Here I Am: Palestine 2005

Latest 'news'

2005-08-29T14:51:00.000+03:00

Wow, can you believe that it's almost September? Time sure does fly. Life in Palestine continues forth at a steady pace. I've moved into my own place, I'm working full-time at the AIC and in the mean time, I'm still meeting lots of new people and enjoying life as a pseudo-Arab. Lately I've been dealing with a little bit of homesickness - nothing that I didn't expect though and certainly something that will pass. I think part of it comes from knowing that my friends will all be heading back to school soon, meaning they will all be in the company of one another while I'm still here, as one friend recently wrote me, "fighting the good fight." My roommate Jessica will be in Spain for 1st quarter though and so it's nice to know that when I return, she and I will be in a similar boat; both desperately trying to catch up on all of the latest gossip....haha, some things never change.

I'm also greatly comforted by the fact that I know my sister, who is also named Jessica, will be coming to visit me in October. That's right - look out Palestine, two Stonex girls at once! Now how lucky are they? Jessica's visit here is motivated I'm sure mainly by the fact that she misses her dear little sister horribly, but also because she is an extremely intelligent woman and is truly curious to see what is actually going on here. She will be here for about 3 weeks, giving her enough time to really explore the issue and giving me just the family fix that I need!

Onto Palestinian news. I'm sure by now you all know about yesterday's bombing in Be'er Sheba. The Al-Aqsa Brigades, which is the armed resistance wing of the political party Fatah, as well as Siria Al-Quds, the armed resistance wing of the political party Islamic Jihad, jointly claimed responsibility for the attack. Of course the PA once again condemned the attacks, but to say what goes through everyone elses mind when they hear a PA statement, "What good does their public condemnation do?" Now in an ironic state of thankfulness, the only casualty in this particular event was the suicide bomber himself. But, none-the-less suicide bombing is depressing and everytime one occurs, I feel a little bit more hopeless. However, it's not until I get on-line to read the international news for the day that my hope really plummets.

The suicide bombing is everywhere, statements are being issued right and left that this was wrong and should be internationally condemned. That these Arab and, usually always mentioned, Muslim terrorists are truly the ones that are preventing any steps towards peace. However, no where in all of this international news did I read about the five young men who were recently murdered in Tulkuram during an invasion staged to arrest a "wanted" member of the Islamic Jihad. Israeli forces came in, saw the man that they wanted and then opened fire on the crowd whom were standing near him in the open marketplace. 17 year old, Anas Assaf Abu Zeineh, had a bullet in his head. 16 year old Mahmoud Ismail Ahdeib had a bullet in the sex organs and another in his thigh. Eighteen year old Majdi Hussein had bullets in his neck, belly and skull. And 17 year old Mohammed Abd Al Latif had a bullet in his belly. The man they wanted, 28 year old Adel Ghawi, had a bullet in his back and heart.

Now I'm hardly here to play judge and jury and to suggest that one tragedy is more important or more appalling than the next. Nor am I suggesting that the media could possibly properly cover and report every story of death and tragedy that happens over here . My concern is within the overall Western sentiment that comes as a result of that which is reported. When stories of Arab terrorism are constantly being reported and stories of Israeli terrorism (or as usually dubbed by the media, 'security measures') are constantly being left out, what happens to the public view of this conflict? It's easy to point fingers and say "well they did this, that's why we are reacting like this," but the fact is: peace will never occur until both sides admit that they have terrorized the other. If every measure taken by the Israeli government continues to be done in the name of security and if every reaction taken by militant Palestinian groups continue to be done in the name of defense, peace will never be realized. That, my friends, is why the light that I'm searching for at the end of the tunnel grows dimmer each time I open the news.

Until next time.....

Nightmare

2005-08-23T12:15:00.000+03:00

I had my first "Palestinian" nightmare the other night. I call it a "Palestinian" nightmare because I imagine that dreams like this are reoccurring with those who have truly experienced the horror of this Occupation. Now after two months of hearing their stories, my dreams are haunted by the terror that has become the innocents' reality.

In my dream, I was back at home in Castle Rock. My dad and I were taking a walk up our small private road, enjoying the quiet and the peacefulness that surrounds our home. As we neared the top of our drive, the atmosphere began to change and all of a sudden I felt an great sense of fear and urgency. My dad turned his head toward the left and said to me, "Sis, they're coming. Go tell the neighbors." I watched as he ran towards the left side of the road to warn the neighbors of the tanks that I saw slowly making their way up our little, quiet, undisturbed road. At the moment I saw the tanks coming towards me I heard from above a noise that seemed to make its way into my bones. Looking towards the sky I saw helicopters and lights as soldiers were doing a sweep of our neighborhood. I ran to the neighbor's house opposite of where my father was. As I bounded up their doorstep I remember thinking of the little girl and the new baby that lived in the house with their parents. I reached the front door and began banging, screaming through the front door "Get out of your house, they're here, they're here!" Out of the home came a reply, "We're not going anywhere. How many times does this have to happen before you realize that they only do this to scare us?! I refuse to move my children out of here again!" At this point, tears were flooding down my face and I was begging, pleading with my neighbor, "Please, just go to the bomb shelter - they're going to shell, I know it, they're going to shell." I remember running around my neighbor's house, trying to get in to save her children and then my dad was at my side dragging me away telling me that we had to save our own family. We began running down the hill towards my mom, my sisters and my brother. About half way down my dad screamed at me to get down as he proceeded to push me and throw his body on top of mine. At that moment I heard an immense explosion and looked behind me. My neighbor's house had instantly become a ball of flames and smoke. Hysterical, I began running back up the hill, determined to find the family and drag them out. Then I was on my knees as my mom held me and told me that they couldn't have survived, that I would be committing suicide if I went in there. As I woke up, covered in sweat and choking on my own sobs, the last words of my dream echoed in my head, "I warned them....I tried to save them, I tried to save them."

