On Palestine

Some last words...

2008-09-05T00:58:00.000+02:00

... from Abu Mazen.

A farewell to the countryside

2008-08-31T16:33:00.012+02:00

I'm spending my last days in Jerusalem, doing very little. I feel exhausted now (not to mention quite ill), so it feels good to have left all the EA tasks behind me.

I am a little sad that my emotional capital was rather strained before I moved to Yanoun (Hebron tends to do that to you). I couldn't get as invested in the people there as I would have liked to.

Yet, I will always remember Adla and her numerous children as some of the most genuine and kind people I have ever met. I'm really, really happy that I've lived in Yanoun. Even though I'm not cut out for country life.

And yes I know, I've gone a bit soft.

Burn baby burn!

2008-08-29T17:07:00.007+02:00

I have encountered the remnants of Sharon's cousin. No, I'm not talking about a middle-aged conservative Israeli. I'm talking about fire bombs made by settlers and used against Palestinian homes in the West Bank. Last month settlers from the Yitzhar settlement tried to attack the Palestinian village of Burin with rockets. They were poignantly named Sharon I and Sharon II. Luckily, the Sharons failed to reach their targets. Yesterday however, the settlers took more care in their aiming.

They attacked a Palestinian home in the same village in the early morning hours, throwing several fire bombs through the windows. I arrived with my team mate Gottfried in the afternoon and was taken to the targeted house situated at the outskirts of the village.

The damage was substantial, especially in the bedroom. Everything was charcoal and the room smelt of burnt wood. The sight of the burnt-out crib made us both uneasy. The family's savings of 20 000 Jordanian dinars, hidden under the mattress, had gone up in smoke.

There are no words for this kind of behaviour. Except maybe one. Terrorism.

(Al-hamdulillah, the family was away for a wedding! I kinda hope the settlers were aware of that. It makes me think them a little more human).

I ♥ Dabka

2008-08-16T20:58:00.007+02:00

Traditional Palestinian dance, dabka, is commonly danced at weddings. Huge groups of men, young and old, come together and just let loose. It is so wonderful and liberating to see these Palestinian men - especially the younger ones, whom I usually meet suppressed and serious at checkpoints - having fun. I loved it!

And the women can dance too. If you wonder where all those skin-baring dresses hanging in the clothes shops and on the streets are worn, I can reveal to you that they are displayed at women's wedding parties. And lord do these girls know how to move their hips! But that's for female eyes only. And husbands. Sorry guys...

A tribute to Gottfried

2008-08-09T15:49:00.004+02:00

This is Gottfried's third term with EAPPI. A minister by profession, you might expect his sense of justice to be strong. Yet, I am in awe of this man's lifelong determination to make changes for the better. In my head, I secretly refer to him as our freedom fighter.

His enthusiastic commitment is visible to total strangers too, something I witnessed first hand when we did a presentation together for YMCA in Beit Sahour, outside Bethlehem. I am telling you, the man was on fire! Afterwards a Palestinian in the audience just walked up to him and hugged him. I think that says it all.

We've striked up quite a lovely relationship, Gottfried and I. Despite my lack of knowledge on theological matters, we've spent many hours talking about everything and nothing. So, here's to Gottfried! Er ist ganz wunderbar!

Yanoun

2008-08-04T16:25:00.023+02:00

Countryside bliss

This is my third placement and it's very different from the two previous. Yanoun is tiny and very pastoral. The village only has about 100 inhabitants, but makes up in numbers of sheep, goats and chickens. The villagers live mostly from the produce of the animals and the income they can generate from their olive groves, fruits and vegetables. It is very "bonderomantisk". Everything smells of sheep though.

Cacti fruit, so-called prickly pears. Good for digestion apparently, but not very tasty...

After five years of continuous violent attacks by the settlers from the nearby Israeli settlement of Itamar, all the villagers of Yanoun were forced to leave in October of 2002. Israeli and international peace activists took notice and established themselves in the village in order to prevent the settlers from taking it over. The villagers returned apprehensively, one family at a time. A deal was made that there would be permanent international presence in Yanoun. So, that's basically why we are here.

Gottfried and I watching settlers parading through the village on Shabbat

The house we're living in is... well, as one previous EA described it: authentic. There is no internet connection in the village. But we have all the ameneties that we need: running water and shower, electricity, cooking facilities and mosquito nets. So I'm not too bothered by the standard. And having spent quite a few nights in the cave dweller community of Susiya, the various animal noises during the night don't bother me too much. I do bless my ear plugs though.

The people in Yanoun are friendly and open. They must have met numerous internationals throughout the years. Still, they make you feel special and welcome. They invite us for dinner, for tea and coffee, give us bread almost every day, they smile and joke despite their situation and are helpful in every way. I admire their spirit, but sense their sadness under the surface. Having met so many lovely people with such a bleak future over the past few months is really starting to wear on me... Yet, I cannot even begin to imagine how they feel.

At the moment, it's the almond season. Picking almonds is quite a strenouous affair. Climbing trees and searching the ground on all fours is a bit too physical for my taste. And all the work that follows takes a lot of time. First, shelling the almonds, then drying them in the sun, and lastly cracking them open. It is a very social affair, though, and many cups of tea and coffee are consumed. However, I've gone off almonds for now. No marzipan for me this Christmas.

Shelling almonds and drinking tea with Um Hani

Another placement, another team

2008-07-26T19:22:00.005+02:00

These are my colleagues for the next one and a half months. Clockwise from left you have Audrey (nurse) from England and Colin (minister) from Scotland, Gottfried (minister and freedom fighter) and Christian (?) from Germany, and Paula (graduate) from Sweden.

We will share our time between Yanoun and Jerusalem, working from a rotation schedule. I will start with a two week stint in Yanoun before taking some time off.

Last night with my team

2008-07-26T18:02:00.009+02:00

Beautiful Mohannad

My teammates are all leaving whilst I'm going to Yanoun. So yesterday, the two Swedes (who actually get a salary) took the two unpaid EAs out for dinner at a very nice (though not very serviceable) restaurant in West-Jerusalem. Jean-Marie and I ate all that we could muster, knowing that the bill would be taken care of by "söta bror och söster".

Unfortunately, Katarina was feeling a little ill and left us early. But is-shabbab and I continued to a bar to have some drinks. As the night wore on, the boys became more and more intent on singing "the Hooky Kooky" - a song/dance routine very similar to "Fugledansen". I'm sure they've left a lasting impression with the female bartenders.

Anyhow, I must say I've been beyond lucky with my team mates. My heart ('if I have one at all' - statement from another former team mate...) swells with happiness by the mere thought of the sensitive and clever Mohannad, the warm and funny John-Jamal, and the kind and vivacious Katarina. Thank you! Bahebbkum, kull!

Flanked by lovely Katarina and handsome John-Jamal

Third time's a charm

2008-07-20T14:42:00.010+02:00

Breaking the Silence was finally allowed to enter Hebron today. Nevermind that they had to bring along about fifty borderpolicemen to guard them. I wonder how much the participants actually got to see of the city over the broad shoulders of the protective human wall. But at least they witnessed the true colours of the settlers, who, infuriated by the 'deceit' of the Israeli state, resorted to aggressive behaviour.

The borderpolice stood their ground. Settlers were pushed away and even to the ground. I believe Mohannad and John-Jamal were extremely pleased to see a particular settler, an 'aquaintance' of ours, bite the dust.

Unable to reach the tour group participants, the settlers turned their attention to other non-jewish bystanders. i.e. us. Having lived and worked in Hebron for almost three months, the settlers know our faces well, and ahem, let's just say that they don't harbour any warm, mushy feelings towards us. So, upon spotting my male colleagues, some of them came over and made threatening remarks, rattled their M16s and displayed a rather hostile body-language. As good EAs, the boys knew their limits and pulled back.

Now, I wonder though, if all of this is just for show. Drawing on today's episode, the police will be able to claim that the presence of Breaking the Silence is a disturbance to civil order. It is very convenient. Then they can deny them access for good.

Mitjawwez inte? (Are you married?)

2008-07-12T19:15:00.020+02:00

I am staying on for an extra one and a half months. Thus, I had to renew my visa. I had the choice of going back to Norway or take a quick trip to Jordan. Since I've never been to the Hashemite kingdom, I went for door number two.

Jordan was HOT. Jeez louise! Btw, I'm talking centigrades, people, in case you set out to misunderstand. When Paula (a Swedish EA who is also staying on) and I arrived in Aqaba, we could barely move. So we were mainly lying flat on our beds praising the AC. It turned out that Aqaba had limited appeal, so we moved on up north to the ancient city of Petra.

Petra is old. I'm not sure exactly how old, but its foundations are at least a couple of thousand years old. We walked amongst giant reddish stone buildings trying not to let the heat get to us. I will tell you that the 800 or so steps up to the Monastery helped me lose a few kilos of liquid. Good thing there was a Mövenpick resort just outside the excavation area, where we could regain our strength with not so tasty Jordanian wine after a day of exploration.

Petra was indeed grand. But what sticks with me is the image of those young, stout desert policemen patrolling the area. Clad in their sandy robes with fire red pistol holsters, Jordanian ḥaṭṭah and shiny daggers, they must be breaking many a bedouin girl's heart when out with the Camel Corps. I'm quite smitten myself to tell you the truth. I'm so gonna marry a shurta is-sahra!

Abu Snanah

2008-07-03T16:39:00.016+02:00

Abu Snanah is apparently the biggest family in Palestine. My team and I encountered a tiny branch of this clan in Hebron last month, initally under very unfortunate circumstances.

Mohammad, 6, was walking home with his brother Hussein from his grandmother's house in the Old City. On the way they ran into two older settler kids. Just as the boys passed one of the military checkpoints, one of the settlers picked up a stone and jammed it into Mohammad's head. He started bleeding heavily. His brother tried to stop the bleeding, but being unsuccessful, he took Mohammad home. In the end, the boy ended up in hospital with three stitches to his head.

