our vigil at the wrong house

20 Nov

While we were in Ramalla we received call that the occupying army had invaded a house a second time. We decided to change our plans and taxi back to Huwarra to visit the occupied house. We returned to the house that was occupied last night, this time with chairs. We setup under the street light planning to tell everyone of the occupying soldiers secret hangout and to wait until they left.

A neighbor joined us and then went back to get us tea for under the street light. We rather liked the specter we were presenting the soldiers with – 4 international having tea in the street as they revealed the soldiers secret observation point. The neighbor returned with tea and news that there were no soldiers in this house. We had the tea anyway and figured out that we had confused the messages and this night they had occupied a house across town.

purcussion grenasdes to close Huwarra

19 Nov 2014

closing Huwarra, putting it under curfew.

5:45 PM occupation soldiers walked down Rt 60, the main street, and told shops to close. Nothing unusual was visible on Rt 60 at that time.

A shop owner had just received a delivery which was piled high on his front step. The soldier told him he had 10 minutes to shutter his shop. Immediately following that some other soldiers walked up and started shoving the shop owner (who is a US citizen) around and sticking a rifle in his stomach. The shop owner said he would call the DCO. The soldier said he did not care and threw 2 stun grenades, one on the porch and one into the shop. The grenades cracked the tile floor and damaged some merchandise.

6:04 (15 minutes after the soldiers cleared the street) we received a message that settlers were throwing rocks at PA cars on Rt 60 in Huwarra as typical excuse for putting the Palestinians in the city under curfew.

two views of the smoke stains from the inside 

grenade 

damaged merchandise has been moved

grenade marks on darkend porch

shuttered shops 8 shops doors should be open with their lights on

18 Nov 2014 attack of Urif

18 Nov 14 Urif

Settlers attack a secondary boys school in Urif again. The Army arrives and tear gases the Urif residents.

The 300 students of Urif Secondary School went to school Tues morning expecting a day of studying. Unknown to the students or the teachers a group of 30-40 armed settlers had set out from Yizhar settlement to cover the 6-7 km with the intent of attacking the school.

School yard, school and Yizhar behind

About 10AM the settlers, having left their cars out of sight, entered the gate of the school yard armed with axes, swords and at least one had a firearm (apparently 8-10 soldiers accompanied them). But what alarmed the teachers most was that some settlers carried Molotov cocktails. Fearing that the school would be set a fire they evacuated the students. The settlers started throwing stones at the exposed students. At least 4 students were taken to the hospital by ambulance, one with a face and nose injury and another with a lower leg injury. As word spread the residents of Urif ran up to the school to protect their children.

School yard gate - now it is closed

About 11AM 8-10 occupying army jeeps (with one white one in the middle of the convoy) came up through the center of town to the school. They moved between the settlers and residents and fired tear gas and stun grenades at the residents of Urif. A reporter who was among the occupying army heard the boarder police tell the army that he wanted them to blanket the whole village in tear gas, he said he wanted tear gas in every house.

sooty wall where trash bin was set afire and dumped

After settlers and residents have left soldier aim teargas into the village

Resident recycles some of the spent tear gas cases

 As tear gas filtered through the homes in Urif residents talked about the living near Yizhar. There have been repeated attacks, usually targeting the houses highest up the hill and the school which is also high. Previous attacks on the school have been on Thursdays or Fridays when students were not in the school and the attacks were focused on doing physical damage to the school building. Attacking the children is a dangerous escalation.

A street leading to the school

Urif has been attacked over 100 times by settlers from Yizhar. Four or five weeks ago they attacked in the village rahter than the school sending 3 or 4 to the hospital. The village built a wall to help protect one exposed house which has been attacked over 15 times. But the village attributes 17 miscarriages directly to army tear gas attacks. Some attacks have been to steal live stock; horses, goats and, sheep have all been stolen. One time while the settlers were stealing sheep they broke the hand of the owner and his son. Three years ago settlers attacked the new mosque which was not complete but was being used for prayers and burned the rugs and door. Six years ago an 18 year old boy was kidnapped while picking olives and taken up to the settlement where he was killed in an animal shed.