Update on Michelle

2005-08-16T11:32:00.000+03:00

I received this email a few days ago, updating friends and family on the status of Michelle's "contraband."

Hi Friends and Family,

Sorry it has been so long since I contacted all you again. I wanted to give you a quick update. I am currently in Cyprus and will be heading to Beirut on Sunday. Nick has joined me and we are looking forward to five days in Lebanon.

After 24 hours in Cyprus, I was notified by the Larnaca airport that my computer had arrived in Cyprus. I went back to the airport, retrieved my computer, shampoo, conditioner and herbal essence hair product. Reflecting on my experience, it is apparent that the Israeli security personnel did not think that I was a real threat to Israeli security.

If I was a real threat they never would have let me fly in the first place
If my computer actually had information that they needed they would not ship it back to me- within 24hrs.
Items such as sunglasses, vitamins, battery charger, computer cord, bobypins, etc. are not security threats. (These things were kept permanently by the Israelis) Taking these things and never returning them is a tactic employed to first and foremost to cause me anxiety, humiliation and annoyance.
I am sure that the Israeli Government knows that my vitamins, sunglasses and bobypins are not a national security threat, thus striping me to my underwear, detaining me, denying me my right to contact the US embassy, etc. are all measures to scare me into never returning to Israel to work with the Palestinian people.
My story of detainment unfortunately is well known and not uncommon among internationals that travel to the West Bank, thus, such treatment has been standardized as a tactic and policy of the Israeli Government and airport security.

So, the good news is that this is all behind me. I am unsure what my future plans are, as a lot of luggage is still in Palestine and my return ticket to the States is out of Tel Aviv. I just wanted to let you all know that there is nothing to worry about--- I am fine, drinking Ouzo and enjoying myself in the Mediterranean.

Luv

Michelle

Disengagement

2005-08-16T11:30:00.000+03:00

The atmosphere in the West Bank has been rather anxious lately as the Gaza disengagement began last night at midnight. So far, things have been fairly quiet but I don't really have any expectations for this to be a lasting quiet. There are many predictions of a third intifada, an Israeli civil war and/or of Palestinian civil war. The thought of all three of these occurring simultaneously has led me to consider keeping my bags packed and by my front door for the next few weeks.....but I suppose it's pretty unproductive to live in fear. Therefore, I plan on continuing with life remaining cautious and aware of the situation but not overly fearful. It would be quite the event if double civil war plus an international uprising took place all at once, so I'm putting this possibility towards the end of my probability list. Civil war is something that wouldn't surprise me that much however. There are some extremely pissed off Israeli settlers, many who have no intention to leave Gaza. This on top of the gnarly remarks that they've made concerning the Israeli government and their particularly "special" treatment of Palestinians, I would not put it past the settlers to have their own little uprising and violently resist the pull out.
As for the Palestinians, with Gaza being handed over to the P.A., I believe that either major reform will be called for by the masses or an attempt to overthrow the current authority could be felt. Drowning in its own depravity, the P.A. is becoming less and less credible with the Palestinian people especially as it continues its negotiations with an authority that is building a Wall enclosing its people. Although the pullout is more than welcomed by Palestinians, it is hardly seen as an optimistic sign for what is to come regarding the conflict. Now it appears that this pullout merely means that Gaza will be a caged fight between the P.A. and those fed up with its practices.
Now I realize this all sounds ominous and foreboding, but I guess that my point is that regardless of what American media is sending your way, the disengagement is neither a step towards peace nor a peaceful process. I'll keep you all updated as events unfold and chaos ensues....please be praying for peace....scratch that, please do not stop praying for peace. It's desperately needed.

