[Peace-discussion] Report from Palestine
Aimee Smith
Aimee Smith" <alsmith@alum.mit.edu
Mon, 3 Jul 2006 23:36:27 -0400
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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Saturday July 2, 2006
Salaams and hello all,
There is no single Palestinian experience. Whatever region one lives in, =
one experiences a different reality. Every region, every refugee camp, =
and every village has its own unique tests and trials. Out of all the =
regions, I think Ramallah is the easiest to live in. Before coming to =
Palestine, I had no idea of what to expect. I remember buying a =
relatively expensive first aid kit and asking a friend whether I would =
see people being shot and killed in front of me. He laughed at me and =
told me that inside Ramallah, it is like heaven. While maybe a few =
notches down from heaven, Ramallah is "heavenly" in your typical Arab =
chaotic way. Being inside Ramallah, you hardly realize that you are =
controlled by an occupying power. (Ironically as I am writing this on my =
balcony, I can hear my down stair neighbors' conversation on checkpoints =
and the Israeli invasion into Gaza. So much for heaven!). Since my time =
here in Ramallah, I've only seen two Israeli jeeps pass me by as I was =
walking to meet up with a friend at around 8 p.m. But now with the =
increased tension, I constantly see the Israeli jeeps and soldier-movers =
and police cars from my balcony driving through the city during the late =
hours (after midnight). Yet like anyone in the States, I hardly know =
what has happened until the next day when I read the newspaper or listen =
into other people's conversations. The night the Israelis detained over =
60 parliamentary heads, I only heard gunshots and saw the flashing =
lights of Israeli police cars. Yet it was not until the next morning =
that I found out what had happened. But to save face, I was not the last =
one to find out. An American woman I had met earlier this summer who is =
doing her Ph.D. dissertation on Palestinian political factions came by =
the office later that afternoon from Tel Aviv. She stopped by to greet =
me and some other girls from the office on her way to interview various =
Hamas parliamentary leaders who are housed in the same building as =
Addameer. I was the first to break the news to her that her interviewees =
were probably in some prison or interrogation center and surely enough, =
the Hamas parliamentary office was empty.=20
Life in Nablus or al-Khalil (Hebron) is very different. You can hardly =
drive more than a few miles without passing through a checkpoint. There =
are also secret roads through the fields that taxis and minibuses have =
carved out to bypass checkpoints and military roads. Even though I am =
quite short, driving on these rocky roads, my head kept hitting the roof =
of the taxi to the point that I was afraid that either my brain was =
going to pop out or my head was going to be smashed in. Living in these =
regions, one never knows what to expect as it is quite normal to see =
Israeli jeeps and soldiers walking around and making their presence =
known.=20
In Jerusalem, on the other hand, occupation translates into religious =
domination. While a Jewish person will never face any problems going to =
visit his religious sites, a Muslim is barred access to the Dome of the =
Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque on many many occasions. This past Friday I tried =
to pray Jum'ah at al-Aqsa and as soon as I arrived into the Old City, I =
was shocked to see complete barricades with hundreds of armed soldiers =
around the Damascus Gate. Soldiers were yelling and pushing people away, =
riding on their horses and pointing their guns at Palestinians as they =
tried to enter the city. Only Palestinians and Arabs were being stopped =
from entering while Israeli Jews and foreigners were not even questioned =
or stopped. I think it was divine intervention, but the soldiers let me =
through while turning back dozens and dozens of other Palestinian women, =
men, and children. After the first barricade, there were two additional =
barricades that I had to fight through in order to get into the al-Aqsa =
Mosque. From the hundred or so people that were initially walking with =
me and trying to pray Jum'ah, only about ten made it through the three =
barricades. Needless to say, the mosque and the haram (courtyard) were =
relatively empty. After Jum'ah, all the barricades were removed and the =
Palestinians were once again allowed access into the Old City and into =
the Mosque. Even though I made it through, I was so infuriated that I =
hardly could pay attention to the khutbah (speech) or the prayer. True, =
this was not the first show of blatant racism and discrimination that =
I've seen here, but to me, considering that the al-Aqsa Mosque is the =
third holiest site for Muslims, it was the most offensive.=20
I think, by far though, the worst place in all of the OPT is Gaza. I =
have not been and in light of the current situation there, I don't think =
I'll ever be. Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2004, meaning that unlike any =
region in the West Bank, soldiers never enter it (until recently that =
is). While seemingly a good thing, the pull out has given Israeli forces =
the green light to exert tremendous deadly force against the population =
resulting in many casualties and deaths. In the West Bank, whenever =
Israeli forces wish to detain someone, they come in after midnight with =
their tens of dozens of soldiers and weapons and attack that person's =
home. The actual process of detaining a prisoner is a refined art of =
imposed fear. First, soldiers find the victim when he/she is most =
