In a Land called Palestine 

by Rev. Sandra Olewine 
July 24, 2003
General Board of Global Ministries/United Methodist Church
http://gbgm-umc.org/global_news/full_article.cfm?articleid=1693
  
Tragic stories about people's difficulties leaving or entering Palestine/Israel are common among Palestinians. One such story of a Palestinian being denied basic human rights struck a particularly personal note with the staff at the International Center of Bethlehem (ICB) this week. Internationally-recognized musician Marwan Abado, an Austrian national of Palestinian origin, was denied entry upon his arrival on Sunday, 20 July and he was subsequently deported on the 21st. 
Abado and his musical colleagues were scheduled to perform Misk Wa Anbar at the Songs of Freedom Festival being held in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Abado was invited by both the Austrian Embassy and the Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN) program of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He had obtained his visa through the Israeli Foreign Ministry. 
On June 29, 2002, Marwan Abado and Viola Raheb (then director of Lutheran Schools for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and Palestine, and also a staff member at Dar Annadwa) were married at the Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Amman, Jordan. 
Despite Raheb's life-long membership of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, holding the wedding in Jordan was necessary due to intense conflict in the Bethlehem area last summer, and to the inability of Abado's family in Lebanon to travel to the area at all. While Viola's close family (she is the sister of the general director of ICB, the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb) and a few friends were able to attend, most of the Bethlehem community were unable to undertake the travel necessary to attend the wedding festivities. 
With the upcoming concert, family and friends gathered at the airport, looking forward to finally meeting Marwan and celebrating with the couple. As Viola watched Marwan disembark the plane, Israeli authorities detained him and escorted him to the airport prison. Despite having a valid working visa issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Israeli security > > refused to allow him to leave the airport. Several diplomatic bodies tried to intervene in the matter, including a representative from the > > Austrian Embassy who was at the airport to welcome Marwan. Israeli Security canceled Abado's visa, and after 24 hours of detention, put him on the first plane to Vienna. The only explanation offered for the refusal of entry was > > the ambiguous term 'security.' 
In a press release, ICB stated, As one of the organizers of the Songs of Freedom Festival, an international cultural event, the International Center of Bethlehem finds it extremely difficult to comprehend the reasons behind denying Abado's entry, particularly as the Israeli government itself had granted Abado a visa prior to his arrival. We see such an unjustified action creating another unnecessary obstacle on the road to peace. 
After arriving back in Vienna, Marwan wrote, When I first opened my eyes in this world, my family was already collecting money to replace the bells for the church in Kafr Birem, the village from which they were expelled before becoming refugees in Lebanon. Our home town in Galilee has been deserted for decades but the church bell has rung again since the 70s, witnessing to what we have experienced. The sound of the strains of my oud are not only a mere witness but rather a mission and a commitment to my emotional belonging to this country. The smile never left my face during my detention, not even when I was deported; because this smile lies in my belonging to this country, because it is impossible to detain a smile. Hoping to meet with you. 
“Every day there is news, every day there are image from a land called Palestine;
Every day there is a struggle; every day there is farewell in a land called Palestine;
I wish for a day without victories, without murders, without injuries; 
just a normal, boring day.
And this normal, boring day will be a feast for a land called Palestine.” 
“Palestine” 
lyrics by Marwan Abado, 2002
The Reverend Sandra K. Olewine is a missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church assigned to Catholic Relief Services in Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine. As the United Methodist Liaison, Sandra's responsibilities include documentation, interpretation and writing on Middle East issues. Through her work, Sandra communicates the vision and concerns of the churches of Jerusalem and Palestine to the United Methodist Church worldwide.