Entries are listed in reverse chronological order. The capitalised links by the date, eg. HEBRON DIARY, link to the index page of the themed section of the diary in which the entry appears. An index to themed sections of the diary is available here.

• 24 March 1999 - BIRZEIT DIARY

Birzeit Elections 1999: A growing sense of alienation
Once again, the Fatah faction on campus tried to fend off accusations of ties with the security forces, appealing during the 23 March debate, the traditional center piece of the Birzeit elections, for the Palestinian Authority to release student Ghassan Addassi, an Islamic Bloc member detained for almost exactly a year on clearly trumped-up charges of assassinating one of the leaders of the military wing of Hamas.
 
• 11 March 1999 - MEDIA DIARY

"CNN Interactive finally changes its 'Middle East Related Sites' page"
Still hiding away in Minnesota, I took some time once again to write a letter to CNN Interactive about part of their website, a letter I'd written perhaps 12 times over the last few years, and one I arranged a limited letter-writing campaign to a couple of years ago. The difference this time was that I got a positive response...
 
• 24 October 1998 - PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY DIARY

The Wye River Memorandum (shortened version)
This spoof was penned the day after the signing in Washington on 23 October. The same day Palestinians clashed with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, on 29 October and 6 November terrorist attacks took place in the Gaza Strip and West Jerusalem respectively, and on 16 November Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu announced that the West Bank redeployment was delayed. This and the fifth and final paragraph of Section 1 should give you an idea of the predictability of things on the ground in Palestine sometimes.
 
• 16 October 1998 - MEDIA DIARY

"Middle East in Focus" programme, KPFK Pacifica, California
Don Bustany has been hosting this very honest programme on the Middle East since the 1970s, and invited me on to talk about my experiences before I left Palestine, and the peace process at a time when the Wye negotiations were in full swing. The highlight for me in this interview was the opportunity to talk about the reality of clashes, one that exists on an entirely separate dimension than TV coverage of the conflict. The full transcript and a RealAudio clip are available.
 
• 31 August 1998 - MEDIA DIARY

"7 Questions", Newsies.com
Tom Mangan created the Newsies.com website to pursue his belief that journalists have a higher number of interesting websites per capita on the Web. I answer questions about U.S. culture in Palestine, what the most unforgettable sight I saw during the Intifada was, what people do for fun in Ramallah, offer a recommendation for tension reduction in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and more, in his 7 Questions section. Afterwards, why not visit the excellent Newsies.com website?
 
• 16 June 1998 - MEDIA DIARY

"The new webmasters of the West Bank", Ha'aretz newspaper
Just before the incident with my home that made me decide to take a break from Palestine, Israeli journalist Tzuri Dar got in contact with me to do a feature on the Palestinian Internet for Ha'aretz, a quality newspaper in Israel. It was published in the wake of my departure and, despite a few unintentional factual innaccuracies and an unfortunate section heading half-way through the article, served as a timely epitaph for my time spent helping to build the Palestinian Internet.
 

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I left Palestine for an extended break in the United States at this point in time, after the end of the first week of June 1998. The "on the ground in Palestine" section of the Diary below should therefore be considered to be concluded at this point. Although, above, you will see that I continued making the odd update to the diary, the Palestinian chapter of the diary is effectively closed. This does not mean that I have permanently left the country or do not intend to publish this kind of material again, just that I am not doing it at present. In fact, for details of my plans for an expanded version of the Diary, see this project proposal.

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• 25 May 1998 - DIARY OF MY HOME DEMOLITION

Index, including press releases, photographs, and a (coming) diary entry. Arrived home to find a gang of 20-30 armed Palestinians, including members of the security forces, had bulldozed part of my home, smashed every single piece of glass in the house, broken down the doors with sledgehammers, thrown all my belongings in the yard, and had scrawled "Good Afternoon" on the living room walls. One of those once in a lifetime experiences not to be tried at home.
 
