Israel's
Siege of the Church of the Nativity
An International View From Inside
Introduction:
From
April 2nd to May 10th, 2002, as art of a major invasion of the
West Bank, the Israeli ccupation Army (IOA) held over 150 Palestinians
ostage and under siege in Bethlehem's Church of the ativity. During
the siege the IOA denied food and edicine to the people
inside. Israeli army snipers illed seven and wounded more than
forty people
nside, the vast majority unarmed civilians. On April 8th, more
than 20
international activists slipped ast the Israeli soldiers stationed
in
Manger Square, ymbolically making it to the door of the Church
of
Nativity before retreating. On May 2nd, the nternationals returned,
this time ten of them, plus a
Los Angeles Times reporter, found their way through he Israeli
soldiers
to the door of the Church and uickly allowed in by the Palestinians
inside. These nternationals, including Coloradan Larry Hales,
arried in
enough food for two days. Here is Larry ales version of what happened.
Q.
Why did you go to Palestine?
I went
to Palestine because I feel as if I was pushed to go by my
ancestors. Being that I am a product of slavery, American apartheid
and
the product of a people whose history was stolen, I feel that
the
conflict in the Middle East is something that I should be involved
in. I look
to the Palestinian people as kin. It is important for all people--not
just people that have faced similar oppression--to be involved.
Additionally, since my tax money goes to support the
brutality of the Israeli military, I felt that it was important
that I
support the Palestinians with my presence.
Q.
You arrived in Palestine in late April, during Israel's re-invasion
of Palestine. What were your expectations?
I didn't
quite know what to expect. I was prepared to do all in my
power and, as well, prepared for the Israelis to do their worst
as far as
I was concerned,because I had heard of things that they had done
to
other internationals.
Q.
When you arrived in Palestine on April 27th,Israel's invasion
was one month old. Dozens of international activists, aligned
with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), were still in
the West Bank. What was the ISM's plan?
Well,
a day before I got there, when I was still in Jordan, the
internationals had a demonstration in Ramallah to try and get
more
internationals into the Mukata [headquarters of the Palestinian
Authority]. The
day that I arrived in Jerusalem there was going to be an attempt
to get
into the Church of Nativity. The ISM held a meeting that night
where
the action was discussed and planned, also, there was debriefing
about
the Ramallah action. I volunteered that night to go inside the
church.
That day was Saturday, April 27th. The next day we went to the
church
and took food to the door. The Palestinians were too afraid to
open
the door because they weren't expecting us. When we got back to
Jerusalem, after walking away from the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]
and eluding
them to get out of Bethlehem, we started planning to send people
to
Hebron, Gaza and Ramallah.
Q.
At one point the Israeli soldiers near the Church of Nativity
detained you and the other internationals. But you all just walked
away. Elaborate more on this and what was the soldier's response.
Well,
[Nightline's] Ted Koppel was there. His cameraman was filming
us
and Koppel interviewed
Huwaida Arraf [ISM leader]. After the interview, Huwaida said
to us,
"walk away" and that's what we did. The soldiers yelled
stop, but
didn't try to stop us.
Q.
How was the April 28th action successful?
We talked
to Palestinian families before going to the church. Many
families saw us as we walked through the streets and they were
happy. We
let the soldiers know that righteousness is a much larger weapon
than
anything they possess. Ted Koppel did a story on Nightline--focusing
on
the siege.
Q.
How did the Palestinian people of Bethlehem receive the international
activists?
They
treated us like we were a liberation force. They waved to us and
flashed V "for victory" signs. They broke curfew to
greet us in the
streets. The curfew was strictly enforced the first time we went
through
Bethlehem. The time we walked through Bethlehem before actually
getting inside the church, the curfew had been lifted for a few
hours.
Q.
Did you know that four days later you were again going to challenge
Israel's siege of the Church? Where were you during those four
days?
I was
in Hebron with other internationals for 2 1/2 days. We got in
Hebron in the daylight hours after the Israeli invasion. We stayed
at
hospitals and attempted to escort ambulances, but were rebuffed
when the
Israelis detained the Vice President of the Red Crescent Society,
Dr.
Younus. We visited with families who had family members taken
away on
the Monday of the Israeli invasion of Hebron. We took pictures
of the
destruction of their property. Before we left Hebron we went to
the
funeral of the eight martyrs [Palestinians killed by the Israel
Occupation
Army] that were killed on Monday.
Q.
What was the plan for the May 2nd action?
