Human Rights Education in Az Zawiya

One morning an MPTer and two IWPS [International Women’s Peace Service] women met with the vice principal of the girls’ high school in the village of Az Zawiya, in the district of Salfit. A few years earlier, this village with several organized demonstrations pressured the Israeli government to move the apartheid wall construction farther toward the western part of the village. This allowed them to save a part of the land that was to be confiscated for an illegal Israeli settlement.

The girls' high school in Az Zawiya

The international women were warmly welcomed by the vice-principal and the teacher of the human rights class and then were introduced to the district coordinator of the human rights project. The project is funded by the Red Cross with the purpose of educating the Palestinians about the UN International Declaration of Human Rights and rulings of the International Court of Justice. The purpose of the class is to instill in the young Palestinian women an awareness of their rights and the desire to defend them, even though they see the international law and their human rights constantly violated by the occupying country of Israel.

The teacher explains the Declaration

The students asked the internationals why rulings of the International Court of Justice and the Declaration of Human Rights were not applied in all parts of the world, particularly in Palestine. They also inquired as to what the internationals were doing in this regard. The internationals explained that they tried to inform and educate the people in their home countries, that they encouraged the boycott of Israeli products, divestment in Israel and worked for the sanctions against Israel. The internationals stated that getting their countries to respond to the many human rights violations in Palestine was a slow process and needed much more work.

The students study parts of the documentThe class was involved and asked questions

A young woman reads material related to the documents

The young women students and the women teachers warmly welcomed the internationals. They were thrilled that one of them spoke excellent Arabic and one was originally from Pakistan.

Students during the break, seen through the porch screening

Students at break.

Girls from sixth to eleventh grade attend the school.

The MPTer saw this session with the students very valuable in teaching human rights and legal rights, in getting to know the students, but also in helping the young Palestinian women understand the work of groups like MPT and IWPS. Some students and teachers knew the work of IWPS and were grateful.

To read the full declaration of human rights, please go to: www.unhchr.ch/udhr /lang/eng.htm

Final Days of Olive Harvest in Kafr Qaddum

One MPTer went with two IWPS women to an olive grove with some of the family whose relative had been beaten by the Israeli soldiers a week earlier near Kafr Qaddum. They went up part way in a wagon drawn by an old Massy Fergeson tractor. Then the women hiked the rest of the way up a trail that became rougher as they climbed and finally they passed by two very fierce-looking, but very friendly watch dogs. The internationals accompanied a widow and her daughter to their olive trees which were inside the illegal Israeli settlement on the hill.

The olive grove is right up against the settlement.

Olive trees near the settlement

The day before, the internationals and the Palestinians women had harvested in this area with no intervention by anyone, but only the help of a kind settler who loaned them a ladder for picking. The second day, they began picking the olives on the edge of the settlement and soon the friendly settler with the ladder appeared again. The area of the olive grove was used as a settler dump for used plastic chairs, old computers and such.

Settler trash in the olive grove

The women were there about twenty minutes when a boy passed by commenting, “Where are the soldiers?” In a few minutes a jeep with four Israeli soldiers came. There was about ½ hour negotiating back and forth with the leader of the four soldiers, the Palestinian woman and with the IWPS woman who called the Palestinian District Coordinating Liaison [DCL] and the Israeli District Coordinating Office [DCO]. The DCO sent another jeep and the final order was that the two Palestinian women could pick the trees near the street in the settlement until noon and the three internationals had to move back three rows of trees. All complied with the hope of getting as many olives picked as possible.

Trees with olives to be picked

The Palestinian women picked near the street until noon, broke to share lunch with the internationals and then returned to another tree near the street. During the lunch break the soldiers returned and in a bit of power wielding asked the internationals to move their bags, which they did. Amid the sounds of the ducks or geese and chickens coming from a rather make- shift chicken barn, everyone was able to pick some very fine olives. Sounds of rifle shots could be heard from the nearby Israeli Army shooting range.

Olive trees with the village in the background

Near the settlement, large greenhouses could be seen. From the hill, in the distance, there were other illegal Israeli settlements and the nearby Palestinian villages.

