East Jerusalem

It will be helpful for the reader to understand the background and history of this area of Jerusalem. The Sheik Jarrah neighborhood was first developed by Jordon and the UN in the 1950s. For Detailed information, see the MPT blog of October 31, 2008 at http://mptinpalestine.blogspot.com/2008/10/mpt-presence-at-al-kurds-in-east.html
Also of interest is the financial support given to East Jerusalem settlements by Americans. Such donations are even tax deductible in the US which equates to US governmental support for activities deemed illegal by the Geneva Convention, UN resolutions and international law. A detailed report of this concern can be found at: http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=36348

The al-Ghawe family home with the Israeli flag flying.

Two MPTers spent two nights of protective presence at the al-Ghawe home in East Jerusalem. The home is part of the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood that was constructed in 1956 by UNRWA, United Nations Relief and Works Agency. It has been reported that Istanbul opened long closed records and some information thus gained influenced the Israeli courts. The al-Ghawe family was evicted at the beginning of August of this year and has been living on the street across from their home. The family’s shelters and belongings have been demolished and confiscated numerous times. Internationals have often been present to provide support and protection.
The two MPTers started their watch on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. Taking turns sleeping and standing watch so that the family and other internationals (who had been spending multiple nights at the site) could get some much needed rest; the night passed uneventfully.

Sunday morning, Nov.1, breakfast was served, kids sent to school, and most family members had moved into neighboring homes to clean up for the day leaving just three internationals and one family member at the site. Suddenly eight vehicles and about 25 uniformed police and soldiers appeared and began tearing down the tent and taking all the belongings. The MPTers immediately began taking pictures and calling other internationals in the area. One MPTer tried to hold onto a stack of blankets but it was taken away and the MPTer was escorted across the street. The MPTer realized that she had forgotten her own bag near the family’s things. She was allowed to retrieve it. By the time the other internationals arrived, the family’s belongings were all packed up and the soldiers and police were leaving.

Father, blue jacket - left of center, talks with officer

The father of the family spoke with a number of the officers to no avail. Demolitions and confiscation have become almost routine. The look of frustration and fatigue was evident on his face. The family puts up a meager shelter with some donated pads and blankets, chairs, dishes, a gas cook stove, water containers and the like. In a matter of days the soldiers and police arrive to take it all.

Removing the tent and beds.


Two vehicles loading while soldiers watch.

It was a very disturbing event with little regard shown for the family and with some soldiers seeming to enjoy the “outing”. The mother of the family arrived after most things were already taken. She began screaming at the soldiers and police in Arabic. Most watched impassively, but at least one snickered. After the demolition was complete, one soldier came over and shook hands with a settler who was staying in the al-Ghawe’s home from which they have been evicted.

It is hard to know another's thoughts.

A neighbor youth, an officer and a settler watch.

The mother gives a passionate interview after the soldiers have left.

The camp was reestablished the same day and MPT maintained a presence along with other internationals for the next 24 hours. On Monday morning, the family moved some of their belongings to a neighbor’s yard. After three police cars drove by slowly, they took down the tent and put it in the neighbor’s yard as well.

On Monday morning the MPTers and other internationals staged a short silent protest at the American Consulate which is located about a half mile from the Sheik Jarrah area. The press arrived. Police observed but did not interfere.

Demonstration at the American Consulate.

Tree Planting Protest in Burin

The Olive Tree: symbol of Palestine

Olive trees have long been an economic staple of Palestine, constituting the traditional livelihood of the Palestinians. Many products such as olives, olive oil, olive wood, and olive-based soap are extracted from the olive trees. But the olive tree is far more than an economic resource for Palestinians. To Palestinians, the olive tree is sacred and symbolically represents Palestine. The older trees, their gnarled, ancient trunks attesting to a life span of 800 to 1,000 years, have been passed from one generation to another, over hundreds of years.

Since 2000, however, over half a million olive trees and thousands of acres of farmland have been destroyed by the Israeli Occupation Forces to clear land for the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, for construction of roads that only settlers can use, and for the building of the apartheid Wall that has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice. In addition, thousands of olive trees have been destroyed -- burned, poisoned, chain-sawed -- by militant Israeli settlers in an attempt to drive the Palestinian farmers from their land. The settlers even uproot ancient olive trees and replant them in their settlements.