The residents say the Yizhar settlement was started in 1983 on land stolen from Urif residents. It was land the family we talked to grew wheat and animal fodder on. The residents say the early residents of Yizhar were criminals and murders who had been released from Israeli jails to start Yizeh.

Like many other villages near settlements, many of the olive orchards cant be plowed, fertilized, pruned or picked with out a permit from the occupying army. This year they were allowed 2 days to pick the olives which it takes 10 days to pick. But when they got to the olive trees they found there were no olives on the trees.

17 Nov 2014 occuation of a house by army

Received call from neighbor about soldiers having invaded a house. The father was away and there were just a wife and many children in the house. The soldiers forcibly walked in and gone up 4 floors and were apparently using it for an observation. We abandoned our meeting and rushed down, the 6 of us waited, wearing high visibility vests. Before we figured out if we could enter the soldiers came down peeping cautiously out the windows on each floor. Our Hebrew speaker said that as the soldiers passed us their squad leader said, ignore them, pay attention to your security. We scheduled a meeting with the man of the house, but it had to be rescheduled. We suspect he had security concerns. Apparently the soldiers had occupied this house 2 weeks ago.

While we have not met with the owner, the wife and children have been exceedingly nice to us.

We met an American/Palestinian who lives 1000 feet down the road and apparently the soldiers had done the same thing at his house a while ago.

Being at the corner of three streets with an open roof and a view of Rt 60 is no excuse for just forcing your way in and occupy an innocent civilians houes. This is part of what the US Revolution was about.

15 Nov 2014 why cant we go to Jerusalem demonstrations

15 November 2014

Feeling the frustration of not being allowed to travel to Jerusalem, especially at this time when one of the most holy sites of Islam, the Al Asqa mosque is under direct attack, Palestinians symbolically opened the way through the wall. We arrived and about 50 people had assembled as the activists produced some special ramps to scale a wall. Then they crossed about 75 feet of land to cut a hole through the coils of razor wire. About 30 of the 50 assembled scaled the wall on the ramps, crossed through the hole in the fence. After a while everyone returned, climbed up the ramps, the ramps were carried away and all the demonstrators left before the occupying army arrived.

Another action that day was to amass at the entrance to the road that went to a settlement near Ramalla with the intent of closing the road. It was assumed that the occupying soldiers would be slow to use tear gas or rubber bullets so close to a settlement as it might disturb the settlers. This seemed to be true. They physically pushed demonstrators and they used numerous stun grenades, but they did not use gas or rubber bullets, although both weapons were present at the scene of the action. The demonstrators did close the road for a while, and Palestinian flags were prominent everywhere for even longer. One was even put on an occupying army jeep. This appeared to be just too much for one of the occupying soldiers who was especially aggressive after that. At prayer time about 20 Muslims prayed by the road to the settlement before the demonstrators decided to leave.

Rotary intersection settlement road goes to right of photo

Another view looking out settlement road

Occupation army and border police take center of rotary

Praying as part of demonstration. note that the helmets and bullet proof vests are mostly the press

There was another demonstration at the Qalandiya check point. This is a check point between Ramalla and Jerusalem and part of that wall keeps Palestinians from visiting Jerusalem and their Al Asqa Mosque. There were the usual tear gas, burning tires, rubber bullets and, rocks. Remarkably some Palestinians scaled the wall and placed first a Palestinian and then a Hammas flag on top of the wall. This was a very risky thing to attempt.

Peaceful marchers say we should be allowed to go Jerusalem, a center of our religion and our home land

 

A peaceful march needs a few tires burning to reduce the chance of being shot by occupation soldiers

Peaceful march near tires, the check point entrance to Jerusalem in the center back ground

sorry about sideways photos

14 Nov 2014 2nd day picking in Area C

Today we went to the orchard two ways, some of us walked the long way around as the occupying Border Police had advised. Some of us rode through the occupying army check point on a farmers tractor. We all got in.

