Wendy's Reports from Occupied Palestine

August 6, 2009 - Nonviolent activists need your help

2009-08-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I’ve been back from Palestine almost a month now while I’m enjoying my comfortable life, the village of Bil’in, which has been mounting inspiring, creative and nonviolent protests weekly since January 2005, has become the target of numerous nighttime raids by the Israeli military. These raids terrorize the residents and arrest nonviolent activists, including children. At this point almost 2 dozen men and boys are in jail and their families are extremely concerned for their well being. (Palestinians detainees are routinely tortured.)

Here is a link to the Friends of Freedom and Justice - Bilin website with more information:
http://www.bilin-ffj.org/
Attempts to criminalize the leadership of non-violent protests have been curbed in the past with the help of an outpouring of support from people committed to justice from all over the world. If you feel inclined, please send letters and money to support these amazing, inspiring and admirable people.

love,
Wendy

Donate:
The Popular committee of Bil’in is in desperate need for legal funds in order to pay legal fees and Bail. Please donate to the Bil’in legal fund by paypal click
http://tinyurl.com/lcr6rg
If you would like to make a tax deductible donation in the US or Canada contact:
bilinlegal@gmail.com

Write or call:
Senator Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senate
Washington DC 20510
202-224-3841
415-393-0707
To email you need to go to the website:
http://feinstein.senate.gov/email.html

Senator Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senate
Washington DC 20510
202-224-3553
415-403-0100
To email you need to go to the website:
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/policy.cfm

Congresswoman Barbara Lee
U.S. Congress
Washington DC 20515
202-225-2661
To email you need to go to the website:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
State Department Phone: 1-202-647-5150
E-mail: Secretary@state.gov

Akiva Tor
Consulate General of Israel in San Francisco
456 Montgomery Street Suite #2100
San Francisco, CA 94104
Telephone: (415) 844-7501
E-mail: concal.sec@sanfrancisco.mfa.gov.il

Sample letter:
I am extremely troubled about the recent arrests and imprisonments of nonviolent activists from the West Bank village of Bil’in including Mr. Mohammad Khatib, Mr. Adib Abu Rahme and, to my absolute dismay, many children.

For almost 5 years the village of Bil’in has organized, with the participation and support of Israelis and internationals, peaceful and nonviolent demonstrations against the so-called security fence which separates them from 60% of their agricultural lands. These demonstrations are harshly suppressed by Israeli army, resulting in many casualties, sometimes critical ones such as the cases of Tristan Anderson (suffering critical brain injuries) and Basem Abu Rahma (killed).

The only wish of Bil’in inhabitants is to gain back the right to live and work on their lands in peace. In fact, the Israeli Supreme court ruled on 4 September 2007 that the current route of the wall in Bil'in was illegal and needs to be dismantled; the ruling however has not been implemented.
Israeli law protects the right to demonstrate peacefully. Mr. Khatib, and Mr. Rahme in particular are well known for their commitment to the struggle for peace through non-violent means and for their willingness to work in partnership with Israelis.

I ask you to do all in your power to ensure that Mr. Khatib, and Mr. Rahme and all those arrested be allowed to return to their families without further delay and that their names be cleared of all accusations.

July 10, 2009 - Returning home

2009-07-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
Before leaving Palestine I visited my friend and FODI partner, Deeb one last time. I always feel a bit sheepish when I leave him to go to Jerusalem as I know it is forbidden to him. But he told me that he doesn't care anymore. That he has chosen to create a good life with what he has available to him. And I saw that he had. He has cultivated a beautiful garden where he spends much time and from which he derives immense pleasure. He spends his time visiting friends in the village and with his precious children, Sonja, Feraz and Tariq. And he has become a devout Muslim, going to the mosque to pray 4 or 5 times a day. He told me that he is happy.

During this conversation I brought up the idea that traveling is difficult anyway, having to go through the Qalandia Checkpoint. His serenity vanished and he shouted, "How can they speak of peace when they have such places!" I totally understood what he meant. So I've posted some more pictures of Qalandia and a video. I hope I captured the outrageous, intolerable travesty of it.

I am home now and will not be posting again until I return once again to Palestine. When I do return I can only hope that it will be under better circumstances. Inshallah. Thank you for letting me share my journey with you.

love,
Wendy

July 3, 2009 - Demo at Azzun Atma

2009-07-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
At the demonstration today in Azzun Atma today one of the Palestinian organizers gave an impassioned speech that was translated into English by another Palestinian as he was speaking. He asked the soldiers why were they here? Why do they kill Palestinians? Why were they on his land? Preventing him from living a normal life? After all, they are both humans. They both want peace. He promised that they would continue their nonviolent and peaceful protests until there was peace.

The speech was very powerful and I can't help but think the soldier was moved. I know that I was. When he finished, before I even knew what I was doing, I found myself giving a spontaneous and I hope coherent speech. I asked the soldiers to answer the man's questions. He deserved answers. I told that I was a Jewish American and that I was ashamed of Israel. And that I needed the answers to the man’s questions. I told them that if they couldn't answer them now, while they were on duty, because they are under orders not to, that they should answer them at least to themselves, in front of a mirror, before they go to bed tonight.
Love,
Wendy

June 29, 2009 - Boy Arrested in Azzun

2009-06-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
At 1:30 am last Sunday morning the village of Azzun was invaded by 120 soldiers, looking for a “wanted” Palestinian. After entering and searching 3 homes (terrorizing the families inside) they entered a 4th where they found whom they were looking for. A 16 year old boy. He was taken in his underwear with no shoes. The parents pleaded that he be allowed to get dressed. The soldiers assured the parents that there was no need as they would only take him for a minute or two and then return him. His parents have not seen him since. Nor do they expect to for awhile.

The family expects that the boy will be taken to a jail near Nablus and interrogated. During this phase he will not be allowed to see anyone: no family, no lawyer, not even the Red Cross. They expect him to be frightened, intimidated, threatened, psychologically tortured and probably also physically beaten. He will be asked to sign confessions in Hebrew that he can’t read. The interrogators will attempt to coerce him into becoming a collaborator. After 12 days the Red Cross will be allowed to visit.

We asked the family if they knew why he was arrested. They shrugged and said they didn’t. Maybe for throwing stones, maybe for being involved in political parties. I had to wonder why being involved in a political party is a crime in the “only democracy in the Middle East?”

The family has been through this before. When their oldest son was 12, he was also taken by soldiers. At that time, the soldiers also promised that they would only take him for a minute or two. He was released 3 years later. Now he is 27 with a family. Upon meeting him one would never guess that his adolescent years were formed in an Israeli jail. Despite Israel being a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the conditions in which Palestinian minors are incarcerated are far below these standards. Plus a 16 year old Palestinian is considered to be an adult by Israeli law and a 14 year old can be tried as an adult before a military court. (An Israeli is not considered an adult until the age of 18.)

Of course, one would never have guessed that all eight of the men in the room where my IWPS teammate and I were taking the report had been incarcerated. They are just ordinary men with families and if they are lucky, jobs. Palestinian boys and men are very family oriented in a manner far unlike Westerners. It is not uncommon to see boys and men joyfully playing with and caring for their younger siblings and children. Often men will bring their children to the various meetings I attend here. During the meetings the children will alternate between playing and sitting on their father’s laps, cuddling and resting contentedly. The father will absentmindedly kiss the child, stroke their arms, hug them. They obviously enjoy the physical contact as much as the children do.

Both parents of the arrested boy were playing and cuddling with their grandchildren during the meeting. They have six children, four of which are boys. The oldest boy is the one who spent his adolescent years in an Israeli prison. The third oldest boy was killed by soldiers six years ago when he was a senior in high school. The youngest boy was the one taken on Sunday morning. Despite this tragic circumstance, they were the typical gracious and generous hosts, offering endless rounds of tea, coffee and juice and then even serving us a scrumptious meal when the meeting was over.

We went to the meeting with a friend of IWPS, Abdullah. Before we left his house for the meeting we met his family and had tea in his living room. During this time his 8 year old daughter was playing with him and cuddling. She was obviously handicapped although I don’t think it shows in the pictures here. She can’t talk except to make low growling sounds. She didn’t walk until she was 4 years old. Her muscles are very weak. I’m not sure if she is mentally handicapped too. Abdullah explained to us why his daughter is handicapped. During his wife’s pregnancy in 2001, she had been exposed to tear gas twice. Once in the 4th month and again in the 7th. In the incident of the 7th month, she was running away from soldiers and fell on her stomach.

Did I ever mention that one of the major reasons the village of Jayous decided to stop their regular demonstrations was the health concerns regarding the amount of tear gas exposure to the entire village?

Love,
Wendy

June 28, 2009 - Naomi and Me

2009-06-28T04:17:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,
OK. I don't normally name drop but here you'll see a picture of me with bestselling author and activist Naomi Klein. On Saturday Beth and I traveled to Ramallah for an unconventional book tour event and lecture sponsored by The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC). Naomi was promoting her book, "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism", which had just been translated into Hebrew and Arabic. More importantly, she was endorsing the call issued on July 9, 2005 by a broad spectrum of Palestinian civil society for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.
http://www.badil.org/Boycott-Statement.htm
(Naomi will not receive any royalties from sales of the Hebrew version of her book. The proceeds will instead go to an activist group.) The event was beautiful and inspiring and packed!

The evening began with a quintet from the Edward Said Conservatory of Music providing the requisite cultural infusion for any Palestinian event. Then, Mustafa Barghouti made some introductory comments. Mustafa is a physician and activist. He founded the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees and helped establish the Palestinian National Initiative which is an attempt to build a reformist, inclusive alternative to both the PLO and Hamas. He supports nonviolent resistance as the most effective means of overcoming Israeli occupation. I almost cheered out loud when he brought up the point that the most egregious and unique aspects of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine is the demand that the occupied provide security for the occupier. This was also brought up by one of the professors I met at An Najah University in Nablus who spoke angrily about the obscenity of "security cooperation". The example he gave was Israel forcing the Palestinian Authority to arrest the best students just before their final exams. They were arrested on trumped up charges of being affiliated with Hamas.

But I digress. Mustafa finished his comments with a quote from Nelson Mandela that went something like this: "The cause of Palestine today is the number one cause of humanity."

