Jews Against the Occupation

Reports from Palestine

 

"Tell Your People What is Happening!"

Lisa Adler, JATO activist and member of New York Solidarity Movement for a Free Palestine.

As I write the sadness and emotion I feel is overwhelming. Going to Palestine and seeing what I saw confirmed all my fears about what Israel, my “people,” are doing and I hope to convey this to you. Let me warn you—I have written several pages….I hope you take the time to read it (or at least skim it!) as I have taken the time to write to you out of a sense of urgency based on all that I saw and experienced…

My first few nights were spent in East Jerusalem, next to the part known as the “Old City”—holy for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. In the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, Israeli soldiers patrol, and every so often you will notice some Jews walking by.  For all intents and purposes, these Jews are settlers since they are purposely trying to buy up homes in the Muslim Quarter.  Also, they often travel with armed bodyguards.  These bodyguards patrol the streets and often harass Palestinians who live there. Ariel Sharon, for example, has bought a house right smack in the middle of a busy Palestinian market street, and while no one actually lives there or uses it, Israeli flags cover it to serve as a not-so-subtle reminder of their domination. 

We took a tour of the Old City and met with an African-Palestinian activist named “Ali.”   He has been involved in the struggle for liberation since he was a boy, and had many amazing stories to tell.  Ali spent significant time in jail as a political prisoner, but says that in fact he now lives in a “bigger jail.”  For him, the fundamental problem with Israel is that “you can never build your happiness on the misery of others.”   To me, this quote says a lot because indeed, since the founding of the state of Israel, the oppression of the Palestinian people has been integral to the development of this Jewish state.

We then met with an American Jew who has now lived in Israel for decades.  His name is Jeffrey Halpern and he runs an organization called the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions—they do anti-Occupation work.  The organization is really good and offers excellent statistics and maps on the Occupation—how it works, how it kills-and to expose why the supposed “generous offer” of Barak in 2000 was not generous at all.  If you’re interested, check them out at www.icahd.org.  They have especially good statistics on the settlements of the West Bank, which have been increasingly rapidly since 1993….settler, as you know, are the most fanatic Zionists…they purposefully move into Palestinian areas, and the government facilitates this process by clearing out land (read: clearing Palestinian families out), building Jewish-only roads that further cut through Palestinian land, using up the natural resources (like water) for the settlements (they receive in extremely disproportionate percentage of all local resources)..settlers are also usually armed.  Looking at pictures of the settlements, they almost look like movie sets, surreal….small little suburban-like communities, surrounded by extreme poverty and oppression….makes you sick, really.  Oh, and I should add, MANY of the settlers are in fact Brooklyn-born American Jews. 

Politically, I had some conflict with him (Jeffrey Halpern) because in the end, he is a Zionist.  That is, he believes in the existence of a Jewish State, as opposed to a secular democratic state.  I disagree with this wholeheartedly because there cannot be true equality nor democracy in a Jewish state for its non-Jewish citizens.  The very premise of a Jewish state means that those who are not Jewish, will necessarily not receive the same privileges and rights.  Now, most people argue that the creation of a Jewish state was necessary following the Holocaust.  A place of refuge for Jews was definitely necessary, but this could have been achieved in a secular state.  Moreover, we must question why the United States did NOT open its doors to Jews during this time, and we must wonder why Europe, the place where Jews were so oppressed, did not seek to create this space in its land.  Instead, Zionism spoke of Jews as the chosen people (implying that others are not chosen), and a state was created that pushed people off their land!!! 

Okay, I seem to be rambling here, and I do believe that the work of that organization is important.  I encourage folks to check out their website.   

So after meeting with this guy, we went to a protest against house demolitions in an Arab neighborhood outside Tel Aviv.  The victims of this kind of house demolitions are Israeli-Palestinians, or those Palestinians that fell inside the “green line” of 1948.  While these Palestinians do have Israeli citizenship, their experience parallels that of people of color here in the United States, who while maintaining citizenship are NOT granted the same rights nor opportunity.  They are seriously discriminated against, and housing is one of the most glaring areas where this is evident.  Essentially, their homes are demolished to make room for Jewish homes.  It was very interesting being at the rally, because there was a pretty even split of Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, a coalition we often don’t see or hear about here in the U.S.   