While working I could see what looked like smoke blowing over the far mountains, above the rim of the Jordon Valley. But it turned out to be dust storms blowing up from the valley, the dust precipitating out when the air expanded after the mountains.

dust cloud hanging over the rim of the Jordon Valley on east winds

After all the picking we had been doing I finially decided to try the little rakes which are always in the field but no one seems to use. I found them very useful. They are not good when the branches are tangled, but most of the rest of the time they seem to be faster. You need to be on the outside end of the branch (often not the case when climbing the tree) because the rakes work stroking away from the trunk. With a short handle (a 1.5 ft stick) they make the arms reach a lot longer. But I still found there were times I did not use it.

As we picked we moved closer to the settlement road. I noticed as we got closer with each passing car all the Palestinians got alert, and if a car slowed down they all paused in their work to see if there would be trouble. The farm family was visibly glad and appreciative that we were able to finish. It all feels so insidious it is obvious that the three days they were allowed to be in their olive orchard was not enough time for them to complete the harvest with out additional help and then the order specifically band additional help.

In Bunin, on the hill opposite where we were picking, I asked a Palestinian American about the high terraces that did not seem to have anything growing on them (above where we had been picking). He explained that the settlers had burned or cut the trees off of them. He said, you should be here in the summer, the settlers set fire to old auto tiers and role them down the hill, starting brush fires on the hills and burning orchards.

a borro that worked in the orchards with us

We attended a rally I Ramallah of people who wanted to express their concerns over the closing of al-Asqa and associated repression of Palestinians in Jerusalem. These are Palestinians who can not get into Jerusalem. They formed a long human chain. Interestingly the chain was divided, woman at one end men at the other. Some women took a position on the other side of the street. Which included very tradition woman wearing niqab, woman who kept a sign in front of their face, to woman who were obviously traditional organizers, walking along the line talking and inspiring women, directing the demonstration, talking to the media. The only one person gave a speech (the US rallies could learn from that).

 

8 nov 14 soldier on way to picking olives

We committed to help harvest olives, at the boys school we were met and told how to walk up to the orchard. When we crossed the road three soldiers stopped us and asked for our passports, we both said we did not have them. Were then asked for some ID, I showed my drivers license, Mopsie said he had none. We were told it is the law that foreigners are required to carry their passports at all times. Then the soldiers said we could not continue up to pick olives, while this area is open to picking olives, no Israelis and no foreigners are allowed to pick, only Palestinians. We were told that the reason we were no allowed is that “tourists make a mess and cause disruptions.” Mopsie asked,¨who told you this? They lied to you.¨ We continued our objection saying ¨we were asked to help pick by the very farmers you say are allowed to pick.¨ They asked us how long we were in Israel, where we had been and, what we had been doing. After much back and forth the soldiers called their commander. We used this waiting time to build connection with the solider. I talked to them about their weapons (I know them and several previous versions of them from my time in the military). In the process I deliberately touched their weapons and found reason to touch the soldiers themselves. At one point one of the soldiers said his weapons, his jeep, everything even his boots were American. I think we did succeed in gaining some level of connection with them. (It is interesting that all the weapons have bright orange devises in the breach to assure they are on safety and don´t have a round in the chamber.)

A portly man in a white or light blue shirt with epaulets arrived from the settlement in a white pick-up truck – their commander. He informed us that this area was a close military zone and that during these 3 days farmers who owned land there (they had a list) were allowed in to harvest their olives. Mopsie asked to see this law. They brought out a note book and showed us a map of the area with the picking areas outlined on it and a series of “orders.” The “orders” were in Hebrew and Arabic but not English. Mopsie asked if we could copy them which they said we could. The commander offered us a larger map to copy and said we could not copy the smaller one because it has the names and numbers of the Palestinians who are allowed in each area, which he said was private information. 