When we met Mohammad, only a couple of hours after the incident, he seemed shocked and scared. He was terrified of strangers and just kept staring blankly into the air when his parents asked him questions. Not even candy made him react. And that usually works here.

We heard a week later that he was having trouble sleeping and was waking up from nightmares since the incident. So, we decided to visit the Abu Snanah family to see how Mohammad was doing.

It turned out that in addition to Mohammad and Hussein, there was a set of crazy five-year old twins living in the family's house. Hani and Hadi are not the parents' biological children, but the children of a relative.

Visitor Gustav playing with the boys

All four kids became hyperactively excited about our visit. Johannes and his Swedish visitor, Gustav, made the boys even crazier with their many initiatives. They threw them around, climbed on the roof together, tickled them, joked in Arabic and made the children wild with excitement even over a piece of dust. It was great to see Mohammad laugh and play again. He was calmer than the others, but seemed genuinely happy.

After two very physical hours, mixed with some cuddling, we decided it was time to leave. The mother invited us back for a meal later, and the kids kissed our hands and touched them on their foreheads (a gesture of respect). I believe both the family and we were happily exhausted when we left.

Hani or Hadi

The Abu Snanah family has come to occupy a special place in my heart. I love it when their dirty kids are climbing all over me, feeding me tea or resting their head on my lap. These little boys, already marked by the occupation, still show me - a stranger - complete trust and affection.

I respect the soft-spoken parents who mildly chides the boys when they get too wild. The father's unemployment is hard on their economy, but they never mention it. They just give us what they have, be it RC Coke or chocolates. They just seem so happy to be noticed and seen by someone from the outside. There is nothing we can do for them, other than be there. And for that they seem grateful.

Though the Abu Snanah family is the biggest in Palestine, it must be tightly connected. Someone from EAPPI's office was out in the Old City in Jerusalem when she ran into someone from another branch of the Abu Snanah family. After she told him about her connection to the programme, he smiled and thanked her for our visiting his relative in Hebron. Det er jungeltelegraf det!

Beach time

2008-06-28T21:54:00.011+02:00

Getting sunburnt in Haifa

Apparently, the colour of my feet is getting close to black. It is not that odd though, because in addition to my face and hands, it is the only place upon which the sun can always shine. Living in the West Bank equals long sleeves and trousers, even when it's scorching hot.

But I've been spending some time on the beach. A few days in Jaffa with a couple of my team mates in May, and now some days in Haifa during Israeli Exposure Week. Unfortunately, there is a jellyfish invasion at the moment which has made it impossible to swim in the sea. Rumour has it they are Egyptian...

Jean-Marie - film noir cool

I must admit though, the best thing about days off is that I can rip off my West Bank clothes and wear haram outfits all day long... Gotta love it!

Drinking hot (!) sangria in Jaffa

Ya Mohannad!

2008-06-24T01:57:00.014+02:00

If I told you this guy was Turkish, you would frown and tell me "No, he's gotta be a 'stekare'!" (a priveleged Swede from Stockholm with slick hair and preppy clothes who hangs out at Stureplan with HRH princess Madeleine). But no, this Turkish actor, named Kivanç Tatlitug, is the star du jour in Palestine as the male lead in the Turkish soap "Noor".

He plays Mohannad, husband of fashion designer Noor. The series is a huge success in the Arab world. I have watched a couple of episodes, and I understand why it's easy to get intrigued. Let me just give you a recap of two and a half episodes:

Noor is kidnapped, Noor kills the kidnapper after he tries to rape her, Noor is imprisoned and finds that she's pregnant, Noor is released, she gives birth, she has a disagreement with Mohannad and separates from him, they are both involved in a car accident and reconcile.

I think "Days of our lives" has something to learn with regards to the pace of the storyline. As far as I know, Noor and Mohannad were happy in yesterday's episode.

Extremely popular (and influental?)
Everybody watches it. Everybody talks about it. Even grown men are glued to the TV-screen. Studies on the phenomenon of "Noor" shows that the tv-series popularity stems in part from it being the only escape from reality for those who have but the world of television to resort to. Its lavish interior sets and heavy consumption of hair products definitely helps to up the glam factor. But when I ask the average Palestinian woman or girl why she likes the show, she gets a dreamy look and just goes: "Ya (oh) Mohannad!".

Regardless, the fact remains that Noor and Mohannad are on everybody's lips. Hence, it's possible to find their faces on any merchandise you can imagine. You can even buy Noor and Mohannad crisps...

Apparently, the series has had another effect apart from the purely commercial boost. People keep telling me all these stories about couples who have divorced because the women have started to act like the independent Noor. Maybe we have a femenist revolution on our hands, courtesy of a Turkish soap opera?

Sderot

2008-06-18T15:15:00.012+02:00

I've been to the Israeli town of Sderot. Sderot is the most common target of Qassam rockets from Gaza. I was told that the citizens feel neglected and marginalized and think that the Israeli government could do more to protect them. Ironically, Sderot is also the home to many Palestinian collaborators from Gaza whom Israel has resettled inside her own borders.

Unfortunately, I don't have too much to say about the visit. After meeting Noam, the director of Sderot Media Centre - a man who consistently referred to the everyone in Gaza as 'terrorists' and painted a very vivid black and white picture of the conflict - nothing I was told and shown really made the impression it could have if Noam's language had been a bit more subdued. Such flaming introductions might appeal to some, but it had the opposite effect on a person who has been living in the West Bank for the past five months.

Dear Noam, I came to Sderot wanting to hear about the Israelis who are living in the line of fire. I wanted to know your concerns and thoughts, your view on the situation. What I did not want was a lecture on how evil the people in Gaza are. Sorry, Noam, but you shot yourself in the foot.

I do not want to undermine the fear with which the people of Sderot are living. I can see that it is unbearable to live in such a situation - worrying about your family and your home. At the same time I couldn't help thinking about the others who are living with similar kinds of fears and in much worse conditions - only a kilometre or so away. Fenced in and without the bomb shelters that the people in Sderot are provided.

The cost of resistance

2008-06-16T12:44:00.024+02:00

Tamaam in her tent after the attack

Susiya is a small community consisting of about 20 families. Traditionally, the people of Susiya have been cave dwellers, but since the Israeli army demolished their caves and expelled them from their original site, they have been living in tents. Situated right next to their current location is an Israeli settlement, also called Susiya. The settlers living here are driven by religious and ideological motives, making them a constant threat to the surrounding communities. This settlement and all the other settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.

It's Sunday afternoon in Susiya. Imran and his wife Rabiha are out grazing their sheep together with Imran's aunt Tamaam and her husband Khalil. They move a couple of hundred meters away from the tents that make up their little community, around a bend and out of sight to the others. Suddenly, six masked young men with wooden bats and clubs come storming up towards them.

It is over quite quickly. 57-year old Tamaam is lying unconscious on the ground after having been hit and kicked in the head, face and torso. Her right arm and jawbone is broken. Khalil is bleeding from the head. Imran and Rabiha are badly bruised after several heavy blows.

This incident is not uncommon in the South Hebron Hills. Settler attacks occur weekly. It is the settlers' attempt to drive the Palestinians out of the area. Our EAPPI team met Tamaam and Imran a few days after the attack in their tents. They told us what had happened: Two settlers had come up to them before the attack and told them to leave within ten minutes. They refused. After all, the land belongs to the family. The price of resistance – broken bones.

What is uncommon is that it was filmed by a family member and published worldwide. Since January 2007, the Israeli human rights organisation, B'Tselem, has distributed 100 cameras to families in Palestine, of which 30 are given out in the Hebron area. The so-called 'Shooting Back' project aims to expose human rights violations and to give Palestinians in particularly vulnerable circumstances an opportunity to document violence and humiliation.

Whether this video material will lead to any kind of prosecution of the attackers is uncertain. Another Israeli human rights organisation, Yesh Din, has documented that such attacks are increasing and happening on almost a daily basis. In 2005, 90 percent of the 299 complaints were closed, whilst another 5 percent were lost and never investigated. The same year, Israeli organisations received 599 complaints. I have personally witnessed several incidents that have never been reported.

I see the unrest and fear that this kind of life instigates in the children living close to settlements. They jump at sounds, hide behind their parents when strangers arrive (quite unlike other Palestinian children), and they have nightmares. Such invisible wounds might be more difficult to heal than the physical ones that Imran, Rabiha, Khalil and Tamaam suffered.

The EAPPI Hebron team provides protective presence in Susiya and other communites in the South Hebron Hills. We stay with families overnight, especially around Shabbat (Saturdays) and on Jewish holidays, when the settlers tend to be most active.

Any Palestinian's story

2008-06-14T12:38:00.011+02:00

Tuesday, May 27th, at 2.45am. All is quiet at Nayef Hashlamoun's home. He and his family - his wife and their five children, ranging in ages from 12 to 20 years in age - are fast asleep. All of a sudden the whole family wakes up, they hear noises, they hear people rattling their front gate, they hear shouting and then loud hard knocking noises at their front door. Nayef gets up, turns on the lights and opens the front door, the frightened family right behind him. Eight Israeli soldiers are standing on the porch of his house, pointing a gun at him. They tell him they want to see his ID.

Random interrogation
Then Firas, the oldest son, is taken out of the house. Firas, who is 18 years old, is not allowed to put any shoes or other extra clothing on. He is ordered to give his mobile phone number and told to turn himself in to the Israeli Intelligence office for interrogation by 9am the next morning. Firas has an exam at Hebron University at that time, so Firas' father Nayef asks the commander to postpone the appointment until the afternoon. The Israeli officer refuses, after which he leaves with his soldiers.

