Letter from the Holy Land

The Rev Dr Stewart Gillan, Mission Partner in Jerusalem, highlights the suffering and hope of one community linked to the Church of Scotland.

THE Bedouin village of Umm al Khair is located in the south Hebron Hills, within sight of the Negev and touching distance of the nearest settlement, Karmel.

The Church of Scotland’s involvement with the community stretches back some twenty years with Church members and staff visiting to offer solidarity, financial support to help build a community centre and two greenhouses, furniture from the Scots Hotel and Guesthouse, and tables and chairs for the children’s school. Partnering with the Hebron International Resources Network, relationships were strengthened with the community through the 2010s, which continue into the present.

One of the key moments for me came during Ramadan last year when I was invited to share in iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast at sunset – enjoying wide-ranging conversation and a wide selection of dishes spread out on a large mat, with interpretation offered by two of the community leaders.

Two hundred days into the war between Israel and Hamas (at the time of writing), the news from our friends has been increasingly desperate, with posts coming almost daily of settler incursions, army mistreatment, economic hardship, and nightly fear. Bedouin communities throughout the country have been among the most vulnerable and traumatised outside of Gaza itself. We have been partnering with Rabbis for Human Rights in the provision of food aid, and with the Churches in Jerusalem to call for a truce, the release of hostages and prisoners, and the safe flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. And we have been praying for an end to this war from the day it started.

Painful to relate, but it is a pain you will know in your own life of prayer and discipleship of our risen Lord Jesus. For me one of the most trying experiences was news of the death of one of the great mothers of the Umm Al Khair community, Hajji Aida. She was 97 years old, and much loved. I had met her briefly on a visit last year, and write now in her honour, drawing on the witness of her community.

I learned of her death from a member of her family, whom I will call Salim. He relates: One night early in April, the army and settlers stormed the village and Hajji fell into a coma. An ambulance was called, and it became clear that Hajji had suffered a heart attack. Two days later she was admitted to Al Ahli Hospital in Hebron, where multiple medical interventions failed to stabilise her. ‘She is suffering to live now,’ Salim wrote, calling for prayer.

His next post, a day later, brought the sad news: ‘Hajji Aida passed away half an hour ago.’ To which notice he added weeping emojis, and the above photo.

In her eulogy, Salim wrote: ‘Al Hajji Aida, our aunt, the sister of the martyr Sulieman Al-Hathalin, one of the strongest Palestinian female activists, died today. She suffered a heart attack several days ago, and then there was an invasion of the village by the occupation soldiers. Pray for her. She spent her life searching for justice.’

Salim’s words bear witness to the suffering and hope of his community, and call us to share in both, affirming the light and life of God in the face of the darkness and death of our times, upholding the right of all to live and be honoured.