Another Day, Another Checkpoint

2005-08-09T13:32:00.000+03:00

After seeing Jen off at her family's home in Jerusalem, Shab, Katy & I decided to head into the Old City and do some shopping. Always an adventure, full of lots of bargaining and less buying, we decided that a break was in order and stopped for coffee before heading home. After our short stop, we trekked back to the Bethlehem bus, boarded (exhausted might I add) and with visions of dinner dancing in our heads, we sat back for the short ride to the Bethlehem checkpoint. Now on most days, passage through this checkpoint takes international citizens about 5 minutes. Occassionally it takes longer, but this is only due to the ridiculously pathetic advances made by the young and evidently horny soldiers manning the area. Today was much like the rest, I barely flashed my blue passport and was given the go ahead to pass through. However, as I exited the other side of the checkpoint, I looked across the road to the other side of the base and saw a group of about 60 Palestinians being detained under a few trees.
Looking at Shab and Katy, we quickly decided that we could not very well pass without inquiring as to what was going on. So we walked up to the female soldier that was standing there and asked her what was up.
"These people were trying to enter Israel illegally."
"All of them?"
"Yes."
"How long have they been here?"
"Some 5 minutes, some maybe 10."
"So you're telling me that within the past 10 minutes, 60 people tried to illegally enter Jerusalem. A conspiracy, I'm sure."
"Well maybe it's been more like 15 minutes."
"Do I look stupid? Can we talk to them?"
"No, they're dangerous."
"Uh - huh....that 15 year old girl sure does look dangerous, thanks for looking out for us. By the way, why is she being held, she certainly is not 18."
"Nobody told her that she had to stay."
"Uh-huh....she just voluntarily decided to sit down at the side of the road? I'm sure that gun pointed in her direction had nothing to do with it."
"We didn't tell her that she had to stay."
"Rrrright. So when are they going to be released?"
"After we get done checking to make sure that they are safe to release. You need to leave now."
"You have no authority to make me leave this area, we're sitting here until they are released."
10 minutes later the women and many of the men were released. Now before you get too excited, it's quite possible that the whole timing of their release was a mere coincidence. There's no telling what actions help or worsen the moods of the soldiers and therefore the treatment of the Palestinians. But as they fled past us, everyone looked at the three of us Americans and many offered "Shukrans (thank yous) and Salam Alaykums (Peace be with you)." I was able to stop the young girl that I saw and asked her how old she was and how long she had been waiting. She was thirteen and had been detained for three hours. When I asked her why she was detained, she said that she had no idea. She had been trying to come home, into Bethlehem, from Jerusalem after spending the day there with a totally legal permit. She had been let into the land that is supposedly being kept safe from terrorism via a big cement wall, but was not allowed to go back to the town that she calls home and holds an identity card for. Again that wonderful rationality.
After the mass of people left, a soldier walked up to us and asked, "Are you happy now?"
Stupid question.
"Have you ended the occupation?" I sarcastically replied. "Why haven't the other men been released?"
"They're ex-terrorists and we're checking their backgrounds."
"Ooohhhh ex-terrorists, what constitutes that label?"
"Some have thrown stones, others have..."
"I'm sorry, what?? You seriously are calling a stone thrower an ex-terrorist? I can't deal with this anymore, I have to sit down."
And so sit we did for two hours until it got dark. During this time another six men were released, but we were "encouraged" to leave (ie the soldier's statement, "It's getting dark and sometimes we shoot at things moving in the dark if we don't know what they are. We wouldn't want you to get hurt." Don't worry mom, at least someone is looking out for my security) and therefore left before the additional men were sent home.
This was yet another painfully obvious example of the humiliation that is caused by this illegal and inhumane occupation. These people were neither terrorists nor attempting to "illegally" enter Jerusalem. Most of them were either women returning home from a day of shopping in the Old City or men who were returning home to their wives and children after a day of work - some within the city of Jerusalem and others far outside the city limits. Is it not enough that Palestinians are denied entry into a city that has been a pivotal part of their economical, social and spiritual lives for hundreds of years but now they cannot even return to their homes and land, that has been oh so "generously given" to them, without being hasseled and humiliated? My frustration and hurt cannot be expressed within this blog entry so this is where I will end for now......................

Good-Bye

2005-08-09T12:46:00.000+03:00

I've been dreading this week for a while now. You see, for most of the internationals that I have met this summer, their Palestine summer ecounter ends on Thursday (This is the official end date of the Holy Land Trust program). So a tearful week began on Sunday as I had to say my first good-bye as Jennifer left this country and flew back to New York.
Jen is Jewish and for the past two months she has been living with a Muslim family in Beit Sahour. Radical in her religious and social ideologies, Jen is an amazing example of the love and justice that is the foundation of the Jewish religion. An adamant supporter of the Palestinian cause, Jen has refused to be thumbed under any stereotype and is continually providing hope with the mere presence of her being.
Although I greatly miss Jen and found it very hard to say goodbye, the most emotional part of her departure came as I stood in her host family's home and watched her leave those who had become so dear to her heart. The recollection of it brings back the tears to my eyes:

Jen exchanged hugs and promises of visits, emails, etc with each member of the family - a feeling of heaviness hung in the air as nobody knew for sure when it would be possible to see each other again. However a feeling of great love and appreciation was also felt as both sides conveyed through their tears that nobody was leaving unchanged; it was clear that in these past two months Jen had fallen in love with her family and her family had fallen in love with her. Finally, it was time for Jen to say good bye to her host mother and in a moment so powerful that words could never convey the sincerity of it all, I found myself feeling so blessed that I was present to witness this final good bye. Their faces wet with tears, Jen and her mother clung to one another. I watched as they kissed eachother's cheeks and listened as Jen's Muslim host mother repeated over and over to her Jewish guest, "Binti, Binti...My daughter, my daughter."

My Room Mate - the Terrorist

2005-08-08T11:15:00.000+03:00

I received this email last night from my roomie Michelle. Michelle is a 24 year-old grad student at PSU. She has just finished her course work and needs only to write her thesis in order to obtain her Master's degree in Peace & Conflict Resolution. The irrationality of what Michelle went through is mind boggling. This scare tactic is commonly used by the Israeli Authorities and is used to try and deter people from entering Israel out of fear.