The morning comes and Nayef and his son Firas goes to the appointment in Kfar Etzion. Firas has his picture taken. He is also asked if he is involved in any kind of political activities. Since that is not the case, he is allowed to leave the place two hours after getting there. The University gives him the chance to do his exam two days later, but still stressed from the incident, Firas fails it.

- My house and home have always been open to people from many different countries and religions. If the Israeli authorities behave like this with us, how do they then behave to other Palestinians?, he says relieved, yet also upset.

A Second Bad Surprise
Besides being a Reuters Press Agency senior-employee, Nayef has also been involved in peace activism for more than twenty years. In 1988, he founded the Al-Watan Center in Hebron. He is still the director of this organization, which provides workshops and training in civic education, conflict resolution and non-violence. To attend seminars about non-violent action, Nayef has travelled abroad many times, especially to the United States.

This spring Nayef received a scholarship to participate in a peace building program from June 2nd to June 20th at the American University in Washington DC (USA) and also in the summer program at the Fletcher School in Boston (USA) the last week of June. His son Firas, who has been involved in non-violent peace activism since he was a young boy, was invited to join his father Nayef. Yet a second bad surprise for Nayef and his family occurred after the military raid: the Israeli military authority did not give him the permission to go to Jerusalem, where he had an appointment at the American Consulate on May 28th to get a visa.

- It is the first time ever that I am not allowed to leave the West Bank. I have travelled many times and never had any problem of this kind. The Israeli administration justify their decision with their standard answer - "security reasons", he says.

No access to Jerusalem
Nayef is 54 years old, and he never had any kind of security or criminal problems. He never went to jail, and he has worked with non-violent peace activism for over twenty years. For him, all of this is starting to sound like some bad joke. Yet it is not. Nayef and his son reapplied for the permit to visit the American Consulate in Jerusalem on June 10th. Once again their permit request was denied. So the plane left without Nayef and his son Firas to Washington DC (USA) on the 1st of June. For Firas it would have been his first time abroad.

Since 1993, the Israeli authorities have introduced a permit regime that restricts access for Palestinians who hold West Bank IDs to East Jerusalem. With the outbreak of the second Intifada in 2000, a series of military checkpoints and obstacles have been set up to enforce this permit system. The construction of the Barrier has made the access even more difficult. Permits are only issued for a specific reason i.e. to work, to study, for family reunification or a certain social event. Yet according to the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the permit applications are often refused on the basis of security, without any further explanation.

What happened to Nayef Hashlamoun (and his family last week) is his personal story, yet it is far from unique. His story is one which can be heard over and over again all over Palestine.

This article was written by John Jamal Pellaux. Merci beaucoup, ya habibi!

Denied access. Again.

2008-06-13T16:07:00.016+02:00

A settler boy tries to block Yehuda's filming

Breaking the Silence tried to enter the city again today. Unsuccessfully. About 40 settlers blocked the bus with cars, prams and children. Some of the women sat down in front of it and started reading the Torah, whilst other men were walking around with their cameras and their guns trying to intimidate the tour group. The police and army wandered around aimlessly like confused chickens.

Female settlers reading the Torah in front of the bus

My team and I were waiting for the bus to enter Hebron so we could join the tour, as we were unable to finish it the last time we tried. Quite a few EAs from other placements were on the bus this time, we could see them peering out through the bus windows, looking bemused.

A young settler had travelled from Jerusalem with the sole purpose of stopping the bus from entering Hebron. He came over and told us that we could never understand the settlers since we are not Jewish. Then he expressed a wish to hang us from the trees in the nearby field. We politely pointed out that the field, and consequently the trees, belonged to a Palestinian aquaintance of ours. A little annoyed by our resistance to be willingly executed, he exclaimed "Go to China! There they shoot people like you." The young man seemed rather fond of China and a little disappointed with Israel. "Israel is crazy," he insisted, "they don't shoot you Nazis."

A young settler from Jerusalem amuses Jean-Marie and Johannes

After two hours of back and forth between Yehuda and the police (very similar to the last display), the bus turned around and once again went to the South Hebron Hills with three police cars on its tail. We could only wave to our colleagues and smile with a shrug of surrender. Maybe next time.

Last day of school

2008-06-05T19:03:00.009+02:00

Last day of school. Singing, dancing, memory books, gifts, laughter, tears... From today and for about two and a half months, the kids won't be going to school. Some tell us they will study on their own, a very select few plan to go abroad, but most say they will be bored. There are plans to arrange a summer camp at the school in July, but the funding from the Palestinian Authority seems uncertain.

Summer holiday at the Cordoba school means that our team will have more freedom to pursue other activities in the Hebron governate. That, I'm looking forward to...

Keep them silent

2008-06-02T12:02:00.013+02:00

Yehuda Shaul being filmed by settlers Anat Cohen and Ofer in front of the Gutnick Centre

It is surprising how much ruckus one Israeli can create in Hebron city centre just by his mere presence. Yehuda Shaul, one of the founders of Breaking the Silence – a group of former Israeli soldiers – was in Hebron to give a tour of the city where he was formerly stationed as a commander.

Breaking the Silence reveals some of the things that soldiers have to do whilst serving in the IDF, like terrorizing families at night, harassing Palestinians at checkpoints and torturing detainees, often without any legitimate reason. These revelations make the group very unpopular among certain Israeli factions. As you can imagine, the Hebron settlers aren't their biggest fans.

The tour bus was stopped in front of the Gutnick Centre - the settlers' local shop and information centre - where the some infamous settlers, flanked by Israeli police, were waiting for us. The bus wanted to keep moving down Shuhada street - a street that is closed to Palestinian vehicles, but in practice completely closed for any Palestinian movement at all - into the Palestinian neighbourhood of Tel Rumeida.

The police told us to all get off the bus. Stepping out, Yehuda, pulled out a video camera and started filming the settlers. Simultaneously, the settlers produced several video cameras themselves and were filming Yehuda filming them. It was very bizarre. All the while, Jewish songs were blasted from the loudspeakers of the Gutnick Centre.

A strange game, which both parties seemed to know way too well, ensued. Yehuda was discussing with the police officers asking them if they had a legal reason to prevent him from moving on with the tour. At first, the police tried to use common reasoning with the "c'mon, don't be difficult. we're on the same side" kind of arguments. Noticing that this failed, the police tried to appeal to Yehuda's concern for the tour group, claiming that they would be unable to ensure our safety if we continued. Finally after an hour or two, the police had bought enough time to be able to produce a paper declaring the area a closed military zone.

In principle, that means that no civilians are allowed to be in such an area, and consequently, we were banned from entering the zone. However, settlers kept walking uninterrupted up and down Shuhada Street to and from their settlements.

Breaking the Silence has been denied access for several weeks. They had to turn around this week too. But they will be back next Friday to try again, all the while fighting their case in the Israeli court system.

The tour eventually ended up in the South Hebron Hills, police in tail. A little disappointing for us who already know the area, but at least Jean-Marie got to fly a plastic bag kite and I got to play with the cutest, most emaciated kitten I've ever beheld.

Apparently, many photos and video clips of internationals and israeli peace activists end up on the Hebron settlers' website together with all the other documentation on 'nazi-leftists' (that's not an expression to cover all political affiliations, it's an actual word that they use, the clever (oxy)morons sorry got carried away...).

Accompaniment

2008-05-29T18:30:00.014+02:00

Here in Hebron, accompaniment takes on a very literal meaning. Due to the constant threat of violence, we are present every day when the students of the Cordoba school in Tel Rumeida walk to and from school. We stand at two of the several checkpoints these children, some as young as six, have to pass. Soldiers, however, are not the main problem.

The school is situated right next to Beit Hadassah settlement. This was the first Israeli settlement in the Old City of Hebron, and it is inhabited mainly by ideological and religious settlers. Over the past few years, the children, as well as the school building, have been attacked by settlers on several occasions - one of which was documented by previous Swedish EA Terje Carlsson. Lately, such attacks have decreased and the number of students have more than doubled since 2006. According to the principal, Reem As-Sharif, this is due to the introduction of new precautionary routines and better cooperation with the Israeli police, but she also attributes a great part of it to EAPPI's protective presence.

Because Palestinians are unable to use the former main road in Hebron, Shuhada street, the children have to walk through checkpoints to get to school

In the beginning, we were just greeted with a few shy 'good mornings' and a quick glance from the younger children. Children in Hebron's Israeli controlled H2-area seem to me to be a little more apprehensive about strangers than the average West Bank kid. It didn't take long, however, before they warmed to us and 'Jamal' (Jean-Marie) and 'Mohannad' (Johannes) was shouted from every corner of the school yard. Now there are gifts and hugs and smiles all over.

Our visitor Erik from the Jerusalem team won the hearts of the boys in an instant

South Hebron Hills

2008-05-26T19:09:00.017+02:00

South Hebron Hills

The South Hebron Hills houses some of the most marginalized communities in the West Bank. These are mostly cave dweller or bedouin communites that are extremely vulnerable to the Israeli policies that aim to remove the Palestinians from this area. Since most of these communities fall under Area C (Israeli civil and military control), house demolition orders on caves or tents or wells are common.

This girl relies on a sustainiable future in Um Al-Kher bedouin community

No livelihood
We visited Um Al-Kher, a small bedouin community right next to Karmel settlement, with OCHA. The bedouins are surrounded by the settlement on three sides, and all buildings, but one, have demolition orders. That also includes the very primitive tent structures and the shacks for the animals.

In addition, the bedouins are not allowed to go grazing with their animals too close to settlement land. In a dry year such as this, that means grazing options are easily exhausted and buying fodder is the only way to keep the animals alive. However, fodder prices are very high, and the only way for the community to survive is to sell some of their animals to feed the others. Not a sustainable way to live in the long run.

As a result of the restrictive situation, the 21 families here are dependant on food aid from UNRWA. The only reason they are not evicted, is that they can prove they own the land on which they live. What the settlers seem to be hoping for is for the situation to get so bad that they will leave the land voluntarily.