Then Omar Barghouti introduced Naomi. She began her lecture with an analysis of the Durbin Conference on Racism in 2001 and the boycott and smear campaign of the follow up conference in Geneva this year. Naomi thinks that what actually happened at the original Durbin Conference might have come out more fully and accurately if it had not ended two days before 9/11. Instead, a successful propaganda campaign ensued that cast the results as hate-filled and anti-semitic. But Naomi claims that what actually happened was to take a broader look the essence of racism. It is not just a mindset that values the white race as superior to others. It is an institutionalized system that allows for land and resource theft and access to free or cheap labor. This was very threatening to all states that had brutal colonial beginnings (U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand) and certainly a threat to Israel in its current colonial enterprise. In fact, it was at this Durbin conference that the parallels between Israel and South Africa were first articulated. Of course, the specifics of Israel and South Africa are very different, however, despite the differences, Israel fits the definition of Apartheid according to international standards.

Naomi went on to give two reasons why Israel has so little interest in pursuing peace. The first is that it is relatively easy to live a fun and fulfilling life in Israel. So pressure it not going to bubble up from its citizens.

The second reason Israel has so little interest in pursuing peace is that unlike most war-time economies, the Israeli economy actually benefits from being in a state of continual conflict. In fact, peace would be a threat to the Israeli economy. In the first week in the war on Gaza, the Israeli stock exchange went up 10 points, opposite to what usually happens when a country becomes embroiled in war. This paradox is due to the Israeli economy being heavily based on businesses that profit from the need for "homeland security". Israeli companies produce high-tech surveillance and communication equipment, as well as provide the knowledge and infrastructure for building walls. An Israeli company is even providing services for the wall being build on the U.S.-Mexican border. The Occupied Palestinian Territories provide a live test laboratory and the Palestinians are the guinea pigs for these various technologies. (They have long provided this for the military contractors in Israel. Israel is the 4th largest exporter of military equipment in the world.)
Naomi ended with an extremely moving apology to her Palestinian hosts. They had thanked her for her courage in supporting the call for BDS. She said that her courage paled in comparison to theirs and apologized that it took her three years to finally endorse their call.
Love,
Wendy

P.S. About the photo shown here, I have to admit that I shamelessly ran up to the stage after the event was over and had my IWPS teammate Beth quickly snap it.

June 27, 2009 - Normalization of the Occupation

2009-06-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
I returned to Hares after taking 2 days to go to Deir Ibzi'a and Jerusalem to pick up and mail embroidery home and also to see Arla off to the airport. That meant that I missed going to one of the Friday demonstrations against the wall. (I usually go to the one in Bil'in and I was especially sorry that I missed this one because Naomi Klein was there!) I just read the reports about them and they seemed to unfold as usual, fortunately with no serious casualties.

So the demonstrations continue week after week. As does wall construction, land confiscation, settlement building, settler/army violence. Every week the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) issues a report and from week to week they are depressingly similar. (Here is a link to the one for this week which actually is relatively tame:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/25-06-2009.htm )

The occupation has become normalized. Horrible, intolerable circumstances have become the substance of daily life in Palestine.

Last Tuesday Israel's internal security minister, Yitzhak Aharonivitch, a member of an extremest right-wing party, made an unannounced visit to the Temple Mount (3rd most holy place in Islam), supposedly to assess the adequacy of police deployment in the area. He was accompanied by Israel's police commissioner and senior police officers. His spokesman told Reuters that the visit was coordinated with the Muslim Waqf, however, the Waqf foundation called the visit a "provocative entry to the holy site, which may complicate the sensitive situation."

You may recall that it was a visit to the Temple Mount nine years ago by Ariel Sharon that sparked the second Intifada. This time, the provocative visit was tolerated with nary a response. Did the story even reach U.S. media?

The checkpoints have also become normal despite the fact that they choke the economy, restrict education and access to medical care (even in emergency situations) and basically keep Palestinians in an open air prison. On my way to Jerusalem with Arla, we had to go through Qalandia, the major checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem. It is a huge and high-tech processing station where Palestinians are required to proceed through incredibly narrow cage-like aisles to incredibly tiny cage-like turnstiles that are completely controlled by soldiers who are virtually hidden behind steel and bullet-proof glass. Often, with a push of a button and a sickening click, the turnstile will lock with someone inside. The soldiers bark orders through an intercom that is turned up to a decibel level that I'm sure would violate OSHA standards. Furthermore, the soldiers routinely belittle and humiliate Palestinians as they pass through. (Of course it is only the Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs that even have the privilege of passing through this particular checkpoint.) As Arla and I followed the Palestinians off the bus to go through this disgusting labyrinth I marveled at the acceptance and matter of fact attitudes around me. Surely this is insane. But, no, I told myself. This is just their ordinary daily life.

This link is a video of it, not the best video, but it gives a small sense of this monstrosity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahNVMQ_XdGE

For me, the most heinous normalcy is the routine arrest, detainment, imprisonment and torture of virtually the entire male population of Palestine at some point in their lives, sometimes even as children. Just a few weeks before I arrived in Hares the army came through and rounded up 150 boys, blindfolded and handcuffed them so tightly their hands turned blue and beat many of them. The story can be found at this link:
http://groups.google.com/group/uk.religion.islam/browse_thread/thread/26a29e1f4050a880?pli=1

And no Palestinian man is immune to this. A young award-winning Palestinian journalist who was even under diplomatic escort was beaten and tortured upon his return home to Gaza after having accepted a prestigious award in London.
http://www.agenceglobal.com/Article.asp?Id=2042

http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/mohammed-omer-the-truth-and-nothing-but /

The picture at the top of this posting was taken yesterday. Beth and I were traveling on a bus to Ramallah to hear Naomi Klein. We saw 3 jeeps and soldiers ahead blocking the road. We assumed it was a flying checkpoint, but to our surprise the bus just veered around it. I randomly stuck my camera up in the air towards the window on the other side of the bus and snapped a picture, figuring I might get a good picture of a flying checkpoint. But when I looked at the picture, I saw that this wasn't a flying check point at all. There was a young man, blindfolded and handcuffed being detained. Although Beth and I were immediately alarmed, everyone else on the bus seemed to just grimly go on with their ride.

Love,
Wendy

June 25, 2009 - A Day in Hebron

2009-06-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,
I don't have time to write up about Hebron but here are some pictures.
One is of the many settlements that permeate the landscape on the incredibly breathtaking ride down to Hebron. In the foreground is an Arab Village. The settlement is on top of the hill in the background.
One is from the rooftop of the CPT apartment in the Old City of Hebron. Notice the watchtower and military outpost at the top of the hill.
One is of kids in the Old City.
One is showing the netting put up to catch the garbage that the settlers throw down from the settlements build on top of the Old City.
A correction to my previous post: It was not 100 trees that were uprooted in Wadi Qana. It was 600. These 600 were from 1000 planted recently with a loan from PARC (Palestine Argricultural Relief Committee.) The 400 that were not uprooted were harder to access or hidden. The farmers still need to pay the loan back on all of the trees.

June 24, 2009 - Hike in Wadi Qana

2009-06-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
Yesterday I went on a hike in gorgeous Wadi Qana. I mentioned earlier that IWPS will be participating in a nonviolent campaign to defend Wadi Qana which is being organized by the PPP (Palestinian's People Party). Our friend and PPP member, Riziq, was our guide.

Wadi Qana is a breathtaking fertile valley with over a dozen natural springs and the Wadi Qana river running through it. It may very well be one of the most beautiful places in Palestine. It was certainly once one of the most fertile in the West Bank, producing olives, figs, plums, almonds, and a variety of citrus fruits. But it has been severely degraded environmentally by sewage from the surrounding Israeli settlements, which now number eight.

Wadi Qana is also the name of a village that was emptied of its inhabitants because life became simply intolerable. Its former residents now live in Riziq’s village of Deir Istiya, immediately north of Hares in the Salfit Governate. Salfit has the distinction of being the only governate in Palestine where the settler population and Palestinian population are roughly equal. This is due to high density of settlements, including Ariel, one of the largest settlements with a population of roughly 30,000.

Besides pollution, Palestinians must deal with other factors harming their land or preventing access to it. Settlers have often raided the land in the valley, uprooted trees, damaged and destroyed irrigation systems, greenhouses, and especially expensive water pumps. Palestinian farmers cannot even prevent land damage caused by wild pigs that locals say were introduced by settlers: villagers are unable to kill or use traps to control the pigs as it would fall under the prohibition of Palestinians to possess weapons.

The construction of settler roads, which Palestinians are not allowed to use, has not only confiscated some of the land but has also prevented access to it. Once, the mayor of Deir Istiya managed to build an alternate road to Wadi Qana, supported by the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC), however, in 2001 the outpost Doron Yaqir was built and blocked this new road as well.

In the Oslo Accords of 1993 Wadi Qana was made a nature reserve. It is now prohibited to ''change the natural character'' of the region, meaning that Palestinian landowners are not allowed to plant new trees. In May of this year, Israeli conservation authority workers uprooted over 100 olive trees planted by Riziq and other farmers from Deir Istiya. The trees were not destroyed, but removed in vehicles.

Four days after this incident, two youth picking sage in a wooded area of Wadi Qana were arrested and taken to nearby Qedumim settlement, where they had to promise not to pick sage again before being released.

On our walk we ran into another hiker, a settler. The customary greetings that hikers exchange as they pass each other were conspicuously omitted.

Love,
Wendy

June 21, 2009 - Yearning for Jerusalem

2009-06-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
A friend of mine responded to my last post remarking how easy it seemed for me to travel around. It’s true that in this moment the checkpoints inside the West Bank are very open. Especially two of the major checkpoints that I frequent: Zatara which is on Highway 60 North leading to all the major West Bank cities, and Huwarrwa which is the major checkpoint into Nabulus. Additionally, my international status gives me the privilege of travelling to areas that Israelis are forbidden (Palestinian areas of the West Bank) and also where Palestinians are forbidden (Israel proper and Jerusalem, unless they have a Jerusalem ID).

The Palestinians I have talked to about the current ease of passing though checkpoints say that they are enjoying the relative freedom of movement. At the same time, they are acutely aware that soldiers are still staffing the checkpoints, just two steps away from the road and in less than a nanosecond the ease of travel between West Bank cities and villages could come to an abrupt end.

