I hopped on the bus from Jerusalem, to the Bethlehem border - the separation wall at Gilo. From there, I went to Manger Sq, the place of the Church of the Nativity...The West Bank.
It was good to be back. Since the recent Gaza atrocities the tourists here have been thin on the ground, so I made a lot of friends in the first 10 minutes of being there. Tour guides telling me all about the current mood there, as well as souvenir shop owners inviting me in for tea. No really, I'm serious - not to buy stuff (though I'm sure they'd want that), but inviting me for arabic tea with the wife and a chat! This is how the Palestinians i've met are - incredibly welcoming and willing to speak about the occupation.
I bump into the olive tree planting organisers in Manger Sq by coincidence - it's ace to see them, and they are very pleased to see me too. My leisure time comes to an abrupt halt, as I'm immediately invited to meet some local farmers to find out about some settlers who have been cutting their trees and violently attacking them and their families. And this is before the Planting Programme has even begun!
I won't bore you with the details here. But in a nutshell, the settlements around this area have been expanding rapidly and as a result, so have the number of house demolitions, land confiscation and attacks on palestinians increased. It is shocking to see how it has advanced in the short year and a half since I was last here.
I'm ready to get planting.
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