• 14 May 1998 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Al-Nakba commemorated in Ramallah [4 parts]
Fifty years after the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, Palestinians gathered in Ramallah to commemorate the confiscation of their land, the destruction of their towns and villages, and the driving out of almost one million of their people to become refugees that made it possible. This entry highlights how clashes have become empty, dangerous ritual, and gives an example of how Israeli soldiers target those not participating in the clashes, namely me.
 
• 7 May 1998 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Newsflash: Ramallah security branches turn soccer scuffle into mini-Lebanon
Sitting with some friends in my home one night, ten automatic weapons opened up round the corner near the police station. I grabbed a video camera and hit the road. Although this was the most serious intra-Palestinian violence in the center of Ramallah since the December 1995 redeployment, it was a story that was completely missed by the international media.
 
• 5 May 1998 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Goodbye Nizar Qabbani
Controversial Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani passed away recently. In the spirit of his poetry, this entry looks at some of the realities in post-Oslo Palestine and challenges us to confront them.
 
• 3 May 1998 - BIRZEIT DIARY

Birzeit Elections 1998: No small change in the status quo
National political parties are very interested in the results of student elections, particularly at the presigious Palestinian university of Birzeit. This diary entry looks at student election campaign funding by the national parties, the climate of repression outside the university gates, and concludes that the only reason it all still works at Birzeit is the protection of a strong, democratic election system.
 
• 20 April 1998 - PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY DIARY

Who killed Muhyideen Al-Shareef?
This diary entry is an investigative report into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the No. 2 in Izzadin Al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas. It was one of the first reports to challenge the official versions of the death and expose the cover-up by the Palestinian Authority.
 
• 11 March 1998 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Clashes after three shot dead near Hebron
Following the Israeli checkpoint shooting at a van of Palestinians returning from a day's work inside Israel, Birzeit students clashed with Israeli soldiers near Ramallah. This entry looks at what it's like to get shot at with live ammunition, the Israeli government's protection of its soldiers when they commit human rights violations, some of the politics of choosing locations for clashes, the intrusiveness of violence into daily Palestinian life, Palestinian police tactics to calm clashes, the moral bankrupcy of much of the Western media, and a pitifully thinly-veiled plea for someone to give me a Nikon F5.
 
• 9 February 1998 - PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY DIARY

Iraq, Palestine, and chemical and biological war
As war in the Gulf looks likely once again, this diary entry spares a thought for the people of Iraq seven years after sanctions, and discovers what plans the Palestinian Authority has for protecting its citizens in the event of a chemical and biological attack from Iraqi missiles.
 
• 23 January 1998 - HEBRON DIARY

CPT: Dealing with threats on your life
The work of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) in Hebron has opened a new window on life in the town for Palestinians, a window that Jewish extremists would like to see shut down. This entry reports a visit to Hebron to see how the CPT members are dealing with recent death threats.
 
• 9 December 1997 - INTIFADA DIARY: TEN YEARS AFTER

This new diary section profiles the experience of two Birzeit students during the Intifada, one from the northern and one from the southern parts of the West Bank. Find out how Birzeit students joined in the Intifada, how it was organised on the streets, what the clashes were like, Israeli use of teargas and nerve gas, and one student's first experience of torture.
 
• 25 September 1997 - OUTSIDE THE DIARY

September 1996 Web Memorial
A year following the September 1996 clashes that shook the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a number of us who were involved in the Web reporting of the time regrouped to make this memorial to the 88 Palestinians killed during the clashes.
 
• 18 September 1997 - OUTSIDE THE DIARY

Birzeit News - Staff and student strikes at Birzeit disrupt academic year: Universities and Higher Education Ministry caught in deficit trap.
Staff and student strikes are annual problems that face the Palestinian higher education sector. With the coming of the Palestinian Authority, many hoped this would end. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.
 
• 8 September 1997 - CLOSURE DIARY

Israeli closure of Ramallah for 'security reasons' clearly untrue
With maps, photographs and an 'on the ground' explanation, this entry demonstrates very clearly that the most commonly cited reason for closure - "security" - has nothing to do with the policy.
 
