Tariq Hathaleen giving a presentation in Um al-Khair
The Good Shepherd Collective
GSC raises awareness of the violent and unjust structures operating in the Holy Land and provides educational resources and action items to ring in the broad changes that will usher in peace. GSC understands violence to be rooted in the systems and laws that guide civil formation and order. As such, it rejects the binary discourse of “Israelis vs. Palestinians” and instead the focus is on the structural oppression that leads to violence. There for, GSC organizes to change the policies and laws that underpin these structures through grassroots campaigns. In this way, advocacy campaigns call for the rights of all people and seek to build broad coalitions across movements to usher in a new era of justice. Though centered in the South Hebron Hills, GSC’s understanding of justice demands cross-movement cooperation.
Eid Hathaleen
Eid Hathaleen is 35 years old and from the village of Um al-Khair. He has been a peace activist for thirteen years. During this time, his village has suffered many demolitions and attacks from local settlers. Like almost everyone else in his community, Eid has pending demolition orders on his home and does not know when they will be executed. Still, he is passionate about following the status of demolition orders and human rights violations across all of South Hebron and works to document them and assist other communities whenever and however he can.
Awdah Hathaleen
Also from Um al-Khair, Awdah is an English teacher in his village, having studied English teaching methods at Hebron University. Awdah and his mother currently live in a house with a pending demolition order. Already, their house has been demolished twice before. Awdah has been a peace activist for three years, and is part of the Good Shepherd Collective because he believes that the principles of the organization will help improve the situation of the Holy Land and its people by uplifting their voices, concerns, and needs.
Tariq Hathaleen
Tariq is 24 years old and studies English teaching methods at Hebron University, although he is preparing to graduate shortly. He is from the village of Um al-Khair, and has been a peace activist for more than five years. Tariq became involved in activism as a result of his observation that there was a need for more voices speaking out against human rights abuses and home demolitions, and he hopes to defend his community in this way. Tariq wishes to live the advice of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), who says that it is better to go and help one’s brother than to stay in the mosque and pray for one month.
Like many other Palestinian communities, our lives have been characterized by displacement and resisting further displacement. Our lives have been in a constant form of resistance in the pursuit of justice.
While we’ve watched nearly all our homes be demolished, and the communities around us be demolished, or at least live under the threat of demolition – we have hope. We have hope because we’ve been a part of successful campaigns and know that solidarity between broad movements can usher in justice.
When people come to the communities and listen to our stories, when we talk about all of these painful events in the context of international law, people become invested this movement of justice. We continue to believe because we see the movement for justice growing.
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*For tax-free donations, US citizens can use the Alliance For Global Justice here. UK citizens can make a GiftAid contribution through the British Shalom-Salaam Trust here.
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