The plan
was to get internationals inside with food and medicine.
Also, we wanted to stay inside to give the Israelis something
else to
consider before trying to enter the church, and we were hoping
that our
presence would help the siege end quickly.
Q.
What actually happened?
It was
amazing to me how the IDF could be so stupid. We basically had
the same plan as last time (April 28th). The two differences were
that
we had a larger blocking force [decoys] and Palestinians in the
church
were expecting us. We walked right through Manger Square, having
to
almost run at one point. We never expected it to work, but when
things
don't go as expected, you really have to improvise--I think this
is why
we ended up with 6 more people than the five that were the only
ones
supposed to go inside.
Q.
The Israeli government and some western media have maintained
that over 100 Palestinian gunmen and terrorists took over the
Church of Nativity, taking all the clergy inside as hostages.
According to them the Israeli Occupation Army was trying to liberate
the clergy and apprehend the Palestinians inside. What do you
say to this?
Bullshit.
The clergy that remained inside did so willingly. They
wanted to insure that the church was not harmed by the Palestinians--funny,
considering the damage done by the Israelis. The clergy didn't
seem
bothered by the Palestinians that were killed and injured. They
were
more upset that the blood had stained the church. I must say,
not all the
clergy felt this way. Some were concerned for the Palestinians
and
happy that we made it inside. As far as the [alleged] terrorists
inside
the church, there were none as far as I'm concerned. I maintain
that
the terrorists were outside. It's the occupiers that cause the
terror,
not the occupied.
Q.
The morning you and ten other internationals (including a journalist
with the Los Angeles Times) got inside the Church, an Israeli
sniper killed a man inside the Church. The first moments you got
inside, what did you experience?
I remember
one of the Palestinians saying that they thought the rest of
the world had forgotten about them. They cheered for us when we
got
inside and told us that we could leave whenever we wanted.
Q.
All told, during the Israeli siege of the Church, seven Palestinians
were killed and more than forty Palestinians wounded by Israeli
snipers. How were the slain and wounded cared for?
The slain
were carried out by clergy--the clergy could leave the church
and reenter. Some of the wounded were carried out as well, it
depended
on the severity of the wound or sickness. One of the internationals
was a nurse and she did as best she could, with very little, to
care for
the wounded and sick that remained inside the church.
Q.
At one point part of the Church was on fire. Seven people inside
were assassinated by Israeli snipers. What did you experience
in terms of Israeli attacks?
The Israelis
fired at the church six times after we had gotten inside.
The Israelis killed one
man--Khalef--while we were inside.
Q.
Were there men with guns inside the Church? What did you think
of that? Did these Palestinians have a right to violently resist
Israel's invasion and 35 year occupation?
There
were men with guns inside. I believe they have that right. I'm
not a pacifist; and so, I believe that a people should protest
peacefully, but when violence is visited upon innocent people
by government
forces, then, the people have the right to defend themselves and
to
respond in kind. How can anyone deny that the Palestinian people
have the
right to violently resist. They have been under occupation for
35 years.
Let anyone who denies their right to violently resist live as
they do
for as long as they have and I guarantee that he/she will change
his/her
mind.
Q.
What was the situation like for food, water, electricity, sanitation?
We used
wells for water and a water tap that was in one of the priests'
garden. We were only able to carry enough food to last for two
days--after that, we were given some rice, noodles and lentils
by a few
Franciscan priests. Some days we ate leaf soup [clipped from tree
in
courtyard] and/or drank olive oil. The priests were allowed their
electricity, wires were ran from their source to a couple locations--this
is how
we charged our cell phones. The Israelis, though, would cut cell
phone
service at random times--sometimes for a long time, sometimes
for only
a few hours.
Q. The Israeli government often claimed that they delivered food
and
medicine to people inside the
Church. Is this true?
Not really.
Once, while we were inside, they delivered a box with
cigarettes, a pound cake and
chocolate milk. The Palestinians gave the pound cake to us, but
we
split it into small pieces and gave some to as many of them as
we could.
Q.
Did anyone else ever try to get food into the Church?
On Wednesday,
May 8th, Palestinian women snuck in large bundles of food
and the Israeli military
mercilessly attacked the women with percussion grenades. So for
the
last two days of the siege we
ate well and some of this food was left over when the siege had
ended.
In response, the Israelis put back up the sniper crane later that
day--they had taken it down a day before.
Q.
Where did you live inside the Church? Were conditions segregated
in any way?