Some of the 95 trees destroyed in Burin by settlers last month.

Thus the planting of olive trees -- the universal symbol of peace -- is a meaningful form of peaceful protest against the violence perpetrated against the Palestinians. Such plantings are also testament to the steadfast persistence of Palestinians and their undying love for their land.

Young saplings are planted on threatened Palestinian land near the settlements; given to farmers whose trees have been destroyed by the Israeli Occupation Army and/or settlers, and to farmers who face economic privation due to the Israeli Occupation. Internationals and Israeli peace groups join in the effort which fosters international awareness of the challenges facing Palestinian farmers and the deteriorating economic situation they face.

Kick-off of the "10,000 Trees for Nablus" Campaign in Burin

On Thursday, October 29th, MPTers joined international activists in accompanying the farmers and villagers of Burin to the planting of approximately 50 olive trees as part of the “10,000 Trees for Nablus” campaign. Burin was selected as one of the communities to participate in the program as it has endured numerous Israeli Army and settler attacks this year; just in the last two months the village endured an arson attack, settler harassment, and the cutting of 97 trees by settlers with chainsaws.

The morning of the tree planting the “winter rain” began, prompting concerns that the tree planting would have to be postponed, the rain and winds were so intense. However, by the appointed noon hour, the rain had stopped. The drought-stricken land was so thirsty, that it had rained was not readily apparent.

Burin schoolgirls join in the walk to the field for the planting.

There was a significant outpouring of villagers, including about 30 students from the Burin Girls School in their green and white striped tunics, and a comparable number from the Burin Boys School, the boys sporting their blue shirts. Eighteen members of the Civil Campaign for the Protection of Palestinian People, a French solidarity organization, participated in the effort. Although a total of 200 trees were slated for Burin for this first planting, only 48 were planted that day, and not on threatened lands near the illegal settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha so that the children could participate.

Carefully unwrapping an olive tree.

Students planting an olive sapling. Teachers from the Burin Girls School in the background.

The boys take their turn at planting an olive tree.

Similar tree plantings are scheduled to occur every two weeks, weather permitting, in a dozen villages around Nablus, including the communities of Qusin and Asira Al Qibliya where MPTers have provided accompaniment for the olive harvest, in addition to Burin. Funding for the 10,000 trees is spearheaded by Friends of Nablus and Surrounding Areas (FONSA), a charitable trust created by the people of Dundee, Scotland, to help the Palestinians of Nablus and surrounding areas who are suffering under the Israeli Occupation (http://www.fonsa.org.uk/). Dundee has been “twinned” with Nablus for almost 30 years through the Nablus-Dundee Twinning Association. FONSA works in cooperation with the Palestinian Al-Hayat Center for Development of the Civil Community.

Villagers and internationalists celebrate a successful planting, giving hope to the future of Palestinian children.

Qaryut

On Tuesday, Oct.27, the Palestinian village of Qaryut was attacked by Israeli settlers from a nearby illegal Israeli settlements. Nine villagers needed medical attention with a number of them being taken to the hospital in Ramallah.
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, two MPTers along with other internationals and Israeli peace activists responded to the call for an international presence so the harvest could continue. When they arrived, the rough dirt road to the olive grove was clogged with two Israel army jeeps, sixteen soldiers and a couple of Palestinian farmers’ tractors filled with eager Palestinian olive pickers.
The vehicles were adjusting positions and we were motioned to stay back by the Palestinians. Shortly the entire group of soldiers and police of the Israeli occupation forces, Palestinians and internationals began to move up the road, past Palestinian farmers picking their olives to an disputed area in an olive grove. The Israelis activists were particularly helpful in aiding the internationals to gain access to the olive grove. In this disputed area there were about 18 long rows of olive trees with the settlers “owning” the six rows on either end and the Palestinians owning the six rows in the middle, a most unusual and hard to comprehend arrangement.
MPTers observed that the settlers’ trees were very heavily laden with ripe olives while many of the Palestinian trees had almost no olives on the lower branches, but generally a good amount up high. The suspicion by the internationals and Israelis was that lower olives might have been stolen in a quick harvest by settlers , or possibly the lower area of the trees had been strayed with something, or maybe the settlers’ access to piped in irrigation water allowed their trees to flourish.
The harvesting started with men, women, children, Israelis and internationals working together and, at times, up to twenty Israeli police and soldiers standing guard at the edge of the grove. Shortly after a traditional communal picnic lunch, a Japanese journalist, a Japanese photographer and a Palestinian journalist arrived to interview the Palestinians about the olive harvest and the situation regarding the occupation and the illegal settlements.