The next day, Tuesday, we set off for Ramallah, the second largest Palestinian city next to East Jerusalem and home to Yasir Arafat.  This was my first encounter with a checkpoint, and thus my first experience with the psychological aspect of the Occupation.  In order to go into or out of the city (and remember, ALL major cities and most towns in the West Bank have checkpoints controlling them), you must stand in a line until you reach the front and are then motioned to show your identification card (all Palestinians, including Israeli citizens must carry them).  Those that are from the West Bank and Gaza have green or orange ones, and those that are from East Jerusalem or other “inside the green line” areas have blue ones.  At any given moment, the soldiers will cease to allow folks to go through, sometimes for as long as several hours.  At any given moment, the soldier will call only “blue cards” forward, privileging those Palestinians for no reason other than to cause commotion in the line.  You wait out in the open, under the hot sun, squished with all those waiting, hoping to get through.  Essentially, there is NO way to predict how long it will take, thus making it impossible to arrive anywhere on time—i.e., to work.  Because of these checkpoints, thousands of Palestinians have lost their jobs.  Moreover, every Palestinian experiences day in and day out the humiliation of having to essentially plead permission to move around in their own land!  Soldiers at these checkpoints, usually 18-21 years old, regularly yell at people, push them, sometimes just deny them access for the hell of it.  Young men are particularly targeted since ALL young Palestinian men are presumed terrorist.  I saw all of these first-hand, it is very real and is speaks to the psychological aspect (waiting, humiliation, constraint) of the Occupation.   

Ramallah should be a bustling city.  During the day it remains so, although the economy depends almost entirely on the outdoor market, since no one as access to jobs in Jerusalem anymore.  Yet at 4pm, the city shuts down completely because Ramallah is under curfew.  So imagine a bustling city all of a sudden empty and quiet with tanks rolling through to impose a curfew that if violated (meaning, if you go outside), can easily result in being shot and killed.  Children, nonetheless, roam around, unwilling to accept this curfew, and when the tanks come through they hide, only to quickly reemerge. It is resistance no doubt, in its most subtle form.   

Our second day in Ramallah we followed through with a direct action. The day before the Israeli army had bombed Gaza, killing a Hamas activist along with about 15 others, mostly children. The action was in response to the Gaza massacre as well as in opposition to the continued military presence in Ramallah and all over the Occupied Territories. We went to the municipal palace, where the military had taken over and was now based, and while one group distracted the soldiers with chanting and what not, a smaller group of about 6 snuck in from the side to spray paint the tanks and spill red paint (symbolizing blood) on them. The soldiers immediately starting shooting in the air and at the ground, throwing sound bombs, and doing everything to scare us—yet, it is was evident that they would not hurt us, demonstrating our privileged treatment over Palestinians. One tank was successfully covered, and no one was detained. It also made the news, which was positive.

The following is actually partially written by a friend of mine of the delegation—I have added and edited though so as it fit my own experience…

We then went to Nablus which had been under an all-day curfew for 35 days (and continues as I write this). It is lifted about every 8 days for 5 hours for people to restock their homes, stores, medical centers, etc. We immediately went to a village called Iraq Bouren where all the men had been arrested by the military. They interrogated all the men, and when we came they started to release them. But they were refusing to return 9 men's ID cards (it's illegal to walk around without your ID card), so we tried to pressure them to give the ID cards back by sitting in front of the jeeps. They returned the cards, released the remaining men and left.

Most of the internationals stayed that night in the village in order to make sure the military did not return for reprisal. A smaller group of us left to go to a refugee camp called Balata. The walk there was intense as it was pitch black with snipers and tanks hidden in the surrounding mountains. Yet the fear we felt can be nothing compared to the daily fear of Palestinians who know they can get shot at any point and for any reason. On our way, two jeeps of soldiers intercepted us and again, we witnessed our privileged status as internationals. Four men were with us who had been detained that day and were trying to return to their village nearby, and the soldiers immediately demanded their ID cards. An ambulance cam to pick us up but the drivers were too frightened to take the men to their town (since the area is filled with snipers who regularly shoot at ambulances). The men, desperate to return to their families, agreed to be escorted (by the soldiers!) to their town while we returned to the city. To be honest, I have no idea what happened to them and can only pray they are still alive.

Upon returning to Nablus, we gathered our belongings and headed to the refugee camp, Balata, to stay in the homes of the families whose homes are under threat of being demolished. The hope is that an international presence will help diminish the threat of destruction. We immediately saw many of the demolished houses as well as all of the surrounding houses that were half destroyed when the military destroyed their neighbors homes. Families are still living in these half-torn-apart homes. The conditions in the camps are shocking; the poverty is intense.

A moment to describe the children. There are so many beautiful sweet and friendly children running around the streets, and so many heart-breaking stories about how the children used to draw trees and cars but now draw guns and tanks. Everyone talks about how the next generation (and the next generation and the next generation) will continue to resist until Palestine is free, and it's clear that the children have already dedicated their lives to their struggle for freedom. In fact, there was a march during my last day there to demand a lifting of the curfew (which was going on Day 8 without ANY lifting), and the march was led by the children of the city! They were truly amazing—chanting, marching, holding their signs proudly and showing their intense commitment to resist!

So I stayed in the Balata refugee camp for 2 nights. This is one of the many camps that house the Palestinian refugees from the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The family with whom I am staying came from Haifa originally (which they cannot even visit now because of the occupation). The people in the camp were wonderful to us, even when they didn't know that we are international volunteers who support their struggle. The children run around asking "What's your name? Salaam! Shalom!" And the adults ask us where we are from, if we need help and would we like any tea? There is intense poverty in the refugee camps; 75% of people in the West Bank and Gaza live below the poverty line and this is even more intense in the refugee camps where families of 10 and 15 live in three-room houses crowded together between narrow alleys. The walls are full of bullet holes and covered with Israeli military signs to indicate the directions for invading soldiers (like arrows pointing the invasion routes and x's marking homes to be targeted and even starts of David to serve as reminders of their presence and occupation).