Dear Friends and Family,

Today I was detained at the Israeli airport for three hours and my computer was confiscated. Upon entering the airport and having my passport scanned, I was asked to evacuate my car while security forces searched for explosives. All of my luggage was scanned piece by piece and I was separated from the general public for 2 hours. I was stripped searched down to my underwear, forced to leave my bags without supervision with the Israeli airport security forces and was not allowed to contact the American embassy. I asked repeatedly to contact the American embassy and was not allowed access to my cell phone until my computer was taken out of my custody.

Upon refusing to hand over my computer, I was told that I would be permanently detained in Israel until I gave up my computer for 24 hours. I was also told by Israeli airport security forces that would not be allowed to ever fly on the same airplane as the computer. Upon failure to hand over my computer and comply with airport security, would result in future detainment at the airport and denial to leave the country.

I was examined and cross-examined by a total of 5-6 people during a three-hour process. At no point during my time at the airport was I asked if I had entered the West Bank, worked with the Palestinians or entered in and out of checkpoints.

Upon arriving in Cyprus the following items have been confiscated until further notice:
Computer
Computer cord
Computer bag
Computer picture cord
Camera charger
Shampoo
Conditioner
Herbal Essence hair product
Father’s contact card

I am in the process of contacting the American Embassy and will keep you updated on future developments.

Peace,
Michelle

Excerpt from Michelle's Entry

2005-07-28T11:49:00.000+03:00

This is an excerpt of what my room mate Michelle wrote regarding yesterday's demolition:

"While people in the West have a strong affiliation with their home, some more then others, in Palestine the home is the nucleus that ties together the family and the land. Many Palestinians have passed down the same home for generations, thus hundreds of years. During my time here I have seen homes that were built 1000 years ago. The homes in Palestine are the membrane that holds together the family. Palestinians are born and die in their homes. Homes are where the stories are told, the songs are taught, the food is cooked, the weddings take place, the garden is tended. Palestinians work their whole lives to build a home that holds both the immediate and extended family. Many of the family homes are unique only to this region. They are built of white washed stone, stone that is as old as the earth and stacked layer upon layer, each generation expanding the family structure. Many families have a strip of land, in which all the family lives next door to one another. Most houses are four or five stories, with each family having their own flat.

The house demolition today was more then an act of state sponsored terrorism by the State of Israel. The demolition of these people's home was a direct action taken by the Israeli government to continue to handicap, humiliate, weaken and ultimately destroy the fabric of Palestinians livelihood and existence in Palestine. When one does not have a home, what are they to do? These families, not only lost their home today, but they lost everything they could not haul out of the house in an hour."

