Today was the highest point of my time in the beautiful West Bank. People laugh when I say that. The West Bank - beautiful? Isn't it all bullet holes and bombing?
No. It definitely is not. Today, on the olive fields, I look around at perfect middle eastern valley, with almond trees in blossom against a deep blue sky.
But this is not the most uplifting thing on display: It is lunchtime, and volunteers from Norway, UK, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, America, Switzerland, Armenia, France and Finland are together, sitting in the sunshine eating and talking (not to mention a bit of impromptue dancing) with our Palestinian hosts with whom we have spent the morning planting trees.
I find it very difficult not to get emotional at the sight. It is perfectly... human.
We watch the farmers' kids running around playing, and the old farmer's wife boiling up yet more Arabic tea.
Robert, one of the other volunteers from the UK turns to me, but I don't see a smile on his face, as on everyone else's.
"How can they put these people in cages?"
I don't have an answer for him.
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Hebron
Go to this link to read an account of the Olive Tree Planting Programme. I'm even interviewed on one day.
http://www.jai-pal.org/content.php?page=803
But for my 2 cents, read on:
Yesterday was a strange day. Hebron. A town to the south of Bethlehem. Also a historical and Biblical town. I have been here once before, but a lot can change around here in one short year, so a lot seems new.
We walk through the streets - ideological settlers in confiscated buildings are above us. As are the nets, put over the Palestinian market stalls on the street, to catch the rubbish thrown at them from the settlers.
But that wasn't new.
We arrive at a checkpoint. Metal detectors, soldiers, guns, gates, lines of people just wanting to walk from one end of their high street to the other, passing one by one through the bars and the stares of the IDF.
But this, also, is not new.
We continue our tour to a part of town where a junction leads to nothing but a blocked off road. A road with Palestinian shops and homes on it. But Palestinians are no longer allowed on this road. This is for Jewish settlers only.
This is new.
New, that is, to my eyes, and new for that road in that town. But this is an occupation. This is apartheid. And this is happening all across the West Bank on a daily basis. The confiscation and destruction of their homes, land and livelihoods is not new to Palestinians.
Undeterred, we, the 'internationals' stop a police van on patrol.
"We're not Palestinian - we want to walk here.'
"You cannot."
"Why?"
"Security. You cannot go there."
"Why?"
"It is not good for you to go there."
Before we can ask why again, they drive off. But we know the answer - the evidence is all around us: the injured kids, the damage to buildings, the hebrew graffiti... Palestinians who try to get back to their street, their shop, their homes have been attacked by the Israeli settlers time and time again.
The police didn't want us to go there because they know we might be attacked too. And that wouldn't be good for PR.
But there is hope. A rehabilitation centre, where local Palestinians work to renovate properties in Hebron helps to ensure people have a safe place to live, and importantly, not to be scared into leaving & letting the zionists win. Their work, supported by governments & NGOs across the world, aids their peaceful resistance to a racist state that wants to 'cleanse' Palestine of Palestinians.
I leave Hebron feeling deeply saddened and yet, inspired by the rehabilitation centre workers, I feel motivated and ready for the day of olive tree planting ahead...
http://www.jai-pal.org/content.php?page=803
But for my 2 cents, read on:
Yesterday was a strange day. Hebron. A town to the south of Bethlehem. Also a historical and Biblical town. I have been here once before, but a lot can change around here in one short year, so a lot seems new.
We walk through the streets - ideological settlers in confiscated buildings are above us. As are the nets, put over the Palestinian market stalls on the street, to catch the rubbish thrown at them from the settlers.
But that wasn't new.
We arrive at a checkpoint. Metal detectors, soldiers, guns, gates, lines of people just wanting to walk from one end of their high street to the other, passing one by one through the bars and the stares of the IDF.
But this, also, is not new.
We continue our tour to a part of town where a junction leads to nothing but a blocked off road. A road with Palestinian shops and homes on it. But Palestinians are no longer allowed on this road. This is for Jewish settlers only.
This is new.
New, that is, to my eyes, and new for that road in that town. But this is an occupation. This is apartheid. And this is happening all across the West Bank on a daily basis. The confiscation and destruction of their homes, land and livelihoods is not new to Palestinians.
Undeterred, we, the 'internationals' stop a police van on patrol.
"We're not Palestinian - we want to walk here.'
"You cannot."
"Why?"
"Security. You cannot go there."
"Why?"
"It is not good for you to go there."
Before we can ask why again, they drive off. But we know the answer - the evidence is all around us: the injured kids, the damage to buildings, the hebrew graffiti... Palestinians who try to get back to their street, their shop, their homes have been attacked by the Israeli settlers time and time again.
The police didn't want us to go there because they know we might be attacked too. And that wouldn't be good for PR.
But there is hope. A rehabilitation centre, where local Palestinians work to renovate properties in Hebron helps to ensure people have a safe place to live, and importantly, not to be scared into leaving & letting the zionists win. Their work, supported by governments & NGOs across the world, aids their peaceful resistance to a racist state that wants to 'cleanse' Palestine of Palestinians.
I leave Hebron feeling deeply saddened and yet, inspired by the rehabilitation centre workers, I feel motivated and ready for the day of olive tree planting ahead...
After two days planting...
Today was our second day of tree planting - it's hard work, but the group is excellent and works well so we finish quickly. They have only had 3 days of rain here since the beginning of October (and this is meant to be the wet season here) so things have been very tough - when it comes to planting and growing trees for one. But secondly when it comes to us having running water here. Palestinians here often rely on rainwater collectors for their water (as the water pumping plants for the natural aquifers are under Israeli control, and most of the water is diverted to settlements or into Israel proper.) Also, electricity here is very expensive (like London now I guess!!) so the house we're staying in gets hot water from the sun heating the system through the day. So, in short, I've been having very short very cold showers each morning!
There is new graffiti on the Separation Wall. Blu (I think he's a Spanish writer - did a real world stop motion animation vid around a city which you should check out) - he's done a new piece in Aida refugee camp. The famous Banksy pieces are still in tact, but with many additions. But just two weeks ago, some nutter American got a roller and blue paint and painted a line the entire length of the wall - going over all the artwork and writing on the wall, inc. the banksy pieces. I asked a local - apparently he was very angry and was shouting 'fuck the wall' as he went. We were told he wanted to cancel out the art - I guess he may have a point - some people see the art and forget the reality of a 9m concrete wall that's creating ghettos for palestinians.
There is new graffiti on the Separation Wall. Blu (I think he's a Spanish writer - did a real world stop motion animation vid around a city which you should check out) - he's done a new piece in Aida refugee camp. The famous Banksy pieces are still in tact, but with many additions. But just two weeks ago, some nutter American got a roller and blue paint and painted a line the entire length of the wall - going over all the artwork and writing on the wall, inc. the banksy pieces. I asked a local - apparently he was very angry and was shouting 'fuck the wall' as he went. We were told he wanted to cancel out the art - I guess he may have a point - some people see the art and forget the reality of a 9m concrete wall that's creating ghettos for palestinians.
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