"When a faith-driven journey in Holy Land fuels the desire for freedom"

"When a faith-driven journey in Holy Land 

fuels the desire for freedom"

(Notes after a Pilgrimage in the Holy Land, 

where a pilgrim sought political graffitis 

other than churches bearing holy relics)

It was supposed to be a pilgrimage, but as time goes by it turned to be more than just visiting churches.

For as yours truly, like all other pilgrims visited Egypt, Palestine and its occupied counterpart (commonly known as Israel), as well as Jordan, it seems that the faith-driven journey was also a time to see what goes behind the news: such as seeing higher walls, encountering strict border security, of news involving external and internal threats, and of course, clinging to their faith especially in the holy city of Jerusalem. With these somehow made this writer did felt faith and the desire for justice entwined, especially after seeing crosses in the churches and revolutionary graffitis in walls.

But come to think of this: like many Christians, that pilgrimage to the Holy Land is considered to be a means of understanding the origin of one's faith. To read about it in the Bible is one thing, being discussed by a once pilgrim is another, but to travel and see everything with one’s own eyes is another experience altogether. And that for two weeks, through Egypt, Israel, and Jordan; and despite encountering almost mishaps with immigration officials, of seeing a handsome tour guide by old women, and almost scuffles with other pilgrims from foreign countries, it was a journey unlike any other that one had ever gone through till considered as a true spiritual awakening that changes one's lives.

Yet for yours truly whom looking more on the place's actuality, Holy Land, like the Bible, is replete with conflict among God’s chosen people. Even the Quran by the muslims is also replete with conflict too. And as the pilgrims looking for relics to venerate if not buying rosaries and other mementoes, is it a mere chance that whenever this person see those grafittis in the wall particularly those of a martyr died during the Intifada near the Milk Grotto? Or the works by Banksy in the border wall separating the Arab and the Jewish zones in Palestine? These perhaps made this person find more interesting aside from the religious sites and meeting with both Catholic, Orthodox, even Jewish teenagers after their purim; if not recalling how his friend talked about a Palestinian Arab priest expressed his anger towards the Zionist occupier, prefering to call his homeland Palestine than the much familiar Israel.

***

Like any other town this person encountered, seeing grafittis in Palestine seems to be part of their experession. Mostly politically-driven, their artworks speaks about their identity, their desire for self determination, or even their beliefs since some of which been expressing their left wing stances such as red stars.

Quite nice would say be it in Jericho or in Bethlehem, for their wall artworks did capture an attention for this person the way his colleagues in the pilgrimage amaze at the ancient structures be it the Milk grotto or the Church of the Nativity. At one time as the bus rolled o'er this person sought a grafitti of the DFLP on the corner, from there he sought how militancy in Palestine continues to prevail as these groups, with all its colours and symbols remain prominent as their desire for self-determination if not for liberating their homeland from Zionist occupation such as a painting of a warrior whose profile been covered by a Keffiyeh.
And yet mainstream media still depict them negatively as possible. For regardless of their stances, mainstream media tends to undermine their cause what more that they repeat time and again  but for these Palestinians those colours, symbols, are part of their lifelong struggle no matter how controversial it could be.

However, as time goes by, the purpose of painting on the wall has been compromised especially when commercialism takes place. This person, in seeing Banksy's wallworks in the border wall did create an impression that there are artists whom expressed their political view through their talent; while on the other hand, commercialism has reduced its political meaning to an aesthetic, in a way Leila Khaled has been known for her picture wearing a keffiyeh or Che Guevara with his profile.
But how about their beliefs? For sure a rabid anticommunist would cry 'terrorism' because of these people, favouring Netanyahu or the late Ronald Regan perhaps regardless of their soiled hands 'at least they are not like the terrorists' as what they think of.

***

Yet all despite the tranquil setting over Arab-dominated Bethlehem and Nazareth, or even the Jew's own Tel Aviv-Yafo and Haifa, what more of the still disputed Jerusalem with all its holiest sites, the peace presented by the Zionists be more like based on fear the way they provoked an air strike towards Gaza.