Houses destroyed by detonation and bombing are scattered throughout the camp. But now, the military doesn't even dare to enter the crowded camps because this is where the resistance is the most intense. The first night we stayed in Balata, we were waiting in the street to be taken to our houses when we heard the near-by rumbling of a tank followed by a huge chorus of young voices shouting in Arabic; "Come on! We'll take you!" followed by a hail of stones and bottles. Two men strolled by holding what a guide told us was a pipe bomb, and as we talked young men set fires in the street to prevent the tanks from moving forward. When we were shocked, our guide told us this was an everyday occurrence, commenting that this was "after all, a war zone." What seems so strong and inspiring and frightening to us is just a daily reality for the children of Balata.

But the Palestinian resistance is not just the nightly actions to keep the tanks from invading the camps. Just the attempt to survive under the occupation requires daily acts of resistance. Every day, people have to break the curfew that has lasted for more than 9 days just to get food for their families. Children run in the streets and play even though it is prohibited by the Israeli army, flying kites made of the Palestinian flag high above the city. When the schools are shut down by the curfew (as they have been here for 35 days running), teachers often run classes in their homes.

A moment on the suicide bombings. First, let me say that it is NO coincidence that most of them are from refugee camps….these are young men and women who are born into unthinkable conditions and face the oppression of the Israeli government and military daily. These are young man and women who see their families die, their home destroyed….they see no other choice other than to resist and they choose to kill themselves rather than live….and yes, they also choose to kill Israeli civilians which whether we condone or condemn, we must understand within the context of these young men and women’s lives….the more Israel occupies and oppresses, the more young men and women will reach the level of desperation and anger that causes them to explode themselves and kill others.

The day I had to leave, other International Solidarity Movement activists accompanied villagers from the near-by village of Iraq Boreen when they went to take down the two roadblocks that were preventing supply trucks from reaching their village. They watched to make sure the military wasn't coming while they dug away the dirt and the boulders. They all cheered as the first truck went through (and then the first donkey).

But this resistance is not just spontaneous. Yesterday, we saw men walking through the Old City with their faces wrapped in red khaffiyas distributing flyers from Fateh calling on the Palestinian people to resist the occupation by breaking the curfew and by resisting the Israeli military authority at the check-points.

And then there are more clearly organized forms of resistance. There are many grassroots organizations that work to help the Palestinian people survive and to build the resistance to the occupation. The Union of Palestinian Women's Associations (an explicitly left grassroots organization whom we met with in Ramallah) organize economic cooperatives for women, run kindergartens that teach children about democracy and gender equality (by having boys and girls switch between playing with doctor toys and kitchen toys) and serve on the front-lines of resistance in the streets. And the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees that runs the incredible ambulance services that braved the hail of bullets and bombs of the recent invasion of Nablus. Just to give an example, the UPMRC ran a children's day camp yesterday morning, providing medical care for children (breaking the curfew) while they painted faces and played games. And like I already mentioned, in the afternoon, the children marched through the Old City of Nablus, holding empty plates, milk bottles and signs saying "Occupation Kills Kids!" in protest of the curfew which prohibits families from providing for their basic needs.

Leaving Nablus, we had yet another checkpoint “experience” as they were about 15 people pleading with the soldiers to get through. “But the city is closed!” they kept yelling. We negotiated for hours, and eventually most were let through although as usual, the young men were not. One women and her daughter were told they could get through but the nephew, about 18 years old, could not. The woman refused to leave her nephew behind since she knew it was unsafe for him to walk alone. He needed to get back because he had school the next day (in Jordan), but like so many others he would be denied the chance….on our way back to Jerusalem our driver pulled over to where about 20 Palestinians (and their cars) were. As it turns out, they had been pulled over by the military, who then took all their IDs and car keys and left them there for 6 hours! The families had been without water and food and had no option but to wait because without their IDs, there is nothing they can do.

They asked us—and this is something that almost ALL Palestinians asked—were we going to go home to the U.S. and tell our people what is happening? I really can't emphasize enough how many people asked us that…and so that is what I am attempting to begin to do with this email…I fear that my report has not done justice to the horror I witnessed, but I hope that at least I have demonstrated at least to some degree that the oppression and occupation of the Palestinian people is SO real and so devastating that we cannot continue to sit idly by….I need not remind you that it is our tax money that is going towards this inhumanity…and to my fellow Jews, please take this time to think about what is happening in our name—this is NOT what our ancestors, who suffered themselves so much at the hands of oppression, would have wanted—by staying silent, we are spitting on their graves…we must speak out and break the code of silence and ignorance…

I would love to talk further with any one of you about all this….

In Solidarity for a Free Palestine,

Lisa.