Greenhouses near settlement and olive groves

Nearby village

Pickers were constantly alert to any movement in the settlement.

At three o’clock, with a rain storm threatening, the five women started the hike down the hill. Half way down, walking amid heavy rain drops, the women encountered other members of the family who then quickly finished the olive picking in their area. Everyone got into the wagon behind the tractor. The young woman who had accompanied her mother in the morning was joined by her fiancé. This happy couple will be married in a soon and those present, including the internationals, have been invited. The MPTers have not yet seen a formal Moslem wedding. It should be a moment of joy in this land of much suffering.

Two days later the MPTer returned with two IWPS women again with the widow to pick olives inside the illegal Israeli settlement area. The daughter was not feeling well this day and no villagers had offered to help the widow. We began to pick near the street of the settlement.

MPTer gets handy with the stick to reach higher branches

The widow was a bit nervous, so we did not thoroughly pick each tree. We did not seem to be noticed by the settlers. Even a bus driver drove his big bus out of the driveway near us and did not notice or pay attention to us. One of the IWPS women speaks excellent Arabic so she and the Palestinian woman were able to communicate, even chat a bit during the picking. The Palestinian woman treated the IWPS woman like her daughter – asking for advice and giving her orders to do certain tasks.

About 11:00 a settler woman passed to go to the children’s playground nearby and looked a little alarmed to see us; however, a greeting of Shalom [“peace” in Hebrew] by one of the international woman and she went happily on her way. We stopped for lunch about noon. At 2:30 a neighbor woman from the village came to help pick. At 3:00 the settler security came, spoke rather brusquely with the two Palestinian women and with an IWPS woman and the result was that we were told to leave the area. We meandered down the slope picking a bit as we went. The widow decided not to continue picking the next day, although she had several trees left because of the difficulty of getting permission through the Palestinians District Coordinator and the Israeli District Coordinator. We walked a rugged tractor trail to the neighbor’s home in the late afternoon.

The two women check out their photo.

After tea at the neighbor’s, the IWPS woman took reports on Israeli soldier and settler harassment during the olive harvest to a village vice-mayor. These were to go to government authorities. One can hope that there can be changes next year or at least that history will record these. Following this, we were invited to the widow’s home for a very simple supper. The widow is very poor with only three very sparsely furnished rooms in an old rambling house that is only partially used.

The following day three internationals - 1 IWPS and both MPT members returned to the olive groves near the green houses, where one MPTer had been a couple weeks ago. This farmer had not had recent attacks or serious problems with Israeli settlers or soldiers, but both come near his land making their presence known.

The illegal Israeli settlement is above the greenhouses near the farmer's olive grove.

The green houses are just above the farmer's olive trees,
on land confiscated from his uncle.

This day we picked with no incidents, except the presence of an Israeli military jeep and soldiers near the greenhouses and within sight much of the day. This farmer has fine olive trees indicating that he had pruned them and cared well for them. Even though he farmed near the settlement he had worked hard to have fine trees. With our little Arabic and his sparse English, conversation was limited! It was a delightful day outdoors with nature.

The afternoon sun hitting the olive trees

A day later an MPTer and the IWPS woman returned to pick olives with the same farmer whose land was near the green houses. It was again an enjoyable day. The farmer agreed to have his picture taken, but then worried that his friends might see him not in his finest clothes. When shown the photo he was satisfied that the dirt on his harvesting clothes did not show. He has several trees left so he will receive help again.

This farmer appreciates the accompaniment and help of internationals and they enjoy working with him.

An orphanage in Bethlehem

The SOS Children’s Village in Bethlehem is the local chapter of SOS Villages Worldwide, a group of orphanages and places for children who are alone in the world. This community, founded in 1973, now has 13 houses, each for six to nine children. Each house has a “mother” who cares for the children in a family atmosphere.

Front Entrance

The unrelenting stresses of growing up under a military occupation create obvious problems for children. Many children grow up with symptoms of post traumatic stress syndrome. The SOS Children’s Village strives to provide a sense of structure and normalcy for the children.

