Life in the West Bank
“Traffic Accidents†In Occupied Palestine: Another Form Of Zionist Terrorism
By Reham Alhelsi
Writer Visits MCC, Argues to Vindicate Palestine Perspective
By Katherine Friedman
Daily Nexus, University of California, Santa Barbara
Joint Statement on Anti-Defamation Leagues “Top 10†List
By Students for Justice in Palestine
Margolyes: West End to West Bank
BBC interviews Miriam Margoyles (Harry Potter’s Professor Sprout)
Why Palestine Matters
By Lubna Safi
Indiana Daily Student
CPTnet Digest, Volume 35, Issue 1
A newsletter written by members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams
29 October 2010
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON): Shepherd made homeless, livelihood threatened, son in prison.
On Monday 11 October, at 8.00 a.m. the Israeli military arrived at the home
of Noah al-Rajabi in Bani Naim without warning and destroyed the family’s
water cistern, tent, and a small wooden structure family members used for
cooking and storage.
Al-Rajabi told CPTers, who visited after the incident, that soldiers kicked
and beat some of the animals and that one pregnant ewe aborted. Â When his
fourteen-year-old son objected to their actions, soldiers arrested him,
accusing him of “obstructing the military” and scratching a soldier’s
face.
Ten weeks earlier, the Israeli military demolished al-Rajabi’s house. His
wife and the younger of his seven children now live in two rented rooms in
Hebron. Al-Rajabi and his oldest son remained in a tent supplied by the Red
Cross, so that they could continue working with his flock.
CPTers met al-Rajabi in Hebron on 12 October. He did not know where his son
was being held, or where he could get water for his animals. They
accompanied him to three Israeli police stations. The only information
Israeli police gave them was that his son was being held in Ofer military
prison. They refused to accept a complaint against the Israeli soldiers for
their behaviour.
CPTers also visited Al-Rajabi’s rented accommodation in Hebron where they
met his wife and some of his other children. “Please bring my son
home,” his wife pleaded with them.
Al-Rajabi’s brother has been watching his sheep and goats, and has moved
them to another hillside where there is water. Agencies in Hebron are
trying to reconnect Noah’s water supply, but the cistern will have to be
rebuilt, and will run the risk of demolition in the future.
For further information on the imprisonment of Palestinian minors by the
Israeli military, please refer to the annual reports of Defence for Children International (Palestine).
My friend Ayyash took me on a tour of Balata Camp, the refugee camp where he lives only minutes from downtown Nablus.
Here, in 2 square kilometers, live 28,000 people, said Ayyash.
He said that the unemployment rate is 70%. Â Those who are employed, often work in shops inside the camp. Â Most of the refugees are educated, finishing high school and college, but very few move out because of the cost of relocating.
Only when public officials visit to see the conditions of the camp are the streets cleaned. Â We walked through tiny alleys that left no room for people to pass eachother.
Settlements surrounding Balata Camp.
All the homes are connected and there’s no room to build out, only up.
Kids playing soccer.
More info about Balata Camp:
Behind the Walls of Balata Camp
BY: HAYA SH. YASSIN
Haya is studying journalism at An Najah University in Nablus, West Bank. In January 2011, she will begin her M.A. in Filmmaking at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Here is her latest video from Nablus.
During a trip to Jordan and Egypt this past month, I remembered a few tips that make traveling, especially in developing countries, much easier.
10. Learn some of the local language.
“Hi, how are you,†are a great start. Knowing numbers and how to say “where is†will prove abundantly useful.
9. Be ready for your plans to change and the pace to be a bit slower.
You’ll still have a good time and your travel stories will be that much funnier.
8. Bring your own toilet paper and carry it with you everywhere.
It’s good for spills, runny noses and an ill-equipped bathroom.
7. Haggle, haggle, haggle — but don’t get flustered.
If you don’t want it, just say “No thanks†and move on. If you do want it, figure out what it’s worth to you and begin playing the haggling game.
