Sunday, May 24, 2009

Testimony of Khader Issa Shaheem

Testimony of: Khader Issa Shaheen
Age: 33 years
Location: Living in Ras e-Amoud in East Jerusalem
Testimony is as follows:
Shaheen works with the Palestinian Media Communication Center and the Voice of Palestine public radio. The Palestinian Media Communication Center works with other stations around the world, so they do not deal solely or directly with the Arab channels.
On January 3, 2009 Shaheen went to the Israel/Gaza boarder to film the war in the Gaza Strip like many journalists in the area as the Israeli army was allowing coverage of the war. At that time he was reporting from the boarder to al-Alam (a satellite channel in Iran). Information was being transmitted to al-Alum through the organization he was working with, the Palestinian Media Communication Center, headed by an individual known as Maher Shalabi (the director). Shaheen had been there for eight days and normally reported live from 6pm to 11pm. On the eighth day of the war, television reporters from Iran started talking about the possibility of a land invasion by the Israelis. Since Shaheen was standing on the Israeli side of the boarder, the Iranian reporters asked him if he had heard any tanks in the area and he replied saying yes, he had heard some tanks and that they had been quite laud. So they asked him, while being filmed on television, “Is there a land operation right now?” He responded, “I can’t say because the Israeli Defense Forces have not confirmed it.” Around the same time Shaheen gave his response about the land operation to the Iranians, the Israeli Minister of Defense announced the commencement of a land operation in Gaza.
Shaheen finished his live report around 11pm. Shortly after Ehud Ya’ari, an Israeli reporter working with channel 2 on Israeli television, identified Shaheen by name and accused him of reporting to the enemy and supplying them with military information. Not only did Ya’ari say that Shaheen’s reports violated the rules of military censorship, but he accused him of working with the Iranians (even though he was working for the Palestinian Media Communication Center) and he called for Israeli security forces to take action against Shaheen. These allegations were made by Ya’ari around 10pm so Shaheen was in the process of reporting on another channel. When Shaheen finished his reports around 11pm the office in Ramallah called to notify him of the indictments being made against him by Ya’ari on channel 2. They instructed him to leave the area as soon as possible so he went back to his house in East Jerusalem that night.
Shaheen’s situation became a sensitive one and he was told to go to the office in Ramallah not to report, but to discuss the matter. The head of the office in Ramallah, Mr. Shalabi, called the Israeli Governmental Press Office (GPO) and spoke with its director, Gary Simon. Shalabi asked Simon if there was any problem with Shaheen continuing his reporting. According to Simon, everything was fine and no one had filed a complaint against him to the GPO. Shalabi explained to Simon that yesterday Ya’ari had incited criminal charges against Shaheem and called for his arrest. Simon clarified that Ya’ari was simply expressing his own opinion and that it was within his rights to do so. He continued to say that if it suited Shaleen, he too could appear on television to criticize Ya’ari. Next, Shalabi proceeded to call Avichia Dera’i, an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson, to ask if he saw a problem with Shaleen resuming his reporting duties, to which Dera’i also answered, “No.” Shaleen did not appear to report that day (January 4, 2009) because of the time it took to clear his position.
On January 5, 2009, the next day, Shaleen returned with his equipment to the same location in the south to report on the war. On his way there he crossed the Hizma checkpoint and his identification was checked by the police with no problems ensuing. Once clearance was given to proceed into Jerusalem he continued into the south. On his way there he passed by the law office of Moahmmed Dahleh and decided to check with the lawyer to make sure he was not wanted by the police in south Jerusalem. Dahleh called the police command in south Jerusalem and they confirmed that he was wanted by the police there despite the fact that he passed the boarder crossing. Dahleh asked the police in south Jerusalem to fax over a letter confirming a warrant for his arrest which the southern commander sent along with another letter from Commander London stating that Shaheen belonged to the International Investigation Department in Bitach-Tikva (near Tel Aviv) and requested Shaleen drive there to make an appearance. Shaheen, with Dahleh and his belongings, went to Bitach-Tikva thereafter.
Upon his arrival, Shaheen was taken inside and placed in a small room where three investigators came to interrogate him. Two of the investigators where referred to as Yakov and Shai, but Shaheen does not remember the name of the third. The investigators told Shaheen that he had informed the enemy of the situation in Gaza and caused harassment to Israel and to national security. He replied humorously by saying, “I did all of that?” The investigators, not appreciating his humor, told him to, “not take these things so lightly, you are in the highest level of the Israeli police (International Department of Police).” They told him he was working with Iran, to which he replied, “No,” and clarified that he is “working as a journalist for the Palestinian Media Communication Center which provides services to other television channels including the Iranian channel al-Alum.” The investigators charged him with breaking the rules of censorship and leaking information about the military land operation before any information on that operation was released regardless of the fact that Israeli television had announced the Israeli land operation one hour prior to his statements.
After the interrogation Shaheen was taken into custody and arrested. He was held in Bitach-Tikva for a total of eleven days. Within the first seven days he remembers being questioned every day for extended amounts of time. On the seventh day he was brought to court again and the judge ruled that if no new charges or evidence surfaced within the next 48 hours Shaheen would be released. However, on the ninth day he was brought to court once more and again he was held for another 48 hours. On the eleventh day, Dahleh, Shaheen’s lawyer, petitioned that he be kept under house arrest. The judge agreed with the condition of a fine of 300,000 shekels which Shaleen’s organization paid to the treasurer of the court. Since his release on January 16, 2009, Shaheen has been allowed to leave the house every two to three weeks to attend court dates only as he still remains on house arrest. His court date on May 21, 2009 where a variety of witnesses, one being the head of the Military Censorship in Israel, were going to testify against him, was postponed until May 31, 2009. Regardless of these details, Shaheen’s lawyer remains optimistic that the charges will be dismissed.