"Tel Aviv is on Red Alert" those people did say as authorities used the rocket strike from Hamas as a precondition for an all out military action, what more that they promised to continue its live fire policy against what it calls “violent riots”, while news reports been showed their bias against Palestinians so badly that radical orthodox Jews demand for more settlements on West Bank or military strikes towards Gaza. Quite lamenting isn't it? For the more these "claiming to be God's people" been acting like oppressors, seems that they forgot that they themselves are once oppressed, that they themselves been enclosed in their ghettoes, and now with the land claiming to be as theirs then how about create an atmosphere of goodwill amongst neighbours? On the first place, their Israel is also their Palestine.

Ironically, that air strike coincedes with the electoral campaigns be it from Netanyahu's Likud or the opposition, with the former gone under pressure from his political opponents to hit back hard against militants, even as he has been counselled by military advisers of the futility of a fresh conflict against them.

***

But despite all the news the tranquility of the place resonates if not seeing his fellow pilgrims doesn't even mind the reports at all with one of them rather catch her favorite telenovela streaming online while another did complain to yours truly about the food thinking how strongly smelled the Falafel was (despite earlier stating that she's looking for an authentic Arab food); And with this kind of "peace", somehow resonates a statement from the late Yasser Arafat, who longed for freedom in Palestine and at the same time yearning for peace, bearing an olive branch and a freedom-fighter's gun in the UN General Assembly many years ago. "Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand." He said. "I repeat: do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."

And as this person observed, through acquainting some Arabs and Jews, would say that as time goes by, both of the two expressed the desire to survive as a nation or rather say a community, with Jews whose past generations struggled amidst antisemitism, so are the Arabs who are being evicted from their homes by a movement whom promised to develop the promised land. Ironically, that same Zionist movement has also created a ethnic heirarchy with European Jews on top while other Jews such as from the Arab countries, even from Ethiopia have long been subjected to systemic discrimation and violence. In sort: even a fellow Jew be end disciminated like the Arab! 

Strange but true due to some articles read critically pointing about life in the promised land, if not the statements from the tour guide who's a Palestinian himself. Meanwhile, the pilgrimage been increasingly becoming a sightseeing event save for having a mass and some visit in holy sites, especially when his fellow pilgrims would raise their cameraphones taking shot of themselves in every church or a familiar site, if not buying stuff for their friends in a store suggested by the tour guide. Even this person did spend some dollars for Rosaries, Holy Oils, Dates, to those of Tallit and Keffiyeh; other than that, taking random pictures featuring how life in "holy land" is from the churches to the Kibbutzim, marred by its own brand of orderism.

But behind this kind of experience, this writer hopes that peace based on justice be prevail, especially when the Arab and the Jew unite in a common struggle all against oppression in their shared homeland that is, Palestine. With this observations would say that rather than accept the inevitability of occupation, dispossession, and various forms of injustice, the need for solidarity amongst Jews and Arabs and its desire for social liberation should be heed; on the first place, they've been coexisting for centuries without Herzl. Otherwise, it is worth questioning if these Zionists as trying to be as Jewish as the Jews themselves, if not as Canaanite as the Canaanites centuries past, trying to assume as representing the 'chosen people' while oppressing the other.

By the Way, there is a small prose-poem this person made whilst at Jerusalem.

"As we traversed the trails of the old town it is obvious that solemnity should be emphasised. 

But some fellow pilgrims end raising their phones taking pictures two and fro, some even feature their faces as prayers spoken through.

And as we walk I saw a sticker featuring a call to struggle,

Quite interesting despite the word written in Hebrew I did understand for there's a cartoon featuring people protesting;

With the hammer and sickle, Che Guevara, and antifa emblem showing.

From this perhaps what I see in Via Dolorosa, other than what goes there as truly amazing."

That's all for now.