It is important to understand that this current relative freedom of movement is just that. Relative. Roadblocks, settlements, and bypass roads (on which Palestinians are not allowed) still mean that a 15 minute trip could now very well take 3 or 4 hours. Additionally, West Bank Palestinians are not allowed to go outside the West Bank unless they have the proper permits, which are extremely difficult to obtain. That is one reason why Gaza and the West Bank are often referred to as open air prisons. A permit to Jerusalem for West Bank Palestinians is nearly impossible, especially for males. I’ll share the stories of three young men regarding their dreams of visiting Jerusalem.

Abdullah is in his early twenties. He is a sweet young man whose eyes light up when he speaks of going to Jerusalem and visiting the Dome of the Rock which he has not been able to do since he was a very small child. He confided in me that once he snuck into Jerusalem. However, he was so terrified of being caught he didn’t do much. Even just being on the street with friends who have a Jerusalem ID was dangerous because if you look around at things, “they” can tell that you don’t belong there since you are acting like a tourist. You’ll be arrested. So Abdullah just stayed inside his friend’s house and went home the next morning.

Sadaam, our scholarship recipient, had also been to Jerusalem only once, as a small child. His mother is very ill and she obtained a permit for a hospital visit in Jerusalem. The permit allowed her an an escort. So Sadaam was able to take his mother into Jerusalem. His face beamed when he told us he was able to visit the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Amjad, my former student was given a permit to go to Tel Aviv with his wife. (His business buys goods from Israel and that is why he was given a permit.) He and his wife had an enjoyable day at the beach, another location that Palestinians yearn to visit but are denied. They decided to try to visit the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem on the way home. For some reason, Amjad was allowed to go but his wife was turned back. So they both went home together, neither having seen the Dome of the Rock.

Love,
Wendy

June 20, 2009 - Two firsts: Demonstration at Azzun Atma; My first demo without tear gas

2009-06-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Yesterday the village of Azzun Atma had its first demonstration. In my previous post I explain the situation of this village which is being strangulated by the wall and the surrounding settlements. The demo was organized by the Palestinian People’s Party (PPP) with banners, tee shirts, flags and good chants. (Well, I think they sounded good but I don’t really know what they meant.) Maybe because it was the first demonstration for this particular village, the soldiers were pretty laid back. No tear gas, no bullets (rubber or otherwise), no sound bombs. The PPP hopes to continue these nonviolent demonstrations in Azzun Atma and also spread them to other villages in the area.

After the demonstration I got a ride to Tel Aviv with some of the Israeli activists that participated. I wanted to spend some time with my Israeli friend, Rivka. Rivka had been living in Berkeley for the last 3 years and just recently moved back to Israel. She invited me to a commemoration/celebration of her brother who died 3 years ago in the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon. She appreciated that I had accepted the invitation because one of her very good friends from childhood who is a member of Anarchists Against the Wall (one of the Israeli peace groups that I highly regard) refused to come to a commemoration for a soldier. Rivka could not understand it. I think that she is like most Israelis who do not know their own history, or their current realities. For instance, during our walk on the beach we came across a small museum honoring the Irgun as freedom fighters and liberators. Virtually all credible historians acknowledge that the Irgun were one of the illegal terrorist groups that were instrumental in the atrocities that paved the path for the creation of the state of Israel. This fact surprised Rivka. She was also surprised to learn that that Modi'in, the settlement that has taken much of the land of Bil'in is a settlement. She thought it was just another city/town in Israel. She also didn't realize that 80% of West Bank water is confiscated for Israel and the settlements. (The Israeli water company will sell it back to Palestinians at an inflated price.)

After the commemoration I was stressing about how I was to return to Hares. Since it was Saturday there were no buses running. Rivka spent a lot of time on the Internet and calling taxi companies to no avail. Finally, we looked at a map and realized that it would not be very far for her to drive me. So she did despite the fact that the idea of being in the West Bank terrifies her. She imagines that the West Bank is be filled with people who want to kill her. I told her that if she comes with good will and no gun, there is no problem. I am happy to report that she returned home safely.

Love,
Wendy

June 18, 2009 - Visiting Sadaam, a beautiful mural and a brewery

2009-06-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
Today I had the pleasure of visiting our first scholarship recipient, Sadaam, in his office at the Red Crescent Society headquarters in Ramallah. The building is architecturally quite interesting and very beautiful. Sadaam is the accountant for the restaurant and hotel that is housed in it. He is very happy with his job. He says that sometimes, if he can’t go home due to checkpoints or military activity, he can stay in the hotel free of charge. But he much prefers to go home to Deir Ibzi’a which is only 15 minutes away by taxi if the coast is clear.

On the walk from the Red Crescent Society to catch a taxi I passed a cultural center that had amazingly beautiful murals that I’ve posted on my blog. You can also see pictures of me visiting the Taybeh Brewery in Taybeh which is the only village left in Palestine that is 100% Christian. The brewery was founded in 1994 by two brothers who returned to Palestine after Oslo filled with hope, like so many Palestinians, that a Palestinian state would eventually become a reality. They wanted to contribute to it and also fulfill their dream of bringing micro brewed beer to the Middle East. Despite the drastically reduced and continually shrinking Christian population in Palestine (Muslims don’t drink alcohol) along with the enormous obstacles that Israel imposes on Palestinian exports, the company is surviving. And the beer is extremely good! (Even though it is a pilsner and I prefer IPAs.) Check out their website: www.taybehbeer.com

Tomorrow I will participate at a demonstration in Azzun Atma, a village west of Hares. It has the misfortune to be on the “wrong” side of the wall (in the seam zone). In the map attached here you can see the area of the village shown in yellow. The green dotted line is the dividing line between the West Bank and Israel. The thick red lines are the already completed sections of the wall and the thick black and white lines are the planned route of the wall. As you can see, not only is Azzun Atma overwhelmed by settlements and completely cut off from the rest of the West Bank, but soon it will be completely enclosed on all sides. The big red circle with the horizontal white line is a checkpoint and the only access into the village. Some people say that to describe the situation here, all you really need are maps.

The surrounding settlements of Azzun Atma throw their garbage down on the village and 1-2 times per week they dump their sewage as well. The settlers have vandalized the school during its construction. Furthermore, the school is having problems hiring staff who are able to get permits from Israel to pass through the checkpoint. The principle is convinced that Israel wants the school closed.

So my day tomorrow feels a bit ominous. Fortunately I had a fun day today!
Love,
Wendy

June 17, 2009 - Education Under Occupation

2009-06-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

Imagine studying all night for your first Physics test. You get up early to work out a few more sample problems. You walk to school nervous about doing well on the exam. You get to a checkpoint and are told that you cannot pass.

Imagine studying hard in high school in preparation for taking the Tawjihi, the high school exit exam. (I’ve been told that the day Tawjihi results are posted is the second most important day in a Palestinian’s life, the marriage day being the first.) You study intensely in the months leading up to the exam. You feel just about ready. You cram for one more night and on the morning of the exam you anticipate taking the test because you know you have prepared well. The Israeli military declares the area where the exam is to be administered a closed military zone.

Imagine you attain your goal of 95% on the Tawjii’hi so that you can pursue your dream of studing medicine. The Israeli military closes your university for the next 4 years.

Imagine you live in the “seam zone”, i.e. West Bank land that has been lassoed by the Wall so that it is continuous with Israel. You need to pass through a gate to get to your university. The open hours of the gate are brief, irregular and unpredictable. You frequently are unable to attend your classes.

Imagine that it is after classses on Thursday afternoon (the end of the week in Muslim countries) and you eagerly anticipate going home for the week end. (You would rather live at home which is only 45 minutes by car from your school, except that the checkpoints make travel too uncertain and so you live in student housing near campus.) You wait two hours at the checkpoint. Your turn finally comes. You go through the turnstile and get pushed forward by people behind you. The soldiers get upset with this and tells you to go to the back of the line. You refuse. They handcuff you tightly and start to beat you. They spray your face with something that makes it feel as if it is melting from the fire-hot heat. They put you in a small dark room. You are finally released and you go back to Nablus to go to the hospital to have your eyes treated. After getting eye drops you head back to the checkpoint which is now much less crowded. You cross easily, but need to walk home since there are no more taxis running.

Imagine studing diligently the entirety of your junior year. Final exam week begins. You are arrested because you are told that you are suspected of being affiliated with Hamas. You miss all of your finals and are required to repeat the entire year at full cost.

These are just some of the stories of students from the incredibly beautiful Al Najah University in Nablus (www.najah.edu), one of the six universities in the West Bank. For more information about the difficulties students face in Palestine and the Right to Education campaign go to http://right2edu.birzeit.edu/

Love,
Wendy

June 14, 2009 - Women, Politics, Permaculture and Old Friends

2009-06-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Yesterday we visited the Women for Life Center in Biddiya, a village near to Hares. IWPS was instrumental in its start, although I doubt they needed much help. Fatima, the executive directive is extremely dynamic and resourceful and the womyn on staff that we met were similarly impressive. The center has grown into a remarkable and extremely successful organization. They started as "Women Against the Wall" to organize womyn's demonstrations and girls' summer camps. Now their programs include legal aid and counseling for womyn, addressing domestic violence, womyn's rights and other issues important to womyn. Fatima quickly sized up our group and decided that Arla's social worker skills could be put to use. So Arla now has a job! She will lead a workshop for mother's with deaf children. The center has a very enlightened view of children with disabilities and is attempting to provide programs that remove the stigma and help parents deal with the challenge of raising a special needs child.

Last night we went to visit Rizik in the next village of Deir Istiya. He is a member of the PPP (Palestinian People's Party) which is just one of the many political parties in Palestine. (There is more than just Hamas and Fatah!) He is part of a village committee that is planning a campaign to defend Wadi Qana, a beautiful valley that is completely surrounded by settlements and owned by Palestinians in the village. Although the farmers have legal rights to the land that has been in their families for generations, it does not stop the settlers (with the support of the army) from harassing and beating them to prevent them from working it. Rizik is a passionate member of the PPP and explained to us that his party "started where the others are now ending". What he meant was that the PPP has advocated nonviolent resistance for over 20 years and the others are just beginning to see the merits of this position. He summarized for us the history of the PPP and its differences with the other political parties in Palestine, not just Hamas and Fatah. It was fascinating and I can't even begin to attempt to relate it here. Just take my word that the political scene in Palestine is vibrant and multifaceted!