One MPT team member joined some other Internationals to reclaim some of the land behind “cottage number 12” that had been used as a dumping site to burn garbage. Chris and Tobias are doing service work in Palestine as an alternative to military service in Germany. They spent days moving rocks and raking debris on three terraces.

Chris and Tobias from Germany

We removed old bed springs, discarded toys, shoes, broken glass and china and everything that didn't burn. Then we began raking the land into level terraces with only small rocks. The retaining walls and steps needed some repair. The view from the back of the cottage improved rapidly.

We brought our contact from an NGO called Permaculture to SOS. The Permaculture group is involved in sustainable agriculture and has the knowledge and expertise to decide what and when to plant. Working with the Palestinian gardener, the internationals, and the children, we mapped out a plan for three terraces and a community composting area. The children began the planting of the kitchen garden on the upper terrace nearest the house. We planted a few seedlings so the children would get some immediate idea of what we hoped for. The seeds will take a few weeks to begin making some statement. The children will be able to pick fresh vegetable and herbs for their meals, cutting down the reliance on imported produce.

Enthusiastic helper

Planting her first garden

We hope that the middle area will be filled with fava beans (called foul in Palestine and used in a breakfast dish.) This could be used as a cover crop to add nitrogen to the soil and enrich the area where most of the burning took place. The Permaculture group will do a series of educational workshops for the gardener and adults to explain how to improve the soil, conserve water, and achieve some semblance of environmental independence. Today gardening tools and fertilizer are brought through Israel. We hope that by next year the composting from the 13 houses will make the fertilizer unnecessary.

MPT team member and helpers preparing olive branches for the compost pile

Lunch is served

The Permaculture group also plans educational sessions for the children to help them understand the value of composting and recycling. The West Bank has 3.9 million people but because most of the vacant land is under Israeli control, in area C, there is not one proper garbage dump and land fill. The population density in areas under Palestinian control is too high to make garbage disposal feasible. The problems of waste disposal are monumental. We hope this is the first step in raising awareness of the problem among the young, who will inherit a polluted land.

The fava beans are going in the ground

Some of our workers with the "Mother" and gardener in front of the cottage

If the collaboration between the NGO and the orphanage is successful the children will have much more than fresh vegetables. Involving the children will deepen an understanding and love for the land that is theirs. There is a great deal to do and this is just a small step, but political sovereignty cannot occur without environmental sovereignty.

One level planted

View from the top terrace of cottage 12

Creative resistance in Beit Sahour

Beit Sahour is a town where Christians and Muslims have lived and worked in harmony for many years. During the First Intifada [1987-1993] the community was highly organized in methods of non-violent resistance. This was a time of resistance to the occupation. From 1987 to 1999 they refused to pay taxes to Israel and turned in their IDs. The result was the confiscation of household furniture, necessary supplies (including pharmaceuticals) in the various stories and daily harassment by the Israeli military.

The town expected support from the United States because their action was so similar to the US struggle of “no taxation without representation.” Unfortunately the support did not materialize. There was also a lack of support and similar action by other Palestinian areas. However, the spirit of nonviolent resistance is still alive in Beit Sahour.

Bethlehem has illegal Zionist settlements on three sides. On the east side, where Beit Sahour is located, is an area of land called Ush Ghrab. It is a high hill and has a commanding view of the surrounding country and Jerusalem. Its position made it a valuable military location. The Ottoman Empire established a military base there. That was followed by a Jordanian base; in 1967 Israel took it over. Israel used the area as an army base, but evacuated the area and left the land vacant in 2006.

The municipality of Beit Sahour is trying to acquire the land for a community and cultural center and a children’s hospital. Much of the land is privately owned by residents of Beit Sahour. The city built a public park, nature trail, a playground, and developed areas for families to gather. Cure International would like to build an orthopedic and cardiac hospital for children.

