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AL-KHALIL (HEBRON) REFLECTION: Darkness cannot drive out darkness

CPTnet
7 February 2012
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON) REFLECTION: Darkness cannot drive out darkness

by Michael T. McRay

Hebron’s Old City has one main street. It connects the Ibrahimi Mosque to Bab il Balideyya, an open square next to the Beit Romano settlement and military base. Along this cobblestone road, narrower streets branch off, meandering deeper into the Old City, intersecting with other less trafficked alleys. At night, the Old City is dark, with only the main road lit, and there, only in scattered places.

On 25 January, the CPT team was walking home in high spirits after celebrating Kathy Kern’s 50th birthday. As we entered the Old City, we glanced down the first side street on our left and noticed two soldiers standing in the darkness up against the wall, a few paces from the main street. Both had their weapons in hand. Without much discussion, we decided to stay, hoping to be a de-escalating presence.

“Hi guys!” we said, voices raised. “How are you tonight?” The soldier in the front nodded. “What are you doing back here in the dark?” Chris continued. “Are you waiting for someone?”

The soldier in front smiled, “We are waiting for the Messiah.” Our laughter reverberated off the stone walls.

“You are waiting for the Messiah with guns?” I asked, chuckling. The soldier shrugged, still grinning.

“Would you like some cake?” Kathy offered, presenting her chocolate birthday dessert. Rosie took off to retrieve forks from the house.

“Come on! I know you want some,” I pursued, after they declined. “That smile on your face says it all.” The soldier in front stifled his laughter.

Chris, Kathy, and I decided to maintain a casual presence, not forcing the soldiers into conversation but neither allowing their intimidating presence to dominate that space. Kathy handed me the cake and her stuffed rainbow unicorn (a tool of de-escalation), and I posed for pictures. Over the next several minutes, we exchanged a few light-hearted remarks with the soldiers to keep tension minimal. As Rosie returned with forks, a group of female students from Oxford University on a stroll joined us, more than doubling the size of our group. Our laughter and cheerful conversation penetrated the night’s silence, bringing a smile to the faces of Palestinians walking by. Yet, as some of these individuals turned down the alley where the soldiers were hiding, many hesitated, a few even jumped back, at the sight of these armed men in the shadows.

As we divided the cake among our group and sang “Happy Birthday,” the soldiers decided to leave, stepping out of the shadows and disappearing behind the gate of the military base.

‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.’ -Martin Luther King, Jr.

13 February 2012 ·