This morning we visited a permaculture farm in Marda, just a few villages away from Hares. I wished my daughter, Dart, had been there because she is in a program at UC Santa Cruz for sustainable agriculture and this farm is totally on the same page. The director of the project, Murad, trained in the U.S. and has a small farm with a large vision. He wants to be a model for Palestinian farmers to become less dependent on Israeli produce (which is low quality and high priced) while farming in a sustainable and responsible manner. During our tour Marad mentioned many setbacks that he has encountered, virtually all of them having to do with settler harassment. Examples include settlers releasing feral pigs on Palestinian lands specifically to destroy their crops and draining their runoff and sewage into Palestinian villages. (Settlements are virtually always built on top of hills with the Palestinian villiages below.) To combat the pigs Murad built a barbed wire fence that includes a clever use of tires (which are plentiful and free). The tires will eventually become planters that surround the fence, each with their own microclimate. The plants in the tires won't require irrigation because the interaction of the environment and the black tires will somehow cause the dew to supply all the water the plants need. This is just one example of his creativity. He hopes that volunteers will come from Palestine and also from around the world to learn these sustainable practices and support his vision. To find out more you can go to www.thefarm.org and click the permaculture link. Then scroll down a bit and click the link called Marda Permaculture Farm, Palestine.

This afternoon I went to Ramallah to have dinner with my former student/now friend, Amjad. He has two children and a very sucessful business "Spark Technology". It was wonderful to see him again. Some of you may recall that I was delighted to be able to dance at his wedding 4 years ago.

It's hard to believe that I only left California a week ago!
love,
Wendy

June 13, 2009 - Weekly Demo in Bil'in

2009-06-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
The weekly demonstration in Bil'in yesterday was pretty typical: Palestinians, Israelis and internationals gathering, chanting, marching peacefully and nonviolently to the wall to be met immediately by tear gas, rubber bullets and other assorted weaponry. Thankfully, there were no serious causalities. In the last 5 years, the Israeli army has killed about 20 nonviolent demonstrators throughout the West Bank, one recently from Bil'in. In Bil'in alone 1,300 have been wounded, including Tristan Anderson, an Oakland resident who is still in a Tel Aviv hospital rehabilitation ward, waiting for an operation to put his skull back on.

I've copied below the press release sent out by the organizers and I encourage you to go to their website which is pretty impressive. Among other things there is a video of yesterday's demonstration. At the end you can see Arla in the purple shirt gagging on tear gas.
Love,
Wendy

Press Release
Friday 12\6\2009

Two protesters were injured and dozens suffered from gas inhalation when Israeli troops attack the weekly protest in Bil'in village near the central West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday midday.

Residents of Bil'in and their international and Israelis supporters marched from the village center after the Friday midday prayers. They were joined by 40 members of the American group "Code Pink Women for Peace".

The protesters demanded the halt of the Israeli illegal settlements and the construction of the wall. As the protesters arrived at the wall, Israeli troops at the gate nearby fired barrage of sound bombs, tear gas and rubber-coated bullets from the Israeli soldiers.

Two protesters were lightly injured, Mustafa Al Khateeb, 17, and a Britsh activist. Meanwhile scores were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation
http://www.bilin-ffj.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Thank you for you continued support,

Iyad Burnat- Head of Popular Committee in Bilin
co-founder of Friends of Freedom and Justice - Bilin

Email- bel3in@yahoo.com
Mobile- (00972) (0) 547847942
Office- (00972) (2) 2489129
Mobile- (00972) (0) 598403676
www.bilin-ffj.org

June 12, 2009 - Leaving Deir Ibzi'a and Arriving in Hares

2009-06-11T23:06:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,
Arla and I just spent the last 2 days in Deir Ibzi'a where our meetings with the current scholarship recipients and the embroidery womyn went well. I was especially delighted that our first graduate, Sadaam, came to the student meeting. He graduated in 2006 and finally found a job last year working as an accountant for the Red Crescent Society at their headquarters in Ramallah. He feels very fortunate to have found any job in a society with extremely high unemployment, but more importantly, he is very proud that his job is with a humanitarian organization. He wants Arla and I to visit him in his office and we hope to do that before we leave.

All of the students expressed gratitude for our support and they asked us to thank everyone who is helping them. One especially hard moment came for me when we asked the womyn students what they hoped for in their lives. All of them said that they would like to travel. Where, we asked. To Jerusalem. To Joffe. To Haifa. To the Dead Sea. All of these places are less than a few hours drive. Jerusalem is 45 minutes.

We arrived in the IWPS house last night at about 5:00 pm and in less than 6 hours we had two very unpleasant encounters with soldiers and settlers. As soon as we got off the bus to enter the village we were stopped by 3 soldiers who told us we could not go into the village. We asked why and they said it wasn't safe. We told them that we appreciated their concern but that we were not worried. They took our passports and made us wait. I asked them if they were Palestinian. Of course they laughed and said they were Israeli. I pointed out that this was a Palestinian village and if they were Palestinian I would accept them telling me that I couldn't come into their village. But it was not their village and the Palestinians were fine with us being there. Unfortunately, my logic didn't seem to impress them. When the border police finally showed up they asked us why we were here. We told them this was our vacation. He gave us back our passports and said, "Have a nice day."

At about 11:00 pm before we even had a chance to read the IWPS procedure manuals we received a call from the next village that several jeeps of soldiers and busloads of settles had arrived in their village. They asked us to come. So I went with Jenny, another IWPS womyn, while Arla and Ricky stayed at the house to give back up support. We found about 100 settlers dancing and celebrating and praying at the tomb of Joshua. They were protected by a perimeter of barbed wire, soldiers and jeeps that extended out from the tomb for approximately 2 blocks in all directions. No Palestinians were allowed to be inside the perimeter. Travel travel into or out of the village was suspended for the duration which would be all night.

Today we will go to the weekly demonstration in the village of Bilin. This village is very near to Deir Ibzi'a and they have been organizing non-violent and often extremely creative weekly demonstrations since January 2005.

love,
Wendy

June 9, 2009 - Wendy Made It In!

2009-06-09T03:10:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,
A quick note to let you know that Arla and I arrived safely in Israel last night. We sailed through Ben Gurion Airport without a hitch. Apparently my two years of worring was for naught. Alhamdullalah! We stayed in Jerusalem last night and are now on the way to Deir Ibzi'a where we will meet with the scholarship students and embroidery womyn and get an update on the status of the computer center. Also, I am looking forward to spending time with my friend Deeb and his family.

We plan on getting to the IWPS house on Thursday night. I just saw in my email that a non-violent Palestinian protester was killed last Friday in Nilin and IWPS issued another human rights report that settlers had attacked a Palestinian vehicle and set fire to Palestinian land. I guess I won't have to worry that there will be nothing for me to do thanks to the army and settlers.

Love,
Wendy

May 25, 2009 - Wendy is going to Palestine (again)

2009-05-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
Soon I will be leaving to travel to Palestine once again as an international human rights volunteer. I will be working for the International Women's Peace Service (IWPS - www.iwps.info) in Hares, a village in the northern part of the West Bank. IWPS provides international accompaniment to Palestinian civilians, documents and nonviolently intervenes in human rights abuses, and supports Palestinians in their nonviolent resistance to end the illegal Apartheid Wall and the brutal Israeli military occupation.

As Tanya Reinhart (Israeli academic) said before she died, it is crucial for internationals to join Palestinians on the ground defending their land. Although the situation only gets worse with more and more land theft, I cannot help but to hold on to hope.

For an interesting recent article about land theft (aka settlements) see Max Blumenthal's "Netanyahu's West Bank Nightmare"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/netanyahus-west-bank-nigh_b_206577.html

Home Again - July 2007

2007-07-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,

Please forgive me that I have not written sooner to let you all know that I have returned home safely. I left Palestine last Thursday morning and arrived in San Francisco Saturday afternoon. (It took that long because I didn't leave Amman, Jordan until Friday and then missed my connection in New York on Friday night.) I am now settling back into my comfortable life, however, I have been at a surprisingly low energy and the jet lag seems harder to overcome than ever before. It must be because I am pushing 50. At least I'll use that as my excuse for the delay in writing to you.

Thank you for letting me share my journey with you. This is my fourth trip to Palestine in a little over five years and although I've begun to wonder if international volunteers are actually helping the Palestinians, I know that regardless of how pathetic or futile our efforts, a significant contribution that we do make is to tell their stories. Palestinians chafe under the knowledge that they are perceived as terrorists by the majority of the world, even as they feel so unjustly victimized. So I am very grateful to you for listening.

Even though I will no longer be reporting to you, the stories continue. In fact the day I left the IWPS house one of the farmers that I had met was badly beaten by a settler while he was herding his goats. If you want to continue to be informed about what is happening on the ground you can check the IWPS website

http://www.iwps.info/

or the ISM website

http://www.palsolidarity.org/

If you want more official versions of the situation you can check out the PA run Palestinian National Information Centre which releases monthly statistics http://www.pnic.gov.ps/english.html

or the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights which releases weekly reports

http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2007/19-07-2007.htm

or B'Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories

http://www.btselem.org/english

The PNIC report for the month of June documented that the Israeli army killed 49 Palestinians, wounded 47, arrested 383 and carried out 765 invasions in Palestinian communities. I can only hold on to the hope that historical events can take everyone by surprise and things can change overnight.

Love,Wendy

Susiya

2007-07-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Nablus under Invasion

2007-07-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

Home Demolition in Al Funduq

2007-07-14T22:07:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went to document the story of a family in Al Funduq whose home was demolished last Thursday. The report is on the IWPS website (Human Rights Report No. 333 written by yours truly) if you want to read it.
http://www.iwps.info/

The first picture here is of their old home.

Then second is their new home.

The third is telling their story.

The last picture here is them making tea for us in their new home. (the tent)

Other assorted odds and ends:

Susiya Petition
Last week I talked about the village of Susiya in the South Hebron Hills where the villagers face the possible eviction from their lands for the 5th time. Ta’ayush has also created an online petition to protest this injustice. Please consider signing their petition.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Susya67/petition.html

Hamastan or Hamas’ Stand?
Polls indicate that only 1-3% of Palestinians want an Islamic state in Palestine. So why did Hamas win so big? And why do they still retain some popularity? This link takes you to the July 10, 2007 Los Angeles Times where an official of the movement describes Hamas’ goals for all of Palestine. He cleverly calls his excellent article “Hamas' stand”.http://exchange.ips-dc.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-marzook10jul10,0,1675308.story?coll=la-tot-opinion%26track=ntottext

Artas Demonstration - Video of Awad entreating soldiers
Here is a link to another video for you to enjoy. This one is entitled
“Awad Asking Soldiers Permission to Visit His Own Land”
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-344645899062047376
Description: During a demonstration at Artas, a village in the West Bank of Palestine one of the organizers and land owner faces a line of Israeli soldiers in riot gear. After explaining that they are brothers who all just want peace, he asks permission to visit his own land that was confiscated just weeks earlier. The Settlement above the wadi that his land is in wants to use the wadi for drainage. (Presumably for sewage as other settlements have done.)

