Tea with Aimad and Kristin Halvorsen

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Almost a week has passed since I arrived Beit Sahour, a village just outside Bethlehem. Gjermund and Lars, the two other GoCYs, have moved into one apartment and I into another. I am really happy about the place where I`m living. It lies in a quiet neighbourhood with only pleasant sounds like the calls for prayer and the church bells. Right outside my kitchen window is Aimad`s olive field. I rent the apartment from him and his wife Munira, who live in the same building together with their two grown-up sons.

On Thursday Munira invited me for tea. She had just been to a henna party, a gathering for the women before a wedding (a more relaxed version of the bachelor parties we have in Norway?). We talked about henna, about olives and about Munira and Aimad`s family. Aimad was reading a newspaper from Bethlehem on the Internet. It said that the Norwegian government had withdrawn investments from a company producing equipment for the separation barrier Israel is building on the West Bank. Aimad even read me the name of the Norwegian minister of finances, Kristin Halvorsen. Suddenly a Norwegian politician took part in my tea visit!

The barrier is a big issue for the Palestinians, and with good reason. The Israeli government says that it is built in order to defend Israelis against terrorist attacks. However, it is not being constructed along the border from 1967, when the West Bank was occupied by Israel. In fact more than 80 per cent of it will be on the Palestinian territories. Many Palestinians consequently lose their land, as the barrier, with the belonging roads, fences and trenches, on average is 60 metres broad. Others have great difficulties getting to their fields, which in many cases end up being on the other side of the barrier. This is very serious for Palestinian economy, as agriculture is the primary source of income in the areas concerned. The barrier was declared to be “contrary to international law” by the International Court of Justice in 2004.

There is much to be said about this. Here is a link with more information: B`Tselem
And here is the press release from the Norwegian ministry of finance: Finansdepartementet