One of the family fathers tells us about the dwindling options for a sustainable life

Water and gazelles
The South Hebron Hills was initially planned to end up on the Israeli side of the Wall. But a high court decision ruled that the route should more or less follow the Green Line. Continuous attempts have since been made by settlers and the army to empty this land of its Palestinian inhabitants.

Parts of the western aquifer lies under the South Hebron Hills. Many people suspect that this is one of the main reasons why there are strong Israeli interests in this area. For the Palestinian population living here, however, water resources are becoming less and less accessible. As settlements expand and swallow Palestinian wells and the Israeli authorities reject all Palestinian applications for building new ones that go deep enough to reach the ground water, water shortage is becoming more and more of a pressing issue.

It is worth noting that the Wall has not been completed in this area. An Israeli environmental group has expressed concern about the movement of the gazelles if the Wall is erected all around the area. So the building has been put on hold until an asessment is available. A gazelle is worth more than a Palestinian. Sad, huh?

Ana bahebbek, ya Tulkarem! (I love you, oh Tulkarem!)

2008-05-25T18:06:00.013+02:00

So, I've been spending some time again in my beloved Tulkarem. It was lovely. Quiet. A lot of visits. Good food. No soldiers or settlers in the immediate vicinity (though the army was speeding through the city at night with jeeps). And more quality time with Guillaume.

Of course, it wasn't all bliss. On Thursday, I went with Khaled, a farmer from Deir al-Ghusun, to the Israeli District Civil Liaison Office (DCL) by the Ephraim terminal to get his permit renewed. His application had been rejected earlier in the day, but he told me that he sometimes has to apply up to five times before he's given a new permit. However, at the terminal, there were about hundred people in front of us. The queue was not moving at all and we didn't even get to enter the office building before they closed. So, he and the many other applicants will have to come back on Sunday to try again.

Laaken, Tulkarem hilwe ktiir ktiir! Ana karmiyye. Daayman.

Take time for time off...

2008-05-20T22:13:00.002+02:00

... in Beit Lahem. The city of bacon and beer.

Dancing King

2008-05-17T22:55:00.011+02:00

Gratulerer med dagen!

Being away from Norway on its Constitution Day doesn't necessarily mean that you don't get to party. Jean-Marie and I attended a triple birthday party tonight where I ate more cake than I have in the last year put together. And I got to see Jean-Marie dance. Definitely the highlight so far. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Al-Nakba

2008-05-15T16:13:00.024+02:00

Today, May 15 2008, is the commemoration of sixty years of Al-Nakba, or the 'Catastrophe'. It refers to the period between late 1947 and early 1949 when around 750 000 Palestinians were displaced. 531 Palestinian villages and towns were attacked, and some were completely demolished. Most of the refugees left without nothing more than some necessities and the key to their door. When they tried to return after the armistice in 1949, Israel closed its borders on them and they have been living in diaspora ever since.

Today, there are about 4.6 million Palestinian refugees. Most live in refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank.

Feeling like a celebrity

Our team was invited to Al-Aroub refugee camp, which is situated between Hebron and Betlehem, to witness the commemoration of Al-Nakba. Jean-Marie and I left Hebron early to be on time. It turned out to be good idea as one of the partially manned checkpoints on the way out of the city was in operation, and the soldiers were checking every single car thoroughly. It took us an hour to pass.

We jumped off the minibus at the gate of Al-Aroub camp, where the Israeli army has erected a watch tower and a gate that they can close at any time. Walking on, we were greeted by a group of children asking the usual questions: "What's your name?" and "How are you?". I told a young girl my name and she ran off. As we walked towards the boys' school people kept greeting me by my name. Even people hanging out of the windows of the houses we passed shouted "Hello Linda!". Obviously, rumours travel fast in this camp. It was a strange feeling. Almost like being a celebrity.

"We will not forget"
Black flags with 'We will return' printed in white were hoisted around the camp. Many of the camp's 9,000 inhabitants had shown up to attend the commemoration. First generation refugees had brought along the keys to their original homes inside of Israel. A dozen boys entered the stage to tell the story of the refugees through dabka, a traditional Palestinian dance. Then some 1948 refugees gave their renditions of what they had experienced during Al-Nakba from the podium. At the very end, the older refugees passed on their keys to their grandchildren in a handover ceremony. History and links to their land remain intrinsic for Palestinian refugees. As one young boy stated: "I will not forget. I want to return back to my roots".

Sharing the spotlight
After the ceremony, I couldn't find Jean-Marie. I searched around the school yard with a cobble of children following me, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, I realised that he was in the middle of a large group of people. Young men and older boys were swarming around him like flies. Apparently it was not only me who got the celebrity treatment. They kept pulling his vest and talking to him in very fast, very incomprehensible Arabic whilst taking pictures of him with their mobile phones. He looked like he was enjoying himself so I left him and sat down on the side. I made time pass by making the children laugh at my attempts at Arabic.

We were both exhausted by all the attention when we left. But it was good exhaustion. Jeez, it's hard being a celebrity!

My team mates

2008-05-11T16:35:00.026+02:00

The multilingual Katarina (32) from Sweden speaks Arabic, French, English, German, Swedish and Svorsk. She has excellent memory, especially when it comes to soap operas - our nights have already been filled with shared memories of Maktkamp på Falcon Crest, Rederiet and Varohuset. She also possesses extensive knowledge of the Prophet's good deeds, and will be advocating strongly for the rights of Palestinian (rondell) dogs and donkeys.

Johannes (25) is also from Sweden. Having spent time in Lebanon and Syria, he too speaks Arabic. From my brief experience in his company he seems to be quite forgetful. He has already managed to forget his cap in one taxi and his underwear in another... Johannes enjoys 'lek och spel' and has thus brought along 'Kasta Gris', the classic game where you throw really small plastic pigs around in order to gain points. If Swedish is not an obstacle, you can get to know him better through his blog.

And again, I am teamed up with a french-speaking Swiss. Jean-Marie (28), aka Jamal, is the fourth member of our team. In many ways, Jean-Marie is a taller version of Guillaume - it is rather uncanny. He cooks excellent rice and loves his sleeping bag. Being a sporty chap, he is currently contemplating practicing yoga in our living room. I can't wait to see him do some Hatha yoga moves. For those of you who would like to practice your French, you can follow his blog.

Reunited in Hebron

2008-05-03T18:02:00.016+02:00

I am back in Palestine. At the moment, we're being introduced to our tasks in Hebron and the surrounding villages. It seems like it will be quite different from Tulkarem. We've already encountered less than friendly settlers (who physically attacked us), and the atmosphere in the city centre is not exactly inviting (closed shops, soldiers everywhere and aggressive Palestinians). I believe I'm already missing the cosy small town feeling of Tulkarem...

On a more positive note, I've been reunited with my former team mate, the lovely and handsome Guillaume Fardel, who stayed on for a second term after I left. He is actually on the current Hebron team, so we have a few days now living together again. I have certainly missed his French accent, lame jokes, depressing music and legendary hair products. En fait, c'est l'amour.

Can't get enough

2008-04-26T15:17:00.007+02:00

I am returning to Palestine in a few days to do a second term with EAPPI. This time, I will be living and working in Hebron - city of Abraham and crazy settlers. I'm so happy to be going back. Last term went by way too fast and there is something about this place that makes you want to return. I admit it, I'm invested.

Jalla bye!

2008-02-24T14:20:00.008+01:00

My time is up. My visa is running out. And my energy level is rather low. I have grown very fond of this place and its inhabitants over the past three months. Inshallah, I will return soon. Until then, salamaat!

The IDF is in the coffee shop! Again.

2008-02-20T22:05:00.020+01:00

The IDF must love coffee. It seems like it's a favourite activity of theirs to go into coffee shops undercover so they can arrest everyone inside.

The new Tulkarem team, who are here for the handover, got a rather dramatic introduction to the city. On their first day, the Israeli military entered the city centre with several jeeps and tanks in the middle of the day looking for a member of Islamic Jihad. They had obviously been tipped off by one of the numerous Palestinian collaborators of his whereabouts.

Life, interrupted
Earlier, four men dressed in normal Palestinian garbs had entered a coffee shop in one of Tulkarem's most busy junctions and ordered four coffees in perfect Arabic. But as soon as the owner walked towards the counter to prepare the coffee, the Israeli undercover agents drew their guns and ordered everyone down on the floor. In an instant, several military vehicles came swarming into the city and out jumped Israeli soldiers with their guns pointing all over the place.

IDF taking over the streets

The jeeps and tanks took strategic positions around the junction, knocking into civilian cars along the way. In order to disperse the watching crowds, the soldiers threw a few sound bombs around, whilst all the time shouting 'wacha, wacha' which is the Hebrew-accented version of 'warra, warra' in Arabic, meaning 'go back'.

Soundbombs

Inside the coffee shop, all the people who were unfortunate enough to have chosen to enjoy their coffee in this particular place, were blindfolded, handcuffed and taken away. Including the owner, Mohammad.

The coffee shop visitors are taken away

Abusing the future
Mohammad is fourteen. Because his father is dead and his elder brother is handicapped, he's responsible for providing for the family. He has quit school and is now running the family's coffee shop. However, age is not an obstacle to the Israelis, as they treat those who are thirteen years and above as adults under military law.

Mohammad was taken to the military compound and separated from the others. He was the last person to be interrogated. The soldiers asked whether he knew the wanted person and what kind of relationship they had. They told him that the wanted person had said that they were friends. Mohammad insisted that their relationship only extended as far as coffee shop owner and regular customer could go. After a while, the interrogation stopped. Then a female soldier came in and beat him in the leg with the shaft of her machine gun. Then they released him and dropped him off far away from the city.

Muhammad

As I listened to Mohammad's story, I wondered what kind of impact this experience would have on him. Comparing Mohammed to what I was like at fourteen - a girl without any significant worries - made it all the clearer to me how conditions and circumstances dictates the lives we lead.