Persecution of a Palestinian Reporter

Its occurred to me I haven't gone into much detail when it comes to the work I'm doing so allow me to expand here. PHRMG documents human rights abuses in general, but focuses on how the Palestinian Authority torments their own people. One project I'm working on is a comparative essay outlining the use of torture by the Palestinian National Authority, Hamas, and Israel. This requires me to do a lot of online research, contact and interview individuals and families who have been victims of torture to record their testimony, and interview organizations who have had experience dealing with Hamas, the PA, or the Israeli Defense Forces. Once the information gathering is complete, I'll have to compile it appropriately in an essay format.
Another project requiring a slightly different approach is involvement with the case of Khaled Shaheen, a Palestinian reporter who has been detained and arrested by Israel under false premises. I went with Bassem, the organizational head, and his brother, the Minister of Jerusalem affairs, to interview Shaheen while he was under house arrest. The details of his story are in the blog entitled “Testimony.” After recording the sequence of events from Shaheen, I went back to the office to translate what was said into English and edited my own work a few times over. Then, I proceeded to search online for world wide press organizations that have an interest in preserving freedom of speech, the rights of reporters, and human rights in general. After compiling a sufficient list, I prepared an email that introduced Shaheen's case and requested that these organizations use their resources to help and spread awareness in whatever way possible.
I was going to wait until after Shaheen's trial, which I was going to attend on May 21st, to send out the email and possibly make some changes based on the decision of the court. Unfortunately, his trial was postponed, so he continues to be on house arrest (since his release from prison on January 16th).
Here's one article reference online if you want to check it out yourself. Shaheen's article is listed under the 15th of January:
www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,RSF,,PSE.4562d8cf2,4975960ec,0.html

