The Burning Brush

‘Brush fires are common here in the summer, and can be really dangerous’ so said Elana our guide last Tuesday in her home town of Tsur Haddasah. 

She had already spent over an hour hosting us in her home, telling us the story of her son, Yannai. 

Yannai was introverted and interested in people. He was a leader in the scout movement and when it was time for him to serve in the army, he chose a leadership role to nurture the younger soldiers in his unit at the beginning of their military service. He was based on an army base called Zikim and two and a half years ago, just over 1000 days ago, his army base was attacked as part of the onslaught from Hamas on that fateful day- 7 October 2023. 

His parents decided very quickly to ensure his legacy was one of peace and not retribution. 

And so they joined the Parents Circle - an initiative bringing together relatives of victims of the violence  - both Israeli and Palestinian- to support each other in their grief, and to advocate for peace. 

And that is how we came to be in their home and afterwards at this viewpoint at the edge of their town. 

A beautiful view over the valley. 

What you can’t see in this picture is the barrier on the pavement where I am standing. 

Because this is literally The Green Line. Over the barrier, that parallel stretch of road is a buffer zone between Israel and the West Bank and the barbed wire fencing on the other side marks the beginning of Palestinian Authority controlled land. 

In the valley below is the village of Wadi Fukin and over the other side is the Israeli settlement town of Beitar Illit. 

So in the photo is land that is under the authority of the State of Israel, land that is under the authority of The Palestinian Authority, and that that is … well… land that is neither Israeli or Palestinian. It is The Green Line.

The Green Line is so named because it was the colour of the ink used on a map between the various forces who were working out the demarcation lines in 1949 for the State of Israel as part of the agreements with her Arab neighbours to end the war that had started when British Forces withdrew from the area the year before, triggering the Naqba (Arabic word for catastrophe) or the War of Independence depending on which history book you read. 

So this Green Line is in reality a track about a metre wide, with natural vegetation, brush, on either side.

And it was these dry little bushes that she was pointing to when she told us about the fire last year:

The fire caught and was burning, threatening to engulf the area, either down the slope to Wadi Fukin, or up the slope to Tzur Hadassah. 

Residents of both neighbourhoods called their authorities to come and put out the fire. 

The Israeli fire service said it wasn’t in their control because it was beyond the border of the Israeli town. 

The Palestinian fire service said it wasn’t in their control because it was beyond the border of the Palestinian Authority. 

And meanwhile the fire burned. 

I imagined the debacle of wire fencing and military zones and vehicles and hoses and people trying to put out the fire without crossing these stupid lines on maps. 

Over 3000 years ago, another bush burned in this middle eastern landscape. Perhaps it was another brush fire that is so common in the summer in this area. We are told that it was Moses who saw that the bush wasn’t being consumed by the fire that enabled him to be in conversation with God.

And I couldn't help but think that once again, God was trying to communicate with us, if only we were able to stop and pay attention just like Moses.