Homesickness

Poor Bethen. Bethen came down with an acute bout of homesickness while at Guide camp, and Christine had to go and pick her up yesterday. It was a bit of a shock to me, as I’d psychologically forgotten that she is only eleven years old. I’ve fallen into the habit of viewing her as older than she really is, and believe that she will cope in just about any circumstance. Although she has spent periods of time away from home, this camp was the first time she has been away without being with anyone from the family, and in truth, she did very well. I’m very proud of her, and I hope it doesn’t stop her from trying out camping again. I need to remember that she is still a child – even though you could mistake her for an eighteen year old, the way she behaves from time to time. At heart, she is a pretty strong and resilient girl and I’m sure she will be fine.

Israel have started to pull out of the Occupied Territory in Gaza – 50 years after they first stole it from the Palestinians. Israel and America are trying to portray this as a move towards peace, but until they relinquish the West Bank – also stolen from the Palestinians, I can’t see there being a peaceful outcome. On the contrary, those Palestinians living in the Occupied West Bank will be more determined for the Israelis to leave. Bush, of course, has told Israel that he will support them if they decide not to leave. Clearly, the Middle East is yet another area of the World being manipulated by the foreign policies of other countries that are more concerned about their own self-interest. What’s really required is Justice for both Israel and Palestine. While Israel is supported the way it is, they have no incentive to make peace with her neighbours.

Israel is another example of the arrogance of the powerful.