SPSC Delegation 2007

Our visit to Bethlehem today produced some surprises for the delegation. We had witnessed first- hand over the previous days the obvious signs of Israeli racism in the shape of the apartheid wall,the interminable days at check points, soldiers taking a Palestinian Israeli of the bus and detaining her without any reason (more of this incident later) and the indignity the Palestinian people suffer from having soldiers posted on the roof of their houses and those of their neighbours. but today revealed the lenghts they will go to to undermine the confidence of the people throught he destruction of their econmy.

A visit to Bethlehem began with an Israeli Palestinian being taken from our bus and questioned at length. Although her papers were in order, she underwent lengthy questioning which amounted to introgation. As a group we decided this was harassment and we left the bus and refused to rejoin it until the Palestinian woman was released. We photographed the soldiers and one of our group demanded the soldiers name and number. This in turn proved too much for the soldiers who released the Palestinian woman onto the bus and we all carried on our way.

In Bethlehem we met a group of activists from one of the city’s many peacefull resistance groups. Attempts to develop tourism in the city and surrounding areas are being undermined by the Israeli government who want to Keep the Palestinians in a pemanent state of underdevelopment and subservience to the Israeli economy. The tourist industry is the classic service industry but the Israeli government controls who can be a tourist guide and Palestinians are prevented from taking on this role in their own country. Even fro the few tourists who do make it beyond the apatheid wall, Israel controls access to hotel licences and trying to get a licence is very difficult. If all this isn’t difficult enough, citizens of some countries need a visa to visit Palestine and surprise surprise, these are only available from the Israeli government in Jerusalem. Pehaps the most shocking aspect of our trip to Bethlehem was the way in which zionists have appropriated religious sites in the name of Judaism. Rachel’s tomb was previously a site venerated by Christians and Jews alike, now it has become a closed area to Christians with some very aggressive tactics being employed by Israeli soldiers to prevent them getting too close. However the day ended well for the delegation when we stood in solidarity with Palestinians who have lost their land in…………. with the construction of the apartheid wall which cut their homes off from their land.

For those of us new to this sort of demo, the tactics of the Israeli Occupation Force were pretty brutal. Palestinians lined up across a road which led to their land on the other side of the apartheid wall. Facing them was was a large contingent of soldiers armed with riot shields and machine guns. Although we were in the second line when the peaceful pushing began the Israeli response was brutal. Spitting on the protestors took place, men kneed in the groin and provocative shouting aimed at the Palestinians and internationals alike. Although we did our utmost to difuse the situation, the occupying forces targeted one individual for special attention. Palestinians andinternationals attacked together to prevent the man’s capture but the overwhelming force and tactics meant we were unable to prevent his capture. The Palestinian protest leaders decided to diffuse the tension caused by this capture and they reached an agreement on his release in two days and in response they agreed to call off the protest. The day’s events were caught on camera and one of our delegation was interviewed by Reuters.

Solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of the Israeli apartheid government doesn’t come more personal than this and it was pretty nasty stuff.

We have just 3 days in Hebron and the area around Hebron. It is one of the saddest places in the West Bank. We stayed in the old town with the Christian Peacemaker Team(CTP). After a welcome meeting with the mayor, CTP member Jan(from Fife) showed us round the old town. The main problem in Hebron town, is the settlers in the old city. Hebron is one of the most important sites in Judaism(tomb of Abraham) and attracts a particularly nasty type of fundimentalist settler. They are vicious, angry, racist and religious. They mete out violence without distinguishing between old or young, male or female. Many have moved into flats above Palestinian flats and shops. Settlers(75% US citizens) throw garbage, stones and missiles from their flats onto the heads of passing Palestinians. When the Palestinians erected nets between the buildings, excrement and molten plastic were used. They play loud recordings of sex acts, stonings, break ins, fire bombing cars and buildings, set their dogs on Palestinians and are generally very creative at harrassment. In 1994 an American settler entered the mosque and murdered 29 worshippers, The men who eventually overpowered and killed him were subsequently tried for his murder, one of them was murdered by the Israel Defence Forces. 95% of Palestinians in the area moved out.
The aim of the settlers is a line of continuous Palestinian-free area between 4 relatively small settlements and the(biggest) settlement of Kiryat Arba. The main market street running through the middle of the town was closed to Palestinians in 1987. This will split the town into two sections, Palestinians will have no access to the middle. There are between 300 and 400 settlers in the old town and around 1000 military personel to enforce their will. Even though the administation of the town took the case to the High Court and Palestinians won the right to walk down their main street, the exclusion is still in place. The mayor complained and was deported. Arafat issued a special case to reclaim the old town. A Jewish American benefactor gave funds to the city, which is being administered by the Hebron Rehabilitation Commitee. Around 800 living units have been renovated since 1996 housing around 4000 people. This organisation received an international architecture award in 1998, despite constant harrassment and access problems like having to transport building materials by donkey due to road closures.
Other organisations that we visited in Hebron included The Hebron Charitable Medical Centre(funded mainly by a family in the city), Hebron Land Defence Committee, who monitor land confiscation and settlement expansion in the whole of Hebron district and a kindergarten employee who gave us an overall picture of the occupations’ impact on young Palestinians in Hebron. Within one and a half hours of arriving in Hebron, we were witness to what appeared to be an IDF raid into a section of the old town and apparent gunfire. There are 101 checkpoints and a heavy military presence in or near the old town.
The following day we were in the South Hebron Hills, the poorest part of the west bank. They share the same tale of settler terror, land confiscation and IDF harrassment. Water supply is a particular problem in this area. Settlers recently poisoned one of their cisterns with rancid blood and poisoned 100 sheep, leading to a local boycot of their animal produce. The CPT, as well as organisations like ISM, Operation Dove and Ta’ayush are doing an amazing job under impossible conditions. Mostly, these organisations accompany Palestinians to their fields in order to protect them from settler violence although a couple of years ago two CPT members received serious injuries from settlers armed with bats and chains. The IDF now accompany Palestinian kids to school to protect them from settler attacks. International groups, however, need to monitor the IDF. My overall impression of Palestine has been that they are a multi-cultural people. Some Palestinians are very european in their outlook while others are middle eastern in their lifestyle but most are in the middle. A country just like anywhere else in fact. The difference being that the bully has temporarily taken over the playground.