One of the Palestinian woman readily and passionately spoke of the difficult situation.

A few minutes later two settlers arrived driving small utility vehicles. They circled the Palestinian area hanging markers in “their” trees.

This activity continued on and off for a number of hours, giving the Japanese crew, internationals and Israelis a chance to photo them. A couple of internationals and several of the Israelis tried to communicate with the settlers in the utility vehicles. The settlers just continued to repeat that the land was theirs and all should leave. The Israeli military and police finally moved into the center of the grove. One settler drove right through the middle of the Palestinian trees and stopped to talk to the Israeli police.

The police asked him to leave saying, “If you return, you will be arrested.”

Although there was concern and tension in the air, the Palestinians were able to complete most of their harvest in their area and then load all the bags of olives, ladders, kids and workers into the trailer and drive back to town.

Israeli soldiers and police stayed “to escort” everyone out of the area. The Palestinians were not able to complete totally the harvest nor collect fallen olives which can be used for making oil or olive oil soap. As the MPTers and three other internationals enjoyed the cooler air and pleasant mile plus walk back to the village, they pondered the effects of the occupation on every detail of Palestinian life.

Settler Attack in Asira al Qibliya

In the late afternoon of Tuesday, October 27th, three MPTers and another international went to Asira al Qibliya after receiving a call that a Palestinian home was being attacked by Israeli settlers from Yitzhar. Asira al Qibliya is a village 9 miles southwest of Nablus, and half a mile from Yitzhar, one of the most ideologically-oriented illegal Israel settlements in the area.

An Israeli soldier across the street from the family's home, the settlement of Yitzhar in the distance.

When the internationals arrived, the settlers were gone but two Israeli Occupation Army jeeps remained along with about six soldiers. Interestingly, the internationals were told that the soldiers arrived half an hour before the settlers, and that the same thing happened in the last settler attack. The MPTers were puzzled by this and mentioned it to a Palestinian acquaintance, who said that such “attacks” are planned between the army and the settlers to make it appear that the soldiers are defending the Palestinians. MPTers attempted to engage the soldiers in conversation but the commanding officer ordered the soldiers not to speak. As MPTers took photographs, one soldier came over and offered to pose for a photo of himself shaking hands with a Palestinian man, but his efforts were rebuffed.

Israeli soldiers and jeeps in front of the family's home.
The home is on the edge of Asira al Qibliya and the target of settler invasions over the past four years. Villagers often watch for the attacks and come to their aid. This particular day the husband was away and the wife was alone with her four children. She said that settlers had been attacking the house every Friday, but lately now “only” once or twice a month. Approximately a year ago, settlers spraypainted stars of David on the house. The family painted them over, and settlers repainted several of the stars.

The mother shows the MPTers some of the damage previously caused by settlers, while three of the children pose.

During one attack when the soldiers fired tear gas at the family home, the mother asked a soldier, “Why do you fire tear gas at us and do nothing to the settlers, when the settlers attack us?” The soldier responded, “I don’t know. I’ve only been here a week.” The other international told MPTers that a year ago 100 settlers attacked the village, shooting, smashing windows, and throwing stones. A video of the invasion had been surreptitiously taken by an international and was shown on Israeli TV. The Israeli Prime Minister described the incident as a “settler pogrom.” (See http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1020914.html for Israeli press coverage of the incident.)

Solar panels on the roof, one damaged previously by settlers.