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Couchsurfering with Ilan

If you like to travel, if you're going on vacation on a budget, or if you just want to get to know interesting people and places, I highly recommend checking out couchsurfering. You can find it at couchsurfing.org/index.htlm. They provide a collection of individuals from all over the world with an extra bed or couch and who are happy to have visitors from abroad come and stay for a few days. If you aren't interested in lodging, there are many individuals who are looking to show others around, talk about their home or simply meet for dinner. There are also a variety of tools that facilitate easy traveling. Various groups and chat areas allow visitors to ask locals questions or provide opportunities to meet up with fellow travelers.
Many surfers just want to interact with local people from the region they're visiting to get a more authentic experience that only those familiar with the area can provide.
Each surfer is rated by the people they have contact with so you can see if they provided others with a good experience. Surfers also have a friend list of people they have interacted with so its possible to inquire with those on their friend list about the character of the individual in question. Of course always be cautious, especially when traveling alone. So far I've had very positive interactions with other couchsurfers, but you're meeting up with people you don't know so use common sense.
I met Ilan through the Jerusalem group on the couchsurfing website. He was going to host me for a few days, but I found housing in time so we decided to meet up for a conversation instead. Ilan is an Israeli Jew and extremely proud of his country. He holds the same point of view as the majority of Jews I've encountered when it comes to the work I'm doing, but Ilan was very willing to have an open conversation about our beliefs. Like I said, Ilan (along with any other Jew or Palestinian you talk to) loves his country and could not imagine living anywhere else. He took his own time to show me some of his favorite sites. I wanted to kick myself because I didn't bring my camera; I'll have to revisit the same places and take pictures next time around.
St. George Monastery
We visited the St. George Monastery first. It was founded about 480CE, but was destroyed by the Persians in 614CE and was abandoned. The buildings of today were erected between 1878 and 1901. In a cave nearby are the remains of the monks who were killed during the Persian advance on Jerusalem ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George%27s_Monaster).
Next, I experienced the buoyancy of the Dead Sea. Formations from the high salt content are scattered throughout the water which has become so shallow you can practically walk through it to Jordan. The Dead Sea is 398m/1,306ft below sea level, making it the lowest point on the surface of the earth. Due to the high salt content (25-30%, compared with 3.5% in the Mediterranean), neither plants nor animals can survive in its waters, though recently scientists discovered the existence of a bacterium that dwells here.
In recent years, Israel has cut off water flow to the dead sea due to the water shortage in the region. So much water has been diverted that the water level has fallen drastically (3 feet per year). The reduced inflow of fresh water means that the salt content is becoming even higher due to evaporation. However, it's theorized the Dead Sea will never disappear entirely since evaporation slows as surface area decreases and salinity increases.
Hiking up local cliffs overlooking the area, I was excited to find sea shells and fossils deposited from a river used to flow into the dead sea hundreds of years ago. While enjoying the view, Ilan talked about what it means to be an Israeli Jew. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about both cultures and perspectives because if you don't understand where both sides are coming from, you'll never truly understand the conflict.
From Ilan's words, in the Israeli Jewish community, culture and religion are the same, even for those that aren't Jewish. They love the traditions of their people and they try to keep them alive by celebrating them (as I said, even those that aren't religious do this). An example would be to get married in a traditional wedding or (as I have heard so many Israeli Jews do) explaining a situation by using a Jewish saying or biblical teaching as a reference. They additionally have an extreme amount of pride invested in they're country. Israelis have been displaced for centuries and invested trust in the idea that the country they were in would take care of them, but this continually failed to be the case. The infamous result of this was the Holocaust, and they fear that if they compromise or act in certain ways, history will repeat itself. This is the ideology they all carry. In Israel, they have their own land and their own army to defend themselves and as such they feel safe. That's why so many are so dedicated to Israel the state.
Ilan says there will never be an end to the conflict. Both sides want all of Israel and they will never compromise. Its interesting because although he dislikes the Arabs and feels Israel is the Jew's country alone, he's not completely detached from the Palestinian perspective. He told me that if he were an Arab, he would hate the Israelis for how they've oppressed and removed him. If it was he on the other side, he said he would refuse to recognize Israel.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Respect

