Under the shadow of Israel - human stories from the West Bank

Amidst the warm welcomes and friendly hospitality of the West Bank, I'm also continuing to hear tough stories. Each is profound, and each adds another layer to the harsh realities of life for most Palestinians living under the shadow of Israel.


Just to give an impression of some of what I am hearing here are a couple of stories.


J. lives in Ramallah and is married with three children. He is a teacher, as is his wife. A lovely story, except that he and his wife are not allowed to sleep under the same roof and haven't been allowed to for over 5 years now.


The reason? Israel's so called 'security wall' and the apartheid that goes with it.
J. met his wife over ten years ago when they were both teaching at the same school in Jerusalem - her home city (which gives her a Jerusalem ID card). They married, and had a child who is now seven, but soon after, in the process of building the wall and separating the West Bank from Jerusalem, J. was no longer allowed into Jerusalem and so now works in a school near Ramallah. As with many people from the West Bank, he can only travel to Jerusalem with a permit, and for over five years now he has never been given a permit to visit overnight. And his wife has also been denied a permit to visit him in Ramallah overnight - if she is caught doing so, she will lose her precious Jerusalem ID, and with it access to Jerusalem and her extended family. So, a married couple separated by less than 15 kilometres, but really by the dark deeds of an inhumane state; supposedly the beacon of democracy in the middle east.


R. lives in Nablus, and during the second intifada he volunteered with the Red Crescent - the equivalent of the Red Cross, with no religious affiliation, and legally under the full protection of the Geneva Conventions. 


During this conflict, the Israeli forces often refused ambulances permission to enter areas of Nablus despite dead and wounded civilians being present. In one case R. eventually gained access to a house only to find that the mother had been killed a full week earlier. The other family members were traumatised, and living with the stench of a week-old body in the bedroom. In another incident in the old city an Israeli tank decided to bulldoze literally through a house to access a conflict area - without warning the civilian inhabitants. Of 11 family members in the house at the time, six were crushed and killed instantly including a pregnant woman, and two died later from their injuries.


Later in the conflict as R. and his colleague went to the aid of some injured people - wearing their fluorescent ambulance vests - his colleague was shot and seriously wounded. He was later to recover, but this incident led R. to leave Nablus for several years and he has only now returned, with mixed feelings about his home town so full of horrible memories and such an uncertain future. What is clear is that Nablus - and Palestine - needs people like R. and I can only hope that the future is brighter than the dark days they have lived through.

The wall and checkpoint gate at Qalandiya - between Jerusalem and Ramallah 

Some of the friendliest people in the world...the real but hidden Palestine

The pickle seller of Nablus

Having lived in a few countries, traveled to several, and visited dozens of cities and places, there are only a few that make my list of the seriously friendliest, warmest people in the world. Right now, Palestinians in the West Bank are equal to if not the most friendly people I have ever spent time with.

Not exactly the picture of Palestine that most people would have right?

I've been in Ramallah and Nablus for the last few days, both mostly commonly associated with being hotspots even within Palestine. Ramallah, the defacto political capital of the Palestinian territories, and perhaps best known for the siege of Yasser Arafat's compound in his last months. Nablus, the largest city in the West Bank, and the centre of the second intifada (struggle in Arabic, the second uprising) which was the scene of heated battles between Israeli and Palestinian fighters for years up until 2007.  

 Given this recent history and its location in the north of the West Bank, Nablus is often considered to be a place to be cautious of to say the least, and yet I haven't felt more welcomed anywhere for years (along with Ramallah and other West Bank visits in March). Traveling on my own, often sharing no language other than basic phrases, and yet welcomed everywhere...warmly and genuinely.   

As part of the Palestinian territories that doesn't get as many travelers as places like Bethlehem, people have given me hearty welcomes everywhere on the street, fruit vendors have given me free samples, people have given me lifts, made phone calls for me, and offered me chai, felafels and more.

Spontaneous invite to a dinner party in Ramallah to celebrate Muayad's Masters degree

Given the poor economic situation of a people virtually cut-off from towns nearby by the Israeli military checkpoints, it has been humbling and heartwarming to be treated as a special guest.

And often by people whose very names conjure up the wrong images in the West; Jihad fed me cucumbers and offered me coffee, Hamas cooked me falefels, and the other Jehad has hosted me in his lovely guesthouse, driven me to see the sights, organised and taken a group of us to the local ancient bath house, and generally shown me around his great city of Nablus.

Beautiful, generous, good-hearted people. Yes, this is what Palestine is really like.

 Eating icecream in the beautiful courtyard

The madness of Sheikh Jarrah

Sheikh Jarrah is a suburb in East Jerusalem, and a few days ago and on an earlier Friday in March I joined hundreds of people at the weekly demonstrations there. Perhaps surprisingly, most of the protesters are Israelis, and most Jews (that is to say some I spoke to are Israeli but secular). And then there are some Palestinians and a small number of internationals.