Good Friday

2008-02-17T05:22:00.015+01:00

Guillaume and I spent last Friday afternoon with Motaz, Muawya and the latter's two sons on a hill overlooking the villages around Tulkarem. We really needed a change from all our checkpoint watching of late. After the sun set, we went to Muawya's house for a meal. Masa kwayyes ktiir.

Lockdown

2008-02-14T21:20:00.012+01:00

We've been locked down in Tulkarem today. Flying checkpoints were erected all around the city to make sure no one could leave. And that means no one.

Some people got stuck between permanent checkpoints and flying checkpoints unable to go anywhere. The heavy rain made sure everyone got soaked. All ambulances had to be coordinated beforehand by the ICRC or they wouldn't be able to pass the checkpoints. This is not always as straightforward as it sounds, especially when there's a critical situation.

Today, the lockdown resulted in the death of a woman. The soldiers at one checkpoint wouldn't let her and her husband pass, while the soldiers at another checkpoint wouldn't let the ambulance pass. I think the soldier who wouldn't let her through summed up the situation pretty well with his comment to the husband: 'To die, to die - it is none of my business'.

Flying checkpoint south of Tulkarem

Flying checkpoint north of Tulkarem

Flying checkpoint east of Tulkarem

Oh by the way, if you're wondering why there are no checkpoints to the west of the city - there is the Wall.

The Crucible

2008-02-13T18:48:00.035+01:00

PROLOGUE
Abu Azzam is an influental farmer from the Palestinian village of Jayyous. He has dedicated his life to fighting the Wall and annexation of the village's agricultural land.

Abu Azzam has a middle-aged son, Ghassan, who is a law professor at An-Najah University in Nablus. A couple of weeks ago Ghassan was arrested and a taken for questioning by the Israeli military. No one is really certain what he's accused of. It is secret. Secret because the information has been gathered by Israel's Shin Bet agency, whose methods must remain undisclosed. As you can probably imagine, secret accusations makes it somewhat difficult for the defense lawyer to work Ghassan's case.

Ghassan has already had one hearing where it was decided that he needed to be kept in detention for more questioning. Today was the day for the second hearing, and as Abu Azzam is not allowed to go and EAPPI's Jayyous team was unable to attend, Guillaume and I decided to go.

We met Abu Azzam at a conference in January

Chapter 1
The trip to Petach Tikva, an Israeli city north-east of Tel Aviv, was interesting enough in itself.

We left the West Bank through the infamous 'hole in the Wall', which really just means passing by Abu Hosni's house in lower Shufa, where there's a gap in the highway fence onto a bypass road that leads into Israel. Allegedly, many Palestinians from the Tulkarem area use this as their gateway into Israel.

We had arranged for an Israeli taxi to pick us up on the east-side of the green line and take us through Jbarah checkpoint and into Israel to our final destination. However, Petach Tikva turned out to be quite far away in taxi-terms. We watched the meter with increasing concern, quietly counting our money in the back seat. It ended up being a rather pricey trip...

Chapter 2
The hearing took place in Petach Tikva's police station. We met up with some Israeli human rights activists and headed to the room where the military hearings were being held. Outside the room, a handful of prisoners were lined up as on an assembly line.

The hearings were surreal, like a Seinfeld episode. The man next to the judge was reading the paper. The judge himself looked like he was in his early twenties and very bored. It seemed like he had made up his mind on the verdict ahead of the process by the absent-minded way he listened to the evidence. The prosecuter, who might as well have been a Shin Bet representative, kept smiling sardonically at all the defendants and making snide comments and jokes. The Druze soldier who acted as a translator kept mumbling his words to the floor.

And the man with the most ungrateful job in the room, the defense lawyer, was allowed five minutes with each client before every hearing, always unaware of what charges he was to defend them against. I noticed that it was the same lawyer for all the prisoners - and I wondered: a volunteer or an appointed lawyer?

Not that it made much of a difference. Each prisoner was granted about ten minutes in front of the judge where they heard the evidence against them, were read their sentences (extension of the detention in all the cases we witnessed) before they were ushered back to their cells. Next!

Chapter 3
Abu Azzam's son was actually allowed to speak - courtesy of our presence apparently. And the Druze soldier actually lifted his eyes from the floor and looked into Ghassan's eyes when he translated from Hebrew to Arabic. Unfortunately, the soldier was not quite as competent at translating the other way around, and most of the time that Ghassan was allowed to talk was spent on arguments between the judge, the prosecutor and the defense lawyer over the translation.

Abu Azzam's son is a big man like his father. He has the same warm and jovial way about him. But today he looked worn down and broken. This man, whose plan is to go to the US to teach at a university, seemed very small despite his size. There might be a very tangible explanation for this change. During the trial, a woman from the Israeli women's organisation Machsom Watch passed us a note. It said that he had been interrogated for 21 hours every day for the past week, blindfolded and tied to a chair.

Afterwards, we spoke to the defense lawyer who could tell us that he thought the charges were based on something someone (who could not be named because of security reasons) had said about Abu Azzam's son. The lawyer interpreted the evidence presented by the prosecutor towards Ghassan being accused of leading of an underground Hamas faction at An-Najah university.

In my opinion, such argumentation sounds rather too vague for a court to make a decision. It seemed like the proof was all based on hearsay. Sort of like a witch hunt where one woman accuses her neighbour of casting a spell on her cows. At least this is how it comes across to me who is accustomed to a court system where fair and open trials are the norm.

Unfortunately, it seemed like reason and good judgement were absent in the courtroom today and the Ghassan was taken back to prison to await a new hearing on February 20. And some more interrogation...

Chapter 4
Palestinian prisoners is huge strain on both the Palestinian and the Israeli society, for very different reasons.

Almost every Palestinian male over the age of twenty that we've met have been imprisoned at some point in his life. Imagine how crippled a society becomes when a large chunk of their teenage and twenty-something male population spends two years or more in prison. Sometimes it seems like it's a crime to be Palestinian. The safest thing is to stay at home and not interact with anyone. But what kind of life is that?

For Israel, there is the obvious cost issue of keeping several thousands imprisoned. According to the Israeli human rights organisation, B'Tselem, there are about 8 500 individuals kept imprisoned at the moment. Around 800 of these are held under administrative detention - a practice kept from the time of the British mandate which allows the Israelis to hold individuals (read: Palestinians) for six months without any trial. A period that can be extended for another six months without trial. And this can go on for eternity if deemed necessary.

The military courts are like the invisible hands of the Israeli occupation. It is not obvious to the average Israeli and the rest of the world what is going on, and there is always a military code than can back up any kind of decision, thus making a claim to 'legality'.

Time will tell if the Israeli military court decides whether Abu Azzam's son will sink or float. Either way, he and his family are being punished.

EPILOGUE: Home sweet home
Since we'd spent all our money on the taxi to Petach Tikva, we thought that taking the bus back home would be clever.

Of course we managed to get lost. Suddenly, the towers of the Israeli city Hadera were disconcertingly close. Thankfully, a helpful guy sent us in the right direction (we made out that we were going to the settlement close to Tulkarem rather than to Tulkarem itself).

When we finally passed Jbarah checkpoint on foot, we saw that there was a military jeep outside Abu Hosni's house. Facing Israeli soldiers did not seem too tempting after our day in the military court, so we decided to crawl through another hole in the highway fence instead.

I, clumsy as always, managed to get stuck on the barbed wire. Some Palestinian worker pitied me and helped me get untangled. After some fumbling and climbing, we were up on the road. We jumped into a taxi, happy to be back home, in Palestine.

We wrapped up the day with two bottles of Cremisan and a heart-to-heart. Funny how injustice brings out the philosophers in us... Vive Guillaume!

The organic farmer next to the chemical factory

2008-02-08T21:03:00.013+01:00

Trying to keep the pollution out of the greenhouses with netting and pieces of tape

It seems like life never turns out the way people wish for in Palestine. As Fayyez at-Tanib was on his way to continue his studies abroad, he was arrested by the Israelis and his dream was cut short. So, after his release he decided to become a farmer.

His farm, however, has ended up being stuck between the Wall and a chemical factory. This factory, specializing in pesticides, has been deemed so unhealthy by the Israeli court that the owner, Geshuri, was forced to close it down in Israel. But, he found a solution. He moved it to the West Bank.

Between the greenhouses and the Wall

Fayyez has tried to fight the Geshuri factory since it was established in 1987. He has been rewarded with several threats against his family and an attempt on his life. So far his fight has been in vain. Instead, a dozen more factories have settled in the area. And when the Wall was built, Fayyez lost 68 per cent of his land.

But despite all the drawbacks, he keeps on working. In fact, he only grows organic vegatables and fruits. It does seem strangely ironic. Especially as the water tank lies open to all the pollution from the factory. Yet I can't help but admire his will to keep going, and not through the simplest means available, but by putting in extra work in something he really believes in.

The yellow paper draws the insects towards it, making pesticides superfluous.

These bees stimulate the growth of the tomatoes

The water tank - and the chemical factory in the background

What is this fruit called in English? Anyone?

Drivin' me crazy

2008-02-07T22:45:00.006+01:00

A father and son from Jenin, whose music is, well... lively...

This is Guillaume's new favourite CD. Trust me, Bedouin music at 4:45 AM is not a blast. All six songs sound somewhat similar to me. Kinda like Ace of Base in Arabic.

A lose-lose situation

2008-02-07T22:32:00.025+01:00

Ruins of a previously demolished house in Far'oun

House demolitions happen almost daily in the West Bank - particularly in and around the Jerusalem. The most common reason is that the Palestinian house owner is unable to a obtain building permit from the Israeli authorities in Area C (area under full Israeli control).