Someone I know whose very knowledgeable in the subject, once told me they believed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was one that would be solved within our lifetime. I hope they're right, but as of right now, my current opinion leans in the opposite direction. At least I don't believe it will be solved without direct outside influence. This website gives the standards that define human rights according to the United Nations:
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
This one provides several brief definitions of human rights according to various sources:
http://www.answers.com/topic/human-rights
At the most basic level (in my opinion at least), the application of human rights comes down to respect. One people respecting another enough to grant them these basic human rights. Obviously, other factors inevitably make this process far more complicated, but lets start with this idea. If you don't respect another individual or group of individuals, and in this particular case anyways, if you're at conflict with these individuals and desire the same things they do, an enemy is created. Once this relationship is established, the enemy is frequently used as a scapegoat, increasing hatred towards the enemy yet simultaneously doing an injustice to the side of the “victim.” Dishonorable treatment against the opposite "side" becomes tolerable as resentment increases and the opposing sides begin to dehumanize each other further.
Take a minute to look up war propaganda put out within the last hundred years and further. You commonly see one culture, country or side characterizing the other either with a description or visual image (usually a cartoon) with attributes that are inhuman. People are compared to animals, biblical villains or fictional creatures that possess negative qualities. This is one method of actually viewing the process of dehumanization.
I am not exaggerating when I say the grand majority of Israelis do not see the Palestinians as people. Plain and simple. When I explain to Israelis that I work within the human rights community and I tell them I do so with the Palestinian population, they respond with different statements that say the same thing: I'm wasting my time. My organization, though it examines all cases of human rights abuses on the Palestinians, not matter the perpetrator, actually focuses on those committed by the Palestinian National Authority, which is a Palestinian organization, not an Israeli one. But to the Israelis the fact that my organization is not looking to target the Jewish community is irrelevant. If I'm aiding Palestinians in any capacity, not only am I exerting unnecessary energy, but I'm working on the side of the enemy and therefore, I am the enemy.
I had a huge discussion with a group of Israelis the other day about whether the Palestinians were entitled to human rights. It was so bizarre because that's not a topic for debate. If you're human, you are entitled to human rights, that's the whole point.
What vexes me, is that until you bring up the topic of the Palestinians, the Israeli's are very welcoming and helpful people. I enjoy my interactions with them and they are constantly teaching me about their culture and the conflict. I live with three Israeli roommates, all students, and all served in the army (Tal, Dina and Maton). I thought it would help broaden my horizons and help me to understand both perspectives, which it has. Tal (married to Dina), literally five minutes after meeting me, went out of his way to help me out of a very uncomfortable situation, not because I asked, but because that's just the kind of person he is. However, when you talk to him about the Palestinians and the conflict, it's as if another individual emerges. His demeanor become stiff, his attitude cold and unrelenting and his beliefs, unmerciful and inaccurate. Many of their arguments are based on falsities that they consider to be historical and political facts, but good luck arguing that. They believe they are true because its what they've been told their wholes lives. I often feel like when it comes to the conflict, I'm talking to a brainwashed population (I'll refer back to this later). It makes it difficult for me because I want to engage them in discussion about the overwhelming situation that surrounds them, but I hate seeing the transition.
I've spent time in both communities and its obvious the conflict, while an influential aspect of both communities, is more significantly present in the lives of the Palestinians than in those of the Israelis. The Palestinians are constantly going through checkpoints, the Israelis are not; the Palestinians all have water towers on their homes due to shortages and the Israelis do not because superior pipe networks were constructed under the Israeli settlements; jobs in the Palestinian settlements pay sometimes up to a three quarters less than those in the Israeli settlements; unemployment is drastically climbing in the Palestinian settlements (70% in Gaza and 20% in the West Bank cited by Barbara Ibrahim in her book from Charity to Social Change), and again I could go on for pages. What's interesting is that while the Palestinians are more oppressed, I don't sense that their hatred towards the Israelis is nearly as strong as the Israeli's hatred is towards them. That's not to say this isn't the case. I'll have to edit this later when I find out more on the matter. I know the Palestinians are frustrated and angry and in general do not like the Israelis, but I've had multiple Jews say flat out how much they hate the Arabs, and I've yet to hear the same said from the Arabs about the Jews. I'll uncover some more definite conclusions about this input them later.
There seems to be an infinite amount of obstacles inhibiting these two groups of people from cooperating with one another. They don't respect each other, they don't trust each other, the Palestinians are extremely divided, the Jews are extremely oppressive, both act with immense violence, the Palestinians haven't proven they are able to govern themselves, etc. The point I'm trying to make is that I'm so overwhelmed by how deep and complicated this conflict goes that its hard to tell where the healing process should start.
I suppose the first step would be education, on both sides. Neither the Palestinians or the Israelis are receiving the quality or quantity of education necessary for independent thinking and analysis. The Palestinians don't have the means to implement such a system (for Palestinians) and its my opinion that the Israeli government doesn't have the will to implement such a system (for Israelis). This is a disability to their communities because generations from both cultures (at least the majority) continue to act on the beliefs of their parents, society and of the government without ever examining why. As a result, they cease to establish independent conclusions.
My next suggestion would be interaction between the citizens of both nations. They need to see each other as people with similar needs, hopes, and emotions. Eventually, this could open the ground for open discussion instead of screaming and blame. Only through physical interaction can this be accomplished. The Palestinians would need to form a political body that actually represents the needs of the people as a whole, instead of multiple parties that are some combination of corrupt, violent, or politically inept. How to get this process started, I have no idea. That aspect has to come from within the people themselves. If it were to be achieved, I assume it would still take some time for the groups to reach a consensus as to what would make each satisfied. The actual application of those decisions would raise other issues as well. What I've presently observed is that these people want nothing to do with each other to the point where I'm questioning if either group really wants the conflict to end period.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Duha and Nimat

