Fundraising by Villi

I am writing a few days before my departure for At-Tuwani.

I would like to give voice to a flood of thoughts that I cannot line up, but I will try.

Choosing to leave again for Palestine comes with a big emotional load, because of the new scenarios that arise at this time, because I know that my family and the people around me are more worried than usual, so sometimes I feel like a selfish person choosing to leave.

What I am sure of is that, in this time more than ever, I crave it (along with a little fear).

The very uncertainty of the situation has deeply questioned me about my desire to return to At-Tuwani and share a piece of the journey with the people there.

At this time more than ever, renewing the choice to resist nonviolently every day is an unsettling choice, one that for me I admit would be almost unfeasible: to be together with shepherds who decide to return to cultivating their lands after arrests and abuse; to feel the energy of H. replanting olive trees uprooted by settlers for the umpteenth time; to argue with the military and settlers knowing they are risking big, is an insanely uncomfortable, complex, but I believe immensely human choice.

And to know that these people persist in doing this despite the knowledge that the world has abandoned them, that every form of abuse they suffer also happens because of impunity from the Western world, is even more shocking to me.

For me it is important to be with them at this time, to decide to stand with those who do not have the option to choose whether or not to inhabit the conflict and yet have chosen to do so in the most difficult way, which is by trying to choose nonviolence.

All this while their lives are going on, people are working, little boys and girls have to go to school... for me it is extremely wonderful and tragic at the same time.

I don't know how much one will be able to do there, many times one feels that one has not done enough, that one has done wrong or that other people would have done better.

But in this time more than ever I resonate so much with the words of A., Tuba boy and activist, "you're doing the best that you can, and that's the real solidarity."

I really believe that each person has their own way of doing the best for what they care about...I would be very grateful to you (and especially all the people who live there will be) if you could help raise funds to support Operation Dove's project in Palestine, to stand by the volunteers who live in At-Tuwani and the people who benefit from what Operation Dove does there.

In thanking you, I would like to share with you this song (Le rondini - Lucio Dalla) that I am listening to a lot these days: after all, it is the dream of a sweet freedom that I perceive tangible among the people in Palestine.

Again, thank you!