This is, however, not the case in the village of Far'oun south of Tulkarem. Here, two houses have been served demolition orders because these houses are too close to the Wall. The thing is, these houses were built before the Wall was. Not to mention that the Wall is built on Palestinian privately-owned land and not on the internationally acknowledged green line. Nevertheless, the message from the Israeli authorities is clear: These houses must be removed. For security reasons.

The view from the roof terrace of one of the threatened houses - demolished houses all around. In the background you can see the Wall, here built as a fence.

The owners of the two houses have taken the case to the Israeli court, which has granted them an extension on the demolition date. We went to Far'oun and met one of them. He seemed pretty certain about the outcome. His family had cleaned the house for its belongings and vacated it. Hearing horror stories of families that were only given five minute warnings and lost everything they owned under the rubble, has made people precautious.

All valuable are removed and the family is living with relatives

There was resignation written all over this man. He knows it is a lost cause no matter how hard he fights. After the last court hearing, a representative from the Israeli military told him that even if he wins the case, they will find a way to fabricate a reason to have the house demolished. 'We will get someone to shoot at the Wall from your house, and then it will have to be demolished for security reasons', he had said. Security. Of course.

Maybe the last time the owner walks through the gate of his house

Last year, seven neighbouring houses were demolished. The year before another two.

Ramifications of a suicide bomb

2008-02-05T23:34:00.018+01:00

Yesterday's suicide bombing in Dimona, which killed an Israeli woman, has dictated the lives of the Palestinians in the West Bank today. It will probably continue to do so in the days and weeks to follow. The restriction of movement in and around Tulkarem has become limited to say the least. No males under the age of 35 are allowed to leave the city. It doesn't matter if you live in Jericho or Jenin. You will have to stay put.

Walking past the queuing car up to the checkpoint

A Bethlehem-EA who had been visiting Tulkarem for a couple of days, called to inform us of the new restrictions in the early afternoon. She had had a difficult time passing the Al Ras/Jbarah checkpoint south of Tulkarem, but, being a foreigner, was let through at last. After hearing of more incidents with less successful outcomes at several checkpoints, we decided to go and check out the situation ourselves.

When we arrived at Jbarah checkpoint, there were about 50 young-ish men waiting to go through on foot. They had come to the checkpoint in taxis and servises to go home from work and universities, and had been told to step out and wait. Now the soldiers were ignoring them and they were just standing around.

Whenever they tried to approach the soldiers to ask them if they could let them through or how long it would take before the restrictions would be lifted, they were shouted at and told to pull back. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a French-speaking soldier who immediately developed a strong dislike for Guillaume. He told us that this was a good lesson for the Palestinians. 'Next time they will think twice before voting for Hamas', he said. Clever chap.

Increasing number of men waiting by the checkpoint

Increasing number of cars waiting by the checkpoint

There were those who tried to walk through the fields around the checkpoint. They were stopped by soldiers waiting in the bushes who sent them back to the checkpoint. As time passed, more and more cars arrived and the group of men grew steadily. Some of them had young children with them, but this was not an ameliorating factor in any way. The soldiers had their orders and did not budge an inch.

Catching the last sun rays and trying to keep the mood up

After an hour and a half, there were over 300 people waiting in cars and by the road. As it got colder and darker, people lit fires to keep warm. Palestinians are used to waiting, so many just sat down and hoped for the restrictions to get lifted. Others, however, were desperate to get home. 'We did not blow ourselves up in Dimona, so why are they punishing us?' could be heard repeatedly in the crowd. Questions that we couldn't answer were directed at us. 'Where will we sleep tonight?'. 'Why are we treated like animals?'. More and more people were asking us for help - a sick old woman in a car, a bus full of children, a man with an infant - but the situation didn't leave us any room to act. The chaos, the desperation of the people, started feeling heavy on our shoulders.

With nowhere to go, fires are necessary to keep warm

In the end, the animosity the French-speaking soldier felt towards Guillaume ended our watch. He started threatening us that if we didn't remove ourselves from the checkpoint, he would have us arrested. He physically pushed Guillaume to underline his point and called him 'a short leftist from Europe' (more on how Guillaume experienced the day here). We knew then that our presence would only continue annoy this soldier, and since we couldn't do much about the waiting men, decided it was time to leave.

When we arrived home, exhausted, sad and cold, the phone started ringing. It was people we knew - friends, contacts, acquaintances - who wanted our help. They had husbands, sons, brothers stuck at various checkpoints around Tulkarem. We could only reply: 'There's nothing we can do. We are so sorry for what is happening'. I believe we both felt completely useless in that moment.

Our evening ended with a visit from our friend Samar and her colleague who lives in Jenin, the northernmost city in the West Bank. After waiting in vain for six hours at Anabta checkpoint, Samar's friend decided to turn back to Tulkarem. He was one of the lucky ones, he had somewhere to sleep. He told us that people had been ordered to stay in their cars at the checkpoint, and anyone who had tried to open their car door were reminded to keep it shut as the soldiers responded with gunfire.

Suicide bombings are despicable. So is collective punishment.

Italian style

2008-02-05T16:27:00.003+01:00

- It is like Italian style! No really, it is!

The female students at Kadoorie University are talking about the appearance of young Palestinian men. With their hair swamped in shiny hair products, wearing tightly fitted tops and jeans, often covered in print, a Palestinian youngster's dress style might be reminiscent of the fashion inTurkey or southern Italy. However, I am sure a fashion-conscious Milanese would be horrified about the "Italian" labelling.

You see the same style everywhere, whether you're in big urban and liberal cities like Ramallah or in traditional and small villages like Attil. Personally, I've grown accustomed to the style, and now I even think some of them look almost good. Almost being the key word here.

Girls in Palestine love glitter. I hate glitter. Hence, most of my purchases have been on the other side of the Green Line. But I do admit that my aesthetics have changed slightly. I now think that a little glitter goes a long way, whilst at home I used to think that no glitter went all the way. I wonder if it'll remain this way when I get back home...?

A visit from Jordan

2008-02-05T02:29:00.004+01:00

Rob came. He saw. He conquered. At least the heart of my team mate. Shater!

Drinking Glühwein

Somewhere in West Jerusalem with Guillaume, Garrick and Daniel. Such a group of lookers - what is a girl to do?

Winter barbeque

2008-02-04T01:46:00.002+01:00

FYI, I now know how to make a mean kebab. We spent yesterday evening together with a few (male) friends. As a good and virtuous woman, I stepped up to the task and contributed. Actually, it's not too different from making meat balls.

Lessons from Israeli exposure week

2008-01-31T18:41:00.016+01:00

The Gaza convoy marked the end of our so-called Israeli exposure week. What did we do? Who did we see? Did we get any wiser?

We had a discussion with Israeli students from a cross-section of Israeli society, followed by drinks in West Jerusalem. We went to the impressive Yad Vashem - the Holocaust memorial and museum. We met Bob Lang, a talkative settler with underdeveloped listening skills. We saw a light and sound show in Kfar Etzion settlement (imagine WWII propaganda film aimed at settlers) where a man unfortunately died from a cardiac arrest. We visited a kibbutz. We slept in a monastery in Haifa. We went to Jesus' hometown Nazareth. We went shopping in the enormous Grand Canyon shopping mall. We joined six Palestinian-Israelis in a march for Gaza along a busy street in Haifa (slogan: "No good morning, no good night, until the end, we will fight!"). We smoked narguile and spent all of our allowance.

In the end, what I did realize is how diverse and fragmented the Israeli society is.

Yad Vashem - Holocaust Museum

With Katariinalainen in the kibbutz

With Tzegha and Elisabeth in Nazareth

Katariinalainen with her trusty narguile

A convoy to Gaza

2008-01-26T20:50:00.002+01:00

Together with around 1500 Israeli peace activists and other internationals, I was at the Erez border crossing to northern Gaza today. About 20 buses and 100 cars travelling from the main cities in Israel met up close to the border in order to create a convoy. We came with five tonnes of food and a hope that the border police would let it through to people inside the (until recently) hermetically sealed area.

However, there was no sign that any goods would be let through, and by the time we left, everything was still waiting on a truck that was trying to get across.

Appeals. Love 'em.

On my way back to the bus, I could glimpse Gaza across the concrete wall. And I wondered how dire the situation will have to become for the Israeli authorities to lift the blockade. Or grow a heart.

Birthday boy

2008-01-21T13:43:00.001+01:00

Happy 13th birthday, little brother! In five years you can swap the Fanta with a Taybeh...

Al Khalīl

2008-01-21T09:05:00.011+01:00

The busy streets of the Palestinian-controlled part of Hebron

I've just been to Al Khalīl, or Hebron as it is more commonly known. Hebron is the home of the Cave of the Patriarchs , burial site of Abraham - the ancestor of all three monotheistic faiths. For many people, Hebron is as holy as Jerusalem. Maybe even more so.

Thus, there are religious Israeli settlers in and around the city. The most fanatic ones live in the Old City. This area is under complete Israeli control. It is scattered with military posts and checkpoints, and certain streets are forbidden for Palestinians to use. During our visit, on Saturday, there were several soldiers on every street corner to 'protect' the settlers walking to the synagogue (you cannot drive on Shabbat - the Jewish day of rest). I find this rather bizarre seeing as it is the settlers who are extremely hostile and violent, and not to forget, heavily armed with automatic weapons.

About 500 settlers are allowed to constrict and terrorize a Palestinian population of 40 000. The military and police just observe and hardly ever intervene. Some Israelis I have met claim that the soldiers and policemen in Hebron are scared of the settlers too. Stone throwing and verbal abuse are common occurences for the Palestinians in this area.

It breaks my ice queen heart to see the fear that the Palestinian kids in the Old City harbour for teenage settlers.

Message from the settlers on a Palestinian gate

The raison d'etre for some of the settlements in the Old City

A confrontation between a Palestinian and teenage settlers.

