This is our fourth visit this year, following our “beach days”. As we act to preserve and expand our connection, we find it important to acquaint ourselves with the communities from our guest groups come. Our possibility to visit people in their own dwellings, hear the stories of the place and get a closer look at life, deepen our knowledge and do away with more and more false ideas – is beneficial for all sides.

Every such visit is concluded with the same sigh on our part: If only all Israelis were with us in these moments.

And so we set forth on a bright winter day towards Khirvet Tayibe, a small village situated on the eastern slopes of the town of Umm Al Fahm. Looking out west from the village we see the blue schoolhouse and Umm Al Fahm’s buildings on the top of the range. A mere wire fence divides them at a distance of about 500 meters. All of the villagers have family in Umm Al Fahm, but the long way there winds through routes that bypass Jenin, go through the Barta’a or Jalama checkpoints and by soldiers and permits and inspections.

The residents of Khirbet Tayibe are 1948 refugees from Umm Al Fahm and the area.

We were on our way, loaded with the usual Israeli fears. We’re told the region is dangerous. “Waze” tells us in Barta’a that “you’ve entered a danger zone”. The car parks along the road behind the checkpoint (on its eastern side) is filled with hundreds if not thousands of cars belonging to workers or tradesmen working inside Israel. Two Palestinians we met in the parking area tell us about the villages in the area and the improved general situation, because of an increase in the number of workers going to work in Israel. They do complain though, of blocked roads and the need to take bypass tracks that make their journey much lengthier. Access to the local roads from the nearby villages is blocked by concrete blocs. The only exit from Barta’a eastward is via the main road leading to Jenin.
 

From Barta’a we proceed to Khirbet Tayibe accompanied by our host. If the local road along the fence were open, we would arrive at the village in 20 minutes. But in view of the well-known facts, our ride lasted an hour and a half. Thus we go through numerous villages – Ya’abad, for example, defined even by our host (who takes personal responsibility for us) as dangerous. Stones are occasionally thrown at cars driving through there, and driving there after dark is not advised. Our ride is calm and pastoral, passing by olive groves and a lovely hilly view, until Marj Ibn ‘Amer – the Jezreel Valley – is seen, continuing without any political overtones towards Jenin and southward. The season’s beauty is at its best, showing green and brown stripes of fields, fruit tree groves and villages here and there.

And we (Jews…) haven’t come to mention our atavistic fear aroused by the mere name “Jenin”. Zakariya Zbeide, Tali Fahima, Mohammad Bakri’s film “Jenin, Jenin”, etc. So here we are with our fears and the single road and our curiosity, driving between Jenin refugee camp and industrial structures as one sees at any town’s entrance. Even a welcoming gate.

We regain our breath and A. explains, directs us, and we arrive at the northernmost village – Roumana, showing its Roman structure in the picture. Who knows.

Another few villages and we arrive at the westernmost village, closest to the fence, situated as we already told you, on the hill slopes, surrounded by a green idyll.

Our host family gradually assembles in their dwelling. There are 8 brothers and 3 sisters. The father passed away a few years ago. He was a refugee from Umm Al Fahm. The mother, may she enjoy a long life, originates from the Mejiddo area. They raised a lovely family. Each of their offspring has their own house, are all either employed by the PA or independent, and are very glad to welcome us in their midst.

The women are 4 pairs of sisters married to the 8 brothers, and the grandmother enjoys about 60 grandchildren who surround her. The children eventually came home from schools and kindergartens and turned the house into a happy feast. We ate and talked and heard a bit about the place and especially enjoyed the atmosphere and so much good will.

Fortunately for them, there are no Israeli settler-colonies around them, so they are spared that kind of confrontation. Even the army does not pay them ‘visits’ every day, although they remember very well the days when their own home served as a ‘straw widow’ post during Operation “Defensive Shield”. Soldiers took over the house and locked its inhabitants in, no one could come or go, and even relatives were not allowed to hear from them,. The woman recalls being pregnant at the time, she did not feel well and the soldiers (about 40 of them dwelled in her home!) even called an ambulance.

There are about 3000 residents in this village, and many are married to Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The region is suffering from a ‘blow’ of wild boar who roam around and bother people. The animals could be seen through the house window, free to roam on the hill among the bushes next to the house, looking for food.

There is a very clear message of desire for a life of peace and quiet. People are happy to note that in spite of Trump’s recent declaration, no new Intifada (uprising) is brewing, and they are aware of the fact that any attempt at such resistance would impact their economic situation.

The brothers, some of whom worked in Israel in the past, speak some Hebrew or English and took over the conversation, while the lovely women smile at us from inside their Hijabs. Although we are all sitting in one space, the traditional gender division is apparent.

Before dark fell we decided to take to the road. The host, self-appointed as our guardian, brought us to the high observation point above the village from which one could look over all the way beyond the Jordan River in the east, all of the north of Israel (the mountains around Afula, Nazareth etc.) – everything seems in one’s palm.

From there we drove to ‘Anin, a village five minutes south of Khirbet Tayibe, it too beside the Separation Fence, and then home.

On our way we stopped in Umm Al Fahm for supper. In your face, Lieberman! We thus met a group of charming local youngsters who were collecting donations for refugees, and told us they were about to travel to the island of Lesbos to help refugees who arrive there. They say this is an independent local initiative.