MPTers and the other international visited another family who also had been subjected to attacks. The homeowner said his and two other hilltop houses are frequently attacked. He has lived in his home since 1994 but for the past four years he has not been able to visit or tend his land for fear of the settlers. He said the Oslo Accords made conditions worse. Before Oslo, he said, people in his community could go to their land without fear. Now settlers have confiscated his father’s land; burned wheat that the villagers had planted, and destroyed 60 olive trees. In addition, the villagers can no longer access the village well which had supplied the community with much of its water needs. He said the settlers’ only purpose in coming down to the village is to harass and intimidate the people, with the purpose of getting them to move so settlers can take over the entire area. He was the first Palestinian these MPTers encountered who wagged his finger at them when they identified themselves as from the United States. Palestinians are aware of the complicity of the United States in the financing of the Israeli military occupation of Palestine.

Jit Accompaniment - Part II

The settlers' vineyards abut the Palestinians' olive groves. Note the illegal Israeli settlement on the mountaintop.

Once again MPT received a request to accompany a Palestinian farmer in Jit, who was experiencing problems with the Israeli Occupation Forces and settlers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Qedumim, established in 1975. (See the October 19th posting describing the MPT accompaniment of October 14 and 15 in Jit.) The Palestinian requesting accompaniment owns hundreds of olive trees on land adjoining the settlement and estimates it would take his men a solid two weeks to harvest them all. However, the Israeli Occupation Army has been banning him from picking, or restricting him to picking only two or three hours a day; at that rate, the harvesting would take weeks and the olives will have dried on the trees. The landowner has also experienced harassment and intimidation by the settlers.

Friday, October 23, 2009
About 7 a.m. three MPTers arrived at the family’s land, less than 100 yards from the settlement’s vineyards. At 8 a.m. the Palestinians and MPTers noted the arrival of an Israeli Occupation Army jeep on the settlement road, and two Israeli soldiers watching the picking. After an interval, the soldiers weaved their way through the vineyard and called to the Palestinian landowner, informing him that picking was restricted to two hours, until 10 a.m.

Israeli soldiers, at the fence, calling out the olive picking restrictions to the Palestinian landowner.

About this time a contingent of volunteers with Rabbis for Human Rights arrived, and the leader immediately went to the fence to talk with the soldiers. After a prolonged discussion, the leader informed the group of six volunteers that they had to leave: Israelis were barred from the area. The volunteers moved a short distance away to observe, and possibly to pick out of sight of the soldiers.

A volunteer with Rabbis for Human Rights speaking to soldiers of the Israeli Occupation Forces.

MPTers wondered when they would receive their orders from the Israeli military. They didn’t have long to wait, as the soldiers motioned them to the fence and told them they had to leave. The MPTers responded that they were Americans and didn’t have to leave. The soldiers called their superior who came and informed the MPTers that they could stay and pick with the Palestinians but everyone had to leave at noon. Surprised at being able to pick until noon, rather than the previously stated 10 a.m., the MPTers repeated the hour, “Noon,” to make sure there was no misunderstanding. The soldier nodded, “Noon.” The next few hours were a flurry of harvesting. Two volunteers from Rabbis for Human Rights returned to assist as they were not Israelis.

Israeli soldiers attempting to tell the MPTers they must leave.

Shortly after noon, a soldier appeared at the fence, announced that everyone had to be gone in five minutes, and left. The Palestinian landowner told the MPTers and the internationals that he and the other Palestinians would not stop as there were so many trees to be picked. MPTers decided they would remain with the Palestinians to provide accompaniment and help pick. Harvesting continued until 4 p.m. without any incident or appearance of soldiers or settlers.

Saturday, October 24, 2009
Three MPT members returned to help the family in case of further military or settler interference, arriving in the groves at 6:30am. The men had been at work since 5:30, intent on putting in as much time as possible before the soldiers arrived. Shortly after 7 a.m., six Israeli soldiers appeared in the olive grove. After checking the Palestinians’ IDs, the soldiers announced that there would be no picking of olives -- no work -- on the Jewish Sabbath. The inherent contradiction of the soldiers, who are Jewish, working on the Jewish Sabbath didn’t faze them.

Israeli soldiers on Palestinian land, in essence telling the Palestinians they must observe the Jewish Sabbath.

