that last week, the soldier who was staffing the booth opened the access window (a steel framed, triple-thick bulletproof glass mini-door) and pointed a gun at her head.

When I asked her what she was thinking when that happened, she laughed and said, "It's normal." A teacher who lives in the village echoed her, "This is normal. If it wasn't like this, it would be strange."

In the coming weeks, our team will continue to go to and pass through this checkpoint (as a foreign national, we are allowed to pass through the checkpoints by showing our passports. Yesterday, the soldiers also asked to see our tourist visas). We cannot stand in the cubicle, the soldiers would not allow that. However, we will show up randomly to pass through, visit the villagers, continue to hear stories and be a compassionate presence for them.