The last few nights I have been staying in the city of Jericho. While driving to Jericho there is nothing, but sand for miles then suddenly you arrive at a small desert oasis. Papayas, which I helped myself to while I was there, composed only a small portion of the exotic and plush vegetation in the area. While undereducated (in comparison to other areas in Palestine), its actually a very open minded community. For example, more women than men are employed here and the family I was staying next door to was a mother with 5 daughters who was separated from her husband. That scenario is a rarity in the Arab world, but it is at least tolerated in Jericho.
The mother of the girls saw that I was visiting and asked if I wanted to join two of her daughters on their way into town to do some shopping that night. I was tired, but didn't want to turn down a good opportunity to interact so I accepted. The daughters I met were Duha and Nimat, fraternal twins. They were both 20 and spoke very little English. Between their limited English vocabulary and my broken Arabic, we were actually able to communicate better than expected.
The town, which that morning was dead with stillness, suddenly came alive at night and there were people, taxis, bikes, and markets everywhere. You could tell that few foreigners ever visited here because I could feel every person we past starring at me to an even greater degree than what I had deemed usual based on my experiences thus far. At one point when we were sitting down, one woman actually leaned forward in her chair (she was sitting one person away from me) just to get a look. I couldn't help, but laugh at how indiscreet everyone was.
Our first stop was at an Arab bakery. We all ordered shawera (kinafah), a sweet Arab treat that consists of cheese, sugar, and spices. Its sounds peculiar, but its delicious. The girls ordered and before I knew what was happening they had paid for my dessert. I tried for a good half hour to get them to take some money for the dessert, but they kept saying “No, no! Arabia, Arabia!” In other words, I was their guest and they wanted me to have a good time while with them and while visiting their country.
It's a cheesy word, which is why I never use it, but the best way to describe these two was "precious." They were constantly taking my hand to show me things or to pull me out of the way from the immense amount of oncoming traffic (be it car, bike, or person). They tried to explain certain things in shops to me and to engage with me in any way they could, but in the most genuine ways.
After running a few more errands, we came to a jewelery shop where Duha wanted to sell some jewelery. Nimat and I waited outside while Duha picked out a new piece of jewelery for herself in exchange for what she traded in. When she returned and the three of us began walking home, the two girls took my hand and put a ring on my finger. They both said “jemeela!” which means beautiful. I told them it was beautiful then gave it back, thinking they were showing me one of the pieces they'd bought. They had actually bought it for me and refused to take it back. They again told me I was their guest, and one day they could come visit me and I'd return the favor.
I hope that actually happens, but my heart sank a little when they said that. I know they're well aware they won't be visiting the US any time soon, for many reasons. They can't even leave the West Bank. It makes me think of how many different forms of oppression there are and how the lack of opportunity for these girls to experience anything outside of the town they grew up in must make them feel incomplete. I'm sure that's part of why my visit to them was such an exiting ordeal.
I believe that Duha has a job picking grapes, her two oldest sisters are married and live out of the house, and Nimat and the youngest daughter live at home unemployed while their mother cleans houses. Duha, most likely makes around 35 shekels for eight hours of work a day (that's less than ten dollars). They really don't have much of anything and here they are insisting on giving me gifts, which killed me. The ring they gave me, while attractive, is probably worth next to nothing from a financial standpoint, but to me its the most powerful piece of jewelery I own. I haven't taken it off since they gave it to me. It reminds me of how beautiful people can be and I know I'll be needing that reminder in the near future.