House Demolitions

2005-07-28T10:32:00.000+03:00

I write this today with an extremely heavy heart and burdened spirit. Yesterday I stood in protest and watched helplessly as a bulldozer demolished two houses right before my eyes. But let me start from the beginning.......
Yesterday morning I woke up, took a nice hot shower, sat around and ate breakfast with Michelle (my roomie). We had decided to go into work with Rafat, our host dad, as he works at Holy Land Trust (the organization that we are affiliated with). The plan was to go to the nearby refugee camp, Aida, as their was a creative protest going on there. An artist had come in and drew a large beach scene on the Wall and then HLT had a truck full of sand brought in and dumped in front of the mural. Chairs, umbrellas, and a barbeque were set up, all in a way to say: this Wall is not going to ruin the spirit of the people in this land. I thought this was a great idea and both Michelle and I were excited to go. However, when we got to the office Sami Awad, the director of HLT, came in and told us that they just found out about 2 house demolitions that were going to take place soon in Al Khader. Al Khader is very close to Bethlehem and he said that they were all going to go out there if we wanted to join. Knowing that it would not be easy, but important for us to see, we both decided to go with them. Little did I know just how hard it would be.
When we arrived at the "protest" there were already a group of locals gathered to watch and stand in solidarity with the family. As a group from HLT, there were 3 Americans and 5 Palestinians with us. Rafat led the way holding the Palestinian flag and as we marched down that hill towards the grieving families, more people fell into line and marched with us. Scared and unsure of what was going to happen, I prayed the whole way down.
As we got closer to the homes, a group of IDF soldiers began to form a line in front of us - it was clear that they were not going to allow us to go any closer to the homes or the families. Sami and Rafat spoke with one of the soldiers saying that this was a peaceful protest and we only wanted to stand in solidarity with the family. However, the soldiers used force and pushed Sami and Rafat telling them that there was no way that they could pass. Important to point out here is that the road which we were marching on is a Palestinian road, under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority and it was completely illegal for the IDF to block us from proceeding. We tried to compromise with the soldiers for another 15 minutes, until all of a sudden I heard the noise that completely broke my heart.
I heard first the screeching of the demolition crane followed by the torturous squeaking of the bulldozer - and in front of my very eyes I watched as a home was completely destroyed. As my eyes took in the evil sight, my ears went deaf and my head began to spin. It was as if the entire world had stopped moving and I was the only one who existed in that moment, just me and that crane, that horrible, ugly, monstrous crane. In this same moment I realized that I could no longer hold it together. I fell to my knees and sobbed. My heart was so full of grief and my head was so full of confusion. How could anyone possibly do this to another? How can the men, operating those vehicles sleep at night? How did such evil ever become okay in this world and where were all of the people who did not think that this was in fact okay? Even though I was surrounded by many people, I felt so alone. My heart physically hurt and I did not think that my tears would ever run dry.
As I looked up through my blurred vision, I saw that most of the Palestinian men had gathered in a line, standing face to face with the IDF. As the demolition continued, I watched as these men grabbed the hands of those next to them, intertwined their fingers and raised their arms symbolizing to the family that this tragedy was not going unnoticed. Of course this made me cry harder and I was sure that someone would have to carry me out of there.
However, I knew that my tears would only be effective to an extent and I tried to compose myself. For the next three hours, I took about a hundred pictures and talked with some of the locals that had gathered. As time passed I became bolder and bolder, knowing that what was happening was so wrong. Finally I approached a soldier who was giving a Palestinian kid a hard time. I told the soldier to leave the kid alone, he wasn't going to hurt him. After all the kid was about 12 and defenseless. Meanwhile the soldier had two guns, tear gas, and a grenade. I asked the soldier how old he was. "20," he replied. "So we're the same age," I got out through my gasp. Then I asked, "How can you honestly live the rest your life knowing that you have helped carry out this destruction today? We have so much life left to live, do you honestly believe that this is what it's about." As he averted his eyes from my gaze, I knew what his answer was. "Why are you doing this anyways, what has your government told you that makes you think that this is okay?" His answer did not surprise me as I know what the Israeli government tells these men. "This house is an illegal structure. It's a security risk." Calmly, or what I thought was calmly, I told him "This house has been here longer than the Israeli Authority has even been in power. This land is Palestinian land, although it is slowly being stripped from their hands. The only thing illegal about this whole thing is the demolition and the settlement on the other side of this road. Do you honestly think that your duty as a human being is to ensure the security of an illegally built settlement at the expense of an entire generation of Palestinians?" "It's my civil duty," he replied. "No, your civil duty is to humanity. Not to a power hungry government that is stripping hope and peace from a Holy Land. The only civil duty that you have is to say enough and to tell your government to stop these atrocious, inhumane and spirit destroying orders." At this he looked into my eyes one more time, turned around and walked away. Throughout the rest of the day I noticed that every time I looked at one of the soldiers, they could not hold my gaze. Their hearts were so obviously conflicted that it was painful to see.
After both homes were demolished, the soldiers continued to refuse entry to the sites. However, Michelle, Stephanie and I played the American card and told them that we were going up and that it was probably not wise to stop us. As we marched towards the rubble of the homes my heart was pounding. I turned a corner and saw the first heap. Stone, steel, wood, all kinds of material whose purposes were now indecipherable. It was hard to tell that this had actually been a home. Three children were sitting on top of the rubble, not saying a thing, just looking. I couldn't handle it, I turned to leave. And as I was turning I saw out of the corner of my eye, under a tree with his face in his hands, the owner of the home. He must have been around 70 years old. He was sobbing. I probably do not need to tell you my reaction.
Next to this man was a pile of chairs and table, some tapestries, etc. I asked Sami what that pile was and he replied, "It's what they were able to salvage in an hour. That's how quick the notice is. The IDF shows up with the caterpillar and crane and tells them they have one hour. After that, if they aren't out of the home, the IDF claims that they cannot be held accountable."
Feeling ill, I told Sami that I had to leave or I was going to throw up. I slowly started walking out of the site and stopped next to the family that had gathered under a tree. One woman looked up at me and I held my hand to my heart, nodded through my tears, and choked out a "Salaam." In that moment, in her eyes I think I was finally able to see what my trip is all about. I'm not here to save the world or to be the restorer of peace to this region, I'm not even here on a political agenda. I am here to bring what peace I do know, that comes through my God and to stand in solidarity with these people. To let them know that they are not going unrecognized, that the world is not ignoring them, that I care enough to stand there with them and to cry for them, for humanity. Maybe all I will do is restore a little bit of hope in their hearts, but maybe that's all I need to do.

Tiberias

2005-07-26T10:06:00.000+03:00

Another picture into the life of the occupied: On Wednesday the 20th of July, there was a highly anticipated trip to the beach on the Sea of Galilee called Tiberias. Since I've arrived to Palestine, this holiday has been the talk of the town. In celeberation of the prophet Elijah's birthday, every Palestinian is issued a permit to leave their towns and observe this day in great style. Activities such as lounging on the beach, swimming in the crystal blue water, dancing the night away on a boat/disco, great food and even better company were to fill the day. My host mother Mary was especially excited as she had not traveled to the Jerusalem side in over 4 years. Remember that Jerusalem is only a 15 minute drive from our home. The thought makes me sick; it would be like never leaving Castle Rock to go to Longview - except on a much grander scale. Which, for those of you who don't know these towns that I'm talking about, is an absolutely horrifying thought. Anyways, the weekend before the planned trip their was a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. This in itself is always a heart breaking thing to hear about, but the Israeli authority then uses this tragic event as a way to collectively punish the Palestinians as a nation. In another example, think about the snipers in DC. Say that because these two men decided to commit such evil acts, the US government set up road blocks aroud the entire territory of DC and the state of Maryland for that matter. These roadblocks would prohibit you from moving outside of your state and in many cases to other cities in your state, regardless of your reason for traveling. Imagine how you would feel if you were punished for the actions of these two men whom you are neither related to nor even know; you are punished simply for residing in the same area as them. Not only is collective punishment illegal, it's also another way to dehumanize the Palestinians. In the end, only 500 people from our area ending up receiving permits to leave and in our home, July 20th just passed as another miserable day under occupation. Needless to say, it was a rather hard day for me. I wasn't just pissed off, but I was also so sad.....just plain sad about the situation here. To top it all off, as Rafat, Elias, Missy, Iliana & I were exiting from our office to get some lunch on this same day, Rafat stepped outside and stopped suddenly saying, "Oh shit." Confused by his sudden outburst I asked what was wrong. He replied, "Listen. No cars, what's going on?" As he said this I also became aware of the fact that the normally bustling Manger St. was dead. Then came the words that really stung. Without skipping a beat, Elias replied so nonchalantly that I almost brushed it off, "Probably another curfew." Realizing that they actually believed what they were saying, I stopped in my tracks ready to scream, cry, hit someone, or march right up that checkpoint and demand that the Israeli soldiers leave immediately and let my friends out of their camouflaged prison. Now praise be to God, there was not in fact a curfew but just a lull in traffic. Thinking about it now I cannot even fathom a time when this thought or conversation would ever occur in my life. To be prevented from attending classes, going to work or the store, from visiting friends, from celebrating a holiday at a beach simply because someone with a big gun who does not even speak my language forbade me from doing these things....this certainly cannot be the heart of the God I worship and love.