• 10 August 1997 - CLOSURE DIARY

"Checkpoint in the Church Aisle", a closure story from Birzeit University
When Charlie from Bethlehem decided to marry Tania from Jerusalem, a few miles apart, things became very complicated. Charlie's sister, a Birzeit student, tells us the story.
 
• 7-9 August 1997 - CLOSURE DIARY

The immediate situation beckons
Checkpoints are no respectors of persons, and this entry looks at the humiliation they represent to Palestinians and the danger and stress faced by choosing the 'dirt road' option to get round them.
 
• 30 July - 6 August 1997 - CLOSURE DIARY

Fear and loathing on the leaflet trail [2 parts]
In the wake of yet another bombing, a leaflet was sent to the media claiming responsibility and the West Bank was sealed off. But wait a minute, where did that leaflet come from? This entry goes on a wild goose chase to find the answer to that question and discovers some very interesting things about how the media works in these situations.
 
• July 1997 - OUTSIDE THE DIARY

Link Magazine: "Securities in a time of Insecurity", the new Palestine Securities Exchange
Coming soon, as Link's website shut down and I'm tracking down the article, this entry looks at whether it's safe to invest in the Palestinian economy and finds a very qualified staff at the new Palestine Securities Exchange who attempt to answer this question honestly and explain what they are doing to make it a safe option.
 
• 18 July 1997 - HEBRON DIARY

Visit to Hebron after three weeks of clashes [6 parts]
A look at how the patterns of clashes develop and spread nationally, the particular features of clashes in Hebron, recent settler incitement of the Muslim population, the experience of returning Hebronites who have lived in the U.S., land confiscation by settlers, the work of the Christian Peacemaker Team based in the city, and my experience of getting stoned by a Jewish settler kid, and my consequent thoughts about children and violence.
 
• June 1997 - 'ON THE GROUND IN RAMALLAH' DIARY

Creating the /war/ website
An activist using the Web to report from "on the ground" during the violent September 1996 confrontations in the West Bank reflects on the empowerment offered by the Internet and the realities of its global nature.
 
• 14 April 1997 - BIRZEIT DIARY

Birzeit Elections 1997: No easy answers for the situation outside the gates
The student wing of Arafat's Fatah faction takes back the percentage lead, but doesn't gain an overall majority. Events outside the university seem to have remained a key influence in Birzeit election results.
 
• 29 March 1997 - ABU GHNAIM DIARY

Birzeit student shot [2 parts]
A classic diary entry making clear the complete absense of justification in the shooting of a Palestinian demonstrator by an Israeli soldier during clashes.
 
• 26 March 1997 - ABU GHNAIM DIARY

Birzeit students join in [3 parts]
This entry looks at what role clashes play in the Birzeit student elections, the very strange behaviour of Israeli soliders at clashes, the experience of having a soldier aim his rifle at you for the second time in a week, what the media doesn't show you at clashes and why, and recounts my most severe teargassing experience.
 
• 22 March 1997 - ABU GHNAIM DIARY

Back through Wadi-Al-Nar and Wadi Al-Nar Photo Gallery
These entries focus on the results of the closure of Jerusalem to Palestinians, in particular the dangerous route that Palestinians must take when travelling between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank.
 
• 21 March 1997 - ABU GHNAIM DIARY - 2 entries:

One seeks revenge... [2 parts] and ...Children bearing rocks
These entries look at Palestinian reactions to bus bombings and other acts of terrorism, Israeli treatment of Palestinian victims of bus bombings, an insight into why some Palestinians support bus bombings and why the majority do not, the unquestioning support of some 'Christians' for the State of Israel, more checkpoint harassment, disillusionment with the Palestinian Authority, how the Palestinian Police deal with Palestinians throwing stones, and why Bethlehem is the no. 2 flashpoint for violence after Hebron.
 