Human

I'd like to expand on the previous blog “Hebron,” specifically when we were stopped by the Israeli guards and it was unclear if Bassem would be able to proceed through the checkpoint. After I was done taking pictures of the deserted house, I returned to find the Thomas, Rachel, and Bassem still waiting in a huddle close by and the Israeli guards grouped together about 30 feet apart. One guard was communicating via radio in an attempt to present the matter to his supervisor. I'm sure Bassem was getting frustrated because he had made this trip many times before and knew he'd been granted access to cross. I wasn't sure what had been discussed prior to my arrival, but I could feel the tension that had surmounted on my return. It was as though I'd stepped into a situation were two sides had been drawn and the individuals involved (while very aware of the existence of the divide) were completely oblivious to the process that lead to its creation.
I left my side of this not so invisible line and made the 30 foot journey over to the Israeli guards. “Shalom!” I only know a few words in Hebrew and since not many Israelis speak Arabic, but many have at least a healthy knowledge of English, I proceeded in my native tongue.
I asked one guard after another (there were three) where they were from in Israel, how long they'd been working with the army, what they planned to do after, and other general questions. They were a little reserved at first, but answered my questions then proceeded to ask some of their own. Less than ten minutes into our conversation one of the guards escorted my small group over to the part of the village we were trying to reach. He never received an answer from his commanding officer.
This marvelous scenario can be applied not just to the Arabs and Israelis, but to almost any situation where there is a conflict between sides. We were clearly representing the Palestinian voice on our visit to Hebron, so from the beginning there was a splitting of sides (Palestinian versus Israeli). When a group of people have a common enemy for a prolonged period of time, the people that compose “the enemy” transcend into a faceless entity towards which the other group targets much resentment, blame, and hate. The Israelis feel this way about the Palestinians and vise versa. When this image is shattered and you can see the opposing group not as the “other side,” but as individuals, they regain their humanity and people are able to communicate and empathize with each other.
Whether or not the Israeli guards were intentionally trying to give us trouble or were just unsure about some detail of our crossing, or maybe a little of both, I don't know. I do know that in some situations where the mood is already volatile, often the most simple actions are most successful at calming the flames and putting things into perspective.

Classification

Let me explain the title “Israeli Jew.” If you have permission to live in Israel, you are automatically an Israeli (a citizen of Israel). If you are an Arab living in Israel, you are an Israeli Arab (an Israeli Arab is considered a Palestinian who is a citizen of Israel). If you are a Jew living in Israel, you are an Israeli Jew. If you do not live in Israel or any of the Israeli settlements, then you are confined to the West Bank and Gaza (the areas that compose Palestine so therefore these people are Palestinians). Also, you can be an Israeli Jew and not actually celebrate Judaism, its just a matter of ethnicity. Confused yet? :)
Israeli Jews can go anywhere except for Palestine, therefore the West Bank and Gaza, hence the checkpoints to make sure Palestinians stay in and Israelis stay out. Israeli Arabs (also Palestinians) live in Jerusalem, but have access to the West Bank. Palestinians in the West Bank can only live in the West Bank, but may sometimes travel outside of it to parts of Jerusalem and Palestinians in Gaza are confined only to Gaza (hence the checkpoints to make sure only Israeli Jews are entering Jewish areas and settlements and Palestinians and Israeli Arabs are staying out).
Every person here has a passport and that passport is colored according to your position in society (Israeli Jew, Israeli Arab, or Palestinian). These passports allow the Israelis to monitor more efficiently who can get into or out of designated areas.

