I just
heard that F-16's bombed Khan Younis last night, sounds like very
near where we were. Getting out of the southern part of Gaza,
Rafah and Khan Younis, was another whole experience. The 2 of
us who were leaving that day arrived with our driver at the checkpoint
at 7:30am, but it was already closed. We went up to the soldiers,
passports in hand, who were high up in their guard tower with
guns
pointed; they said the checkpoint would open in 1/2 hour, but
they didn't open it for 2 hours. Imagine a sea of cars -- taxis,
donkey carts, garbage trucks, trucks with chickens, individual
cars -- all swarming to cram through the 2-lane dirt road. The
gate lifts, it's a mad dash, much honking, then ‘boom!’
after only about 40 cars are let through, the gate comes down
again. Wait 5-10 minutes, the gate goes up, cars cram through,
maybe 20 this time, the gate comes down, another wait, etc. On
and on, infuriating, humiliating, degrading....and though they
say this is all for security, they never stop a car, never check
any ID's, never look inside a car or truck. So it is clear that
this is all about power and control, nothing about security.
I spoke
with Jeff Halper, from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
(they are having a weekend the end of July to rebuild Palestinian
homes in East Jerusalem), and he spoke at length about Sharon's
plan for a Palestinian statelet in Gaza, and that the only difference
between that and Labor's plan, is that Labor's plan for a Palestinian
state would include some of the West Bank as well. But both states
would only have limited 'autonomy,' would still be under Israeli
control, governed by US puppets. I know this is not new info to
us, but it was chilling to hear it. Jeff urged our NGO's to play
a stronger role in calling for an end to Occupation; he also supports
various boycott and divestment campaigns of Israeli goods UNTIL
THE OCCUPATION ENDS. He was also enthusiastic about the
new campaign in the US against Caterpillar bulldozers, the 2-story
tall machines which demolished Jenin. He believes we should boycott
academic conferences in Israel, but not prevent Israeli academics
from going to international conferences (this is anti-intellectual)
-- but that professional associations should confront Israeli
academics.
I had
an inspiring meeting with Amneh Badran of the Jerusalem Center
for Women, the partner of Bat Shalom (who together are the Jerusalem
Link), inspiring to hear her say in the midst of all the curfews
and re-occupation, "There is a peace partner on the other
side, women can provide an alternative approach to peacemaking."
She advocates for a win-win strategy rather than one of compromise.
The Jerusalem Link are working to build a joint women's movement
for peace, both as Palestinian and Israeli women, and as a larger
movement to involve women worldwide.
Everyone
is talking about the Knesset's plan (not finalized yet as far
as I know) to pass a law making it illegal for Jews to sell land
to anyone but other Jews -- I'm sure you have heard about this.
Former Knesset member Shulamit Aloni said that Israel is a democracy
for Jews -- just like South Africa was a democracy for white people....
I also
am hearing more and more about the new Israeli women's movement,
Women Refuse -- how they are finding different ways "to refuse
to be part of what's going on," whether by boycotting products
made in settlements, refusing to go into the army, refusing to
say there is no partner for peace. Each individual woman finds
what it is she can refuse, so I think it's a powerful way to involve
many women, including those who are not inclined to go to demonstrations.
I also
spent time with my friends Anna and Leon in Tel Aviv. Anna is
on my dissertation committee. They go to the peace demonstrations
and collect humanitarian aid for Palestinians -- and they also
told me "wherever we walk, the suicide bombings are always
in our minds. Whenever we see 15 people in line, we think 'this
is a good target.' Their 8 year old son Neder cries when they
leave him to go out to the movies, he is afraid they won't make
it back home, "the uncertainty that at any moment you could
go out and not come back." They also told me that "people
believe (progressives) that if we continue like this, we're not
going to have a country -- that in 50 years, we won't exist."
One of
the most powerful experiences I've had this trip inside Israel
was going to an event organized by New Profile for young would-be
refuseniks. There were about 50 of them (in Jerusalem) of high
school age, including some who signed the letter last fall saying
they would refuse to serve (over 170 signed this letter), and
some who have already served prison time for refusing to serve
-- very inspiring. Apparently they are writing a new letter for
others to sign this September.....Since January, over 100 Israelis
have served jail time for refusing to serve in the army. I learned
in much more depth what a huge deal it is to refuse -- what an
enormous expenditure of time and energy and anxiety and angst
to go through this process. I was moved to see a few mothers at
this event with their sons, supporting their sons -- and there
were young women here as well.
I was
honored that my friend Rela Mazali asked me to speak at the beginning
about some of my experiences in Gaza and Ramallah -- and afterwards
several young men came up and thanked me for what I said -- including
one young man in his army uniform and gun slung over his back.
He came up and called me by name, gave me a huge smile, and said
that for him, my talk was one of the most powerful of the evening.
And that he now wanted to go to Gaza to see for himself (and I
understood this to be NOT as a soldier, but as a witness of sorts...).
I was totally shocked, and just managed to thank him and ask for
his name (Moshe). Later Rela told me that he had not spoken to
anyone else that evening (his brother had brought him) or given
his name or signed their sign-in sheet. So, that was another revealing
of complexities, of zapping some of my assumptions....
My friend
Terry from Bat Shalom has given to me so much of her time, both
allowing me to process my experience with her, and to share her
own thinking -- it's an amazing and generous gift, because her
own schedule is so packed. She believes it's important that when
we talk to the liberal to mainstream Jewish community in the U.S.
about ending Occupation, that it is important not to take shortcuts,
to allow the process to sound too smooth or comfortable -- that
we need to be clear that for everyone it is going to be very painful,
and at a high expense -- but then, it already is, this is the
only way to peace, we simply have no other choice....