vulnerable-when he is sleeping in the very late hours of the night. Then =
the soldiers try to 'break him' in front of his family and loved ones by =
beating and degrading him, speaking to him in a language he does not =
understand, and talking through masks and blackened faces. For women, =
this is especially hard, as nearly all the soldiers (fifty if not more) =
are all men with the exception of one or two women. Finally, the =
soldiers take him away blindfolded and handcuffed, never once telling =
him why he was detained, where he is going, and how long it'll be before =
he'll see his family or be released. Only weeks, if not months later, =
after being interrogated and tortured and quite often denied access to a =
lawyer, is the prisoner read his rights and his list of charges and then =
taken to the farce exposition of justice-the military courts. This =
process is a daily reality for Palestinians, especially considering that =
more than 40% of the population has been detained and imprisoned. Since =
I've come here, I can count the number of individuals that I've met on =
my hands who have never been imprisoned or detained or have had someone =
in their family who has been imprisoned or detained.=20
In Gaza, there is no such thing as these nightly raids. In fact, there =
are no Israeli prisons or even detention centers there. If the Israelis =
wish to detain or imprison someone, they just kill him. Literally. Since =
Israeli forces are not allowed into Gaza, they use missiles and bombs to =
do the job of soldiers. A person can be in a car or walking down the =
street and a helicopter flying overhead or a missile from a battleship =
posted near the shore will shoot him down in cold blood. This is =
especially problematic considering that these soldiers who are operating =
these missiles and bombs have never quite perfected their bull's eye aim =
and often miss their targets, killing and injuring dozens of innocent =
civilians everyday. About two weeks ago, a family of seven were bombed =
to smithereens as they sat on the beach enjoying their weekend. Only one =
daughter, Hoda, physically survived yet I have no doubt that she is =
mentally and psychologically just as dead as the members of her family =
that she saw being blown to pieces right in front of her eyes. The day =
after Hoda's family was killed, I found posters thrown on a dirt lot of =
her screaming her agony as she saw her family being obliterated in front =
of her eyes. Palestinians are very good at making posters. Every time =
someone is martyred, within hours, posters are made with pictures of =
that person and are strewn all over town on walls, cars, and =
storefronts. Unlike other Arab countries, there are no pictures of kings =
or presidents here, only pictures of murdered people. I don't know what =
I'll do with the poster of Hoda, but I've tucked it away with the rest =
of the 'souvenirs' I have accumulated here over the weeks.=20
The Palestinians have called this the 'season of children' (mawsam =
al-iwlad) in Gaza. Before this recent attack into Gaza, nearly everyday =
children were being killed and injured due to the 'collateral damage' of =
the highly misguided missiles and bombs. With the recent invasion, =
though, Israeli forces have once again entered Gaza with their tanks and =
bulldozers after nearly two years of withdrawal. I think it will be a =
very long time before the Israelis pull out from Gaza again as now they =
are working to divide the already small region into three smaller =
regions. Before the recent attacks, people in Gaza were already isolated =
from the rest of the West Bank. In fact, a form of punishment that =
Israelis use for not-so-dangerous political prisoners is to exile them =
in Gaza for years on end. But now with the invasion into Gaza, Gaza has =
become even more isolated, harder to access, and internally divided (due =
to the destruction of the main roads that connect the North with the =
Middle with the South) and destroyed. Even though collective punishment =
is a crime according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the destruction of =
Gaza is being done in the name of the kidnapped soldier. This is yet =
another chapter of international and human rights law that the Israeli =
government must have skipped.=20
That being said, I must admit that it is beyond frustrating to know that =
this is all happening in the same country that I am in, only miles away =
from Ramallah, and I (as well as all the other Palestinians in the West =
Bank) are helpless to do anything. We cannot send food or money and even =
the rallies in the main square in Ramallah seem a bit ridiculous =
considering that the Israeli government is so far removed from Ramallah =
and the Palestinian government has been mostly detained. Yet like every =
other conversation and complaint, the rallies are a means of releasing =
the pent-up anger and frustration to one another. It is a means of =
making sure that our heart is still beating and that we haven't =
completely leveled out of existence in quiet acceptance. And while we =
scream, talk, write, and smoke out our frustrations, mainly we just wait =
to see what the newest action, who the latest victim, of this soap-opera =
life here will be.=20
In solidarity,
~r
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">Saturday July 2, 2006</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">Salaams and hello all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">There is no single Palestinian =
experience.=20
Whatever region one lives in, one experiences a different reality. Every =
region,=20
every refugee camp, and every village has its own unique tests and =
trials. Out=20
of all the regions, I think Ramallah is the easiest to live in. Before =