Tree Planting in Tel, a village near Nablus

2007-07-14T21:52:00.001-07:00

I realize that I never told you what happened when I went to Tel, a village near Nablus to help a farmer plant trees on his own land that he’s been denied access to for the last 3 years. (The military may shoot or the even more dire threat is settlers with attack dogs and knives.) If he doesn’t plant soon, the land will be confiscated for laying fallow. I am happy to report that we were able to help him plant 20 trees. Further actions are being planned to plant 80 more.

Awad with his son

2007-07-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

Artas Demonstration

2007-07-13T12:37:00.001-07:00

Dear friends and family,
We went to a demonstration today in Artas, a village near Bethlehem. I have to confess that when we were trying to decide whether to go there or to the demonstration in Bi’lin, the factor that tipped us was a description in a Palestinian Tour Guide book that spoke of Artas’ beauty and its tourist attractions: A convent and a Palestinian Ethnological Museum.

The demonstration was probably the most beautiful one I have been to in Palestine. The breath-taking beauty of the land and the village was only part of the reason. A man named Awad organized the demonstration because he is losing his lands to the settlements on the hilltops above his village. Artas has a long and wide wadi (valley) that is very rich agriculturally. The village is famous for lettuce. (Unfortunately the Lettuce Festival is not scheduled during my time here.) The Settlers want to use the wadi for a drainage system for the settlement. Awad wasn’t sure what kind of drainage but he told us he was sure it wasn’t going to be nice. (Alluding to sewage.) He led a small group of Israelis and Internationals to his land. Of course we were stopped by a line of soldiers in riot gear. Awad and other Palestinians made beautiful speeches to the soldiers explaining their belief that they were all brothers and they all just wanted to live in peace. Awad told them that he just wanted to go to his land and pick some of his apricots. Of course they didn’t let him. After awhile we left.

After the demo Beth and I walked around the village with Awad. We told him we wanted to visit the convent. (The museum was closed.) While we were walking to the convent, Awad told us that the convent was allowing the Israeli’s to build a tunnel under their land for the settler’s drainage. He told us that the Israeli’s are being very careful not to adversely affect the convent’s land too much because they don’t want to piss off Rome. (I’m paraphrasing here.) He had tried to enlist the help of the convent with the village’s struggle. He went to talk to a nun who had been his teacher when he was in kindergarten. But she refused to help him. As long as the convent or the convent’s lands are not being threatened, the nuns there apparently don’t care about what happens to the lands of the village.

Love,
Wendy

Pictures:
Awad and his son
Artas Wadi
Artas Lettuce
Three Soldiers in Riot Gear
Soldier On Hill Overlooking Demo
Artas Convent
Artas Nun

Pictures Artas Wadi Lettuce Soldiers Convent and Mean Nun

2007-07-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

Demolitions and Demonstrations

2007-07-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,
Sorry that I haven’t written in over a week. It’s not that things haven’t been happening; I just haven’t had the words to communicate them. Or maybe the energy. I don’t know. So I thought I’d just give a short update and hope my pictures suffice.

First of all, I figured out the video thing (I hope). So you can see some of the Debke dancing by going to this link.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7613239399391472246

A lot of my time has been spent on a home demolition documentation project that IWPS is coordinating with the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions. We’ve been visiting with various mayors of villages in the Salfit region. The mayor of Deir Istiya was an especially charming man. We happened to be at his office when an engineer and some other people were meeting with him about a community center project that he is spearheading. He envisions a recreation area and even a swimming pool. He invited us to go with them all to look at the land it would be built on. While we were there and he was pointing out where various things would be built, it was impossible not to notice the encroaching settlements and settler roads. He said, “Yes, our cousins are talking that land.”

The pictures:
The womyn in pink is the engineer. The mayor also in that picture.
Another picture is of the mayor standing in front of the house in which he was born.
Another is of him in front of a sign proudly announcing another project that is restoring the old city of Deir Istiya. (That project is almost complete.) He joked about taking a picture of an old man in front of the old city.

Another village that is facing home demolitions is Yasuf. There are about 10 homes that will probably be demolished soon. Right now the families are fighting the orders in court. Most of the homes are not even finished yet and they are in Area B, which is a designation that came from the Oslo Accords which basically means they don’t need a permit from the Israelis to build there. But that doesn’t seem to matter to the Israelis.

The pictures:
One of the houses that is being threatened with demolition.
The kitchen of one of the houses that is being threatened with demolition.
Two womyn who live in one of the houses that is being threatened with demolition.
Construction workers working near one of the houses that is being threatened with demolition.

Yasuf Homes Being Threatened with Demolition

2007-07-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

July 8, 2007 Debke!

2007-07-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,

I am off to Nablus tomorrow for a tree planting action near the tiny village of Yanoun. Yanoun is a village that in 2004 was terrorized by settlers from Itmar settlement to the point of fleeing their homes. They came back only with the accompaniment of Internationals who have committed themselves to a permanent presence in the village. One village womyn told them, “If you ever leave one morning, I will leave that very afternoon.” Perhaps you remember that I did a stint there in 2005 and met some really amazing older womyn who ran a store next to the “International House”. The ISM coordinator who asked us to come told us that they don’t know what to expect although attack dogs and knives were mentioned. I’ll probably be there at least 2 days so I’ll write when I get back.

In the meantime and on a much lighter and joyful note, I attended a Debke festival tonight. Debke is traditional Palestinian folk dancing. There are not many words I need to write about it except to say check out the pictures and I wish I knew how to put the videos on my blog.

Love,

Wendy

July 8, 2007 More Susiya pictures

2007-07-08T13:34:00.001-07:00

July 7, 2007 The Catch 22 of Occupation

2007-07-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,

Last week three of us from IWPS made the long journey to the South Hebron hills to participate in two demonstrations. On Friday Internationals and Israelis joined Palestinians in the small village of Wadi Anise for a nonviolent demonstration against the Annexation Wall commemorating the July 9, 2004 International Court of Justice ruling that deemed the wall illegal and instructed Israel to dismantle it. (Obviously that has not happened.) Then on Saturday Internationals and Israelis accepted an invitation from the villagers of Susiya to attend a teach-in and then take a tour of their lands. Since Israeli law forbids them to be on their own land, this was going to be an act of civil disobedience.

To spare you an even longer email than this will already be, I’ll just talk about the event in Susiya.

First some background.

In the 1830s poverty-stricken Palestinian families left their villages in the South Hebron region and purchased land further on the outskirts. The subsequent generations developed a unique culture of living in the spacious caves that dotted the region while sustaining themselves by sheep herding and agriculture. Today many of the villages in the South Hebron hills continue this way of life. One such village was Qawawis. Perhaps some of you remember when I wrote about accompanying the villagers of Qawawis in 2005 who were being severely harassed by settlers. Tragically since then, the settlers have accomplished their objective and the village of Qawawis has been destroyed and the residents evicted. I have no idea where the lovely people with whom I spent three days are now. Probably they are living in poverty-stricken conditions in the near-by villages of Yatta or Carmel.

Susiya is another village in the South Hebron hills that enjoys this cave-dwelling lifestyle. At one point it was situated right next to an archeological site that contains Byzantine, Roman and Hellenistic ruins and the ruins of an ancient Jewish synagogue. In 1983 Jewish settlers established a settlement 2 km from this site and they named themselves Susya. (Did they choose the name to obfuscate the reality of the pre-existing Arab village of Susiya?) In 1985 the military took control of the site and in 1986 evicted the families of Susiya from their homes. The families relocated 500 meters from the Jewish settlement. This was way to close for the comfort of the settlers and so the army evicted the villagers a second time, herding them into trucks and dumping them 15 km to the north. While some families gave up and went to live in Yatta, other families returned to their land, this time a little further from the settlement.

In the next few years the area saw the spread of settlement outposts, illegal even by Israeli law. (By international law, all settlements are illegal.) Nonetheless, under the protection of the Israeli army the settlers were able to grab more and more land belonging to the remaining families of Susiya. Increasingly violent in their actions, (three Susiya residents were murdered by settlers in 1991) settlers stopped Palestinian farmers from cultivating their lands. Once land lays fallow, the state can “legally” claim it. Half of the families have lost half of their lands and the remaining half have lost all of their lands. (See Peace Now report “Breaking the Law in the West Bank – The Private Land Report”, November 2006
http://www.peacenow.org.il/site/en/peace.asp?pi=61&fld=495&docid=2024&pos=3
)

In July 2001 a settler was murdered outside the fence of the Susya settlement. Although no one from the village was implicated, the Israeli army carried out a third eviction, much more brutally than the previous ones. Villagers were beaten and/or arrested, caves were demolished, wells blocked with sand and rocks, fields destroyed, 1000 olive trees uprooted, livestock buried alive. Despite this treatment and the insistence of the army that they leave, many of the families of Susiya stayed on their land. The Red Cross brought emergency relief supplies and one week later the army returned to bulldoze the Red Cross tents. (See B’Tselem report “Means of Expulsion: Violence, harassment and Lawlessness against Palestinians in te Southern Hebron Hills”, July 2005
http://www.btselem.org/english/Publications/Summaries/200507_South_Hebron.asp
)

In September 2001 the villagers submitted a petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice (HCJ) requesting a permit to return to their land. The HCJ pronounced the repeated expulsions illegal and presented an interim injunction instructing the army to allow the inhabitants to return to their land, albeit with the restriction that they could not rebuild anything. Hence, since this time, the families of Susiya have been living on their land in tents and shacks.

