Laila
After monitoring the Settlers’ Tour
of the Souk, the traditional
marketplace in Hebron, we doubled back to meet one of the shopkeepers who had
been identified as an ally of ISM (International Solidarity Movement) who have
been our hosts in this divided city. Maria and Jules, the current staffers of
the ISM House, had prepared us for our visit with Laila Hasan by identifying
her as the head of the “Women of Hebron,” an organization of Palestinian women
who make jewelry, handbags, tablecloths and other craft items to sell at the
market. We weren’t prepared, however, for the expansiveness of this middle-aged
woman whose traditional garb (only her face was uncovered) belied her firm
grasp of the current realities of her people. It was Saturday morning, prime
time for doing business with tourists in the Souk, but Laila set out five chairs for us, poured tea, and began
sharing her opinions on a variety of topics.
“Since the Second Intifada” (the violent
uprising of 2000), she began, “Palestinians have been divided. During the First
Intifada” (which started in 1987 and was nonviolent), we worked together.” I
was startled to see how exactly her simple analysis matched that of the Islamic
scholar Mohammed Abu-Nimmer, who claims that the Muslim concept of the Umma or community was one of the pillars
of the First Intifada and greatly contributed to its success in creating
parallel institutions to those of the administrative authority. Right now, Laila told us, someone is
circulating videos of young Palestinian men and women having sex. To Muslims,
this is outrageous and brings shame on all of them. “What I keep asking
myself,” she said, “ is why? Who is behind it?” She herself is an advocate for
the community; on trips to the U.S. she has developed a network of friends of
“Women of Hebron,” who order its hand-crafted goods from abroad. Mainly,
however, she uses these trips as opportunities to “speak the truth” about the
Palestinian situation. “That is what you must do,” she said.
Our tea finished, Laila brought us
something to eat—pieces of soft, warm cheese with a sweet coating. John asked
what one thing she would recommend to improve the lives of Palestinians. “End
the Occupation. There is no hope for two states; if the Israelis just leave us
alone, that would be good.” She went on to say that she doesn’t hate the
Israelis; when young Jews joined the Palestinians in protesting Operation Cast
Lead (the bombardment of Gaza in 2009) she realized that not all Israelis are
Zionists. “That freed my heart.” As for the future, she said, “it is up to
Allah.” In the meantime, “we are not doing as poorly as the Syrians.” Mother of
six, Laila also seems to be the mother figure of her end of the Souk. During our conversation, many
people passing by called to her; a group of off-duty Palestinian policemen gave
her a cheer. When it was time to go, she said that we were welcome to stay at
her house that night—a friend from Norway and her boyfriend had just left.
What would it mean to end the
occupation, I asked myself, as we headed back to the ISM House. Withdrawing the
soldiers, at the very least. The clash we had witnessed the day before, between
al shebab (the Palestinian youth) and
12 members of the Israeli army had accomplished nothing except to trash one of
the main intersections in Hebron. Are the soldiers really necessary? Israeli hardliners defend their presence by
invoking the settlers’ need for security, but would the Palestinians—who are in
the majority—attack the settlers if the soldiers were gone? I don’t think so. Not
all the Palestinians are like Laila, of course—so open and generous—but all of
them, it seems, want to live freely—without checkpoints, without harassment,
without their children going to jail for throwing stones. Isn’t it possible
that if the soldiers left Jews and Arabs might once again co-exist peacefully?
They did it for many years before 1948, before politics intervened. Politics
has a way of creating artificial boundaries and turning erstwhile friends into
sworn enemies. I think of Gandhi, lamenting the partition of India and the
bloodbath between Hindus and Muslims which followed. Here in the West Bank, I know
how Gandhi felt.
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