Finding solidarity in
Um al-Khair
Looking for something more than a hang-out spot
The sun rises over the makeshift tent built upon the village’s water cistern. The roosters crows and the children flood our area with our usual breakfast of bread, olive oil, and za’atar. “Sometimes I just wish they would come and just demolish the homes. The worst part is waiting,” said Tareq as he poured the morning cup of tea. It wasn’t the first time he said this to me. It had been months since the Israeli Civil Administration had issued home demolitions on seven houses in his village of Um al-Khair in the West Bank and it would be 12 time that village would have to rebuild.
For months, on and off, Tareq would sense that the moment of home demolitions was imminent, and called on the international community to come stand in solidarity with him and the villagers. He asks that they simply come and stay the night, because, over the long battle for the existence of Um al-Khair, the Israeli military and Israeli Civil Administration would demolish in the early morning, so having internationals and Israelis there to document first thing in the morning would be crucial. Sometimes people would come. More often than not, they would not.
This, of course, is in the backdrop of the Sumud: Freedom Camp, where hundreds of Israeli and American Jews flocked to the village of Sarura in the 918 Firing Zone, nestled in the foot hills of South Hebron, to help re-establish a Palestinian presence in the area. Tareq, his cousins Eid and Awdeh, would attend the camp nearly every night, as one of the few Palestinians from outside of the immediate Palestinian enclaves surrounding Sarura. For him and his family, it was an act of solidarity, having understood the importance of unity through their own struggles with the Israeli military regime.
At night when we sit, the question hangs over Tareq and his cousins’ heads: Why are the internationals not here in Um al-Khair when we need them?It raises questions, range across the spectrum. Are people not showing up because it’s not trendy enough. Do people not have the gas money to make it? Have we not properly communicated the necessity or the importance of having a protective presence in the community? Or, are we not supporting the people who are willing to come emotionally enough so that they have the capacity to stay the course? Are they unwilling to risk their privilege by standing with Palestinians under threat of expulsion?
We don’t know. But we do know that at different times, for different people, these issues and much more have kept people from showing up in at-risk areas in the West Bank.
Of all these questions, this concept of ‘voyeur activism’, is the most difficult to pull apart. On the one hand, it is difficult to watch as people come in and out, posting selfies on Instagram, making Facebook posts about resistance — a week later — they are posting about eating calamari off the shores of Greece.
On the other hand, it is also important to remember that everyone enters into this space at different points in their life, that part of activism is an individual journey where a person becomes more aware of what it means to stand in solidarity. Then, there is the real, often times overlooked layer of self-care. People inevitably face real burn out and need to take a step back and heal a bit from the emotional toll of doing the work well. It is essential that we also support people during their break and don’t shackle them with guilt for doing so.
But in acknowledging that for some, activism has become more of an en vogue lifestyle choice, it is important to challenge those around us in real ways. We should be consistently reminding each other of Laura LeMoon’s words, “an ally should be personally gaining NOTHING through their activism. In fact, if you are an ally, you should be losing things through your activism; space, voice, recognition, validation, identity, and EGO.” Some people are really relying on the dedication and sacrifice that comes with being active in movements for liberation and justice. 6-year-old Leen and the people of Um al-Khair need authentic commitment, not to be featured in an Instagram post.
Cody & Alex
I’ve been working on and off in the Holy Land since 2005. I’ve worked with ICAHD, DCI-Palestine, and HIRN and the Holy Land Trust. If you like my work and would like to contribute, and have an extra 10 dollars a month? Make a small contribution. You can also email me back at codyorourke@gmail.com.
