August 28, 2002
Report from Steve

On Sunday night, a Palestinian-American friend and I stayed once again at the home of a family in New Askar Refugee Camp in Nablus. Two sons of this family have been killed by the Israeli army and it is reasonable to assume that the house is slated for demolition. (The Israeli Supreme Court recently ruled that the army is not required to give any advance notice before coming to demolish a home.) I had many fascinating conversations with the family during the four nights I stayed at that particular house and was of course treated to the usual warm Palestinian hospitality. It's amazing how generous people are here, even when they have nothing. It will be difficult to stay in touch with them because access to the Internet is very limited at Askar and Israel is not currently allowing mail delivery in the West Bank.

At about midnight, the army sent up about 12 very bright and long-lasting flares over New Askar, Old Askar, nearby Balata Refugee Camp, and the nearby village of Azmut. One of the flares fell to the ground in Azmut and started a fire. We saw military vehicles moving from the Jewish settlement of Elon More, on the hill above us, toward Azmut. There were also F-16s flying overhead. We were really scared; I though that the flares were a prelude to aerial bombardment or an attack on foot. We called the U.S. Consulate to tell them what was happening and to inform them of the U.S. citizens on the ground; we were thinking of our own safety, and of using our presence to increase the safety of the Palestinians in the camp. The consulate was as hostile as always; European activists inform me that their consulates are much more helpful.

In the end, nothing happened in Askar Camp on Sunday night. Azmut probably got hit hard. The villages around Nablus are really suffering; while Nablus has been under curfew for more than 60 days, there are villages that have been under curfew for one or two years. The residents have no access to medical care, markets for their produce, etc.

On Monday morning, I took some video footage of graves of non-combatants from the camp killed by the army. They're buried in a playground because curfew did not allow people access to the cemetery. I also heard the story of the 7-year-old boy who was killed by Israeli fire while walking from his home in New Askar to the school in Old Askar. I've witnessed many instances of gratuitous Israeli firing, not aimed at anything in particular, meant for intimidation, and it is not at all surprising that from time to time someone gets in the way and is shot and killed. The solution to this problem, though, is not better military procedures for the Israel Occupation Force. The solution is an end to the occupation.

We set out from Askar Camp to walk to the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees. We were going to get a taxi from there to the Howarra Checkpoint. But when we got to the main road alongside Askar we found a tank in the road.  We stayed in sight of the tank for quite some time until it left; there were a lot of boys in the street, some of them throwing stones at the tank, and we didn't want them to get shot at.

We then walked down to an armored personnel carrier, where, we were told, two boys had been taken by the army. We got nowhere with the soldiers.  At least they didn't arrest us, as I feared they might.  We found the parents of the boys, who were of course beside themselves. We put them in touch with an Israeli human rights organization that tracks detainees, and got a cab to the UPMRC.

The cab had to leave us a short walk away from the UPMRC because of tanks in the road. The informal curfew network in Palestinian cities is amazing; drivers always stop and talk to each other, people keep in touch via cell phone, and boys in the street run up to drivers and pedestrians with information. Everyone is trying to figure out where the soldiers are and what's a safe route from A to B. Movement under curfew is not prevented, but is reduced to about 10% of what would be normal. People out trying to make a living or obtain food or medical care or visit a loved one, are criminalized and risk injury or death.

Curfew seemed especially tight on Monday in Nablus, with tanks and APCs in a number of unwanted locations. I have a really bad feeling about what the Israeli army may be planning for Nablus, especially as internationals beginning to leave the city to return home for work or school.

With our international privilege we were able to walk right by one of the tanks. As we turned the corner and approached the UPMRC there was an explosion so loud I felt it. It may have been one of the sound bombs the soldiers use to disperse crowds but I could detect no provocation for it.

We were able to make it from the UPMRC to the Howwara Checkpoint OK; our driver waited until it was reported that the tank on that road had moved. We were allowed to cross without questioning but a member of our group, a 72 year old Republican Arab-American from Cape Cod, then intervened on behalf of a family of ten, including a one-week old baby, who were waiting in the sun while the soldiers refused them passage. They were seeking medical care and had documentation to prove it. The activist from Cape Cod nagged the soldiers until two of the family were let through. He put the family in contact with the same Israeli human rights organization who later that day got them all across.

We took a taxi from Howwara to Jerusalem, picking up three activists at the Qalqilya Checkpoint along the way. Our taxi had Israeli license plates so we were able to travel on the settler road. The roadside is dotted with graffiti in Hebrew calling for death to the Arabs, vengeance, and expulsion. "Kahane was right" is a common one. Road signs indicating Jewish and Palestinian communities are in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, but on many signs the Arabic has been blacked out with spray paint.

The Qalqilya activists told me how they hade busted through that checkpoint a couple of days before--the army has figured out that it is in their interest to keep international witnesses out of occupied cities. The activists had waited for two hours and then just walked through. An Israeli film crew, there to film the wall that the army is building between Israel and the West Bank, refused to document the activists' defiance and urged the soldiers to arrest the activists. The film crew made a special point of indicating the one Palestinian among them and said, "Arrest him! Arrest him!" Fortunately by the time the soldiers got over their astonishment the activists were speeding away in a taxi. This was, of course, the kind of action that only internationals can undertake; Palestinians alone would run a high risk of being shot.

Arab East Jerusalem, victim of Israeli underdevelopment, has always seemed somewhat pathetic. But after Nablus it seemed like the land of plenty. It was amazing to see fully stocked food stores, open restaurants, and crowded sidewalks. I don't know how people in Nablus (Ramallah, Jenin, Tulkarm, Gaza...) can endure the deprivation month after month.

On Tuesday morning the Cape Cod activist and I went to the offices of HaMoked, the Israeli group that had helped us help people in Nablus, to thank them. We had a really good conversation with their director about the work they're doing and the work we're doing. Today (Wednesday), I'll try to meet with someone from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions to talk about their struggle of many years and about the successes we've met with so far by sleeping in threatened homes. It’s a losing battle. Israel is now talking about bulldozing houses of Israeli Palestinians as well. To my knowledge the homes of Jews accused of crimes are never destroyed.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to Bethlehem, where I was during the Israeli invasion in April. There was only one APC in town--the Israelis have otherwise pulled out--although they're expected to re-invade soon--and it was wonderful to see the city alive and vibrant. Sadly, I learned that five houses had been demolished there in one week; there was an insufficient international presence there to provide the houses with protection. A couple of weeks ago I had been there and had visited a demolished house; the family was living in a tent on top if the ruins. It was like 1948 all over again. I had some money that had been donated by workers at Oxygen, and gave it to a community leader to pass on to the family. They phoned to thank me a few days later.

I had a fantastic visit with my family is Azzeh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, where I had been in April. It was hard to say goodbye to them, just as it had been hard the day before to say goodbye to our friends in Askar. I hope to come back for all of next summer but that's a long way away.

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