The MPTers argued with the soldiers that their dictum was ridiculous, and that their continual changing of the rules each day constituted harassment and intent to prevent harvesting. Every day brings a different story and order, in addition to the threat of settler violence.

The MPTers had been joined by two volunteers from Rabbis for Human Rights -- young, very attractive European women who spoke Arabic. The soldiers seemed quite taken with the young women who were able to speak to the Palestinians, interpret for the MTPers, and hold their ground with the soldiers.

Internationals argue the Palestinian cause with Israeli soldiers.

The European women and MPTers prolonged the discussion with the soldiers until the area Palestinian representative of Rabbis for Human Rights arrived. With official map in hand, he forcefully made the point that the land belonged to the Palestinians and they had permission to harvest their crop. Following an animated discussion and phone calls made by the soldier in command, resolution was reached: no one could pick in the immediate area because it was the Sabbath, but the Palestinians, with the help of internationals, could pick their olives on trees farther away from the settlement. The soldiers also stated that there would be no restrictions on picking olives the next day.

The Palestinian representative of Rabbis for Human Rights advocates for the Palestinian landowner.

Sunday, October 25, 2009
Three MPTers arrived at the olive grove at 6:30am to make sure that indeed the Palestinians would face no restrictions on their olive picking that day. They joined the men in the harvesting of trees a significant distance from the settlement. Around 8:30am, 10 volunteers from Rabbis for Human Rights arrived. They had secured permission from the Israeli Occupation Forces to help with the picking. Everyone then moved to the area closer to the settlement from which they had been evicted on the Jewish Sabbath. It was opportune to harvest that sensitive area when there was a significant presence and permission for picking had been granted to the Israeli volunteers. The picking continued all day without incident.

The joy of olive harvesting . . . absent intimidation, harassment and violence.

Awarta: Senseless Death of a Young Man

On Thursday, October 22, 2009, MPTers heard that an Awarta man, Mohamed Qawaru, age 29, had been killed on the road between Awarta and Al Agraba. Soldiers of the Israeli Occupation Forces appeared to be responsible. On Friday, October 23, internationals spoke with family in the Nablus hospital where the dead Awarta man had been taken. Later, an MPTer and other internationals interviewed a couple people in Awarta village about the circumstances of the death.

According to information gathered, it appears that about 4pm on Thursday , Mohamed Qawaru was driving his car on a narrow rural road, most probably a dirt road, to his olive grove in order to pick up his family who had gone there earlier to check on the olive harvest. This grove is in a rather isolated area near the illegal Israeli settlement of Itamar. There may or may not have been a flying checkpoint set up by the military. An Israeli military jeep ordered him to stop and when he did not, they pursued him for about two-thirds of a mile.

According to witnesses, after the Israeli military fired several shots at his car, the military jeep rammed his car, causing it to overturn and throwing him out of the car. The Israeli soldiers then kicked him, yelling at him to wake up. Palestinian farmers picking olives nearby and witnessing this were not allowed to give Qawaru any assistance nor were their pleas for humane treatment heeded.

After about an hour a military ambulance from a nearby military base arrived and tried to rescitate Qawaru, but he was too near death. When military ambulance personnel asked who had been driving the jeep, the Israeli officer replied that that’s not a question to be asked Soon after a Palestinian ambulance from Nablus arrived , but they too were unable to render any assistance to the dying man.

Mohamed Qawaru leaves a 21-year-old wife and two children, ages 2 and 2 months. He had either an Israel work permit or a commercial permit [to buy Israeli goods for resale] which is not common for men under 35 years of age. It is difficult to know why he did not stop for the military; perhaps he was fearful of losing his permit or perhaps it was difficult to stop quickly on a narrow, rocky dirt road. He was driving near his own village area near his own land, but in an occupied country that is of no consequence.

Mohamed Qawaru was buried on October 23, 2009 from an Awarta mosque with most of the village men present. (No pictures were taken by MPTers because it seemed inappropriate at the funeral.)

The internationals and MPT contacted Yesh Din, an Israeli legal organization that works on cases of the violation of Palestinian human rights , and B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights groups. Both have Palestinian personnel. Hopefully justice can be done.