Don't forget your automatic weapon when out jogging... On the former main road in the Israeli-controlled part of the city, the so-called "Ghost Town"

Incursion

2008-01-18T07:40:00.009+01:00

Yesterday around 6.00 PM, Israeli forces (IDF) entered Tulkarem city centre with tanks. They stormed a coffee shop on our street and arrested all the people inside, 27 in total. There was quite a ruckus for a little while. Now the street outside our house is scattered with rocks - the Palestinian way of telling the IDF that they are not welcome.

In rock-paper-scissors, rocks break the metal scissors. In real life, rocks only get you shot in the legs by rubber-coated bullets.

Fields of Gold

2008-01-14T21:41:00.000+01:00

Some days are just wonderful. It's not all check points and refugee camps. Moments like these make me feel truly happy to be here.

Thank you, Guillaume, for generously sharing your pictures. Tu es épatant!

Shweika - village of car thiefs

2008-01-12T16:28:00.005+01:00

The first village you encounter when heading north out of Tulkarem is Shweika. It is a rather large village which is almost incorporated into the city itself. Despite being home to Tulkarem's only amusement park, Megaland, Shweika is more famous, or rather infamous, for something completely different. Its car thieves.

Men from Shweika steal cars from Israel, bring them to the village and take them apart. Car carcasses can be found everywhere. The parts are sold, at a very reasonable price, and people travel from all over the West Bank to get a new door or replace a broken wind shield.

The fame of Shweika car thieves reached new heights when a song about them was released. And they're well known on the other side of the green line as well. Apparently, it is more common that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is raiding the village looking for car thieves than fighters.

Into the seam zone

2008-01-11T18:58:00.008+01:00

Catching a ride in Jalal's tractor

This morning, the very charming Guilluame Fardel flashed his smile at the soldiers by the Deir al-Ghusun gate, told a little lie, and got us through the gate and into the seam zone. We were therefore able to spend the whole morning with farmers from Deir al-Ghusun - drinking tea, visiting families in Arab Israeli villages, farming, and drinking more tea. It was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a clear and sunny morning.

Jamal making tea

Guillaume working on the irrigation system

More tea and scarecrow construction in the sun

Back to the gate where trouble awaits

Returning home around noon proved a lot more tricky than getting into the seam zone though. The soldiers were very displeased that we had been able to pass earlier in the morning. They spent a good half hour checking with their superiors if we could go back. In the end, they let us go, with our promise never to do it again without coordinating with the District Command Office beforehand. I have a strong feeling that we will never be able to pass again for as long as this particular unit serves at the gate...

Welcome, Mr. President!

2008-01-10T08:09:00.007+01:00

So, how do I know Bush is here?

The amount of flying checkpoints (mobile random checkpoints) have increased dramatically the last few days. There were four such checkpoints from Tulkarem to Ramallah on Sunday, making the total number of checkpoints for a return trip fourteen. Surely, it must be even worse today when he is actually in Ramallah. I'm glad I don't have to find out.
The security at checkpoints seems to have been stepped up. Monday was the first day I had two soldiers pointing their machine guns at me for no apparent reason whatsoever. Made me feel like I was under siege. It was not that bad though, although it was a little disconcerting to see that the usually nonchalant soldiers were shaking with fear.
However, I find it more frightening when I meet less intelligent soldiers with too much power in their hands. Example:

Q:"Why are you making the farmers lift up their shirts?"
A: "Have you not seen the movie The Kingdom?".

The number of cars queuing at Anabta checkpoint to go from Tulkarem towards Ramallah and Jerusalem, vary between 50 to 200 every afternoon/evening. The queue never disappears, and sometimes it takes hours to pass. And ahead of the travellers another checkpoint awaits... And another...
The roads to the southern West Bank are closed for Palestinian vehicles when Bush is here. As if the restriction of movement wasn't tough enough from before.
More military incursions around the West Bank and an increase in arrests the past weeks. Could it be that Israel is trying to stir up some trouble? Just so that they can "prove" to Bush that the Palestinians are troublemakers and terrorists?

I don't know if all of this is because of his visit, but I really can't wait for him to go home.

How to make farming hot

2008-01-09T16:30:00.003+01:00

Khaled. A farmer from Deir Al Ghusun. Movie-star material according to Guillaume. I will not disagree.

Khaled forgot his ID today, so he decided to take us around and show us some very old houses near the Wall. He also showed us a demolished house, where you still could see the laundry left behind by the bulldozers. It is prohibited to live within 1 km of the Wall, so all the houses that were considered too close were demolished. The affected people did not receive any compensation for their losses. Only the bill for the demolition.

House demolitions are still a major problem for many Palestinians, especially in Area C (as decided in the Oslo Accords), where the Palestinians require permits from Israel to build houses. This is rarely granted and in any case a very slow process. But since people need more space, they start building houses without permission. The Israeli army then comes and tears it down. But the people try again. And the bulldozers are sent back in. And so it continues...

But back to Khaled. A month before we came, he had some trouble at the gate. He was waiting in line with his tractor when an officer walked by and suddenly decided to confiscate it. There was no reason other than the whim of a moody soldier. Khaled then received a fine of 6000 shekels (9000 Norwegian kroner). With the help of ICRC, he hired a lawyer and started a court process to get his tractor back. Just before the court case started, the Israeli military said he could get his tractor back if he paid half the fine. He decided to comply and is now in possession of his red tractor again.

It could have made a nice Erin Brockovich-style movie, with a Palestinian ending of course. Anyway, farming suddenly seems less unattractive...

Gate 623

2008-01-07T06:59:00.008+01:00

Monitoring the gate

Today, we started what we call our OCHA-week. We will be monitoring the agricultural gate by the village of Deir al-Ghusun (gate 623) for seven days in a row.

When Israel built their so-called 'security fence' (from now on referred to as the Wall) in 2003, the farmers of Deir Al Ghusun and the surrounding area were cut off from their agricultural land. A major proportion of their fields are now in the seam zone - the land between the Wall and the green line. Gate 623 is the only way for the farmers in Deir al-Ghusun to access their fields. But it is just open three times a day, for two and a half hours in total.

However, you cannot just go through. You need a permit. This is issued by the Israeli authority and is rather hard to obtain. In order to get one, you need to prove that you own land on the other side of the Wall. Even then, you might not get a permit. They usually issue one permit to one person in each family, regardless of the size of their fields. And in some cases, the person granted a permit happens to be the most unsuitable person in the family, like a child or an elderly person. In one family, they allegedly gave the permit to the blind brother.

Another example of how the Israeli authority is bending the rules, is by questioning the lineage of inheritance. Land is registered to the name of the original owner, but after four generations, the ties to the original owner's name disappears as a result of how they name their children in Palestine. So, when people are unable to prove their ownership, the Israeli authority will not grant permits.

"Morratryne" - Waiting for the gate to open

For us, gate watching means that we have to get up at 4.30AM every morning to be at the gate before 6.00AM. There, we make sure the gate is opened on time and we monitor the soldiers' behaviour. And we count: men, women, children, tractors, donkeys and carts. Why? Because United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA, hence OCHA-week) wants numbers on how many people actually pass the gate. Before the construction of the Wall, there used to be around 180 people working on the fields every day. Now there are about 60, mainly as a result of the permit system.

The permit system is intricate and arbitrary, and I could go on and on about the many injustices the Palestinian farmers face in order to reach the land that they legally own. Quite often, the farmers have to lift up their shirts and the bottom of their trousers, as well as have their body and belongings searched. Imagine being treated as a criminal every day on your way to work. It is beyond frustrating and humiliating.

I believe that Israel might be digging their own grave with their overtly security-centred policies. Palestinian antagonism against their country will only grow and it is the perfect environment for desperation and anger to breed. I feel it too. The whole thing makes you wanna throw rocks.

Another week, another year

2008-01-01T23:57:00.002+01:00

New Years Eve

Happy new year to those of you who care about us entering 2008! The Palestinians sure don't. There was no visible celebration whatsoever here in Tulkarem yesterday. However, there was a rather big Fatah-celebration taking place in the streets, guns and flags ablazing.

We had a few other EAs over for dinner (and charades). And some of our Palestinian friends dropped by, bemused by our obsession to mark the beginning of a new year with a party. Luckily for me, there was a Tony Parker look-a-like among them. Unluckily for the guys there were no Eva Longoria-esque ladies in sight...

Misconceptions

2008-01-01T18:23:00.013+01:00

We have talked to quite a few Palestinians by now. Most of the time, they like to discuss politics and the occupation. It is odd listening to the many preconceptions some of them have about Israelis and Judaism. The same goes for many of the Israelis we've met. They have quite a few ideas about the Palestinians, some of which, to me, seem rather irrational. There are so many misconceptions floating about that it makes your head spin.

However, Palestinians and Israelis have something in common. The self-image on both sides is to a large degree soaked in a sense of victimhood. And the enemy image is quite often demonised beyond recognition. The result seems to be two very unhealthy societies, both of which breed destructive forces.

Missionary, collaborator, or Chinese?

Other misunderstandings are also common in our daily life in Palestine. Walking around with a cross on our backs, we can understandably be construed as missionaries. So sometimes we are met with apprehensive distrust.

But it is even worse when Palestinians think we're collaborating with the soldiers at checkpoints. Soldiers are often very interested in talking to us, and we've often gotten into discussions with them. For Palestinians, it is easy to view this as some sort of socialising. So now we try to avoid talking to the soldiers for a longer period of time unless neccessary.

Quite often, we encounter people who want us to help them get a visa. For some reason, they think we have a big say in our home countries. I've tried telling them that the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs couldn't give a toss about my demands, but I'm not sure they believe me.

But most annoying of all, is when people insist I'm Chinese or Japanese. Kills me every time. Seriously.

The biggest misconception
The language barrier often creates problems too. We will tell someone that we cannot make it to an appointment and they will ask us when we will be there. With some people this seems to be chronic.