Jimmy Hughes

We’d like to tell you about a couple of things we’ve been involved in this week.

On Wednesday we went on a political tour of East Jerusalem,led by Gilad, an army refusnik who works for the Alternative Information Centre (AIC is an Israeli - Palestine NGO). Over a bus journey of around 3 hours the apartheid of Jersusalem life was forcefully demonstrated to us by the juxtaposition of a refugee camp, the wall and nearby an Israeli settlement with its new road, heavily subsidised houses and full gardens. Next we saw the village of Abu Dis which has been cut in two by the wall. Later our expert bus driver took us on a long detour along steep winding dirt roads. He had been warned first by a small boy and then by other drivers that flying check points had been set up round a village we were to drive through.These income tax and vehicle check points had been set up to teach local residents a lesson after some of the children had thrown stones at a Jewish family who had recently moved into their village.

Today we went to Bi’lin, a small village c 10km from Ramallah. Bi’lin has been separated from much of its land by the wall. For the last few years the village has been resisting the construction of the wall by weekly Friday demonstrations using non violent methods.

We met members of the organising committtee when we arrived and then joined a group of around 100, led by local residents, adults and children, and including 2 MPs and foreign activists to walk to the wall. About 200 yds from the wall 30-40 Israeli Defence Force soldiers started firing tear gas grenades into the marchers and later rubber bullets aimed particularly at young Palestinian men and boys.

We had been given advice by International Solidarity Movement activists about how to deal with the effects of tear gas and minimise the impact of rubber bullets. A local store keeper had provided us with lemons and onions to breathe in as an anitidote to tear gas.

It was a difficult experience ( even though none of us was hit by rubber bullets ) - and not to be recommended. However some local residents do this every week and welcome the presence of foreign activists as a restraining influence on the IDF.

More news as we go along

Sally and Stephen

It has been only five days since the start of the delegation but the intensity of what we’ve experienced makes it feel like at least a month. We are currently based in East Jerusalem, but have been commuting the 15-minute journey to Ramallah most days; checkpoints, diversions, closures etc. turn 15 minutes into around an hour. We’re the lucky ones though—Palestinians would love the relative freedom to travel that we have. They need special permits from the Israelis to travel within their own land.

With a fairly packed schedule that includes meetings with politicians, medics, scientists, NGOs, human rights groups; teachers, universities, etc. from all over Palestine, we are glad to be able to end the day with a relaxing Palestinian beer, Taybeh, but to be honest, we are getting a little weary of the humous.

But we are here to listen and to learn, and we have already learned so much. First and foremost, the reality of the occupation stands in your face at every step. There is so much potential for the country and the people, but as with any occupied people, their future is strangled by the occupation. There are so many hurdles that make life very very difficult for the Palestinians… and we have just started our journey.

The news from Palestine over the last few weeks has been about the internal Palestinian political crisis and in the last couple of days about the capture and release of Alan Johnston. The occupation however no longer makes the headlines. This is what Palestinians have been telling us, that these problems are a result of the occupation, and until it ends the crisis and situation in the West Bank and Gaza will continue. We have heard different views on the current political situation but so far everyone has come out very strongly in favour of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. What was surprising to most of us was the fact that many Palestinians boycott Israeli goods themselves, not just individually but also as trade unions – and these trade unions pay a price for taking such a position.

Bye for now.
Sofiah, Kevin and Vanesa

This is the blog of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign Delegation to Israel/Palestine 2007.