In September 2004 the HCJ left intact the injunction from 2001 barring the Israeli military from demolishing and evacuating the village of Susiya. The judges even went so far as to reprimand the state, saying, “...the state ...is creating a situation under which a human’s basic existence becomes impossible.” The HCJ gave the villagers until July 2007 to submit a required building plan which a requirement for obtaining legal building permits. While this sounds quite reasonable, it is important to realize that the villagers have been denied permission for surveyors to go on the land to obtain the measurements needed for a viable building plan. Furthermore, the body that issues permits is primarily made up of settlers and virtually never approves building permits for Palestinians. Such is the Catch-22 circumstances of life in Palestine.

The teach-in and tour that we attended with about 50 other Internationals and maybe 150 Israelis marked the deadline for submitting the building plan. Without it they cannot possibly hope to obtain the building permits. In one month the deadline for obtaining the building permit will pass. After that the villagers can expect the army to come and evict them for a fifth time.

At the beginning of the teach-in some Israeli border police showed up and I feared they would prevent the event from proceeding. Fortunately, they left after talking to some of the villagers and the teach-in continued. When the teach-in ended, we were served a simple lunch of delicious homemade bread, cucumbers, tomatoes and several rounds of tea. Then the tour began. We were shown the remains of their destroyed houses that they have been forbidden to rebuild. We were shown their current dwellings that are merely tents. We were shown the settlement outposts on top of the hills overlooking their land. The archeological site was pointed out to us as well. And finally we walked on the villagers’ land that is now claimed by the settlers. Waiting for us were about 18 soldiers and 12 border police. Without the presence of so many Internationals, Israelis and press it would have been very dangerous for the villagers to be there. After some chanting and bannering, we all left and went back to the land that at least for now the villagers arestill allowed to occupy.

Of course by the end of the day we were all without words. What can you say to people who are facing such circumstances? We thanked them for their hospitality and left.

Love,Wendy

Zatara Checkpoint

2007-07-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

July 5, 2007 Commuting to work

2007-07-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,
This morning at about 9:30 am we received a call from our landlord that a young man from Kifl Haris (the village next to us to the east) was being detained and beaten at Zatara checkpoint, which is only about 15-20 minutes from where we live. Beth and I were out of the house in less than 3 minutes and luckily caught a service (shared taxi) right away. We arrived at the checkpoint before 10:00 am.

We had to go through the checkpoint before we got out of the service. While the soldier was checking IDs he looked up and saw me, smiled and yelled “Berkeley!” I had gone through the same checkpoint the previous day and this soldier had demanded that I get out of the service so he could question me.

“What are you doing here?”
“Visiting.”
(with a look of surprise) “Who are you visiting?”
“A former student who lives in Ramallah.” (Which was true. I was on my way to see Amjad who had first been my student in 1998 when he was 19 years old. I went to his wedding when I was here in 2005. Now he has a baby.)
“Don’t you have any Jewish friends?”
“Yes, and Arab friends.”
“Where are you from?”
“Berkeley.”
“Berkeley! You know what I don’t like about Berkeley? They hate Israel!”
“25% of the population of Berkeley is Jewish. I am Jewish.” (Notice I didn’t really respond to his statement.)
“You are Jewish! That is very good. Be careful here.”

So anyway, we got out of the service after we went through the checkpoint but we didn’t see anything unusual and we couldn’t find anyone being detained. We called the Israeli Army Humanitarian Office to ask them to inquire about the incident but we didn’t really expect them to call us back, despite the fact that they promised to do so in just 5 minutes. So I had the bright idea to ask my soldier friend who didn’t like Berkeley for information. We walked over to the booth and I said to him, “Soldier who doesn’t like where I come from, I want to ask you a question.” I asked him where the man that was detained just a short while ago was taken. He started off denying that there had been any man that was detained or any problem at all. Beth and I continued to ask questions and finally he admitted that there was a man who had gotten very upset earlier when he was not allowed through the checkpoint. His partner joined in the conversation at some point to correct something that my soldier had said. It soon became clear to us that the incident not only had happened but we were actually talking to the two soldiers who had been involved. They claimed that although a gun was never pointed at the man, he grabbed the barrel. They admitted that the man was hit but just to teach him that it was absolutely forbidden to touch a soldier’s gun. Then they said that they gave him some chocolate milk and he went home.

During the conversation my soldier explained to me that the Israeli army is the most humane in the world. It also came out that he is a paratrooper and that they are planning to “go into” (invade) Jenin next week. I can’t believe that he would actually divulge such information to us, but chances are more that 50 – 50 that they will invade somewhere next week and Jenin is definitely a likely candidate. (By the way Nablus was reinvaded two days ago but ISM had enough support so they didn’t call us to come up again.)

On our way home from Zatara we called the Kifl Haris municipality and found out the name and phone number of the man who was “hit”. We called him and arranged to take his statement. We arrived at his house at about 11:30 am. Of course we were seated with half a dozen of his family and friends and served in sequence, juice, coffee, cookies and tea.

It turns out that the man, Osama, is a Civil Engineer and he told us that he had been travelling that morning on a bus to Salfit to go to work. Soldiers stopped the bus at Zatara checkpoint and everyone was ordered off. IDs were collected and most passengers were eventually allowed back onto the bus. However Osama was told that he could not proceed on the bus and must turn back. He told us that he tried to explain to the soldiers that he travels to Salfit daily for his job and insisted that they must be making a mistake in denying him passage. He told us that one soldier poked the barrel of his gun into his belly, which he pushed away. Again the soldier pressed the barrel into his belly, and once again he moved it aside. Then the soldier started to punch and hit him while a second soldier hit him from behind on his head. Osama said that the first soldier told him to kneel, and when he refused the soldier began to kick him. Blood started to run down his head and they stopped beating him. Then they gave him water to wash the wound and also to drink. When we asked if they gave him chocolate milk he said yes. (This must be the humanitarian part.) Then he said that they told him to go home, which he did.

Osama didn’t understand why he had been turned back because he had never had a problem with the army before and does not know why he was not allowed through the checkpoint when other men from his village were. He showed us wounds on his left arm, right shin, the back of his neck and the top of his head. He also showed a shirt which was covered in blood.

Then he invited us to lunch. Of course it was delicious. It was a traditional Palestinian dish called Moqlubah (means upside down) made of rice, chick peas, silvered almonds and spices that I couldn’t even begin to guess what they were. There was also delicious roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots. And yoghurt and soup. Then another round of coffee. We finally were able to leave at about 2:30 pm. We promised Osama that a womyn from IWPS would accompany him to work on Saturday. (Friday is the Muslim Sabbath and so no one works that day.) Hopefully, nothing will happen and he will be able to go to work without a problem. Inshallah.

Love,
Wendy

July 2, 2007 The everyday sorrows of occupation

2007-07-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,
Since I’ve been here IWPS has been working with people in the area trying to help out with various problems they are facing as a result of the occupation. Here is a short list of examples.

A farmer from Deir Istiya was hit by the car of a settler while being harassed and then beaten by soldiers. The road he was using is the one his family has been using for generations and there is no other one available to him. When we met with him and some of the other farmers who have endured the same treatment they told us that they were not interested in seeking medical expense reimbursement or even a simple apology. “What is done is done.” Their only concern was to stop the bad behavior of the soldiers and settlers.

While we were taking the report of the farmer hit by the settler car we were being served numerous rounds of tea and coffee at his home. His family and some of the other farmers were sitting with us. All of a sudden the kids started shouting and running out into the fields. They heard wild pigs and went to chase them away. These pigs are huge nuisances and very destructive to crops. Apparently the farmers think the settlers released them. They told us that years ago there was unexplained deer who roamed the fields who were also nuisances but they were easily trapped and the farmers could use their meat. When the pigs arrived mysteriously they were much more difficult to deal with. Pigs are much more difficult to trap and even if they did succeed in trapping them, Muslims are forbidden to eat pork.

We met with another man from Deir Istiya who used to work in Israel and has turned to farming to feed his family (Palestinians have been prohibited to work in Israel since 2001. This used to be a significant portion of Palestinians’ income. Now the Palestinian labor in Israel has been replaced by immigrants, mostly from Thailand). He recently built a chicken coop for 1,000 chickens. He has received a demolition order for it because he built without a permit. If he doesn’t remove it by July 21st the army will come to bulldoze it. Furthermore, they will charge him for the expense to do this. Since the occupation began in 1967 Palestinians are virtually never given permits to build anything. Not new homes, room additions or even chicken coops. And when they are given permits the permit will always specify that they are “inhabitants but not owners”. When you think about the typical large Palestinian family and how the population has grown since 1967 you can imagine the crowded conditions in which they live.

Yesterday we accompanied some shepherds from the village of Salam. There is now a Jewish by-pass road on the land that their families have used for generations to graze their goats and sheep. They are not allowed to use it and they need to cross it at least twice a day. So they are often caught and stopped by soldiers. One of them was beaten by a soldier last week when he was caught crossing. He showed us his broken finger. Because we were there they were allowed to cross. But we can’t be there every day.

We took a report today in a village that was invaded last night by the Israeli army. The army entered at approximately 3:00 am with about 5 or 6 jeeps and 40 soldiers. They shot live ammunition and sound bombs and then surrounded a house. They forced the family outside and searched the home for one of the sons. When they didn’t find him they took Samir, a 30 year old mentally ill son of the family as a human shield to go to the home of the “wanted” son. The mother begged them not to abuse him because she feared they would exacerbate his mental illness. I got the impression that his illness was something like PTSD but I can’t be sure.

Yesterday, while we were visiting one of the families in Hares, one of the womyn asked us if we could go to Tel Aviv. We were very uncomfortable but had to answer truthfully. Yes, we could. She just nodded wishfully. You may think this was a strange question but I have been asked it very often here. Another very common question is whether I can go to Jerusalem. West Bank Arabs are not allowed to go to Jerusalem, or to cross the green line (the internationally recognized Israel). This means that they cannot pray at the Holy Sanctuary (Dome of the Rock) which is the third most holy place in Islam nor can they go to the sea shore although it is less than an hour’s drive away. Both these sorrows are felt very keenly.

Love,
Wendy

June 30, 2007 A good-will package, invasions included

2007-07-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,
We returned from Nablus last night. It had been invaded by the Israeli occupation forces early Thursday morning and we received a call at the house from the ISM coordinator at about noon asking us to come and help them out. Kim, one of the other IWPS womyn, and I arrived there at about 5:00 pm and found 18 other Internationals and half a dozen Palestinian coordinators of ISM organizing three teams to go out into the Old City and Balata Refugee Camp. Both areas were under curfew with houses that had been transformed into military posts.