At issue: a clear example of the law of the state being immoral and unjust, in this case towards Palestinians. So clear in fact, that thousands of Israelis are ashamed of the actions of the Israeli courts and state towards the Palestinians who are being evicted from their homes, often so that newly arrived settlers from overseas can live in Jerusalem.


The actualities of the process are extremely convoluted, and involve each side going to court and producing documents from the Ottoman era to try and establish ownership - of homes that Palestinian refugees from the 1948 conflict were moved into. That is, once refugees, and now some 60 years later, being evicted again; refugees twice. I will try and summarise it below, but if you really want to explore it further google and/or look up Wikipedia...


What is clear is that Palestinians are being seen as inferior before the law, and Israelis as superior; so clearly in fact that Israeli newspapers, influential and senior Jewish figures here and abroad have condemned the actions to evict several families so far, and the ongoing attempts to evict more. And still people deny there is apartheid at work here . . .


In perhaps the most bizarre situation I've seen here, one Palestinian family built a two or three room extension on their house to cater for the next generation, as happens here all the time. After attempts to evict them on the basis of 'illegal extensions' (despite thousands of Jewish neighbours doing the same), they eventually staved off eviction and instead were handed a massive fine . . . BUT they also had the extension confiscated...


Now three generations of Palestinians live in the original small home, and a radical Jewish settler family has moved into the newer front rooms. They all share the same front gate, and the back porch is divided by a makeshift curtain - enemies (and in this case it really seems that way) - separated by an old rug ... truly bizarre.

Our team visiting the divided home in March - the older part in the foreground, the new settler-occupied extension in the background
...and the dividing rug...  

The Israeli drummers donned pink balaclavas in response to balaclava-clad police arresting many of the protestors the previous week 

1 Comment:

Sojourner said...

And hi to my readers in Senegal, Saudi and Russia - and of course Mexico :)

25 May 2011 00:10

Palestinian nonviolence, a vision for Jerusalem and a personal request to you all

Israeli checkpoint on the outskirts of Jerusalem - several km inside
internationally recognised Palestinian territory 

As I mentioned in a recent post, the violence here always attracts more coverage that the nonviolence. Of course, there is some violence from the Palestinian side, but it is far outweighed by people of dignity trying to achieve peace and a Palestinian state through nonviolence.

Here's a brilliant article summing up so many of my thoughts on these issues, to my surprise in the Economist - thanks Claire for the lead.

With the events surrounding Nakba Day and the border incursions mentioned in the article, the momentum for change is building. The Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is in the USA over the coming days and as one commentator put it, Obama seems to have thrown down the gauntlet making it clear that he expected Israel to work for peace based on the 1967 borders. (Obama delivered a major and wide ranging speech yesterday on the middle east in general). Some are saying this is not groundbreaking, and that he should have said a lot more - I don't disagree necessarily - but it is crucial to recognise that the Europeans and the US have now made it clear to Israel that these borders are internationally recognised and firm.

And whatever you think of Obama, his words about a vision for a future Jerusalem are eloquent and beautiful - here they are:

Too many tears have flowed. Too much blood has been shed. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer.

So, here's my urgent plea: If you care about peace, if you care about any of the issues that I've been writing about, or if you just want me to buy you a coffee when next I see you, please act. Now. There are dozens of things you can do, groups to join, petitions to sign . . . but seeing as you're at your computer I'm suggesting just one letter to your local politician. (you do know who they are right? otherwise you've got google). 20 minutes, a few lines is all it takes.


Write a letter or an email expressing your support for the international pressure for urgent peace talks; for a commitment by both sides to nonviolence; for a commitment for Israel to stop confiscating Palestinian land and building internationally illegal settlements...


Please, write something. I won't ask this often, and now seems to be the moment.


I'm off to a demonstration now where the Israelis have confiscated parts of a Palestinian suburb...

Camel with that comment?

Dear faithful readers,
Being new to the blogging world it's taken me a while to figure out that I can make it easier for you to comment and dialogue with me on my journey. So, feel free to give it a go; you can even remain anonymous - although that would generally be considered poor form in the blogging world - and I'd rather know who I'm having conversations with too. Of course you can email me too at:           
khristo . newall @ gmail . com

Butcher's shop at Al Khalil...
camel head for dinner anyone?

1 Comment:

insurgelicious said...

Wow, freaky!

21 May 2011 19:18

Bullets, rocks and smiles

As I indicated in an earlier post, I can only imagine that the killing of a Palestinian young man only two days before the Nakba commemorations escalated the emotion for Palestinians remembering 63 years of loss and occupation. Other commentators have also noted that the uprisings across the middle east gave renewed impetus to yesterday's events.