Fashion Show

2005-07-22T10:30:00.000+03:00

Last night we attended the greatest fashion show! Graduates from a fashion institue in Beit Sahour displayed their final profjects and seriously, it was soooo beyond wonderful. The reason why I'm writing about this though is because of the reaction that my room mate Michelle had to the show. About halfway through, I looked over at her and realized that she was crying. When I asked her what was wrong she replied through her tear-filled eyes, "They have so much spirit and life, but just look at the way they are being treated." In the distance, beyond her words, beyond the music, beyond the hoops and hollers and laughter of the crowd, the sound of gunshots rang in my ears as a refugee camp was undergoing a raid for the third night in a row. I knew exactly what she meant.

Responding to a blog

2005-07-14T09:54:00.000+03:00

If you want to respond to a blog entry, click on the left side on the recent post that you want to comment on. A link will come up that says post a comment, click that and type away. I will try to respond as soon as possible to your thoughts and questions. Thanks!

A Little Clarification

2005-07-14T09:49:00.000+03:00

One thing that I think is important for me to mention as you all continue to read about my experiences here is that I am coming from just one side of this conflict. Although I'm sure you all know this, I think it's important that you all know that I am aware of this as well. If anything that is written seems anti-Israeli, please understand that this is not my intention. I will always hold an anti-occupation stance, but more than anything I am pro-peace. My experiences thus far have not given me much opportunity to meet with Israeli peace advocates, or actually an Israeli that isn't carrying an M-16. So yes, I am aware that my opinion is very biased. I do assure you that any information that I give regarding facts and historical accounts is factual in content and has been delicately researched. I hope this clears some things up for everyone. Until later.....

Right to Education

2005-07-13T21:49:00.000+03:00

Last night my roomate Michelle and I attended a movie at the Beit Sahour Medical Center. "Song of a Caged Bird" is a documentary that was created by students from Birzeit University in Ramallah and it details the barriers to education that have surfaced as a direct effect of the Occupation. Although this movie dealt specifically with the Surda road checkpoint outside of Ramallah, the Right to Education campaign is an all-ecompassing campaign that covers problems throughout all of Palestine. This movie was really incredible and depicted this enormous problem in a way that was both factual and emotionally unsettling. Despite ones' ideological, theological and/or political views, the freedom to education is a human right that should not be denied to anyone. If you disagree with this, you may as well stop reading now.
Currently, over 1/3 of the Palestinian population are students in full-time school or university education. However, this number is in danger as there are around 700 military roadblocks and checkpoints that require passage for thousands of students in order to make it to classes. Because of the economic situation in the Occupied Territories, many students cannot afford to live on campus and therefore they must commute to school daily. In the case of Birzeit, before the Surda roadblock, this was not a problem as it took most commuter students about 15 minutes to arrive via foot or car (although, some students did travel about an hour to make it to school). However, once this roadblock (or security checkpoint as it is called) went up, 15min walks turned into 3 hour long journeys and one hour drives became nearly impossible. At times students were not even able to make it to classes as their "security" wait lasted through the duration of their scheduled classes. Of course this checkpoint also affected teachers and many of them did not make it to classes either.
Watching this movie, it was clear that this Surda checkpoint was not set up for the security measures that it claimed. In one scene the soldiers, after preventing people to pass for over 3 hrs, appeared to have got tired/bored from sitting at the checkpoint and so without a word they got into their truck and drove away. Once they were out of sight, the hundreds of detainees began running across the road out of fear that the soldiers would return at any moment and again prevent their passage. The movie also showed days when students would be yelling at the soldiers and asking for permission to travel to school. Instead of responding verbally, the soldiers grabbed tear gas and threw them into the crowd in an attempt to silence the frustrated people. The word "humiliation" was one of the most commonly uttered words that came from the mouths of those waiting at the checkpoints as the reporter asked how they felt about their inability to make it to school. Many added "dehumanization" and "fear" as the main motivating factors behind these checkpoints. Although this barrier was removed after 3 years, Birzeit remains subject to 'flying checkpoints' which block, harass and intimidate students and faculty trying to reach the University.
As I mentioned this is not just a Birzeit problem. In fact between 1988-1992 Palestinian education was effectively made 'illegal' by the Occupation. The Israeli government shut down all Palestinians schools during these years because of the "security risks" that education presented during the 1st Intifada. Schools were forced to move underground and during this time students were arrested for merely carrying books through their towns as it meant that they were going to attend an illegal class. Additionally at Birzeit University, 2 student body presidents have been imprisoned and are actually being held on the charges of being the student body president of Birzeit University. I know it sounds made up, I wish it were.
Other horrifying facts: Over 1,289 schools have been closed during seiges and curfews and 48 have turned into Israeli military bases. Since September 2000, 73 educational institutions have been partially or fully destroyed in the Gaza Strip including kindergartens, secondary schools and a teacher training college which was completely demolished on March 16, 2004. Also since September 2000, 676 children, 199 university students and 39 teachers have been killed, 2500 children have been arrested (which is 10% of the 25,000 Palestinians arrested), 14 children under the age of 12 have been injured or killed inside their classrooms in the Gaza Strip and in total, 269 schools have been damaged as a result of shelling and other attacks by the Israeli Army. All of this in 5 years!
To date the Wall has hindered over 15,740 students from reaching their classrooms. Another emotionally disturbing aspect of this barrier to movement comes by way of the students who entered University before the 2nd Intifada. Once the 2nd Intifada broke out, the Gaza Strip was completely closed off and there are students all throughout the West Bank who have not seen their families since this closure (which has been up to 5 yrs for some). Imagine, not being able to see your loved ones because there is someone who, more often than not, does not speak your language but tells you via their M-16 that you have no right to see those you call family. This, praise be to God, is an unfathomable situation for me and it breaks my heart to know that their are hundreds of people living this nightmare.
There is so much more to say on this issue, but instead I will leave a link to the Right to Ecuation Campaign website and you can find all of these facts for yourself as well as ways to get involved.
Until later my friends,
Alyssa