The municipality is trying to acquire all of the necessary permits and approvals from Israel to complete the project and build the hospital. As they are navigating the legal process, Israeli settlers have begun to enter the area and claim it as a future Israeli settlement, even though they have no legal standing. On several occasions they threatened and stoned Palestinians who were using the land. Racist graffiti has defaced walls and bulldozers have torn through the area. Beit Sahour citizens have painted peace slogans over the graffiti six times. Prayer meetings and peaceful gatherings have been disrupted by the Settlers. The Israeli army has protected the Israeli settlers and closed the road to Palestinian traffic at various times.

The response from the people of Beit Sahour has been non-violent and creative. One Sunday MPTers joined local families for a day of kite flying, food, a young Palestinian rap band, and general family fun.

It would be a symbol of hope to see the land that was used by the military for so long dominated by a children’s hospital dedicated to healing - not destroying. Sometimes resistance can take the shape of a kite and not a fist.

The Olive Harvest 2008

October and November are the months for the olive harvest in the West Bank. The weather begins to cool in the arid and semi-arid land. The soil, high in iron, takes on a dusty red color against the silver green of the olive trees. Families once gathered together in the groves to pick olives, picnic, and rejoice.

The Palestinian economy is agriculturally based and the olives account for about 28% of the faltering economy. The olive harvest makes a substantial difference in the lives of the people where the average per capita income is only $1,200 and poverty and unemployment is increasing. It has been a difficult year to harvest olives in Palestine because of the drought and increased violence from illegal Zionist settlers.

The city of Hebron has been torn by settler violence against people and property. At the end of October, Settlers destroyed 80 Palestinian cars and a Muslim cemetery was desecrated. Zionist extremists have attacked Palestinians, a Rabbi who is a member of Rabbis for Human Rights, international peace activists, and even their own army. Some links to news articles are below.

www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1026228.htmlwww.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1026228.html

www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1101/breaking3.htm

www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32307

Three of us started for Hebron early one morning. Two Californians (who have olive trees at home) and one MPTer left Beit Sahour to lend a hand with harvesting. Patricia took the lead negotiating the transport as she worked with her Arabic phrase book.

Arabic is not an easy language

Patricia and the bus drivers

In Hebron, we joined other internationals from Germany, Denmark, Finland, and Austria. We walked through the cemetery that had been vandalized the previous week on the way to the olive grove. The gravestones were broken and marked with blue spray paint.

Broken headstone

Much of the West Bank is mountainous and the few flat areas are those carved out of the hills by the Palestinians. The olive groves are on terraces with rocks stacked, or dry fitted, as retaining walls between levels. The farmer had a grove directly next to a settlement and was uneasy about picking without any protection. Often the presence of internationals is a deterrent to violence.

Olive trees below the settlement

Approaching the grove, a group of Israeli policemen came up behind us and demanded that we stop. Since I was walking uphill between levels of terraces, I just proceeded slowly, speaking quietly to the policeman. He asked if I knew the people ahead and I asked if he knew them. I asked for his help climbing over a stone wall and he refused to help. As we regrouped and the police joined us, they said that we had to leave the area. There were threats of arrest. We asked to see the paper designating it a closed military are. The police said the army was coming with it.

Israeli police

While we waited, the farmer’s family provided glasses of hot tea. They wanted the presence of the internationals. The discussion with the police officer in charge of the team of five, Nimrod Sustiel, went on for an hour while the rest of the team picked the olives. Finally, he said in disgust, “Oh, just go and pick the olives.” I think the futility of the discussion and the realization that we were not going to be intimidated prevailed. He did not want the trouble of arresting the group, so they stood by as a rather ironic protective presence for us. They milled around the olive grove for about 4 hours and then just faded away.

The settlement was at the top of the hill and we were constantly alert to foot traffic around the grove. The farmer’s children worked under the trees separating the olives from the branches and pretending to plant one of the branches that had been pruned from the trees.

The boys

Planting a branch together

By mid-afternoon, a meal was provided by the mother of the farmer. We gathered on the earth to share the food and the hope of peace in Hebron.

Hebron picnic

We picked the olives together until it was time to begin searching for transportation to get back home. The farmer and his children were grateful and gracious hosts for the day. We all left with a feeling that some small thing had been accomplished in a city filled with fear and uncertainty.