ACE Project

ACE stands for “Antidote for Corona? Embroidery”

This project was conceived by Carol Morton towards the end of April, when she realised that the lockdown in Britain-Scotland-Edinburgh was going to be for a few months and that Hadeel would be closed during that time.  The lockdown was also present at the same time in Palestine, which meant that none of the groups that supply the merchandise for Hadeel were receiving any orders from around the world, and no sales to tourists either.

The travel restrictions to Palestine during the lockdown meant that the arranged visit-study tour to see new products, to be led by Carol and Ross Campbell in May, was cancelled.

The film Stitching Palestine, which we had hoped to show to the public this year, was seen earlier in the year by the staff, Council members and volunteers at Hadeel as an introduction. It illustrated the important role that embroidery plays in Palestinian history and contemporary society.

Carol and Ross devised a plan to advertise the ACE project to some of the key supporters of Hadeel.  The plan was that people would lend money to the project or donate if they wished to do so.  The money was ring-fenced and used for the sole purpose of purchasing embroidery, which is usually done at home by the women, whose freedom to travel is normally reduced due to the movement restrictions imposed on them by the Occupation. The Coronavirus only added to this immobility.  These women use embroidery as a therapeutic activity and as a source of income. This became almost nil during the lockdown.

The lenders were given a Loan Token with the value of their loan so that, on the arrival of the goods to Hadeel, they would come and use their Token in lieu of cash or card payment for any goods.  They could do that until the value was used up or, if they did not wish to use it all, they would donate the remaining money to Hadeel. This plan also covered those who wished to donate rather than lend their money as they received a Thank You note.

During the time Carol was ordering from and communicating with the groups, she continuously updated the Council and staff with their news and of the arrival of each group’s product. Replies from the groups, describing the difficult situation that had befallen them, were included in regular updates sent to the lenders/donors. All were informed when the goods arrived.  Invoices were paid immediately – in some cases partially prepaid, possible because of the loans so generously given.

Staff, volunteers, and customers are amazed by the resultant stunning embroidery display in Hadeel.  The goods are already proving popular and quickly being sold so that more orders can be sent to the four Palestinian embroidery groups in the West Bank and two in Gaza. The situation, with the rise in Covid-19 cases there, is worse now, with 4000-5000 cases daily, than when ACE began.

Between April and August, the ACE project raised £7,850 from lenders and donors with an additional £100 recently.  A big thank you to all who have contributed and to Carol and Ross.

We hope to see you in Hadeel soon.

Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape

Raja Shehadeh, Profile Books (Publishers), 2008

Walking around the countryside, climbing the hills and wading on the streams are not only refreshing to the body, but also rejuvenating the soul. They open the eyes to the history of the land and open the mind to the caring actions of the people living on it as well as the destructive forces ruining it. These walks can be lessons in geography, history, human behaviour and current affairs. Raja Shehadeh combines all of the above in a captivating read of his walks around Palestine over a quarter of a century between 1978 and 2005.

“Palestinian Walks” is not meant to be a diary, but it makes a compelling record of how a simple human activity may become an event that is rich in stories, full of information and a lot of in-depth analysis.

As Raja walks around the wadies (valleys) and the hills he describes a journey, through history, of a land that had seen many invaders and witnessed battles that left ruins for the history to remember the suffering of those who lived there at one time. Raja ably takes the readers from the deep history of Christ to the modern life of military checkpoints, new rules of occupation restricting access to beauty spots, a new build of settlements on the hilltops that were once unspoilt and the wide and long roads that cross the land and paradoxically disconnecting Palestinian towns and villages as they connect the Israeli settlements.

Raja is able to take us swiftly and cleverly from talking about the wildlife in the countryside to the stories of family members and friends, which are all connected, to illustrate life in Palestine cities and also in rural communities. The stories give insight into people’s ambitions, frustrations and also their achievements.

In his walks, Raja gives us an insight into the day to day lives of the people of Palestine trying to live a “normal” life in Palestine and the lives of Palestinians who happened to be abroad during the war of 1967 that ended with Palestine falling under Israeli occupation. As a lawyer, Raja sheds a light on some Israeli laws in regards to ownership of properties and land in Palestine. “A Palestinian has only the right to the property he resides in. Once he leaves it for whatever reason, it ceases to be his. It reverts back to those whom the Israeli system considers the original rightful owners of Judea and Samaria, the Jewish People wherever they might be”.  He describes the agony of his relatives and acquaintances and also people he represented in courts who fell foul to this unusual law, just because they were abroad for study, for business or for whatever reason on the day of occupation.

The book tells a wide range of stories with a mixture of serious scary confrontations at military check points and a dry sense of humour trying to make cognisance and intellectual analysis of often the unexplainable.

Only reading this book can make you appreciate its richness and any review would not give it justice.

Ishaq Abu-Arafeh

Chair, Palcrafts and Hadeel

14/9/2020

Gaza and the Global Pandemic

Near the end of March 2020 a lock-down took place in the Gaza Strip. Schools, mosques and other businesses had to close until further notice. At that time, there were no Covid-19 cases in Gaza; being the biggest prison on the planet- with restricted borders and people not having the freedom of movement in and out of Gaza, the virus couldn’t find a way in!  The lock-down measures took place to protect the Strip from any small chance of a spread of the virus, as the last thing that Gaza needed was a pandemic in the middle of an existing devastating reality. With two million people living in a 139 square miles territory, social distancing would be a big challenge and hospitals had hardly any resources to manage any cases.