We slept
in the place Christ was supposedly born for the first few
days. Then, we slept near the Nave where the majority of Palestinians
slept. We were put in the Nave because it was the safest place.
I think
the priest didn't like us there; and so, we were moved. Conditions
were
not segregated
Q.
How did the Church clergy interact with you and everyone else?
They
would walk among the people and talk to us and the other
Palestinians. They performed their rituals as usual. They were
civil until the
end.
Q.
How did you pass the time?
We spoke
with Palestinians. I befriended one of the Black
Palestinians--he spoke English. We played cards and dominos, explored
the church
and we slept a lot because there wasn't much to do.
Q.
How aware were you and other internationals of the ongoing negotiations
to resolve the siege?
We weren't
too much aware. People would call us and tell us things,
but I think the rest of the world was kept in the dark by Israeli
military lies. The priests' crony lawyer took part in the negotiations,
but
he was of no help. He was a pawn and kept trying to get us to
leave
before all the Palestinians.
Q.
The final agreement allowed for 13 men to be exiled temporarily
to Cyprus (and then onto to be determined countries), 26 men to
Gaza, and the rest of the Palestinians would be questioned and
released. Was this a fair deal?
No. They
should have all been allowed to go free.
Q.
What was the agreed upon arrangement for the internationals?
There
was no agreement made for us. In some document that was not
accepted, we were supposed to board the bus with the eighty-five
that were
going to be released after being questioned. This deal was not
accepted, though. Basically, we were hung out to dry. I heard
later that the
Palestinians were in an outrage over our arrest and detainment.
Q.
On May 10th, after nearly six weeks, the Israeli siege was over.
What happened to you and the other internationals?
We were
arrested, detained and deported. The men were taken to
Masaiyahu prison in Ramle. I don't know where the women were taken.
I was
in a prison for three days. Some of the internationals were in
for a
shorter amount of time, some for many days more. The sad thing
about the
prison was the many different people there--most of them were
African,
some Chinese,Filipinos, Europeans and South Americans. They were
there
because their visas had expired. Some had no
visas--one man had a work visa but he was not allowed to own anything.
He purchased a car and was
imprisoned because of it. I believe these people because I have
no
reason to distrust their stories. They were like migrant workers
here in
the states. Some of them had been there for over a year
Q.
You and the other internationals have been called collaborators
with terrorists. How do you respond?
Please.
The American government collaborates with terrorists, supplies
them, pats them on the back. The American government usurps power
from
other countries and installs puppets that will do its bidding.
We went
in support of an oppressed people.
Q.
Various orthodox priests maintained you and the others desecrated
the Church of Nativity by drinking and smoking, and leaving a
filthy mess all over the Church. How do you respond to these allegations?
There
was a mess when we got there. People had been living there for
thirty days when we got inside. What were they to do with their
trash--the garbage collectors never came. The situation was precarious.
We did not create a mess. Everyone inside the church, for the
most part, smoked. I was one of the few that didn't. Some internationals
drank some wine because they were hungry. What did the priest
have to say about the bullet marks and blood stains, the fires
started by the Israeli military or the destruction done by The
Israeli military all over Palestine. Just what are the priests'
priorities anyway? To just live and preach, or, to serve the people
of Palestine?
Q.
Was it all worth it?
We let
the Palestinian people know they were not alone in their struggle.
We refocused the world's attention a bit and showed that there
is a community of international peoples that don't buy into the
garbage that corporate media tries to sell us.
Q.
While the Israeli siege of the Church of Nativity is now over,
Israel continues to invade Palestinian cities. What's the solution
to all this?
The end
of the occupation. The end of the settlements and the dismantling
of them. A fair solution for the refugees--hopefully a right of
return for them. If Jews that have never set foot in the Middle
East can return, why not people that were pushed out. It would
be good if all the people in the area could live under one banner
and share equal rights--I heard this from quite a few Palestinian
people.
Q.
What future role do international activists have in this solution?
Internationals
must continue to travel to the Middle East in support of the Palestinians
and they must continue to be vigilant in their home countries.
*
Larry Hales has written and published a collection of short stories
titled, The Voices Down Here. He was in Palestine for most of
the month of May, 2002. This fall he will be working on his M.F.A
in Creative writing at Southampton College.
*
Mark Schneider is the former organizer for the Colorado Campaign
for Middle East Peace and joined an ISM campaign in Palestine
in December, 2001, and traveled to Iraq in 2000.