Sami, one of the Palestinian Coordinators and a member of the Palestinian Medical Relief Services, led my team of eight Internationals through the Old City. We were looking for any families who might need medical assistance or food. We saw a few military jeeps but they didn’t seem very interested in us, much to my relief. In the past when I have participated in this kind of activity the soldiers have told us to leave because it is a closed military zone and if we don’t we will be arrested. Being arrested often means automatic deportation and banishment for at least 10 years. This is one my greatest fears. (Much greater than being hit at a demo or getting caught in crossfire.)

While out walking we saw many people on the street which surprised me since there was a curfew in effect. I remember walking through Ramallah during curfew and it was like a ghost town. But Nablus is a different story, considered to be much more militant. Even so, mostly it was just young boys and teenagers out on the streets looking for jeeps to throw stones at. There were a few men sitting outside their closed shops drinking tea. We also came across a family consisting of a father, three sons and a daughter. (I presume the mother was at home.) They father thanked us for being there and the kids smiled at us so sweetly. The smell of tear gas was suffocating and we constantly heard explosions and gunfire. We did not come across anyone who needed aid, nor did we find an occupied house to help out. (One of the other teams did help a womyn with a baby get back to her home.)

We went back to the hotel at about 9:30 pm where we were to spend the night. At about 10:30 pm one of the medics came to ask us to accompany him to a house that had just been demolished because he wanted to retrieve a body that was under the rubble. He had tried and the soldiers wouldn’t allow him to do it. He thought they might if we were there. But it was dark and we couldn’t walk since the Palestinian coordinators said that it was too dangerous. In the dark the Israelis would think we were Palestinian fighters and the Palestinian fighters would think we were Special Forces. In either case we would be shot. So the medic tried to transport us in his ambulance but just when we were piling into it an army jeep rounded the corner. A soldier got out and said he’d arrest us all, including the Palestinian medic, and so we skedaddled back inside the hotel and the medic went off by himself.

The next day the military retreated after carrying out numerous arrests and an assassination of a member of the Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades. Mohammad, the lead Palestinian Coordinator said that the army could very well be back in just a few hours and he asked us to stay awhile. So we visited three of the houses that had been occupied during the invasion. The families told us that they had been either locked in a small room of their own house or forced to leave and go to a neighbor’s house. The houses were completely ransacked and damaged. The soldiers had broken down doors, thrown electrical equipment to the floor (breaking it), and had emptied closets, cupboards and drawers such that things were strewn all over. In many places the soldiers had bored holes in the floors and walls, presumably looking for weapons or tunnels. In one home the ceiling was ripped out and the wood paneling on the walls was pried off.

We also visited two hospitals that had been under siege by the military. We talked to doctors, nurses and staff who told us that they had been delayed or prevented from going to work. Even an emergency patient’s entry had been delayed. Furthermore, the hospitals had great difficulty getting in basic food supplies, such as bread, and the Israeli forces even tried to prevent oxygen and dialysis treatment equipment from being delivered. These were finally delivered but only after the hospital director intervened by a call to the Israeli District Command. We were also told that the soldiers had opened fire five times on one of the hospitals during the course of the invasion, splaying the walls of the hospital with machine gun bullets.

The military did not return that afternoon and so we finally went home to Hares at about 5:00 pm. We promised to come back if they were invaded again. Which could be tonight, tomorrow or next week. One can never know.

When we returned to Hares, our landlord (and convener of IWPS), Abu Rabia, invited us to come and talk to him. He knew that we had gone to Nablus and he wanted to explain the situation to us, as he sees it anyway. He is not only an avid supporter of Fatah, but has a relatively high position in the organization. He told us that Israel is trying to weaken Fatah so that the same exact thing that happened in Gaza will happen in the West Bank. I didn’t really understand his point exactly but I think it may have been that it is to Israel’s advantage to have chaos and internal fighting among the Palestinians.

In the meantime Olmert, during a summit convened by Mubarak in Egypt supposedly offered a number of goodwill gestures to Abbas, including the release of 250 Fatah prisoners and the release of tax money that has been withheld since Hamas came into power. I am left wondering how this invasion figures into the good will.

Love,
Wendy

June 28, 2007 Nablus under invasion - Sounds like an afternoon outing for IWPS

2007-06-28T03:34:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,
Despite the relative calm in the immediate vicinity of Hares, the occupation is intensifying in other areas.

More than fifty military vehicles raided Jenin refugee camp late on Tuesday evening. Army confrontations ensued with resistance fighters from the Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades and the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Quds Brigades. A Palestinian man was seriously injured and three Palestinians were arrested during the incursion.

Israeli tanks invaded the southern Gaza Strip while Israeli fighter jets bombarded Gaza City early Wednesday morning. Thirteen Palestinians have been killed.

Heavy Israeli forces invaded the city of Nablus on Wednesday night blowing up an electricity transformer, placing many hospitals under siege, turning more than 30 Palestinian homes into military bases. Additionally, dozens of Israeli military vehicles invaded Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus.

Did any of this make the newspapers in the U.S.?

This may sound trivial in the larger scope of things but this all comes at a particular bad time as high school students are being prevented from taking their final school exams. This exam, called the Tawljihi is extremely important as it will determine whether or not the student can continue to the university. The results of the Tawljihi are awaited breathlessly by the whole of Palestine and much celebrating (or mourning) occurs when they are released. (The mourning is much quieter.)

Here in the vicinity of Hares the occupation continues in la ess dramatic manner but equally devastating as the daily lives of Palestinians are constantly filled with humiliation, limitation and harassment. Since Tuesday afternoon the army has erected a roadblock at the entrance of Kifl Hares, the village just to the east of us. We are to meet with the mayor this afternoon and try to negotiate with the soldiers stationed there to remove it.

We also got a call from farmers in Deir Istiya, the village to our north. They reported serious harassment from settlers and soldiers while trying to herd their goats. (The IWPS Human Rights Report No. 328 that describes this incident will be posted on our website shortly. http://www.iwps.info/) So we also have another appointment this afternoon to go to the military encampment outside the settlement of Yaqir and negotiate a cessation of this harassment.

However, I received a call just ten minutes ago from the ISM coordinator in Nablus. He very politely told me that Nablus is under invasion (as I had mentioned at the start of this email) and he would like to invite the womyn of IWPS to come there and be with the people. He sounded like he was inviting us to tea! I am alone in the house right now, but two others will return soon, inshallah. We will probably cancel the other afternoon appointments and go to Nablus.

I’ll let you know what happens.
Love,
Wendy

P.S. OK. Now you can worry, but just the tinest tinest bit. Really.

June 27, 2007 Hamas: terror network or safety net?

2007-06-28T01:09:00.001-07:00

Dear friends and family,
In my last message I wrote that Abbas had issued a presidential decree suspending the Palestinian law relating to NGOs and that the move was widely seen as an attempt to undercut Hamas affiliated NGOs. What I forgot to mention is that although the military wing of Hamas is what gets international attention, the majority of their work is welfare and social services administered through NGOs. In fact one of the men on the Deir Ibzi'a Cultural NGO has a full time job with a Hamas NGO that gives aid to widows and orphans.

Just thought it was important to mention this since many of you wrote to me objecting to my assessment of Hamas.

Love,
Wendy

June 26, 2007 All Quiet on the West Bank

2007-06-28T01:07:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,
Last Saturday Mary and I went to Deir Ibzi'a for a short overnight trip to meet with the Austrian funders of the Cultural NGO. The meeting went very well and the funders were very pleased with how the NGO is functioning. They were especially pleased with the computer center.

On Saturday evening the board threw an elaborate party to show their appreciation for everyone who has participated in the project. They held it at a new country club of sorts in the next village called An Erik. The place was beautiful and there was a swimming pool for the children to enjoy. (Separate times for the girls and boys of course.) It was lovely. The best part was that the men of the board (the one womyn on the board only showed up for 10 minutes and then left - I'm not sure what her story is) served the meal and waited on everyone else. Including the women! I took many pictures. And of course I had to tease Deeb about it. Actually he does like to cook and will often do so in his home. (But I've never seen him clean.) And Naim, one of the others on the board has a Yugoslavian wife who works for the Ministry of Agriculture and they seem to share household responsibilities in a more equitable way than most families here. Anyway, the men explained that they were just so happy that their wives had been supportive of them, letting them be away from home for long meetings, serving the board tea and coffee when the meetings were at their houses, etc. It was a wonderful and happy day celebrating a successful project. And they have high hopes to do a lot more.

A recent development that is of concern is that Abbas has issued a presidential decree suspending the Palestinian law relating to NGOs. So now the Ministry of Interior can close or ban NGOs or demand that they change their internal procedures. The move is widely seen as an attempt to undercut Hamas affiliated NGOs. Both the Palestinian National Initiative and the Palestinian Committee on Human Rights have condemned the move as an attack on democracy and a crackdown on civil society. Of course, I am concerned about how it will affect the Deir Ibzi'a Cultural NGO. They had such a hard time getting recognition in the first place. It would be such a shame if it became a casualty of the new emergency government.

Meanwhile things at the IWPS house in Hares have been very quiet. Since Mary and I arrived last Wednesday we've mostly been doing office work and house cleaning because the situation is so calm right now. The house hasn't received any calls to come help a village being invaded by the military or marauding settlers. And travel is incredibly easy right now. I've never had such smooth riding through the check points and most of the road blocks seem to be cleared. In fact of all the time I've spent in Palestine, this is inarguably the most relaxed.

I've been told that one reason that it is so quiet right now in the West Bank is because the Fatah controlled Preventative Security Services are currently doing most of Israel's work, arresting Hamas militants. They arrested 120 in the last week. I think another reason for the quiet is that the people seem pretty beat down and hopeless. Most of the Wall has been completed (although there is still more to do around Ariel which is the large settlement only 3 km from Hares) and the nonviolent demonstrations against it didn't get them anything except tear gas, injuries and army incursions into the village at night. So there don't seem to be any nonviolent demonstrations for us to support except for the weekly Friday ones in Bil'in.

Nonetheless, the occupation continues and in the last week 5 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and a young man at a checkpoint in Hebron.

