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The vote for Palestine

30 November 2012Toine van Teeffelen

It is the day of Palestine in the UN, on 29 November, the Day of InternationalSolidarity with the Palestinian People. I decide to feel ashamed when theNetherlands would vote against. It doesnt happen, but it was close.

Mary and I walk during the evening to the Wall around Rachels Tombbecause a kind of celebration would take place there. A few hundreds ofpeople are watching the TV broadcast coming from New York, projected onthe large iron gate in the Wall adjacent to a military watchtower. Israelisoldiers look from their watchtower down; they seem rather relaxed. Thelarge spotlights from the watchtower let the audience bath in light. Thesoldiers themselves sit in the dark.

The atmosphere is almost cozy, like at a party. Palestinian flags aredistributed. Mary and I too wave the flags, I feel myself as in a footballmatch. The Palestinian police walks around relaxedly. An ambulance of thePalestinian Medical Relief stands ready for emergencies.

Over a week ago the Israeli army shot teargas and rubber bullets at this veryspot. Most of the stones on the street have been removed. Still a hiddentension is tangible. A young man climbs over a wall up to reach a balcony.Everybody looks backwards to watch his courage and skill. Then anotherman starts the real work. He climbs vertically, like Spiderman, up the gate.

When he reaches the upper edge, the people down throw a flag to him andhe plants it on top. Shouts and cheers. We too can go high, is the message.

I have to think of the new Bethlehem Christmas DVD (the Birth of JesusBetween the Walls), where a lady of the Bethlehem Sumud Choir sings theMagnificat from the ground up to a similar military watchtower, saying:Come down, you throne!

The youth dance a wild dabkeh, pound hard with their feet, jump high, gofast around in the circle. The spirit is like in a flamengo. Do we see flickeringlights shining from below up to the watchtower, saying: we shine back at

you?

We go back home, have to get up early. Mary wakes me up with a big smile,saying: only nine countries voted against. The US, Canada, the CzechRepublic and Israel are in the proud company of Micronesia and some otherPacific islands. Mary regrets not to have stayed, yesterday night, especiallyto see that huge flag which was later spread out among the attendants.With only a little irony she congratulates the man who brings the kaek (bread

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with sesam) in the morning: Mabrouk [congratulations] with the state. Themorning paper Al Quds quotes Mahmoud Abbas, saying the vote is like givingthe Palestinian state its birth certificate. Tamer asks if Israel will now leavePalestine. An understandable misunderstanding. Jara is touched by theimages on Euronews of the celebrations.

The Nativity Church bells tolled when the vote took place. Tamer leaves withhis little backpack in the morning to prepare with his class for confirmation,together with a nun and priest. It is beautiful weather, a coat is not needed.