In August 2020, the first two cases were confirmed; those were travellers who had come from the West Bank to the Gaza strip. This was the start of the spread of the virus in Gaza which resulted in the imposing of a very restricted lock-down/curfew on the Gaza Strip. People could not go to the shops or move about. As the majority earned their income on a daily basis, it was impossible for them to stock up for a longer period or worry about not having toilet paper!

The lock-down was hardly a new concept for the people of Gaza, having lived in an unjust siege for the previous fourteen years. Nevertheless, a lock-down within a lock-down had a catastrophic impact on the already crushed economy, with many businesses having to close-down. Families struggled to secure the day-to-day basics and were being driven to extreme poverty, whilst the government had no resources to support those affected.

Gazans, as always are resilient in the face of all adversity. Shops started home-delivery services for the first time – whether there would be enough fuel to keep the vehicles going, that’s a different story!

Despite the very limited resources and access to electricity restricted to only 4 hours a day, a small face-mask factory was established to make sure the locals were supplied with the needed masks for their protection. Artists used their talents to help children accept face masks by painting those on their faces (see photo). Teachers were also creative in producing online recorded classes and worksheets, with school children required to wait for their 4 hour slot of electricity to be able to do their school work. Schools also established competitions for children to produce videos about the necessary protective steps to take to avoid the virus. This engaged many children and helped in raising awareness among them in an exciting way.

Regardless of how hard the situation gets in Gaza, Palestinians always find a way with their creativity and resourcefulness to keep going. They teach the whole world a lesson – there’s always a way and there’s always hope, as there’s life.

Diline Abushaban, 14/Sep/2020

Picture by Mahmoud Ajjour

* If you would like to support our producers from Gaza you can check out their products here. 

What is this a photograph of?

People use this item for different purposes. It is designed as a glasses case and was made over 16 years ago by the Melkite group in Ramallah and I bought it as a beginner volunteer at Hadeel when we opened in 2003.

It means a lot to me and I use it every day as a carrying case for my Wakesa.

This was given to me when I formally became a Buddhist and took the Precepts, which are a bit like the Commandments but understood as being from the deepest wish of our own heart. To cease from evil and do only good. Also to remember that we are part of a bigger tapestry than we can know.

Every morning I use it to remind me of this wish as I start the day.

If I am travelling anywhere it goes with me.

When events are happening that are difficult to understand or more needless suffering is happening in Palestine or any of the other troubled places in our world, I do my best to bring my mind back to that sincere wish and to remember that however dark things seem, they will change.

This case has gone with me  to visit the groups  in Palestine, to visit my parents as they were ageing and becoming more dependent on others, to family holidays, though all the changes ,joys and sorrows of the last 17 years.

Over the years the top side colours have become softer and gentler while the side usually face down has kept that vividness of its original nature. That seems to point to something about the way we ourselves age and hopefully soften in our dealings with inner and outer circumstances.

I treasure this case and all that it means to me .

-Kathleen Campbell

Recollections of Peter Macdonald

It all began sometime in the autumn of 2002, when a group of volunteers had a large craft stall in the entrance of St. George’s West Church in Shandwick Place, attracting customers who were leaving an event inside the church.  The group inside had been on a study tour / pilgrimage to Israel/Palestine and were keen to support our stall and what we were doing.  That evening they bought a 2-3 hundred pounds’ worth of very beautiful embroidery.

At the same time, St. George’s West had been undergoing extensive renovations during which the room which had been the kitchen became available for other use.  Peter Macdonald, the minister there, came out of the sanctuary and when he saw us, commented something like, “You’re a shop without a room and we’ve got a room without a shop!”.  As we had been thinking about the possibility of opening a shop, negotiations began between what then was just a voluntary group marketing Palestinian handcrafts and a prominent church in the West End of Edinburgh.

Subsequently, in January of 2003 two companies were formed, one a charity, one a trading subsidiary.  By March of 2003 Palcrafts/Hadeel volunteers had renovated the room and beautifully displayed it and opened for business.

Of course, there was a need for directors for the two companies which were formed.  Peter was one from 2003 until he resigned at the AGM in 2009.  It wasn’t until he had ceased being Leader of the Iona Community that he was again able to have time and energy to support the companies once more as a director.

 – Carol Morton

Peter and I were elected to the Palcrafts Council – the body that oversees Hadeel – at the same AGM in 2017. I didn’t know Peter well before then; however it quickly became evident that he had a grasp of what needed done to help make the organisation function well.

On his suggestion we appointed a consultant, Wendy Ball, to assist is in reviewing our business model and working practices. Peter himself was a member of the Transition Group, which brought recommended changes to the Council for decision. So it’s largely thanks to Peter that we are where we now are at Hadeel, with Khaled as manager and Arely as assistant. When he was “between jobs” he even assisted some days each week in the shop. It was no surprise when Peter was elected chairperson of the Council in 2018. His passion for justice in the world is wide-ranging, with a particular focus on the situation of the Palestinian people. Personally, I was looking forward enormously to the study tour in the spring, which he was helping to organise. It would have been an opportunity to spend time, have fun and learn together.

Each of us will miss him enormously at a personal level; we at Hadeel will miss his enthusiasm and leadership more than we can say.

 -Mike Frew

I have only known Peter for 3 years, but I feel as if I have known him for the whole of my life. His warm welcome and hospitality, his knowledge and wisdom shine through his conversation capturing his guests and audience.

I was impressed with his knowledge of Palestine and his support not only for the Palestinians but to causes of injustice wherever they were. His untimely and sudden departure will leave a huge void the lives of all who knew him. My thoughts and heart go to his family and my prayers go to his soul. We will miss Peter for many years to come.

-Ishaq Abu-Arafeh