I spent
2 days in Nablus with ISM (int. solidarity movement), where we
were once again welcomed so warmly by Palestinians in the streets,
who all wanted to greet us, interact, speak and be listened to.
I cannot emphasize enough how strongly I hear the message over
and over just how poor people are -- it is worse than ever before.
They have no jobs, no money, and so many do not have enough to
eat. Plus there are the daily curfews, tanks rolling through the
streets....I remember Nablus as a city teeming with people and
shops, similar to the Old City of East Jerusalem -- only now under
curfew it is like a ghost town -- very eerie -- because most people
are afraid to be out on the streets during curfew. I simply cannot
imagine living like this, day after day. And yet, every day around
4pm, the light became very beautiful in this mountainous town,
the air cooled, and children would appear on rooftops and even
in the streets, flying their kites. It was so beautiful, hopeful
in a way, indicative of a high-flying spirit that prevails here....
I entered
Nablus with a group of young ISM'ers from Sweden, and although
there was no curfew at that time, the soldiers would not let us
pass through the 2nd checkpoint. So for 2 hours we were waiting
by the side of the road in the hot sun, trying to negotiate with
the soldiers. I have had a LOT of experience this trip negotiating
with soldiers....Learning from Huwaida (the ISM leader in Ramallah),
I try to stay calm, ask open-ended questions, look at them directly
in a human way. At the Nablus checkpoint, one of them really connected
with me -- he looked at me intensely and at one point said, "I
want you to get through, I believe in what you are doing."
We had told them we were health workers trying to get to the hospital
for a meeting -- and I suspect he felt that we were peace workers
as well. Finally after much patience and persistence, we were
given the ok to walk through -- and this soldier crossed to road
to come say goodbye to me and shake my hand and wish me well....
2 high
points in Nablus: 1) spending time with Neta Golan who is the
ISM leader there, and some of you remember from her work trying
to protect olive trees from demolition, or delivering milk powder
to children under curfew in Bethlehem, or acting as a human shield
in Arafat's compound in April. She constantly has a cellphone
to her ear, directing ISM'ers (she gave us advice as we were struggling
to get through the checkpoint) or speaking with Palestinians (she
is Israeli-Canadian, is fluent in Arabic, English and Hebrew).
Just walking down the street with her, everyone comes up to greet
her, tell her their problems, from very early morning to very
late at night. She is the embodiment of commitment, as well as
warmth and humanity and courage -- and humility. And getting to
my 2nd high point there 2) she began to lead us in "Free
Palestine" chants at the beginning of our solidarity march
with Palestinians, to break the curfew, the 3rd of these in 3
weeks. We were close to 100 total, half Palestinian and half internationals,
as we marched through the Old City and into the rest of Nablus,
with many signs, from "2 million under curfew, end the occupation"
to "women for peace, against occupation," to "the
whole world is watching" (my sign!), and others in Arabic,
"We have a right to food, we have a right to education, we
have a right to move freely, we have the right to work,"
etc.
There
were press there, and the next day my friend Siham in Jerusalem
told me my picture was in the Arab paper (Al Quds!). As I was
leaving Nablus, we heard reports that tanks and helicopters were
descending on Al Farah refugee camp outside Jenin, and ISMers
began the 3 hour walk there to act as human shields -- including
a man and woman from the Michigan peace team who appeared to be
in their late 60's or 70's. Such an amazing diversity of people
from around the world who are drawn to this work.
I am
out of time and need to end this, but need to also tell you briefly
about going to Jenin. My friend Zakaria drove us there for the
day, he is the person who helped guide the women's peace delegations
I lead in the early 90's....Even after hearing all the reports,
seeing some of the photos, I was completely unprepared for the
devastation....just mountains and mountains and mountains of rubble
--very much reminded me of post-earthquake scenes. I felt I was
walking through a graveyard. On the sand beneath our feet, part
of a sewing machine, video tape, a child's shoe. Above us half
of a house remaining, a couch hanging out of it. A smashed wheelchair.
As we walked and saw wires coming out of the ground, one of the
Palestinians with us said "we are walking on the 2nd story
of a house."
Unbelievable.
There are no words. Prayers in Hebrew started going through my
head. And then, from Babi Yar, "Let no one forget, let nothing
be forgotten." And the graffiti on walls: "Liberty or
death, we will not leave", "we will not forget, we will
not forgive." We had tea in a house overlooking the center
of the devastation --we sat in a 'living room' which only had
2 walls remaining -- so as we sat, we looked out on the wreckage
and rubble, there was no wall or window between us....
Over
800 homes were fully or partially destroyed, and tanks continue
to roll in here, people continue to be arrested, to be shot. My
friend Hanan, a Palestinian-Israeli woman lawyer, spent many,
many days here in April, interviewing people. She has still not
recovered from the experience. She said, "I'll never forget
this, I'll be telling my children, I lost 3 kilos of weight...I
am against the attacks on Israeli civilians -- but all the media
protests that, where is the media about all the Palestinians who
are dying? Is the blood of Palestinians so cheap?"
She told
me of a man in Nablus who lost 8 family members (90 people were
killed in Nablus in April/May, actually more than in Jenin). The
bulldozer destroyed his house and didn't give them the chance
to leave. Underneath the rubble they found his sister carrying
one child, and another sister carrying another....She spoke with
one man who was found under the rubble alive. He said the last
thing he heard was from his grandchildren crying "grandfather
we are so hungry, w e want to eat." He said that when the
rescuers found him, he thought he had died and that they were
angels."