http://right2edu.birzeit.edu

First Entry!

2005-07-13T21:35:00.000+03:00

I'm so excited that I finally have a blog up and running. Although I think that blogs have already become quite the trend, I think that this will be an easier way to keep everyone up to date on the latest happenings in my Palestine encounter. I will continue to send out mass email updates due to the fact that a few relatives and friends of mine are not able to access this blog, but I will this page will hold more information than my emails. Please feel free to post comments and questions whenever you'd like, I will get back to them as I have time. Thanks for your love and support! More to come soon......

Update

2005-06-30T21:45:00.000+03:00

Marhabba!
Hello my friends and family, I hope this email finds you all well and enjoying your summer. Things are starting to regulate here and so hopefully I will be finding more time to write. My next goal is to get my journal running and post the previous letters that I have sent. Once this happens, I will send a link to my journal and a notice every time I update it.
I just got back from the Playground for Peace in Beit Jala, which is a town on the outskirts of Bethlehem. The center that I'm working at takes the kids on an outing once a week. This particular playground was constructed with funds from Japan through the UN's Development Program. The park itself is really nice, much different than a luscious Northwestern park, but nice for the area. It had green grass and flowers, I wasn't complaining! The kids really enjoyed themselves too. Most of them do not get outside of Beit Sahour (where the center is located) beyond the trips that the summer program provides so they are in heaven as soon as they step foot onto the bus. This is yet another aspect of the occupation. In fact, three days ago one of my friends' little brothers was hit by a car. His hand went through the windshield and when he pulled it out, the glass collapsed and took all of the skin off of the top of his hand. When I asked her why he was playing in the street she laughed and said, "Where else is he supposed to play? Our schools have been bombed, the parks are no longer green & most of the sports equipment is under lock down during the summer because the school cannot afford to lose it." That shut me up.
Last night I had the opportunity to listen to a lecture and ask questions of Ghassan Andoni, the founder of the International Solidarity Movement. Amidst all of the amazing things that he had to say, one thing stuck out the most to me. He was talking about the international response to the occupation and said that he thinks the word occupation needs to be redefined. He said that occupation is not just check points & walls despite the fact that that's how our media makes it out to be. Occupation is a state of mind, it's a psychological game that is played with the Palestinians that brings forth feelings of inadequacy, humiliation and most tragically, hopelessness. Occupation means an end of optimism and any hope for a future. After Andoni spoke, we had a chance to hear from the Palestinian youth. It was a wonderful experience. Their words may have been the most impactful so far as this is where the future of Palestine is resting. The students that spoke offered words of peace and reconciliation, of unity and of thankfulness for the 20 Americans that were sitting in the room. Hope however, was not a word that was uttered much. Preparation had taken its place. For the most part, people are expecting a situation like they have not yet experienced as the pull out from Gaza draws nearer. Already the wall has closed in on Bethlehem and the possibility of a Palestinian leaving this area is quickly being diminished.
After the lecture last night I went out to dinner with some friends and I heard a horrifying personal account of what happened the last time violence erupted - this is quite graphic so please skip over if you would rather not here it. One thing to note here is that these particular Palestinians consider the 2nd intifada to be over. This blows my mind as our media (isn't it lovely?) obviously considers the intifada to be quite the blockade for peace right now. Anyways, the person I was speaking with is a close friend of my host family & he (Isa) was talking about how during the last intifada, he was standing a few yards away from the very restaurant we were eating in. Across the valley from this restaurant is an enormous Israeli settlement called "Abughmiem." On the day that Isa was standing there, shells were being fired from tanks that were stationed at this settlement. He watched as one shell hit the restaurant & knowing that people were in there, he ran down to try & help. As the Palestinians called the Israelis to ask for a cease fire as they cleared the rubble, Isa entered the tent. At this point I watched as his eyes glazed over, his mind was obviously replaying the horror that followed. Most everyone had made it out of the restaurant and only one person was shot. However, over the next hour, Isa and others spent their time picking up the pieces of this one young man as his body had been blown throughout the tent. The way Isa spoke of this event was as if it was a normal situation, that at some point everyone would have to pick up the pieces of a fellow community member. For me, this was the most indescribable, emotionally impactful part. This story is just one of many that has brought tears to my eyes and forced my mouth closed. Someday I will recount all of the stories on a piece of paper, but for now I cannot bring them back up. Maybe it's selfish, but maybe it's just smart. I'm only two weeks in and I need to last for another six months. Please pray that the Lord will continue to provide me with peace and a receptive heart so I can hear the stories of these people. They desperately need to tell someone about them and if this person is to be me, then I know God will give me the strength to continue - I also know that your prayers will make a difference.
Wow, now that I've begun typing I realize there is so much more to say. I visited Hebron on Saturday and that's a whole book in itself. I will write about it at some point, but not today. I've depressed you all enough already. Despite the occasional horrors of the reality of Palestine, I am continually falling in love with this land. Now I walk home from class and I am overwhelmingly blessed by the many people who recognize and greet me. The other night I heard "Masa ilheer Aleesa! - Good evening Alyssa!" four times as I neared my host families home. Ahhh, it was so fabulous and left me thinking, "Yup, this is what it's all about. Relationship, just as He intended." (Mom - you called it!)
Thank you all for your emails and updates. I love staying a part of your current lives, please continue to email and if I do not get back to you personally in a timely manner know that it's not because I do not appreciate your words. Alrighty, I must be off. More to come soon.
Peace