Hebron

On Wednesday, May 13th, Bassem (the director of the PHRMG) and I picked up Thomas, an Irish photographer who had come to Jerusalem to try to visually convey the conflict that is taking place in this region.
You can check out some of Thomas' previous work by looking at:
http://thomasstruth25.com/index.htm
We also picked up Rachel, a student from Colorado studying at the Hebrew University who may also be interning at PHRMG this summer. The four of us drove to the city of Hebron in hopes of giving Thomas some inspiring material. I tried to document the experience myself via camera, and you may get a better idea of the trip by looking at the slide show labeled “Hebron.”
The city of Hebron was a bizarre experience. We couldn't get into the city by driving because only Israeli Jews are allowed to drive on the street that would take you into the depths of Hebron (I explain what it means to be an “Israeli Jew” In the blog entry titled “Classification.” I recommend you check it out because you'll want to be familiar with the lingo to understand what I'm talking about throughout the blog sessions). This required us to park the car on the outskirts of the city and to hike in.
Hebron is one of the only cities where Jews and Arabs are not separated. They have different neighborhoods, but the neighborhoods are right next to one another. Their ability to co-exist proved to be very poor here. When we were descending into the occupied area of Hebron, we passed through street after street that was deserted. At one point they housed Arab markets, but life was made so difficult for them by the neighboring Israeli community, that people took a few belongings and left to the next village over. Immediately thereafter, the houses and shops were boarded up by the Israeli forces. A few families stayed in the Palestinian quarters, but for the most part, it felt like we were walking through a ghost town.
In order to pass through the outskirts and gain access into the center of town required us to pass through various checkpoints. At one such such checkpoint we were stopped because the guard was not positive Bassem could proceed; I tried to figure out what the reasoning was, but it was unclear.
During the time when we were waiting for Bassem to get clearance, I managed to squeeze my way into one of the deserted houses (again posted online). The architecture in these old villages is something to behold, but it was apparent how quickly these buildings had been deserted by the condition of the rooms I entered. Belongings and furniture remained, the floors were covered in various items (clothes, books, papers, etc.). These conditions gave the place an eerie ambiance.
Eventually Bassem and the rest of our group made it through the checkpoint (see blog entitled Human for more details) and made it into the village market of Hebron. The market literally seemed to be built in a cave and there were small shops on either side, engulfed by wall. Many of the vendors here were even more pushy than in other Arab markets I'd been too; one person followed us almost the whole way through asking us to buy from him.
My favorite part of the trip was meeting Newal and her sister, two shopkeepers who invited us into their shop for coffee and conversation. They are the only female shopkeepers in the village and suffer harassment from both the Israeli guards and Palestinian men. They use their shop to sell goods, but their primary goal is to educate people passing through on what is happening in Palestine and about their struggle as women to gain respect. Their wears consisted of jewelery, scarfs and other materials that were contributed by women in the area who support their endeavors. You can learn more about what they're doing by looking at: http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/coop/

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Umcamal

On my second day in Palestine, my Swedish roommates found a flier informing people of a Palestinian woman who had been kicked out of her home by Israeli Authorities. They asked me if I wanted to join them while they investigated the occurrence and of course I was on board. We found Umcamal, the elderly Palestinian woman living in a tent in an area on the side of the road. She was there with a friend and a few men from the area who were trying to help her with her situation. After originally being kicked out of her house in November 2008, she had been living in tents in an area near by. According to her translator, since then the Israeli Authority had demolished 5 of the 6 tents she'd occupied. When she was kicked out of her original residence, during the process her husband was thrown from his wheelchair by the Israeli guards and no one was allowed to reach him to supply medical assistance until 10 hours after the event. Her already sick husband died of a heart attack two days later. According to her story, they had been living in that house for decades. The Israeli government wanted her land (a smaller part of the grander scheme to take back all of Jerusalem and make it solely Israeli) and offered her a large sum of money for her house. When the family refused to move, the Israeli government told them they had no legal right to be there, took the house and boarded it up by force. After the fact, Umcamal was offered money by the Israeli government to live elsewhere and was given other offers from friends and family. She has no intention of moving. She says this is her home and this is where she will stay.
This presents an interesting situation. Technically, the Israeli government is the occupying force and they possess the legal right to remove Umcamal's family in that they had no legal documents stating their right to the land. On the other hand, this is a region where Israel both makes and breaks the rules according to how Israel benefits most. The more I talk to people, both Israelis, Palestinians, Muslims, and Jews, the more clear it becomes that all sides (as it is much more complicated than just Israeli and Palestinian) are using methods that are detrimental not only to who they think they are fighting, but to themselves.
Another point worth mentioning is how incidents and events are explained in this culture. In the western world we rely on facts and details to piece a story together little by little. We feel this gives us a more accurate picture. That ceases to be the case in Israel and Palestine. To this culture it is about the big picture and facts and details that compose smaller parts of the whole are not readily brought to the table when an event is being rehashed. One as to ask for these details.
I kept asking the man who was translating Umcamal's story about the specific facts involved. He would answer, but sometimes answers would be inconsistent. I assume this was partly due to the language barrier and a lack of understanding for what I was really going for, but there also seemed to be inconsistencies in the story as well. At one point I had to explain to him why my questions were important for what I was trying to accomplish because it was apparent he did not comprehend why I was occupying so much time with the nature of the questions I was asking.
After being shown Umcamal's old house, now boarded up (the event is documented in picture form under East Jerusalem) we visited a few other homes that were said to be evacuated by May 17th. The families were all very hospitable, offering tea and refreshments, and anxious to tell their stories. Two other Swedish girls (also in the East Jerusalem slide show) were living with the families and standing guard at night so as to warn the neighborhood if there were any suspicious activities.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Hostel Days