Burin: Olive Harvesting under Occupation

Burin is a village on hillslopes.

(Click picture to enlarge)

Burin, a village of nearly 3,000 people, lies five miles southwest of Nablus. The illegal Israeli settlements of Yitzar and Har Bracha, established in the early 1980s, border Burin in the northeast and south. This village has suffered numerous Israeli settler attacks from these illegal settlements and outposts in the last few years. In the first half of 2008 there were more than 500 incidents of Israeli settler or army attacks.

MPTers were present in Burin in late September after Yitzar settlers cut more than 95 young olive trees in one grove. http://mptinpalestine.blogspot.com/2009/10/burin-tree-massacre.html MPTers returned again in early October to pick olives from a family grove near Yitzar.

This past Tuesday, October 20, 2009, MPTers walked with several men of a Burin family up to their olive groves at the edge of the outpost/settlement, Har Bracha. One of the men expressed fear of both Israeli settlers and soldiers and apprehension about going to his land. MPTers received the clear impression that he would not have gone without accompaniment.

Soon four soldiers from the Israeli Occupation Forces appeared on the edge of the mountain above the MPTers and family members. The soldiers stayed all morning during the picking, leaving only when the group left for the village. During this week Israeli soldiers had declared some olive groves closed military zones, so that internationals could not help Palestinians pick their olives in areas close to settlements. The soldiers watched, but did not stop the Palestinians or internationals from picking this day.

Four Israeli soldiers observed the group from a distance all morning long.

Because of the Occupation and continual harassment by Israeli settlers and soldiers, this olive grove near the settlement has received little attention from the farmer. Good harvests occur every other year. This year was a scant harvest year and, coupled with the drought Palestine has been experiencing, contributed to significantly fewer olives. Because the fields of this Palestinian farmer had not been plowed and his trees not pruned for a considerable time, most trees in his grove bore very few olives.

Trees which are not trimmed produce few olives, but many branches.

Indeed, one tree had a total of only 20 olives. In a grove with well tended olive trees, one small branch alone could have 20 or more olives. Family members did not prune the trees as they picked. It seemed that all they wanted to do was harvest as many olives as possible and get away from the area as quickly as possible. The livelihood of Palestine farmers is greatly affected by the Occupation in so many ways.

For a good harvest fields must be plowed regularly.

This tree had a total of 20 olives.

MPTers picking olives with a Burin family.

While picking in this olive grove an MPTer found a small rocket casing. Rockets have been used by settlers and soldiers against the Palestinian farmers.

A rocket casing found in the field.

As the group walked down the hill toward the village, the soldiers moved to the opposite side of the narrow valley and halfway down the slope. In the village, MPTers walked with the family up a steep incline toward their home, almost directly across from where the soldiers had moved. Near the family home the MPTers were shown the grave site and memorial dedicated to two sons (ages 21 and 28) who were killed by a rocket fired by Israeli soldiers positioned on the nearby hill. The brothers had been picnicking with tea, falafel and oranges.

Soldiers moved down the hill opposite the group as they walked to the village.

The memorial to the two brothers killed by a rocket shot

by soldiers from the opposite hill.

Will this child be another generation to grow up under occupation?

Reclaiming Land in Iraq Burin

Carrying the trees toward the field for planting.

On Sunday, Oct. 18, four MPTers traveled to the village of Iraq Burin to take part in olive tree planting. The tree planting was both a protest and a celebration, as the 45 trees were planted on land that had been returned to the village from the illegal settlement of Har Bracha.


Twenty-five acres had been confiscated from Iraq Burin to build the settlement, and Iraq Burin has been holding weekly protests against the confiscation since the summer of 2009, with a break for Ramadan. (For more details on Iraq Burin and the Har Bracha settlement, see an earlier MPT blog, August 22, 2009 http://mptinpalestine.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-08-28T05%3A33%3A00%2B03%3A00&max-results=10) Land was returned to the community with a request that there be no more protests.