• 7 March 1997 - ABU GHNAIM DIARY - 6 entries:

Off to the mountain, Seeing the mountain for the first time, The demonstration, Thoughts during the demonstration, The demonstration ends and On the way home
With the international media descending on Jebal Abu Ghnaim to record Palestinian protest against the Har Homa settlement project, myself and a few friends went for a visit there, to find out what had caused them to leave the safety of the American Colony Hotel bar. These entries look at how we got to the other side of Jerusalem with banned West Bank Palestinians in the car, our September 1996 clashes flashback as we arrived, why Israel is after Abu Ghanim, the media frenzy, the Israeli peace bloc, the excessive Israeli armed presence in response to the protests, the unenviable situation of young Israelis in a country with draft military service and repressive racist policies, containment of the protest by the Palestinian Authority, and harassment by Palestinian Police on the way home.
 
• 25 January 1997 - BIRZEIT DIARY

Birzeit students in Palestinian detention: Some statistics from 1996
Since the redeployment of Israeli troops from Ramallah, and the coming of the Palestinian Authority and its security organs, these were the first representative statistics the Birzeit University Human Rights Action Project was able to collect on Palestinian detention of students.
 
• 17-18 January 1997 - HEBRON DIARY - 6 entries:

Netanyahu faces Oslo 2: A slow train coming, A closer look at Hebron's "Jewish community", Sunset on the occupation?, The former Israeli military headquarters, Something like a circus or a zoo and The atmosphere of redeployment
The delayed Hebron redeployment was in part due to the sensitive nature of the town to Israel, who has 400 extremist settlers living in the center of town. These entries from the redeployment time look at how Netanyahu approached the redeployment, the mentality of the settlers there, the violence of right wing Israelis in the situation, the taking over of the District Headquarters by the Palestinian Authority and the memories of a Hebron resident who was interrogated in that building by Israelis, the media focus on the town, and the mixed reactions of the Palestinian population to the redeployment.
 
• 11-14 December 1996 - CLOSURE DIARY

Ramallah is closed again after an attack on settlers [4 parts]
This entry compares the punitive closure on the entire population of Ramallah in response to the attack on a settler family with Israel's treatment of Nahum Korman, a settler who killed a Palestinian child in October. It goes on to look a little at the nature of the settler community near Ramallah, how the closure affected our lives in Ramallah, the reaction of Netanyahu's government to the attack, Likud's history of settlement policy, the shameless comparative 'analysis' of the right-wing Jerusalem Post between the attack on the settler family and Nahum Korman's killing of the Palestinian child, how the closure affected Birzeit University, how we in the Web Project are learning to deal with being cut off from our equipment during these times, and - of course - more checkpoint experiences.
 
• 29 September 1996 - 'ON THE GROUND IN RAMALLAH' DIARY

Discovering what lay on the hills of Ramallah
As the clashes calmed down, I went for a walk up the hill where the tank was stationed overlooking Ramallah. Oops, bad call.
 
• 27 September 1996 - 'ON THE GROUND IN RAMALLAH' DIARY - 4 entries:

Tanks surround Ramallah, Midday around Khammara checkpoint, Stone throwing at Khammara checkpoint and Casualties at Khamara checkpoint (Some images may be disturbing)
These entries deal with the experience of the intimidatation of waking up to find your town surrounded by tanks, what this meant to those of us living in Ramallah, and the clashes from day three.
 
• 26 September 1996 - 'ON THE GROUND IN RAMALLAH' DIARY - 6 entries:

The seriousness of things, At Khammara Checkpoint in the late afternoon, The face of war, Palestinian Police confront Israeli snipers, Helicopter gunships open fire on homes and Ammunition used
These entries look at how the events have affected the lives of everyone in the town, the sense of war descending on the town, the disparity of weapons used by both sides, and the reality of what the media calls "rubber" or "plastic" bullets, all from day two of the clashes.
 