I've arrived! I was thrilled that at my request, a separate piece of paper and not my passport was stamped on my arrival. I hope to visit some of the neighboring countries before I leave and for those who don't know, most Arab countries other than Egypt and Jordan will not let you in if your passport has been stamped by Israel.
In the airport I could identify mostly Hebrew, Arabic and Russian. After picking up my bags I quickly went to currency exchange and then to purchase a local cell phone. After doing so I caught a bus to East Jerusalem via a sherut (or minibus) and was fortunate enough to share the fare with Jerrod, a student from Oxford who had traveled multiple times to the Middle East. He negotiated the price of the fare from 100 shekels to 70, so I was already fond of the kid. In addition to some very helpful tips about living in the area, we also had an insightful discussion about the culture and politics of the region. It had been less than a day and I already felt that in my short exposure was being saturated with new knowledge.
I met the director of my organization, Bassem Eid, in front of the Israeli Embassy in East Jerusalem. He seems like a very warm individual and I can't wait to begin working with him. He escorted me to Palm Hostel, just across from the old city in Jerusalem, and put me up for two nights. I will be meeting with him tomorrow to discuss more about my position and a more permanent living situation.
I'm reviewing my Arabic (I can't believe how much I've forgotten), but have been able to engage in some limited conversation with the local people. Khalil, a young boy (about 13 I would guess) who works at the hostel has been very interested in engaging with me. He's very outgoing and curious; he reminds me of my little brother Joe, who is about his age.
While the general population has no problem staring at me for uncomfortably long periods of time, children don't yet have full concept of the social norms here (I guess I'm in the same boat) and love to come up to me and try out their English skills. They always get a kick out of it when I answer in Arabic.
I'm sharing my room in the Palm Hostel with two other women, both graduate students from Sweden. One is also doing work concerning conflict resolution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the other is focusing her research on women's rights. Both are very friendly and it's nice to be sharing my space with others who have similar goals.
I am so excited and overwhelmed to be here. So many new opportunities and experiences are presenting themselves and I can hardly wait to take full advantage of what this journey has to offer.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Getting There

Departing from San Francisco to New York was nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to travel by plane. After arriving at JFK in New York, things began to diverge from the usual flight transfer.
Before boarding my flight to Tel Aviv, I was asked basic questions in regards to my visit and my intentions while there. I'm sure that it was due to the nature of my answers that I was taken aside by Israeli security for questioning. I was asked about who I was meeting, if I'd met them before, if I was told to bring anything to this person, how I came to learn about the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (the non-governmental organization I would be working with once in Palestine/Israel), what I would be doing for them, and a variety of other such questions. Post questioning I was directed to leave while my bags were searched.
Although a lengthy and expected process, it seemed to go much smoother than I had anticipated. My interrogators where also very personable, despite the fact that they had me personally escorted to my gate and onto the airplane. High security risk? What can I say? I'm a dangerous character.