three murals by Jacobs Wellthis

next 4 images from right to left, it looks to me like the last 2 frames were added on

It reads something like will be here always like the olive and thyme

This mural was photoed near the other one. It feels less coherent. I was filmed from right to left.  I think the first frame may have been done independently of the rest,

Murals are one of the things I like in cities like San Francisco.

Mural in Qalandia

Thes photos move along the wall from left to right.  I dont know if they are oone work or a collection, if they wee done at one time or over time. The art work is very good and the feeling strong

There

There was a big truck parked in front of the next ones so they are not photoed well

23 Nov 2014 house occupation

About 7:45PM we received a call the occupation soldiers had occupied a balcony against the wishes of the owner. As we approached three of them came down stair to meet us and told us we had no business there. The owner of the property told them we were his friends. So we walked up behind the soldiers.

At the top of the stairs we found that there were 7 soldiers in an unfinished part of the house. They told us they had permission to be there. The family that lives there told us that they had in the past seen the soldiers coming and blocked their way. But this time the soldiers made it in the common door. There are 10 people including 3 children that live in the house. They said not only was it scary having the soldier force their way in, but they were talking loudly and saying bad words when there were children there.

We stationed ourself between the door the room the soldiers were using and the door to the rest of the house. They told us that there was a military line at the door we could not cross. We sat down in the hall, the owners brought out chairs for us to sit there. Some of us deliberately sat blocking the doorway with our backs to the soldiers. We talked about Danish cooking. At every step we checked with the land owners to be sure we were doing what they wanted. After about 10 minutes the soldiers decided to leave. The land owners then invited us into the other part of their house and served us tea with many thanks.

the house

the back stairs they entered without permission

the hall we squoze into, 6 internatioals, 6 residents, 6 soldiers

23 Nov rumers of gun fire

A few fireworks went off afternoon on 23 Nov in Huwarra. A little while later all kinds of occupation forces and vehicles showed up.  Apparently a settler had reported he heard gun fire, or was shot at, as they passed through Huwarra.  Of course the opinion of a passing settler is taken over the opinion of a dozen Palestinians who were present to see the burst of the fireworks.

We stood where we could watch what was happening and be seen watching, to witness.  The occupying forces had congregated around one house, apparently they wanting to talk to the owner who wasn't there (and probably wasn't there when the fireworks wee set off).  

A 6 occupation soldiers walked north away from the general group to a place where the road is even with a shop roof and took up a position there watching both roads.  The shop owner may or may not consent, but this is a roof they can get on to without forcing entrance past a family.

From here the stopped a young male Palestinian asked for identification and questioned him. They let a couple of cars and a woman go by with out stopping them.

We took some pictures and notes. There was a man in a light blue civilian shirt wearing a new olive drab bullet proof vest mixing and talking with the occupation soldiers.  This looked to us like a settler. We took a picture which would have included the settler. Then three occupation soldiers came after us and demanded that the photo be deleted. Even after it was deleted he demanded to see the camera – standing right against the young international woman with the camera and cocked his weapon in a very threatening way (as if cocking a weapon is ever not threatening). Then another occupying soldier snatched the camera from her hand. As they walked away with the camera with us following, one of the soldiers said, you will get it back.  To improve the odds of getting it back I followed along and to push the envelope in walked among the soldiers to the person they handed the camera to.  He was wearing a uniform and a skullcap, but it was not standard issue uniform and it had no rank or unit identity on it, so I assumed he was a settler too. Palestinians thought both people I thought were settlers might be part of the intelligence unit. He demanded what I was doing and I said they had told us we would get the young lady's camera back so I was just saving someone from having to carry it back.  He made some comment like he would smash the camera if he wanted to.  After looking through the pictures on the camera he returned it. To our surprise he had not deleted all the pictures he had not even deleted the pictures of the other soldiers. 

white jeep is intellegence

occupation soldiers stop a Palestininan man

three occupation soldiers can be seen standing on a shop roof over looking the main street in Huwarra, right in front of the biggest mosque

21 Nov occupying soldiers occupy another house

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About 6AM 3 soldiers forcibly entered a house over looking Rt 60 in Huwarra.

The house has 5 little children in it. We arrived about 8 AM to see the soldiers drive away. With out a good interpreter it was hard to find the details, but in other occupations we have been told the occupying soldiers are loud, abusive and distruptive even after they have forcably entered the house and taken up a position.

occupied house

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visit to site of earlier occupation

We visited the site where there had been a reported house occupation on 20 November, the night we went to the wrong house. This was way high at about the highest part of the town of Huwarra. It was a beautiful night view. Being late we had trouble to many the home owners. There is a coffee shop at the end of the road and the soldiers had forcibly taken a position on top of it. This position not only over looked the town but also overlooked where the customers were trying to watch the football game on TV. Apparently the soldiers were loud and abusive to the customers and pushed some of them around.

view of coffee shop and platform soldiers occupied

the occupying soldiers view of where men were enjoying watching a foot ball game

It is worth noting that if what the occupying soldiers wanted was a commnding view of the valley, they could have gotten a better one by going up the settlement/

one of the houses that may have been occupied

road to coffee shop

now that is a stair case

The occupying soldiers also stopped and searched every car that drove up to the.

The visit gave an opportunity to talk with young people who are active. These are people who wear a keffiyehs knowing they will be stopped and searched every time they meet an occupying soldier. Yet even these people say 1^st they want Israel out of Palestine, but really they just want to get out, everyone wants to get out. They acknowledge that this is what Israel wants and say that Israel has made them hate their own home land.

view on a overcast day looking north

view on a overcast day looking east

view on an overcast day looking south