The Tent of Nations, a place of hope
Aug 3, 2024
One Palestinian farming family’s story.
There is a place on a hilltop just southwest of Bethlehem in the West Bank in Palestine, called the Tent of Nations. It is surrounded by Israeli settlements. It has belonged to the Nassar family since 1916, when it was purchased by the grandfather of the current owners, during the time of the Ottoman Empire. It was registered at that time and in 1924 a survey was done to comply with requirements during the time of the British Mandate. The land has belonged to and been farmed and settled by the Nassar family throughout Ottoman, British, Jordanian and Israeli rule. Unlike many Palestinian farming families, the Nassar family have detailed documentation from the original purchase, proving their ownership.
In 2001, Bishara Nassar’s children transformed the farm into an international meeting place and the Nassar family runs the farm of approximately 100 acres as an educational and environmental farm, they welcome thousands of international visitors and volunteers every year and host camps in the summer for the children from the local refugee camps in Bethlehem. They are Palestinian Christians, making them a targeted minority in the apartheid State of Israel.
After the Six Day War in 1967, land in the West Bank has been increasingly taken illegally, often violently, by Jewish Israeli settlers. They are armed and many are violent towards Palestinians, many are Zionists and have extreme beliefs, that the land is theirs.
Israel has continued to take land to be settled by Jews from many other countries, who believe that after thousands of years of persecution, they can be safe in the land given by God, Israel.
The farm is surrounded by 5 expanding illegal Israeli settlements, the Gush Etzion Settlement Bloc and a Torah school. In 1991 Israeli Authorities declared the farm and surrounding area as ‘state land’.
The Nassars have been in a protracted legal battle, through the segregated military court system, particularly used for Palestinian matters. (Legal affairs of Jewish Israelis are heard in Civil courts). In 2007, they were told that they could start the process of re-registration again. Court hearings have been ongoing, with multiple delays and re- starts. In 2019 they were told the process was complete. After more delays a meeting of the Israeli Land Registration Committee was held in February 2021, but again there have been delays and adjournments since then. After a year of waiting, a hearing, scheduled recently, was again mysteriously cancelled one day before the hearing, “due to reasons related to constraints of the committee”.
In May 2021, 1,000 trees, including hundreds of olive trees, were destroyed by an intentionally lit fire and in June 2021 Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers entered the property illegally and cut down about 50 olive trees. Again in January 2022, 50 olive trees were destroyed by vandals. Later that month two of the Nassar brothers were attacked and seriously injured at the property by masked men.
About $240,000 in damage has been caused to property and on the land. The family are in constant danger from the encroaching, expanding Israeli settlements around them. They have been threatened with death on several occasions. Despite this, they cannot leave their land as they fear it will be taken by the Israeli Government, if it is ever empty of people.
They stay, living without aggression, with the motto “ We refuse to be enemies” with hope for a better future.
Electricity, water and effective road access have been successively cut off over the years, making managing the farm a constant challenge, they have installed solar energy and water cisterns. A recent harvest was disrupted when concrete blocks were placed across access roads. Work and improvements have been impossible because of Israeli restrictions and bureaucratic requirements, aimed solely at Palestinian farmers and landowners. The separation wall, being extended to completely encircle Bethlehem will mean they will need to cross military check points to press their olive crop, to avoid this they wanted to purchase an olive press, it has been impossible.
In July 2023, I and other members of our Australian Palestine Advocacy Network group were welcomed to the Tent of Nations by Daoud Nassar. We ate in one of the caves originally used as homes when the land was first owned by the family and again used now to keep them safe. We wandered the hilltop with Daoud and his family and we played with the group of refugee children from Bethlehem staying there in the summer camp. It is a beautiful and peaceful place in a land of sorrow and destruction.
Palestinian people have been fighting for 76 years, since the disastrous decision made by the United Nations in 1948, the ‘Nakba’ (catastrophe), which effectively divided the land of Palestine to make the Jewish State of Israel. Immediately 750,000 people were displaced from their homes and became refugees. This number has now grown to millions, both in Palestine and across the Middle East, with millions more Palestinian people living around the world.
The State of Israel Is an apartheid state with separate Judicial systems and discriminatory, racist practices across all facets of life. Israeli Jewish settlements occupy over 90% of the land and Palestinians are unable to move about their own land freely, because of a system of segregated roads with hundreds of kilometres of huge walls and barriers, which separate families, farmers from their land and village streets. This wall needs to be crossed through about 700 militarily manned checkpoints, which make daily life traumatic and dangerous.
Thousands have been jailed without charge Including children as young as ten. Thousands have been tortured and killed.
The violence towards Palestinians has been increasing exponentially since October 7th 2023. The West Bank has become much more dangerous for Palestinians, with arrests, bombings and attacks. Hundreds have been killed and hundreds of villages have been attacked and burned by bands of armed Israeli settlers, this happening without sanction by the Israeli authorities.
The Nassar Family, living on their hilltop are in increasing danger and need support from the international community. They have called out for supporters to contact their own representatives and the Israeli Government asking for help to finalise the process of registration of their land. They are asking for international volunteers to help them maintain the cultivation and development of the land, these volunteers also provide a protective presence.
The Tent of Nations: website
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Prue Licht
Prue Licht a retired Social Worker, I used to work with children and Families. Since I retired i have been an active member of Grandmothers for Refugees, currently a coordinator of a local group. I am also actively involved in the Palestinian struggle for human and land rights. I visited Palestine in July 2023, staying in East Jerusalem and the Old City and visiting Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron and other areas of the West Bank. My interests include reading, music, cinema, politics, art, my garden and life in general. I spend time with family and friends and am also in the local U3A.
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