coming to=20
Palestine, I had no idea of what to expect. I remember buying a =
relatively=20
expensive first aid kit and asking a friend whether I would see people =
being=20
shot and killed in front of me. He laughed at me and told me that inside =
Ramallah, it is like heaven. While maybe a few notches down from heaven, =
Ramallah is "heavenly" in your typical Arab chaotic way. Being inside =
Ramallah,=20
you hardly realize that you are controlled by an occupying power. =
(Ironically as=20
I am writing this on my balcony, I can hear my down stair neighbors'=20
conversation on checkpoints and the Israeli invasion into Gaza. So much =
for=20
heaven!). Since my time here in Ramallah, I've only seen two Israeli =
jeeps pass=20
me by as I was walking to meet up with a friend at around 8 p.m. But now =
with=20
the increased tension, I constantly see the Israeli jeeps and =
soldier-movers and=20
police cars from my balcony driving through the city during the late =
hours=20
(after midnight). Yet like anyone in the States, I hardly know what has =
happened=20
until the next day when I read the newspaper or listen into other =
people's=20
conversations. The night the Israelis detained over 60 parliamentary =
heads, I=20
only heard gunshots and saw the flashing lights of Israeli police cars. =
Yet it=20
was not until the next morning that I found out what had happened. But =
to save=20
face, I was not the last one to find out. An American woman I had met =
earlier=20
this summer who is doing her Ph.D. dissertation on Palestinian political =
factions came by the office later that afternoon from Tel Aviv. She =
stopped by=20
to greet me and some other girls from the office on her way to interview =
various=20
Hamas parliamentary leaders who are housed in the same building as =
Addameer. I=20
was the first to break the news to her that her interviewees were =
probably in=20
some prison or interrogation center and surely enough, the Hamas =
parliamentary=20
office was empty. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">Life in Nablus or al-Khalil (Hebron) =
is very=20
different. You can hardly drive more than a few miles without passing =
through a=20
checkpoint. There are also secret roads through the fields that taxis =
and=20
minibuses have carved out to bypass checkpoints and military roads. Even =
though=20
I am quite short, driving on these rocky roads, my head kept hitting the =
roof of=20
the taxi to the point that I was afraid that either my brain was going =
to pop=20
out or my head was going to be smashed in. Living in these regions, one =
never=20
knows what to expect as it is quite normal to see Israeli jeeps and =
soldiers=20
walking around and making their presence known. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">In Jerusalem, on the other hand, =
occupation=20
translates into religious domination. While a Jewish person will never =
face any=20
problems going to visit his religious sites, a Muslim is barred access =
to the=20
Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque on many many occasions. This past =
Friday I=20
tried to pray Jum'ah at al-Aqsa and as soon as I arrived into the Old =
City, I=20
was shocked to see complete barricades with hundreds of armed soldiers =
around=20
the Damascus Gate. Soldiers were yelling and pushing people away, riding =
on=20
their horses and pointing their guns at Palestinians as they tried to =
enter the=20
city. Only Palestinians and Arabs were being stopped from entering while =
Israeli=20
Jews and foreigners were not even questioned or stopped. I think it was =
divine=20
intervention, but the soldiers let me through while turning back dozens =
and=20
dozens of other Palestinian women, men, and children. After the first =
barricade,=20
there were two additional barricades that I had to fight through in =
order to get=20
into the al-Aqsa Mosque. From the hundred or so people that were =
initially=20
walking with me and trying to pray Jum'ah, only about ten made it =
through the=20
three barricades. Needless to say, the mosque and the haram (courtyard) =
were=20
relatively empty. After Jum'ah, all the barricades were removed and the=20
Palestinians were once again allowed access into the Old City and into =
the=20
Mosque. Even though I made it through, I was so infuriated that I hardly =
could=20
pay attention to the khutbah (speech) or the prayer. True, this was not =
the=20
first show of blatant racism and discrimination that I've seen here, but =
to me,=20
considering that the al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site for =
Muslims, it=20
was the most offensive. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">I think, by far though, the worst =
place in all=20
of the OPT is Gaza. I have not been and in light of the current =
situation there,=20
I don't think I'll ever be. Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2004, meaning =
that=20
unlike any region in the West Bank, soldiers never enter it (until =
recently that=20
is). While seemingly a good thing, the pull out has given Israeli forces =
the=20
green light to exert tremendous deadly force against the population =
resulting in=20
many casualties and deaths. In the West Bank, whenever Israeli forces =
wish to=20
detain someone, they come in after midnight with their tens of dozens of =
soldiers and weapons and attack that person's home. The actual process =
of=20
detaining a prisoner is a refined art of imposed fear. First, soldiers =
find the=20
victim when he/she is most vulnerable=97when he is sleeping in the very =
late hours=20
of the night. Then the soldiers try to 'break him' in front of his =
family and=20
loved ones by beating and degrading him, speaking to him in a language =
