Do not allow the ‘Tents of Nations’ in Bethlehem to be torn down!

Daoud Nassar is a Palestinian Christian. In an area close to Bethlehem, on his own vineyard, he has fulfilled his dream: He has established a peace and meeting centre called ‘Tents of Nations – people build bridges.’ Here he brings together young people from different cultural backgrounds. Through personal conversations he tries to remove prejudices and so to bring about reconciliations between Israelis and Palestinians.

The most hardline opponents of Daoud Nassar are indeed not people’s prejudices, but the Israeli military authorities. Now, just because of some supposedly missing building permits, the buildings for his Peace Movement are likely to be torn down. On the vineyard there are two houses, some cisterns for drinking water, an electricity generator and a few tents for guests. Nassar has also converted the caves on his land into several meeting areas. Nassar’s family have appealed against the demolitions to the highest court, which for the time being has suspended the demolition order. This was also a result of international pressure. Legally, the Israeli authorities are not allowed to demolish any buildings before a decision has been made in the highest court. It is expected that these legal proceedings will last one or two years, during which time the future of the peace initiative will remain uncertain.

For now 17 years the Nassar family have had to affirm their ownership of their vineyard before an Israeli military court. They are in possession of Ottoman, British, Jordanian and Israeli paperwork, documents from previous governments which prove their land rights. However the Israeli authorities are not recognising these documents. Instead, new Israeli settlers are making claims upon the area. The hills in the nearby surrounding areas are already occupied by jewish settlers. And therefore the vineyard of Daoud Nassar and his peace initiative have become a part of the Middle East conflict – a conflict in which land and ownership claims are playing a key role.

Nevertheless, Daoud Nassar is unwavering in his efforts to develop his ‘Tents of Nations – people build bridges’ project. It is particularly the Palestinian young people, says Nassar, to whom he hopes, through his peace initiative to give hope and confidence. He asserts that “ to change people, and to give them a glimpse of hope – that motivates me” . By together attending dances and theatre events, the young Palestinians and Israelis meet each other and get to know each other in a different light – the Palestinians, who struggle against their stigmatisation as stone throwers and bomb carriers, and the Israelis, who are perceived by the Palestinians as self-righteous occupiers and soldiers.

The Palestinian Christian, who attended a Bible college in Austria and studied Business Studies in Israel as well as Tourism in Germany, has received support and recognition from abroad : the Mennonite Peace Committee of Germany has awarded the ‘Tents of Nations’ 2007 project with the Michael Sattler Peace Prize . At the same time the Committee praised the peaceful campaign of the Nassar family against illegal land seizures by Israel. In addition, the Peace Committee called for solidarity with the family. Christian churches in the West Bank also supported the project and challenged the Israeli government to show respect for international justice. It is a very important motivation for the Palestinian Christian to know that his project is being recognised and appreciated around the world.

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Translated by Charles and Gisela Russell