6. Trust the locals — but ask more than one.
Case in point –passengers of the Queen Nefertiti ferry from Aqaba, Jordan to Nuweiba, Egypt cannot buy their ticket at the port as the Lonely Planet states. Just a few months ago, the policy changed. Tickets now must be bought at an office in Aqaba before passengers head to the port. Everyone knew this, but I doubted them all at first.
5. Once you begin arguing over the equivalent to $1, it might be time to stop haggling and relax for a bit.
Sit down and get yourself a tea, then start again with a clear head. Do you really need that wooden elephant anyway?
4. Sometimes a walk in the park is the best thing to do with your afternoon.
Free sights and smells and probably a handful of locals to join you. There might even be an ice cream truck.
3. It doesn’t matter if you overpaid for something you really love — as long as you could afford it.
Who cares if you paid quadruple what a local would pay if your purchase is meaningful to you!
2. Think beforehand about what you will do when people beg for money or food so you are prepared.
My rule of thumb – if I have food in my bag (and I usually do), I will give it away but I don’t give away money.
1. If there is a bathroom — use it.
Even if you have to hold your nose to get through it, your body will thank you later when you’re on a bumpy bus ride (please refer to #8 to avoid additional toilet trauma!).
Warm, gooey kunafeh, an expansive new university campus and a vibrant Old City.
I spent many Sundays in Zababdeh since July 2010, celebrating with Fr. Firas and his congregation at St. George Melkite Church. Â Though the services were in Arabic, a few things were still familiar: the rhythm of prayers, the passing of peace and the children staying occupied by giggling and playing games in the back of the church. Â I quickly became accustomed to a service filled with rose-flavored incense, sermons I couldn’t understand and communicating in semi-sign language.
Below are a few of my favorite memories from Zababdeh.
To see my other stories from Zababdeh go to:
Sweatshop in Zababdeh only choice for some women
Get your hands dirty in Zababdeh
Experience the Holy Land with the Living Stones
When I hear the cadence of a drum squad, my heart skips a beat remembering my days in marching band at Dallastown High School. I loved marching through the parking lot to the football field to the beat of the school’s cadence.
Today, while walking through downtown Nablus, I heard the enticing sound of drums coming from the main square. I quickly changed my afternoon plans and hastened to the square, where I found myself in the midst of a Freedom Rally. Everyone was holding signs protesting Palestinian imprisonment in Israeli jails.
Children from many different schools were marching around the square in their uniforms. Mothers held framed photographs of their imprisoned sons. Music played and a stage hosted a few speakers. Downtown Nablus was packed like figs in a basket and the place was thumping with energy.
As I weaseled my way through the crowd to capture videos, I noticed something different about the subjects of my photos. Usually people give me strange looks when I ask to make a video of them. Sometimes they ask, “why?†Today, the women holding Palestinian flags and photographs of their sons looked me in the eye and nodded, as if to say what many in Nablus have said before, “Take this photo and show it to everyone you know.â€
Please watch the video clips from the rally in Nablus today.
Today I sat in an auditorium full of Nablusi’s and Internationals, all watching the film To Shoot an Elephant, about the Israeli siege on Gaza. To my right, was my friend Ayyash, an activist who lives in Balata Camp. He translated some things for me and, having seen the movie a few times before, predicted some of the most horrific scenes as I shook with tears.
Watching a movie about Gaza while in the West Bank is surreal. The Palestinians sitting next to me cannot go to Gaza, and it would be extraordinarily difficult for me to get in. They are blocked by highways they cannot use, randomly erected checkpoints, machine guns wielded by 18-year-old Israeli’s with dreadlocks, an enormous wall, an identity card that clearly delineates where they are and are not allowed to go.
Today Netanyahu announced that the moratorium on settlement building would not be extended. I heard Palestinians talk about whether this would bring a third intifada. I heard about escalated violence. I felt the walls surrounding the people I love close around us.