Tomorrow I will start helping IWPS on a project in conjunction with ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions) documenting home demolitions in the Salfit region. We are also meeting in the evening with some farmers in a neighboring village (Deir Istiya) to talk about organizing a Peace Camp. A Peace Camp is not a children's summer camp. It is a permanent encampment in the farmers' fields to prevent wall construction. There was one in the village of Mas'aa a few years ago and it didn't end too well.

Love,
Wendy

June 23, 2007 A powerful form of resistance

2007-06-28T01:04:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,
I mentioned at the end of my last email that the group I truly support in Palestine is the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall (PCAW).

Bil'in is a small village in the West Bank located approximately 12 kilometers west of Ramallah and about 4 kilometres east of the 1967 Green Line. It is home to about 1600 Palestinians. The construction of the wall will result in the theft of 60% of the village's farm land upon which Modi'in Illit is being built, a new illegal Israeli settlement.

The Bil'in PCAW has made Bil'in famous for their creative and non-violent demonstrations that they have organized every Friday since January 2005. They have perservered despite the harassment of its leaders (arrests, death threats, beatings) and the certainty of tear gas (with the canisters shot directly at protestors such that they become a potential lethel weapons), rubber-coated steel bullets, sound bombs and injuries at every demonstration.

Last Friday four of us from IWPS went to Bil'in to join with about 30 other internationals, 20 Israelis and 50 villagers in marching to the wall. It was a smaller than usual demonstration, however, typical of what usually happens each week. We all gather at the mosque and after the Friday prayers march to the wall, singing and chanting. A barbed wire barrier stops the crowd about 300 yards in front of the wall and there were about 30 Israeli soldiers stationed half way inbetween the crowd and the wall. Sometimes they wait a bit and let the crowd chant, pray and sing, but this time they advanced immediately and started shooting tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. The demonstrators retreated and then advanced again after the gas cleared. Then this dance repeated itself many times until the soldiers finally chased everyone back into the village.

Medics from the Palestinian Medical Relief Committee are always standing by to deal with the inevitable injuries, hoping that none will be too serious. (Over the course of these demonstrations there have been some fatalities and critical injuries resulting in brain damage.) Yesterday the most serious injury was a bad reaction to the tear gas and burns from where the canisters hit. One of the IWPS womyn was hit twice which caused her to believe that she was being targeted. (I agree that the chances are pretty low of being hit twice.)

Two Palestinians were arrested. As of Saturday night one is still being detained. He will probably be held a few days longer and released with no charges brought. His release is more likely because of the internationals who will monitor what happens to him.

Near the edge of the village there was a house under construction, in complete view of the demonstration and the soldiers. From the roof top of this house construction workers shouted to the demonstrators to tell them where the incoming tear gas was coming from. I couldn't believe that they scarely stopped their work throughtout the entire demonstration! (Except maybe at the height of the tear gas clouds.) They refused to let the Israeli occupation stop them living their lives. It reminded me of a beautiful quote by Edward Said that I use in my slideshows. I can't remember the exact words but he talks about the fact that Palestinians going about their everyday life, going to school, going to their jobs and raising families is the most powerful form of non-violent resistance.

Love,
Wendy

June 22, 2007 Forget Hamas. Forget Fatah. Support the PCAW!

2007-06-28T01:02:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,
I am not sure what the U.S. media has been reporting regarding the Hamas/Fatah fallout but I am outraged by the spin put on it by Israel and the U.S.

Before I explain my outrage, I'll outline briefly the sequence of events.

For months there has been internicene fighting in Gaza between Hamas and Fatah culminating in clashes last week which left more than 110 people dead and hundreds wounded. Hamas, after enduring kidnappings, bombings and assassinations (including an attempt on the life of the elected prime minister) by paramilitary groups loyal to Fatah, staged what it called a "pre-emptive" strike against Fatah aligned Preventative Security Forces headed by Mohammed Dahlan who is widely viewed as a CIA collaborator. Depsite the fact that these Security forces have received millions of dollars in financial backing and military training from the US, Hamas easily gained control of Gaza. Abbas, the US and Israel have accused Hamas of staging a military coup in Gaza, with Dahlan denouncing Hamas as "an occupying" force in Gaza.

On June 14th Palestinian Prime Minister and Fatah leader, Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency. A few days later he outlawed Hamas affiliated militias and swore in a new unelected emergency government ousting the National Unity government headed by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, whose Hamas party won the 2006 Palestinian elections in a landslide victory. Despite serious questions about the legitimacy of this new government, Israel, the United States and the European Union have welcomed its formation and Bush even went so far as to accuse Hamas of "assaulting" the potential democracy of Palestine.

So now to explain my outrage.

First of all, correct me if I am wrong but if Hamas won the elections in 2006, how is it assaulting democracy? And how does a government in power have a coup? And why is the U.S. giving millions of dollars to just one of the political parties of a government rather than the government itself for its security forces?

The truth is that the division between Hamas and Fatah serves Israel’s purposes since a Fatah dominated Palestinian Authority is much more pliable than one headed by Hamas. Carter said that "The United States and Israel decided to punish all the people in Palestine and did everything they could to deter a compromise between Hamas and Fatah".

The upshot of all of this is that my life has been made ever so much easier. Getting through checkpoints is a piece of cake right now in the West Bank and the soldiers are being somewhat well behaved and keeping their distance. At least for the moment.

My brother wrote to ask if I had a preference between Fatah and Hamas. I want to say that I don't like either. Fatah is corrupt and short-sighted and although I do not at all buy into the terrorist label that the world has painted on Hamas, their religious fundamentalism does not bode well for womyn or democracy. However, they are relatively honest and I believe that they truly care about Palestine. Fatah only cares about retaining its own power.

My real preference is for the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall (PCAW) but they don't get any press coverage.

Love,
Wendy

June 18, 2007 Report from Deir Ibzi'a

2007-06-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,
Mary and I have spent the last two days in Deir Ibzi'a meeting with our Palestinian partners of the Friends of Deir Ibzi'a.

We met with ten of the womyn who make our embroidery. We talked some about details of the project but mostly just visited and got to know each other better. Over many cups of tea and coffee, of course. They told us that they are very happy with the project and are grateful for the income.

We also met with the people who judge the scholarship applications and administer them. They have now successfully established an official NGO that is recognized by the Palestinian Authority Welfare Department and the UN. It is called the Deir Ibze' (there are 100 ways to spell the name of the village) Cultural NGO. (NGO means non-governmental organization.) Without going into too much detail, I want you to realize that this was an extraordinary accomplishment since they refuse to identify with either Hamas or Fatah. There were six of the seven NGO members at our meeting. Deeb, Dr. Marwan, Husam, Naim, Nabil and Ameen. There is one womyn member but she wasn't able to come.

The meeting was absolutely wonderful and uplifting. They have a vision for helping poor children and womyn. They told us about computer classes that they had offered last winter semester, one for girls, one for boys and one for the womyn of the village. One of the members is very religious and insisted that they have separate classes for male and female. However, they have now all decided not to continue this practice as a policy. And they did have a field trip at the end of the classes that included everyone, male and female.

They told us that they do not want the NGO or anyone affiliated with it to be political at all. If someone wants to have opinions about politics, that is OK. But they can't be active in politics. I asked if participating in a non-violent demonstration, for example the weekly Friday demonstrations in Bil'in, would be okay. They said absolutely it would be okay, and in fact that kind of activity would be encouraged. However, any association with one of the organized political factions would not be tolerated.

They told us of their need to buy a property for the computer center which is in a very small rented space for the time being. They need to get a bigger space (about 1000 sq ft) and they need to own it because this will make it much easier for them to get funding for more programs. They want us to help them raise the money. About $15,000 - $20,000. We didn't really have any ideas. If any of you do, please offer them!We also met with the students that we are supporting with scholarships right now. Amir, Mazen, Shadi, Samia and Ahmad. As usual, Samia was outgoing, charming, talkative and engaging. The boys were a bit quieter and their English was not quite as developed. However, the time together was rich and poignant. We asked if they had hope of getting jobs in their fields after graduating and if they intended to stay in Palestine. All except Samia had pessimism about finding jobs after graduation. (Our first graduate, Saddam, is still driving a taxi.) Nonetheless, Shadi was the only one that said that he wanted to leave Palestine after graduation.

After the rest of the students left, Ahmad stayed to give Mary and I an incredible gift. It was a drawing of a Palestinian womyn with many images in her dress and a complex expression on her face. It turns out that he is a very gifted artist. (His major is Agriculture.) The drawing is so absolutely beautiful that I almost cried. He is truly a lovely young man.

We are off to Hares tomorrow morning to join the other womyn in the IWPS house.

Love,
Wendy

June 17, 2007 To Ramallah and back in less than a day

2007-06-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,

Some of you have written that the news from here is not good and expressed concern for my safety. I agree that the breakdown of the Palestinian Unity Government is really bad news. And now that Hamas is in control of Gaza and Fatah the West Bank, Israel has eased restrictions in the West Bank and started allowing some money to flow in while making life in Gaza even more miserable that it already was. The strategy is to make life look better in the West Bank and blame Hamas for the misery in Gaza. That way the world will know that Hamas is evil and anyone who cooperates with the U.S./Israel is good and gets rewarded. My friend Deeb explained this to me and I think that he is right. After all, since when is Mahmoud Abbas a friend of Olmert?

All of this is to say that I expect that my time here, at least for a day or two, will be a bit easier and safer than usual. This was manifested this morning by the incredibly easy time Mary and I had traveling from Jerusalem to Ramallah and then back again to pick up the embroidery and then mail it home. We were able to do all that, visit with Deeb, visit with my former student Amjad and even do some shopping, all by 4:00 pm!

So stop worrying! I do not feel in any danger. From Palestinians anyway. The Israeli soldiers are another matter....

Love,
Wendy

June 16, 2007 We got through the border!

2007-06-28T00:55:00.001-07:00

Dear friends and family,

With much relief I can report that Mary and I made it through the border and into Israel this morning. Al hamdulallah! (Thank God.)

Although they held Mary up for about 1/2 hour they didn't ask either of us any serious questions. I have to say that although I am immensely relieved and grateful, I also have other contradictory feelings. Regret that I didn't get to utilize our many hours of strategizing. Disappointment that I missed out on the fun of sparring with the interrogator. Insult that they don't perceive us as threats.

We will be visiting in Deir Ibzi'a for a few days, meeting with the scholarship students and the embroidery womyn. Then off to the IWPS house in Hares on Wednesday.

Love, Wendy