Sterling Notes Says Shalom

After a gap of seven years, I have returned to Israel. I signed myself up as my mom's companion on a fact-finding mission with the board of Americans for Peace Now. The nice thing is this is our second such mission together - the first one was in 1992! I guess you could say that last one made quite an impact, since I subsequently spent the year in Israel, rabble-roused among Jews and Palestinian Americans in Berkeley and worked for New Israel Fund. Now that I've been working in the arts for a few years (going back to my other roots) and have been feeling out of touch with what's happening on this side of the world, it felt like a good time to come back. You know, what with civil war breaking out in Gaza.

And what a way to return. Whew. We have been in intense back to back meetings since the moment we arrived. As in 1992, I am definitely the youngest person on the tour by about 30 years...I would like to gently suggest to APN that they cultivate some younger leadership. Yesterday one of the tour members came over to ask me who I was; she said she had been wondering "who's that KID?" Kid! I guess I should be flattered.

I'll post more details about the following meetings we had yesterday:

Former MK Naomi Chazan
Minister of Housing Meir Sheetrit
Peace Now Settlement Watch Coordinator Dror Etkes
US Consul General Jacob Walles (at the US Consulate, housed in a centuries old former monastery and leper colony!)
Veteran reporter on Palestinian affairs Danny Rubinstein

On today's agenda is a tour of the settlements and outposts around Jerusalem, and then we head over to the Knesset for meetings with several MK's (members of Knesset).

Will report in!