 After we copied the orders (which were not signed) and map, he again informed us that it was the rule that we were not allowed. I said I understand that but I have to tell you why I think that is unfair. He said there is no point arguing. I said I understand that and I am not arguing, I just need to tell you how I feel. I told him something to the effect that as a farmer myself I know that when the crop is ripe you need to harvest it and harvest it then. I am used to dropping all other projects when it is time to harvest. Therefore I feel it is wrong to deny a farmer a little extra help at harvest time. If they can't get their crops in on time they will lose them. Then we procrastinated and slowed the process of leaving, I tried calling various people. Mopsie did other stuff, just delaying leaving. I sensed the commander walking over behind me I kept my head down assuming he was going to demand we leave. Instead he said he had called his commander and gotten permission for us to pick. But he said this permission was just for the 2 of us and just for today – tomorrow would be a new question. I thanked him and shook his hand (probably the third or fourth time I had shaken his hand during this encounter). I did it to build human connection, Mopsie felt I should not have because it was agreeing with his saying that he was not giving us permission to pick tomorrow.

While we were picking another half dozen of our group showed up, the soldiers stopped them. Once again their commander came down in the white pickup (I should note when ever he got out of the pickup he had to reach back in and get his weapon to carry slung over his shoulder). Had a shorter conversation than we had and then were allowed came up to join us with the same admonition that this permission was just for today and just for them. 

Our friends talking to the soldierś commander

While we were picking 4 boarder guards showed up. They chatted with the farmers. It was obvious to me the guards were chatting, but the farmers knew they had to engage in the conversation. It even seemed the guards were telling the farmers how to farm. At 3:30 the guards returned to said we all had to leave the orchard – the permission ends at 4PM.

Given that 3 days was not enough time for them to harvest the olives, delayed us, their helpers, getting to the orchard for 45min and now chased us out of the orchard at 3:30 was further shortening the harvest time. Even though time for the harvest was of the essence the farmers were insistent the that we stop for coffee, for tea and, for a wonderful lunch.

These olives were riper than ones we had picked before, and more of them had fallen to the ground. It is worth noting that the Palestinian farmers had permission to pick their olives. Then a settler ran in to a small boy (hit-and-run) by the Huwarra check point. In response to this no settler was arrested, instead the occupying army postponed the permit for Palestinians to pick 10 days.

Curiously the farmers talked to the Border Guards who told them that we, the internationals, should come tomorrow by crossing the main road to the East, out of sight of the Army, and come up the long way around and that way we would avoid the Army – we wondered if this was some bureaucratic competition or some trap. The next day we did make it in that way.

The occupying Army had 3 to 5 jeeps in the olive orchards each day. The occupying Border Police had 2 to 7 jeeps in the orchard each day, stating from an hour before anyone was allowed in.

view across the valley from were we picked a settlement is on top of hill above Burin

6 Nov 2014 Ofer Check point

We attended a rally at the Ofer Checkpoint (in Ramallah) organised by students of Birzeit University. It evolved into teargas, burning tires, rubber bullets, and stone throwing.

Wearing a borrowed gas mask I was able to stay in the cloud of gas where the demonstrators, press and soldiers did not. That allowed me to be standing in the space between them when the gas cleared away and as the line of conflict stabilised. I was obviously not a soldier and not a demonstrator. I stood in plain sight at one spot between them (a little closer to the demonstrators because their aim was wilder), but out of the direct line of fire, holding a peaceful presence observing both sides more closely than I have been able to in smiliar demonstrations.

Teargas rising over my position

I do not know if my presence changed things, but it felt, to me, like it did. Just standing there a peacfull presence in the middle as others ran around, hiding, throwing stones and, shooting. It seemed clear that both sides were generally avoiding hitting me.

Most of the demonstrators' activity seemed to be boys seeing how far forward into the range of the soldiers they dared get, running from one more or less protected place to another. Burning tires sometimes created a smoke screene.

A percentage of the boys, would put a stone in their sling, start swinging it, run forward release it at the soldiers and, then run back. I could see that most of the rocks fell way wide of the mark. And from what I could see they all fell way short of the soldiers.

