Joining Hands for Justice

The last year has been one of discernment and discussion among the Joining Hands for Justice Palestine network members. The network began the New Year with two busy months of program reorganization, which was finalized in a two-day strategic planning and budgeting retreat in early February. 

Occupation-Isolation-Poverty

The Occupation has been identified by the network as the root cause of poverty and hunger among Palestinians throughout the country. The network considers the end of the Occupation as a priority for ending the suffering of the Palestinian people as well as securing their justice, peace and independence. The most pervasive issue people face in the current manifestation of occupation is that of isolation.  With the impending completion of the wall surrounding Bethlehem (which is slated for Easter) for instance, even greater poverty is expected. Seventy-five percent of Bethlehem's population derives its income from tourism, and they now face the possibility that visitors of the future will have to first secure a visa similar to those now required to enter Gaza.

Palestinians living behind the wall continue to face greater difficulty passing back and forth, not only because checkpoints are increasing traffic bottlenecks, but also regulations for passing are tightening.

Bethlehem is not alone in experiencing the effects of rules that demand any Palestinian who is under the age of sixty-years-old and navigating a checkpoint must leave the vehicle in which they are riding and walk through:

In designing programs to address isolation, the network members are ever committed to pursuing activities that not only end incidents such as these that rob the community of their human rights and dignity, but also to create coping mechanisms for surviving ever-increasing obstacles.

Economic Empowerment

Economic empowerment is seen by the Palestinian partner network as an utmost necessity not only to be able to participate in bringing an end to an ever-downward spiral of occupation, but to survive it as well. The network hopes to achieve this by combating the decline in tourism and upgrading food and crafts products for foreign markets while advocating worker's rights and building awareness about the changing life-conditions of Palestinian women.

Lives that were (like our own), once defined by large events—the magnitude of which are found in history books, are now determined by day-to-day endurance, creativity and tenacity.