Either way, while peaceful non-violent rallies were held and very largely un-reported (such as a big one in Ramallah), there was international coverage of the deaths and violence around Palestine and the other borders with Israel.


I didn't make it to Ramallah, but a few friends did - here's some photos from there, thanks again to Goeran (see another of his photos in yesterday's post from Qalandiya).

A large, peaceful and family-dominated crowd gathered in the centre of Ramallah
(Goeran S.)

...and heard from a diverse group of civic, political and religious leaders. (Goeran S.)

a beautiful image before the afternoon turned nasty (Goeran S.)

 Speaking of which, here's some more from where I was in Qalandiya, and other coverage of elsewhere.


This is the BBC TV report filed from where I was but with an overview of the clashes on the Lebanese border and in the disputed Golan Heights with Syria as well. For a wider 2 minute background story on that, click here.  


And here's the BBC slideshow with some great images - check out the tenth photo . . . 


Al Jazeera has some excellent images too including from solidarity protests in neighbouring Jordan and Egypt, as well as capturing the diversity of the violence and peaceful commemorations here.

Al Nakba: an intense day

It's after midnight again and it's been an intense day so a quick post for now. 
But as even the Australian media is headlining as I write, (see here for ABC news coverage), there has been serious violence and bloodshed throughout Palestine and on it's borders today. I went with a number of international peacemakers to the Qalandiya checkpoint outside of Jerusalem which had been identified as a key protest site.


From the nearby town of Ramallah, a significant march of approximately one thousand Palestinians set out for the checkpoint and were met there with a huge and heavy force of Israeli military. Young Palestinians threw rocks and stones, and were met with a massive response. 


It's hard to know if people died, but certainly many Palestinians were seriously injured by so-called rubber bullets, tear gas, and in some cases brutal arrest.


Here's a youtube clip of some arrests; video shot by Petter Lyden:
(note the masked, plainclothes security forces brandishing their pistols as they run with their captives, and the profuse bleeding of the last of those dragged away in this scene)

And some photos by Petter, Goeran S, and me of a disturbing afternoon...

High velocity tear gas being fired (Petter Lyden)

More tear gas...aimed as projectiles straight at people (Petter Lyden)

Acrid smoke was everywhere; tear gas from one side and burning tyres from the other (Goeran S.)

My first taste of tear gas . . . the second was actually worse but at least I could just walk away . . .

A sad day, not just the commemoration 63 years of occupation, but because of the deep anger, resentment and pain on one side and the willingness to use disproportionate violence on the other.

Al Nakba: The Catastrophe

Just as Israel marked in Independence Day this week (see previous post), so too the Palestinians commemorate the anniversary today - the 15th of May - except for them it is known as the catastrophe or disaster - nakba in Arabic.


During 1948 in the war that took place in creating the state of Israel, over 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled, many others were massacred, and villages depopulated and destroyed. 


'The vast majority of Palestinian refugees, both those outside the 1949 armistice lines at the war's conclusion and those internally displaced, were barred by the newly declared state of Israel from returning to their homes or reclaiming their property.' (Wikipedia article: Nakba).


While the Israelis celebrated their anniversary earlier in the week due to the difference with the Hebrew calendar, both groups are commemorating the same event, just from opposite perspectives.


And in the days between, there have been riots in Jerusalem where I am now. On Friday in the hotly disputed neighbourhood of Silwan violence broke out and a 16 year old Palestinian youth was shot and killed. Yesterday (Saturday) was his funeral, after which demonstrations led to rioting and more injuries. And so today (it's just after midnight here) the scene is likely set for more; with Al Nakba already creating tension, the violent death of a young Palestinian only fuels the emotions of a distraught people.


I'm meeting up with a couple of other expat peacemakers (from Finland and Australia) to witness the main commemorations later today. First though some sleep . . . and dreams of a peace that seems so far away.

Israel-Palestine: worlds apart

[Re-posted: blogspot is having technical glitches]

10th May, 2011

I'm in Tel Aviv for the first time and while my trusty guidebook had indicated Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were different worlds, I wasn't quite prepared for my first experience of TA. To make matters worse, I arrived on Israel Day / Independence Day. While its' hard to begrudge any country from celebrating their existence, it was difficult to watch people partying on the beach with their Israeli flags while less than an hours' drive away Palestinians live under a brutally harsh occupation.

Israel is a highly developed and wealthy country, and for many who live in Tel Aviv and much of the rest of Israel, life is very comfortable and well buffered from the reality of what is happening so close by. With Jerusalem only 80 km away, I wonder how many Israelis have ventured into the West Bank or have gotten to really know any Palestinian people.

Of course many have, and it's been reassuring and inspiring to meet some Israelis who genuinely feel shame about what their country is doing to the Palestinian people, and who are speaking up or acting in some way to change things.

I just hope that enough of them join us in the international community to bring enough political pressure on the state of Israel to really work for peace.