One of the boys danced back and forth, with a Palestinian flag flying proudly, about as close to the occupying soldiers as any of the young men got. He kept moving which reduced the chance of being a target for the rubber bullets. But he was not throwing stones and this group of soldiers did not seem inclined to try to shoot at him.

Carrying the flag in range of the soldiers. They are behind the wall in back on left side of photo

I watched as one young man manuevred himself forward with gasoline in a bottle. Then finally, to the cheers of the demonstrators, lit the rag, ran out and, threw the Molotov cocktail at the soldiers. It travelled about 30 feet, over 100 feet short of the soldiers. It went out when it hit the ground. (Buried in the mystique of Molotov Cocktails is the fact they are generally pretty ineffective.)

At another point some young men dragged a couch out into the road (probably just outside the range of the rubber bullets) and sat for a short time flaunting the soldiers.

It was clear that the boys were not able to put the soldiers in any form of bodily risk. Leaving me wondering why they would put themselves at personal risk, risk of hospitalisation, to throw stones and clash with the soldiers. I can only imagine how I would feel as a young man under years of a crushing occupation (certainly the whole life of the boys demonstrating) - my father can not tend his land (which he inherited from my great grand father), my cousin gets arrested and tortured in jail for no reason, I can not walk the street of my village free from fear, my neighbor's house is intentionally demolished by the occupying forces, I just plain have no future, and the noose around the life of Palestine, my home land, keeps getting tighter while the world stands by quietly. Under the occupation maybe this demonstration is just an outlet for their anger and frustration. Maybe it is the only seeable way of expressing their discontent with the occupation. Maybe it is a way of saying that despite all odds we will still resist, we want to be free. Or maybe it is just a way to still feel alive.

The soldiers, 6 of them, took up two positions. One position was in a straight line with the road on which the demonstration was; from there they could fire rubber bullets at the demonstrators and were the center of the boys attention since they were in view. The other position was closer to the demonstrators but well off the line of the road; from there they were out view of the demonstrators, out of the path of the stones and, could fire tear gas grenades to keep the demonstrators farther from the other soldiers than a stone would reach. But they could not see the demonstrators to fire rubber bullets at them unless a demonstrator got too far forward. From where I stood I could tell which group of soldiers fired rubber bullets by which side of me I heard them fly by.

Soldiers with M203 gas grenade launcher it can rapid fire six grenades

Tear gas grenades arching over head

Since the tear gas was keeping the demonstrators farther away from the soldiers than any of the stones could reach one might wonder why the soldiers even bothered firing rubber bullets. They must know that all the tear gas and rubber bullets will not stop the resisitance - probably increase it. Maybe it was entertainment, like an arcade game, shooting at moving boys. Maybe it was anger at being harassed by Palestinians whom they see as beneath them. Maybe it was some expression of hate. Maybe they have internalised some retoric about their god given land. Maybe it is just what young men do when holding a fire arm - shoot it.

Black tire smoke mixes with white teargas

Tire smoke as a smoke screen

It all seemed surreal.

Riding home in a "service" after the demonstration there were some college freshmen who had been in Ramallah for Arafat Day learning about the PA governement, how their government works. I asked what Arafat did that made him so important, so great, and they said that he brought all of Palestine together. I asked what they planned to do after college and they said they didn't know - in Plaestine there is no way to grow, no way to make a life and, no way to get out.

They got out at their "service" stop and I rode the rest of the way home silently looking out the window at a dark Palestinian land scape, thinking.

5 Nov 2014

We attended a rally I Ramallah of people who wanted to express their concerns over the closing of al-Asqa and associated repression of Palestinians in Jerusalem. These are Palestinians who can not get into Jerusalem. They formed a long human chain. Interestingly the chain was divided, woman at one end men at the other. Some women took a position on the other side of the street. Which included very tradition woman wearing niqab, woman who kept a sign in front of their face, to woman who were obviously traditional organizers, walking along the line talking and inspiring women, directing the demonstration, talking to the media. The only one person gave a speech (the US rallies could learn from that).