I've Arrived

2005-06-18T21:43:00.000+03:00

Greetings to all of my friends and family from yours truly, smack dab in the middle (although not geographically) of the Holy Land!
After a brutally long 48 hours of travel, I've arrived in Beit Sahour, Palestine. Beit Sahour is a little town about 7km outside of Bethlehem and it is where my host family, Rafat & Mary Shomali, live. I got here at about 7pm last night and after being warmly greeted and welcomed, I took a shower and passed out until about 12pm today. Currently, I am at Rafat's parents home. Honestly I already love the Palestinian culture. Families live either together or right next door to each other and spend all of their free time together. It's beautiful and something that speaks directly to my heart. Although it's hot as you-know-what outside, the homes here stay relatively cool as the stone used to build them is layered quite thick. Rafat & Mary live in a nice apartment which they actually just moved into 3 weeks ago. It also stays very cool and has a great breeze through it at night.
I was woke up last night due to a nearby mosque calling the peoples of Beit Sahour to come pray over their town speaker system. I'm not sure what time it was, but it was so surreal. Something out of a movie. Anyways, I decided to get up and pray myself at that time as I couldn't get back to sleep right away. I have a beautiful deck right off of my room & so I prayed and then took some pictures of the homes across the street on the hill. I will send those pictures soon I hope.
Today for lunch, Rafat's mother cooked some baked chicken, rice w/ almonds & meat, and had some cucumbers with this wonderful dressing on them. Needless to say, I am in love with their food. (Sorry Ben, hope this isn't make you homesick for the land) Nazir, correct me if I'm wrong, but I've got a great sense that Arabs love to laugh. I met some of Rafat & Mary's friends last night and I swear that's all they did (Lisa Hogan, you'd love them!!). This is GOOD news for me as I've been known to giggle occasionally....heehee. They also make me laugh as every time I asked them a question I got about 40 different answers followed by an everybody-in argument in rapid fire Arabic about whose answer was correct. Ha! Sounds like a ------family gathering to me!!
I've only met one another participant so far as most of them have not yet arrived. Adam & I met at the YWCA last night and believe it or not, he's from Chehalis. For those of you who don't know, Chehalis is a little town about 40min north of my hometown Castle Rock. That was odd enough, but then we got to talking and we now know that I have been on a date with his best friend Steve who is an SU MBA student. All together now, "It's a small world after all...." On top of that, the other gal that will be living with Rafat & Mary is from Portland, OR.....aaand, there are two other Seattle-ites coming. Wow! Northwest representing for sure!!
I start studying and working on Monday. The first week, we will be in Arabic classes 5 days a week for 3 hours. After that, they will be only 2 hours a day. I'm excited to begin understanding some of the conversation around me!
The land here is beautiful. Indescribable in fact. Although I've already been close to tears as I've passed through three checkpoints and watched as Arabs were pulled over and searched. I've also driven by the wall. It broke my heart. All of this in the first day......I can't even fathom what is to come.
Okay that is enough from me for now. Thanks to those of you who have already emailed, I will be sure to get back to you ASAP. Know that I am thinking of you all though. Thank you for all of your love and support, please continue praying....I'm going to need it. Also, feel free to email me whenever. I may not be real speedy in getting back, but I will!
Salaam