• 25 September 1996 - 'ON THE GROUND IN RAMALLAH' DIARY - 7 entries:

Rally at Birzeit University, Demonstration at the Khammara Checkpoint, Israeli soldiers open fire, Casualties, Aftermath of the first shootings, At Ramallah hospital (Some images may be disturbing) and Intensive Care Unit, Ramallah Hospital (Some images may be disturbing)
These entries look at the march by Birzeit students that marked the beginning of the September clashes, the excessive use of force and intrusion into Palestinian territory by Israeli troops in the clashes that brought about retaliation from the Palestinian Police, the wounding and killing of Palestinian demonstrators, how Ramallah Hospital coped with the 263 injured that passed through its doors today, and concludes with a meditation on the role of a photojournalist in situations where real people are really dying.
 
• 26 August 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

Universities meet McCarthy, Palestinian style
With eighteen existing Palestinian security organs, we were delighted to hear that a new one had been specially created to monitor university students.
 
• 17 July 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

Stamping out terrorism?
This entry touches on one of the small but annoying aspects of life, Israeli censorship of mail, and Israel's attitude to the newly emergent Palestinian Authority's postal system.
 
• 28 June 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

"Letter to a prisoner", Birzeit students in Palestinian detention, part 6.
This entry reports on how the students at Birzeit undertook a moving act of solidarity with their fellow students detained in the Palestinian Authority prison in Ramallah.
 
• 26 June 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

"So, what were we doing about it?", Birzeit students in Palestinian detention, part 5.
This entry talks about the landmark court case in which Birzeit University took Palestinian President Arafat to court to challenge the illegality of the detention of ten of its students.
 
• 19 May 1996 - PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY DIARY

Preventative Security Service Graduation Ceremony
Came home from work one day to see a bunch of armed and masked guys jogging past my house. Two weeks later, I found out who they were.
 
• 15 May 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

Birzeit Elections 1996: A message for the Palestinian Authority
The new prevelance of Palestinian security forces and the detention of students gives the Islamic Bloc a percentage win.
 
• 10 May 1996 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Letter from Ramallah #2
The combination of the 1967 occupation and the 1987 Intifada killed the development of culture and entertainment in what was once known as "The Bride of Palestine". Hotels, cinemas and restaurants have tended to close rather than open in this hilly, former summer resort. Since the December arrival of the Palestinian Authority, this has begun to change.
 
• Early May 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

"The Jericho Hell" and "Waiting for Godot", Birzeit students in Palestinian detention, parts 3 and 4.
These entries look at two aspects of the detention of Birzeit students in Palestinian jails, dealing with the timelessness of an open-ended jail term and the brutal torture of some of them.
 
• 9-21 April 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

"Hunger strike", Birzeit students in Palestinian detention, part 2.
This entry looks at the how the Palestinian media dealt (or rather didn't) with the story of prisoners, including Birzeit students, going on hunger strike to protest their illegal detention by the Palestinian Authority.
 
• 3 April 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

Birzeit students confront Arafat [4 parts].
Following a violent raid on the campus of An-Najah University in Nablus and the illegal detention of students by the Palestinian Authority, Birzeit students marched to Ramallah to demand to see Arafat. The story of how they got there was pretty gripping as is the question that you'll be asking as you read: did they get to see Arafat in the end?
 
• 28 March 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

"One-tenth of our university is missing" [4 parts].
In the run up to the Israeli elections, Prime Minister Shimon Peres attempts to reward both himself and a retiring Israeli military commander by okaying a media raid on students living in the village of Birzeit in the largest arbitrary arrest in the history of the university. The Israeli media participates in the sham to arrest people "deeply involved in terrorist attacks", missing completely the irony of 95 percent of these 'dangerous terrorists' being released by the end of the day.
 
• Early March 1996 - BIRZEIT DIARY

"After the bus bombings", Birzeit students in Palestinian detention, part 1.
This entry, the beginning of a series, looks at the experience of a group of Birzeit students arrested to "keep Israel happy" and challenges you to take reports of the arrest of 'Islamic militants' with a grain of salt next time.
 