Case in point: Nassim. Nassim is a 21-year old student at Kadoorie University whom we met through our Arabic teacher. His English is far from flawless, and my Arabic is close to non-existant, but if I've understood him right, he's studying a joint degree in electrical engineering and massage (!). However, I think the truth might have gotten lost in translation somewhere.

Nassim has a wonderful family, who have opened up their home to us and treated us like we're part of their family. In this case, I believe the language barrier has been working in my favour, because they think I'm "sweet". It is a description I doubt anyone who really knows me would use. Actually, I would call this the greatest misconception of them all.

With eldest sister Sarab and her niece

Eldest brother Mohammad with his nephew and niece

Not quite Christmas, not woman-munk

2007-12-25T17:46:00.010+01:00

The days fly by here. The last seven days have been one continuous celebration of religious holidays. Eid Al-Adha, the sacrifice feast, last week. And now it's Christmas. Not that it feels like Christmas at all. But honestly, it doesn't really bother me.

Yesterday was our best day here so far. We started the day by going to observe Anabta checkpoint, situated between Tulkarem and Nablus. The Israeli soldiers there were rather friendly and open-minded, and behaving as well as the situation would allow. They admitted that the closure regime is detrimental to the Palestinian society, and didn't even object to us calling the West Bank occupied territory. We agreed that history is subject to interpretation, and in the case of Israel and Palestine, often biased in one way or the other. I know that some soldiers say these things to internationals to come across as more liberal than they actually are. Still, it was good to meet Israelis whose perspective wasn't too far from my own.

Watching Anabta from a distance

From business graduate to taxi driver
On our way home, we bumped into our favourite taxi driver Muawya. We had a coffee and talked about how he ended up being a taxi driver. Muawya has a degree in business from Jordan, but upon his return to Palestine he found it impossible to get a job. Jobs are scarce and the only way to get a good one is to know the right people. So he ended up driving his brother's taxi. Which, by the way, is only licenced to travel between his village and Tulkarem. But it is impossible to make a living from that, so Muawya drives everywhere hoping that the police don't catch him. One thing is certain though. When catching a ride with his taxi, there will always be a powerballad blasting from his stereo. So you'd better not suffer from a broken heart. He actually learnt most of his English from song lyrics. So thanks, Bryan Adams and Michael Bolton!

Meeting with two "terrorist" lecturers
Then we visited Khadoorie University and met Dr. Khalid Sweis. He's a soft spoken and pleasant man who, for some reason, thinks that I am some kind of linguistic genius. We agreed to hold English conversation classes with his students every week. I hope to learn something about what these young people think of the future. A future that to me seems rather bleak.

With the University President and Dr. Sweis, both self-declared "terrorists"

Feeling welcome in Shufa
In the afternoon, we went to Shufa - a village that is divided into two by a bypass road (roads only allowed for Israeli vehicles) and several roadblocks. The Palestinians living in upper Shufa have to walk a very long uphill road to get to the top half of the village as they are not able or allowed to drive here. The road can only be used by vehicles with Israeli licence plates that are driving to the Israeli settlement and army base just below the village. As a result, people from upper Shufa have swapped their cars for donkeys.

On our way to the upper part of the village, a family from lower Shufa invited us into their shack. They served us tea, oranges and cucumbers. There is no lack of hospitality here, even if people have very little to share. We couldn't really communicate, but it was a nice visit nevertheless. The family proudly showed us of their 50 dunums (about 50 squarekilometres) of land and their green house with cucumbers. During the winter, they can harvest the cucumbers two times a week (in the summer, every other day!).

Cucumber plants in lower Shufa

Then we walked, or rather ran, up the road to make it to our English conversation class in upper Shufa. I had an outdoor lesson with the girls of the village. We could see the Mediterranean Sea, only 15 km away. A sea that these young teens are unable to go to. It was strangely beautiful to look out on the settlement and military base in the dusk.

The road from lower to upper Shufa. You can see upper Shufa right at the top of the hill. The settlement and the military base are the buildings on the left. This picture was taken on a different, and more sunny, day.

Late night conversations
When we got back home, we had Christmas coffee with a few friends, among them our vivacious landlady Susu. She's quite a character, and apparently the craziest driver in Tulkarem.

After wrapping up our work, Guillaume (who speaks excellent French-English and invents words like "woman-munk") and I bonded over our daily frustrations. They must have been many, because by the time we went to bed it was past two in the morning. Which is the latest I've gone to bed since arriving in the Holy Land.

It was indeed a different Christmas Eve, but I fell asleep feeling content.

Coffee break

2007-12-19T14:44:00.001+01:00

Coffee. Tea. Juice. Coffee. Tea. Juice. You will not get dehydrated when visiting Palestinians. And you always accept what is given to you. Shukran, shukran!

I don't drink coffee. Now, however, I've succumbed to the constant pressure and drink up to seven cups a day. And if that's not enough, you are given sweets, cakes and fruits with your drinks.

So I've decided to always leave the house hungry. Let's just say I'm happy my vest has a lot of pockets...

Unpredictability

2007-12-13T16:06:00.005+01:00

Waiting for a new bus...

On Sunday, we started our northward journey from Jerusalem to Tulkarem - two cities that are roughly 60 kilometres apart - at 12.30. As Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs), we are supposed to travel with Palestinian public transportation as part of our accompaniment mission.

On the way to Ramallah we passed one checkpoint (Israeli military control posts where soldiers check permits and can search cars and people) without any problem. In Ramallah we changed buses, and after waiting half an hour for it to fill up, we were on the road again.

But then the trouble started. Flat tyre. Closed roads. Hold-ups at checkpoints. We finally arrived in Tulkarem at 17.30, after five hours. I've realised that patience and a sturdy bladder are indeed virtues in this place. The Palestinians have plenty of the former, but I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. Which is better - resistance with the risk of retribution or compliance so that everyday life runs smoother but nothing ever changes?

By restricting the freedom of movement, Israel is paralyzing the Palestinian society on so many levels. Connection between economic and social centres are cut off. It is impossible to build and develop a society that is geographically fragmented. And at the same time, the Israeli settlers (illegally living on Palestinian land according to international law) travel on their own roads built by the Israeli authorities, without any checkpoints and road blocks.

Our house in Tulkarem

However, when we finally arrived we were warmly welcomed by the current Tulkarem team with a delicious meal. And our flat was great, especially considering the general standard in the West Bank. But most importantly, being the only girl, I get my own bedroom...

The team

2007-12-12T16:40:00.008+01:00

My team will be placed in Tulkarem, a town in the northwestern part of the West Bank right next to the green line, i.e. the 1949 armistice line between Israel and Jordan (see OCHA for maps and more information).

Guillaume, (25) a former journalism, politics and history student, is a French-speaking Swiss. Always with his camera at hand and a Radiohead lyric ringing in his head, the young man is making life difficult for the Palestinians with his very French name. William, as he is also known, has promised to improve my French, make pasta and take notes. Apparently he has a lookalike somewhere in Tulkarem, and I'm quite intrigued to see the two together at some point.

Lerato (26) is a theology student from South Africa. He had a less than friendly encounter with the Israeli authorities when arriving at the airport in Tel Aviv. He was detained and isolated for 26 hours after being interrogated by five soldiers. Reason? No one knows for sure. So he has already had a taste of what it's like to be a Palestinian. Lerato sure likes his computer, and is really into sad sad ballads. Soon, I'll be able to recite the whole Boyz II Men album from 1993.

And that's it. The three of us will live and work together for the next three months. Our domestic life will certainly be an experience worth documenting, however, maybe not suitable for publishing...

These pictures were taken by the lovely Marc Juillard, a member of the previous Tulkarem team.

My first demonstration

2007-12-07T15:30:00.005+01:00

As most of you are aware, I'm hardly the activist type. Today however, I attended my first demonstration - ever. It was organised by Women in Black - an international women's peace organisation. This particular demonstration has been held at the same spot in West Jerusalem for 20 years.

A couple of 'fuck offs' was the only reaction we got. Other than that, I just stood around talking to the others, mostly older Israeli women and other international volunteers. It felt somewhat ineffectual, and I must admit that this isn't really my scene...

Anyway, I arrived safely yesterday, sans luggage (it didn't make the flight connection in Frankfurt but was delivered to my room this morning). After some light interrogation at the airport we made our way to the Old City in East Jerusalem. We've settled in at The Knight's Palace Hotel, a very convent-like establishment... From tomorrow on, the days will be filled with Arabic lessons, tours and other educational activities before we leave for our placements on Sunday.

Why go?

2007-11-28T11:02:00.005+01:00

Reported incidents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on 3 June 2007:

Physical assault: one female civilian was beaten in Hebron
Attacks (Israelis shooting on Palestinians): four in the West Bank and one in Gaza
Raids: 28
Military air patrols: one
Arrests: 12
Detentions (normally for a few hours at checkpoints or a police station): 15
Construction on the separation wall: in 25 sites
Destruction of property: one event (causing damage to furniture)
House occupation by the Israeli army: three
Curfew: one in the region of Nablus
Closure of all traffic through checkpoints: 15 instances
Flying (portable) checkpoints: 16 (in addition to hundres of checkpoints and blockades scattered all around the West Bank)
Closure of territory (preventing Palestinians access): six
Main roads closed to Palestinians: 37
Closure of main crossing points: five
Attacks on religious sites: one
Palestinian attacks: seven (all from Gaza, including 11 rockets fired in the direction of the Green Line towards Israel)

(Source: Amira Hass)

These are just some of the things happening in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) on any given day. However, many things are not reported on. I will be in Palestine as an observer, trying to make such incidents more visible. There will be more pro-active tasks as well, like English lessons in villages and refugee camps. But my main objective is to observe and intervene when possible, and to do advocacy work both during my stay and when I come home.

As I'm preparing to leave for Palestine...

2007-11-22T21:13:00.001+01:00

I'm making sure that my long johns are mended and that my ship is filled with resignation.