Secondly I really wanted to see it for myself how the whole system worked. its very difficult to find objective reporting on this area even if it is honest. And I realise this blog will be subjective.
Thirdly doing various political and sociological papers at university thought it might help that out!
Anyway arrived in Ben Guiron airport and was let through quickly - some activists get sent away but normally people who are returning. But I did not pack any pro Palestine literature. Then spent a day or two in Jerusalem seeing the old sights and going to a few churches. My tour guide was interesting and showed how deep the problem is. She is on the board of an interfaith group who meet to promote understanding between Muslims, Christians and Jews but even she felt that although they could coexist they would never mix. Which is a shame - Jerusalem is full of invisible boundaries that Jews, Muslims and Christians do not cross but which I, and other tourists, are oblivious to most of the time.
Following a few days here I moved onto Ramallah for training, and got shown a frightening array of the various instruments used by Israelis - sound bombs, tear gas canisters (often fired at people with great potential for injury and death) rubber bullets (which again can kill). Taught how to protect oneself, how ISM is a non-violent movement (which it is, despite what some might try and tell you.
After training we moved onto a demo . the wall has been built across these peoples land and so they have little access so every Friday they demonstrate and ask for internationals to go and document any Israeli Occupation force abuse. The march went up to the top of the hill with no problem and at the fence we were told we were here illegally, stating this was a controlled military zone - something which an officer can declare at anytime. We did not leave but protested by trying to remove barbed wire at various points of the wall. Israeli soldiers roughed up one Palestinian man who had not done much - they don't bother arresting international and Israelis as these people come up under Israeli law and it takes an age to prosecute.Eventually they arrested this man, a few people tried to hold on to this man to stop them taking him away (they can be detained for 8 days without seeing a judge and then held for 6 months in order to prevent them committing crimes, although they have a right to a defence they are not told what crimes they allegedly might have committed so its obviously a little difficult - 2,000 people are held like this). they pulled people off often by the neck or hair and then held the man blindfolded him and took him away. After a while the demonstration finished but there were running battles between youths throwing stones and soldiers firing tear gas and rubber bullets. We followed the soldiers and kept asking them what they were doing, which means we narrowly missed the odd stone.
I travelled from there t Tel Rumeida where there is an Israeli settlement, these settlers are nutcases, there are no other words for it. Very few of them work but they are funded by Israeli Jews who basically believe that they are reclaiming the holy land and they constantly attack Palestinians. two weeks ago they bottled one of my colleagues and almost blinded her, her vision is still not perfect. ( http://www.telrumeidaproject.org/Proposal_Background.html for info about another group working here). Our job is to make sure that they let the children get to school and back and generally be a presence to make the Palestinians feel safe. the street I am on was deserted but was once the main street, a checkpoint and the forced shutting of all shops (for security obviously). Many shops have been grafittied by pro Israel support. Although there was little trouble today when the children left school, one settler got a little close, I was threatened by Israeli soldiers.
They were on a patrol and one of them walked towards me but was called off, he then proceeded to kick stones and make remarks, he then came over to me and asked what i was doing. i said i was looking around, he then said that's a lie, we went on and he searched my bag of oranges (3 times!) and asked what was in my pocket (a video camera) - he then said it is dangerous here for you, you leave tomorrow. He kept repeating this while getting closer and closer to me and repeating this saying look into his eyes, its not safe. he then asked what I thought of Jews, what my Jewish friends thought of me and then kept repeating its not safe. its very threatening and with 4 soldiers with guns its not particularly nice. I had been intending on doing that but now I'm going to bloody stay.Settlers continued to spit and shout a little but there were lots of foreign ones (come to see how their millions are spent) who would say hello to us and were quickly told not to - obviously we don't look like the devil we are made out to be! The settlers hate us and i feel little compassion for them, i saw one bitten by a dog and didn't feel much compassion. I can see how easily the Palestinians can see these people as subhuman, most of the soldiers dislike then. this settlement is guarded by 4 soldiers to every one settler ! One soldier when questioned by a friend said he didn't want to pull out of the west bank as even though they should never have invaded it would destroy the fabric of Israel. when questioned a bit more essentially his views are: if we pull out these nutters move back to Israel!
Many Palestinians who I talk to ask what people in England think of them and almost beg me to make sure you all know that they are an intelligent, articulte group who feels their labnd has been taken and feel they have the right to resist. But they are not monsters, whatthey want is justice and peace
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