Their land has slowly been taken away for years. My country has helped fund this. And now, though America is the top funder of the Israeli occupation, we seem to believe we can lead peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Â I wait in anticipation from the West Bank.
I have witnessed the occupation.
Palestinians have a different colored license plate than Israeli’s. The white plates can only drive on designated roads. The yellow plates can go anywhere. This is an occupation.
The other evening my friend pointed out the Mediterranean Sea in the distance. “We cannot go there, of course,†she said. Another friend remembered going there back in 1998. Though it’s about 2 kilometers away, Palestinians do not have access to the coast. This is an occupation.
I went to dinner at a friend’s house and watched olive trees burn. Settlers had set fire to them. The Israeli army drove by and did nothing. This is an occupation.
Since I’ve been here, four residents of Iraq Burin, a village a few minutes from Nablus, have been arbitrarily arrested. Two of them young men, and two of them village council members. The people in this village are farmers. They have lived there for years. Israeli’s have stolen their land, burned their trees, and recently killed two of the young men in the village (16 and 19).  This is an occupation.
One of my 16-year-old students was late for class because a surprise checkpoint was erected on the way from her home to school. This is an occupation.
Yesterday my boyfriend had to run away from soldiers. This is an occupation.
One of my friends was arrested last week for being affiliated with Hamas. He’s in a PA prison in Nablus, but I don’t know when he’ll get out. Maybe, hopefully, in a few days. This is an occupation.
During the last three months, I taught a Spoken English class for adults who teach English to young people in Nablus and the surrounding villages. During the class, we had intense debates, told jokes and shared stories about our families and life experiences, from the loss of our parents and grandparents to personal stories about the occupation.
I once asked my class, what, in their opinion, I can do to help make a change for Palestinians. They all responded with the same answer. They all said that I should share the stories of the Palestinian people.
Today we had our last class and I asked them each to write a message to those reading this site.
Here are their messages to you.
I don’t know you individually and you don’t know me myself, but my short message for you is this.
Let politicians work in policy, this is their job, and let the world love its people. We are two different groups of people but we share in our feelings of humanity. We are all human and we should do our jobs for the world. Give love, peace, happiness and hope toward humans, since we are not strangers who came from space or Mars. My message for you, in brief, is this, “Warm words don’t cost much yet they accomplish a lot.” We try to heal our wounds and pain from the occupation, especially Palestinian, Iraqi and Afganistani people. So, we people have to like each other apart from politics since politics is a bad game.
All Palestinians love you and send their regards.
-Nisreen Ghanem
Freedom started from where you are and then spread to the whole world. Americans are well known for freedom and equality. No country is still under the occupation except for Palestine. We trust the American people, that they can do something to help us get rid of the occupation.
A Palestinian,
-Mahmoud Bsharat
I hope you will treat all the citizens of the world the same. Don’t humiliate people politically, then give them aid. Please try to change your political policies around the world. Life isn’t eternal, so make people happy.
-Muna Numan
I hope that you never experience being under an occupation as we are. I hope you know the truth about our issue and I wish for you to come to my country to see and judge for yourselves. I wish you won’t take any side, just be a fair judge.
I hope you won’t suffer as we do.
-Hasan Ali
I am so happy to have this opportunity to write to you. First of all, I would like you to know that we, the Palestinian people, are not terrorists. On the contrary, we are a peaceful and social nation. We like foreigners, but our case is like that of any other occupied nation whose land is taken by strange people who don’t have the right to it. We don’t want any financial help from anyone, but we only want your empathy and support.
-Samah Tuffaha
A few of the articles students’ chose for class discussions:
Liberating America From Israel, by Former Congressman Paul Findley
The Real Cost of US Support for Israel – $3 Trillion, by Christopher Bollyn
US hails ‘constructive’ direct Middle East peace talks, BBC News
US Military Aid and the Israel/Palestine Conflict
Support builds for boycotts against Israel, activists say
If Americans Knew – statistics