• 5-18 March 1996 - CLOSURE DIARY

Locked in Ramallah for two weeks [3 parts].
Following a series of four suicide bombings in eight days, we discovered why Israel hadn't handed back the seemingly insignificant areas between Palestinian towns. This entry asks the reader to consider that you might be a closet terrorist, opens up the feelings evoked by closure, tries not to burst out with uncontrollable laughter at the shakey rationale behind it, and sighs at the disruptiveness of such acts of collective punishment to one university's academic calendar.
 
• 1 March 1996 - PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY DIARY

There's a man with a gun over there...
The coming of the Palestinian Authority meant the arrival of more security organs than you can shake a stick at and this entry asks what we should expect from the onipresence of security personnel in Palestinian towns and cities.
 
• 12 February 1996 - CLOSURE DIARY

First Israeli closure of Ramallah [3 parts].
This entry reports on the first manifestation of the new post-Oslo restrictions on freedom of movement.
 
• 5 January 1996 - CLOSURE DIARY

Why have the maps changed?
New maps mean new mindsets. This entry offers some paranoid and idle speculation later proved to have hit the nail on the head.
 
• 30 December 1995 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Arafat visits Ramallah and Redeployment Street Celebrations
These entries look at the first visit of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to newly 'liberated' Ramallah and some of the local reactions.
 
• 29 December 1995 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Meanwhile in the nearby settlement of Bet El [2 parts].
During the redeployment I thought to myself, "I wonder what the atmosphere is like in the neighbouring Israeli settlement?" So I went to find out.
 
• 28 December 1995 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Palestinian Police Parade and Gun culture in Ramallah
As redeployment fever swept through Ramallah, it uncovered one of the local fascinations - guns.
 
• 27 December 1995 - RAMALLAH DIARY - 6 entries:

Thoughts before the Israeli departure, Waiting for the Israelis to go, Israeli departure from Ramallah Police Station [2 parts], Ramallah Police Station handed over, Palestinian Police prepare their new cars and Removing all signs of the Israelis
These entries look at the events of redeployment day in Ramallah, including before, during, and after the Israelis vacated the police station and local headquarters, and the joy of the population as it wandered round the empty buildings.
 
• 20 December 1995 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Israeli control of the roads
Freedom of movement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is something that isn't taken for granted if you're Palestinian. Immediately before redeployment, I became aware that some parts of the landscape might not be part of it any longer, and began taking photos.
 
• 15 November 1995 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Car license plates: the road to apartheid
Car license plates, irrelevant facts of beaurocratic life or collectors items everywhere else in the world. Not so for Jews and Arabs living in the West Bank.
 
• August 1995 - BIRZEIT DIARY

Birzeit Elections 1995: A new system for a new era
In the post-Oslo period, Birzeit's students choose a new proportional representation system of elections that reflects a desire to encourage the participation of all political factions in the university community.
 
• 21 July 1995 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Letter from Ramallah #1
Since the prisoners began their hunger strike, the centre of Ramallah, to appropriate an oft-used local phrase, has "caught fire". This entry looks at clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in their various manifestations as both theatre and reality.
 
• 9 June 1995 - RAMALLAH DIARY

Israel's bureaucratic message of hatred
To do just about anything that involves movement around the country, Palestinians have to apply to Israel for permits. Naturally, this doesn't apply to Israelis, and this entry looks at what this says about Israel' commitment to peace and an end to the conflict.
 
• January 1995 - OUTSIDE THE DIARY

"Making Education Illegal" - Students from the Gaza Strip: Israeli restrictions and international reactions
A special 15,000-word report by Nigel Parry for the Human Rights Action Project at Birzeit from the university's Human Rights Archive.
 
• 11 November 1994 - HEBRON DIARY

Reopening of the Hebron Mosque [2 parts]
After the February 1994 Hebron Massacre, when Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein walked into the Ibrahimi Mosque and opened fire on praying Muslims, killing around 30, the mosque was closed by the Israeli army. Ten months later, on its reopening, I visited to see the heralded "new arrangements". What waited in Hebron surprised even me.