he does=20
not understand, and talking through masks and blackened faces. For =
women, this=20
is especially hard, as nearly all the soldiers (fifty if not more) are =
all men=20
with the exception of one or two women. Finally, the soldiers take him =
away=20
blindfolded and handcuffed, never once telling him why he was detained, =
where he=20
is going, and how long it'll be before he'll see his family or be =
released. Only=20
weeks, if not months later, after being interrogated and tortured and =
quite=20
often denied access to a lawyer, is the prisoner read his rights and his =
list of=20
charges and then taken to the farce exposition of justice=97the military =
courts.=20
This process is a daily reality for Palestinians, especially considering =
that=20
more than 40% of the population has been detained and imprisoned. Since =
I've=20
come here, I can count the number of individuals that I've met on my =
hands who=20
have never been imprisoned or detained or have had someone in their =
family who=20
has been imprisoned or detained. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">In Gaza, there is no such thing as =
these=20
nightly raids. In fact, there are no Israeli prisons or even detention =
centers=20
there. If the Israelis wish to detain or imprison someone, they just =
kill him.=20
Literally. Since Israeli forces are not allowed into Gaza, they use =
missiles and=20
bombs to do the job of soldiers. A person can be in a car or walking =
down the=20
street and a helicopter flying overhead or a missile from a battleship =
posted=20
near the shore will shoot him down in cold blood. This is especially =
problematic=20
considering that these soldiers who are operating these missiles and =
bombs have=20
never quite perfected their bull's eye aim and often miss their targets, =
killing=20
and injuring dozens of innocent civilians everyday. About two weeks ago, =
a=20
family of seven were bombed to smithereens as they sat on the beach =
enjoying=20
their weekend. Only one daughter, Hoda, physically survived yet I have =
no doubt=20
that she is mentally and psychologically just as dead as the members of =
her=20
family that she saw being blown to pieces right in front of her eyes. =
The day=20
after Hoda's family was killed, I found posters thrown on a dirt lot of =
her=20
screaming her agony as she saw her family being obliterated in front of =
her=20
eyes. Palestinians are very good at making posters. Every time someone =
is=20
martyred, within hours, posters are made with pictures of that person =
and are=20
strewn all over town on walls, cars, and storefronts. Unlike other Arab=20
countries, there are no pictures of kings or presidents here, only =
pictures of=20
murdered people. I don't know what I'll do with the poster of Hoda, but =
I've=20
tucked it away with the rest of the 'souvenirs' I have accumulated here =
over the=20
weeks. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">The Palestinians have called this =
the 'season=20
of children' (mawsam al-iwlad) in Gaza. Before this recent attack into =
Gaza,=20
nearly everyday children were being killed and injured due to the =
'collateral=20
damage' of the highly misguided missiles and bombs. With the recent =
invasion,=20
though, Israeli forces have once again entered Gaza with their tanks and =
bulldozers after nearly two years of withdrawal. I think it will be a =
very long=20
time before the Israelis pull out from Gaza again as now they are =
working to=20
divide the already small region into three smaller regions. Before the =
recent=20
attacks, people in Gaza were already isolated from the rest of the West =
Bank. In=20
fact, a form of punishment that Israelis use for not-so-dangerous =
political=20
prisoners is to exile them in Gaza for years on end. But now with the =
invasion=20
into Gaza, Gaza has become even more isolated, harder to access, and =
internally=20
divided (due to the destruction of the main roads that connect the North =
with=20
the Middle with the South) and destroyed. Even though collective =
punishment is a=20
crime according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the destruction of Gaza =
is=20
being done in the name of the kidnapped soldier. This is yet another =
chapter of=20
international and human rights law that the Israeli government must have =
skipped. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">That being said, I must admit that =
it is=20
beyond frustrating to know that this is all happening in the same =
country that I=20
am in, only miles away from Ramallah, and I (as well as all the other=20
Palestinians in the West Bank) are helpless to do anything. We cannot =
send food=20
or money and even the rallies in the main square in Ramallah seem a bit=20
ridiculous considering that the Israeli government is so far removed =
from=20
Ramallah and the Palestinian government has been mostly detained. Yet =
like every=20
other conversation and complaint, the rallies are a means of releasing =
the=20
pent-up anger and frustration to one another. It is a means of making =
sure that=20
our heart is still beating and that we haven't completely leveled out of =
existence in quiet acceptance. And while we scream, talk, write, and =
smoke out=20
our frustrations, mainly we just wait to see what the newest action, who =
the=20
latest victim, of this soap-opera life here will be. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">In solidarity,</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dsg><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT=20
color=3D#888888>~r<SPAN> &=
nbsp; &n=
bsp; </SPAN></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></H=
TML>
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