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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, March 2008, page 61 Waging Peace Director of Tent of Nations Speaks at Interfaith Peace-Builders Event
DAOUD NASSAR, the director of Tent of Nations, spoke Nov. 26 at a Busboys and Poets event in Washington, DC. At a time when many have lost hope in the potential of nonviolent activism to make a difference in Palestine, Nassar’s ongoing initiative on a threatened piece of land near Bethlehem is helping people around the world who are committed to peace take heart. Nassar related the dramatic and inspiring story of his family’s struggle to defend their land from illegal confiscation. Instead of yielding to strong and often violent pressure from the Israeli military and settlers determined to confiscate his family’s land (which it has owned since 1916), Nassar and his family have stood firm defending it nonviolently. The programs being run by Tent of Nations are allowing Palestinians to reconnect to their land, helping internationals gain an intimate understanding of the conflict, and demonstrating the power of creative resistance against Israeli aggression. Among the land’s varied functions include its use as a summer camp for Palestinian youth, a retreat center for adults, a site for international groups to get a real feel for the land—and Palestinians’ connection to it—and a site to carry out community-strengthening activities like picking olives and planting olive trees. Nassar, his family, organization and friends are doing this work under incredible hardship. In order to have held on to their land as long as they have, the Nassars have had to mount an exhausting and expensive legal fight lasting more than 15 years and costing more than $130,000. Standing on the Nassars’ land, one can see settlements, with their lights and constantly running water, in every direction. “We are not allowed to make any infrastructure changes to the land, not even in the form of water lines and electricity,” Nassar said. “We have to rely on well-water and a small electric generator for the programs carried out on the land. Every small improvement we make is watched and threatened by the Israeli authorities.” Despite all of the challenges that he and his family face, Nassar is an optimist, and believes that a positive and just change can be achieved. “I am a person of faith, and I believe it is important to pray,” he explained. “But I also believe it is important to act. It is by doing these things that I can say that the sun of justice will rise again.” The evening’s event was sponsored by Interfaith Peace-Builders, an organization that leads delegations of people from diverse backgrounds to Israel/Palestine to learn first-hand from those immersed in the reality of the conflict. It aims to advance the work of Israelis and Palestinians committed to nonviolent struggle and peace with justice. For more information visit: Tent of Nations at <www.tentofnations.org>; Friends of Tent of Nations North America at <http://fotonna.org>; and Interfaith Peace-Builders at <www.interfaithpeacebuilders.org>. —Basem Awad |
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