The MPTers marched up a hill in Iraq Burin with farmers from Iraq Burin, Palestinian activists from nearby communities and about 30 internationals, including a contingent of 17 Norwegians working with Stop the Wall. The group planted the trees, chanted, and danced within view of the fence surrounding the settlement. Several soldiers arrived in two vehicles as the event was wrapping up, and watched from behind the fence around the settlement. Although there has been violence from soldiers at previous demonstrations in Iraq Burin (see MPT blog of 9/26/2009 http://mptinpalestine.blogspot.com/2009/09/return-to-iraq-burin.html), there was none on this day. As of Thursday, 10/22, the newly planted trees were still standing in Iraq Burin.

Digging a hole.


Planting a tree.

Soldiers observe the end of the demonstration.

On the way home, the MPTers stopped in a bookstore and heard the owner’s story of his son’s imprisonment. His son is serving three life sentences for killing three Israeli soldiers. According to the father, his son committed this act after a friend was killed by Israeli Occupation Forces, and after he heard a news story about a little girl being killed by Israeli Forces. According to the bookstore owner, every two weeks he takes his family to see his son. They leave their home around 3 a.m. and return about 9 p.m. The 18-hour trip includes several bus transfers, long waits and repetitive security checks, only to be able to see their loved one for about 45 minutes. Because the prison food is so bad, the father brings money so his son can purchase food from the prison store. He also brings clothes as the prison is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. He said his son and the prisoners whose families have some resources share food and clothes with prisoners from poor families.

A poster of the bookstore owner's imprisoned son.

Two Days in Salim

On Friday, Oct. 16, four MPTers and other internationals traveled to the village of Salim. Many villagers have olive trees on the hillside above the village in an area blocked by a gate/checkpoint on the Israeli settler-only road. Crossing the road is not allowed on most days. Villagers were told crossing the Israeli road was permitted on this day, but before MPTers and other internationals had arrived they had all been turned back by the Israeli Occupation Forces. The MPTers and internationals then joined the villagers to travel to another olive grove on the opposite side of the village. This trip also required crossing the Israeli-only road. Crossing this road at any point was forbidden, but this area was not guarded so we had no difficulty. MPTers were welcomed and fed two delicious meals for a day’s work of harvesting for a very sociable family.

Lunch in the field - Palestinian Style

On Saturday, Oct. 17, MPTers and internationals returned to Salim arriving shortly after 6 a.m. to accompany the villagers up the hillside to the olive groves where villagers had been refused crossing the day before. They walked uphill to the gate/checkpoint where hundreds of villagers had already gathered to gain access to their fields. The gate was still locked. The long dusty rocky steep road was full of cars, trucks and tractors. Soldiers would not let anyone cross. Salim Village Council members conversed with the Israeli soldiers. As internationals approached the soldiers, they were asked to order the villagers to get organized, to line up one by one. One international responded that the Palestinians had been organized for olive picking for thousands of years and needed no advice on organizing. At about 8:00 AM Palestinians on foot were allowed to cross.

The gate is still closed for vehicles; foot traffic begins to cross.

Palestinians cross while soldiers, internationals, and the media watch.

Later the soldiers said, “Only tractors may cross – no cars or trucks.” One tractor crossed; the others were trapped in gridlock on the narrow road.

Vehicular Gridlock

Finally, all vehicles and Palestinians were allowed to cross. All internationals were denied access as the area was declared “a closed military zone.” A total of ten internationals moved through the village with some villagers crossing the restricted road at a different location. We picked without incident. Later in the day one villager, who teaches school in Nablus, reported that he and his brother were able to get to their olive trees on the hillside above the gate/control, but Israeli soldiers arrived shortly after and forced them to leave. After a short conversation, the soldiers allowed them five minutes to look at their trees. The teacher said, “We are allowed 2-3 days to plow and tend our trees earlier in the season and then a few days to harvest. We are not allowed any other access to our groves.” MPTers had heard that those with trees close to the settlement would not be allowed to pick. An MPTer asked, “Were your trees near the settlement?” He replied, “No, they are about 1.5 kilometers away on a hillside across a wadi (valley) facing the settlement.” An MPTer asked, “Why then?” He replied, “There is one settler who has a place near us. That must be the reason.” (This probably refers to an outpost.) And then he added, “They said I can pick tomorrow but I must teach school tomorrow. Maybe my sister can pick.”