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December 11, 2001Benzie Co. man will travel to Mideast on peace trip-Michigan Peace Team is responding to request for international observersBy JEFF GIBBSSpecial to the Record-Eagle BEULAH - "Wouldn't everyone like to go to Bethlehem for Christmas?" said Randy Bond, as he prepared to leave his rural Benzie County home for a journey to Israel and Palestine. But this is no holiday excursion. Bond, 57, is traveling to the Middle East as part of a nine-member delegation from the Michigan Peace Team, a Lansing-based national peace organization. Bond said he intends to get in harm's way if necessary to reduce violence "toward both Palestinians and Israelis." The Middle East in recent weeks has incurred some of the most violent uprisings in years, as Israeli helicopter gunships have fired upon the Palestinian Authority following suicide-bombings by Islamic militants. "I am really proud that Randy is following in the tradition of Martin Luther King," said Bond's wife, Kay. "He'll be in Bethlehem on Christmas Day." Bond plans on leaving for Israel from Detroit this Thursday and is slated to return to Michigan on Jan. 3. Bond has traveled to the Middle East for similar reasons twice before, but believes the tension will be much higher this time. Two Michigan Peace Team members had to cancel their participation in this week's trip to the Middle East, so Bond volunteered to go in their stead. The team is responding to a request for international observers by the International Solidarity Campaign, a coalition of Palestinian and international organizations, Bond said. "Yes, I'm a little apprehensive; no one knows for sure what is going to happen," Bond said. "We don't even know for sure what we are doing there. We might be at one of the main checkpoints between Bethlehem and Jerusalem." Bond said he believes that the Palestinians in territory occupied by Israel are getting a raw deal. "All we hear in the news are about Arab extremists," he said. Bond said he hopes the presence of international observers and particularly Americans serves as a deterrent to violence. Some, however, question whether the presence of international peace activists will be helpful. "The Michigan Peace Team is extremely biased," said Susan Bondy, a Traverse City resident who grew up in Israel. Bondy also is a financial columnist for the Record-Eagle. "There is nothing wrong with observers but they should observe both sides," she said. "They are irritants who may give the Palestinians a feeling of legitimacy." Bondy said she believes that American observers are being used as pawns. "They don't realize Arabs have different ways of describing reality and out and out lies are usable as a weapon." Elsie Dakota of Honor, also a Michigan Peace Team member, has made the trip to Palestine several times. She said her experience there was the most devastating of her life. "I have lost parents and children, but that was the worst," she said. "Every waking moment was filled with tragic loss of homes, family members, limbs, eyesight, jobs and identity." She expects Bond will face a tough time. "It will be awful," she said. A sendoff rally for Bond will take place at 10:00 a.m. today at the Grand Traverse County Governmental Center. Bond will then leave for Detroit to join other members of the Michigan Peace Team for the flight to Israel. |
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