Military Order 1649

On 13 April 2010 the Military Order 1649 and Order 1650 were entered into force. These orders were issued by the Israeli Occupation Force's Central Command. (www.alhaq.org ). It states that Israel will deport any and all Palestinians with Gazan residency found without a valid permit in the West Bank. A valid permit can only be issued by Isaeli Authority and a Palestinian Identity Document does not apply. Such persons will be considered as illegal in the West Bank and contravening the law and will be regarded as "infiltrators".

Last week, Ahmad Sabbah (40) fell victim to these Orders. He is a Palestinian born in the West Bank but holds a Gaza address; he lived there for ten months only. In an attempted to change his residency in 2000 the Israeli authority declined the application because they froze the population registry of Gaza at the time.

He was arrested soon thereafter on 1 November 2001 and was released on 21 April 2010 after serving a nine year prison sentence. Instead of being reunited with his wife, Hanan (35) and child, Yazan (10) as expected he was deported to Gaza. Alledgedly on the day of his release he was given an ultimatum; he could be released to Gaza or serve a further six months in jail. He opted for the former. However, he refused to cross the checkpoint close to the Gaza Strip and is now living in a tent a few metres outside the city since last week. Three other detainees who were released is said to have joined him there.

Hanan had to apply for a visitor's permit every six months during his imprisonment that allowed her to see him for one day after every 45 days because he had a security file and was considered a security threat for Israel. This meant that she could visit him for only four days in a period of six months. So, off course she became more and more excited as the end of his prison term approached, but clearly the political agenda of Israel had a different fate in store for the family of three. His deportation was shocking and it came as a total surprise. Her son and brother went to the Ghaliel checkpoint to meet him while she waited at home. There they were informed that he will not be arriving to meet them. When we interviewed her a few days ago we learnt that her main concern now is not only for the safety of her husband but furthermore she fears that her son may also be deported because he too has a Gaza address.

Hanan has a history of detention in her family. Two of her brothers were arrested; one is serving a life sentence and the other was killed during an attempted arrest. The Israeli Army demolished the family house with him inside. He died instantly.

The occupation "kidnapped" her Heart

Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli Military detention facilities alledgedly went on a hunger strike during the month of April 2010.

Their complaints ranged from human rights violations whilst in captivity to the humiliation that families suffer on visitation days. Some family members have reported in the past that they were denied access to the facility just minutes before seeing the prisoner.

Others claimed that they were subjected to strip searches because they were considered a security threat. Only first-degree family members with a valid visitors permit issued by Israeli Authorities are allowed to register for visitation.

This permit is valid for three months to one year. Families are elligable to visit the prisoners once a month for a period of 45 minutes only. Once it expires they have to apply for renewal that can easily be denied. Family members supported the April 2010 strike and would not register for visitation.

I interviewed Em Mohammed, the mother of Masoud (20yrs) who is now serving the last three years of a five year prison sentence. He was arrested in 2008 in an attempt to free Palestine from Israeli occupation in the West Bank. She has eight children, five daughters and three sons. Her eldest son was arrested in 1993 at the tender age of 14 years and also spent one year in jail.She starts at 5h00 in the morning to catch the bus that leaves at 5h30 to take the families to the respective prisons. They travel to Taybe checkpoint where they are allowed to cross between 7h00 and 7h30. Here they go through a stringent security check before they are allowed to pass. Thereafter she waits a further one to two hours at the prison before seeing her son for 45 minutes. To communicate with him she has to speak through a double glass over a telephone system. All conversations are normally recorded and therefore their privacy is enfringed.

He often writes letters to the family that she keeps neatly stowed away in two a heart shaped boxes. He draws beautiful animations and appeals to her in his encouraging letters to take care of herself and not to worry about him. "How can I not worry", she says.

Before his arrest he worked on a farm and sold vegetables at he market. However he always dreamed of attending university. She mentioned that he will have to marry upon his release because the population of Palestine has to increase if they wish to gain their freedom from Israel.

I asked her if she would change his circumstances if she could. She said: "This is his destiny; it is not my choice." It seems as if destiny has other plans for his future.

Arafat's Tomb

I also visited the tomb of Yasser Arafat.
A bus load of teenage boys and two adult men came just as I arrived; probably a school excursion. The room went completely silent as one-by-one they saluted his tomb and said silent prayers before returning to the bus. Palestinians view him as the cornerstone in their struggle for freedom. Today, it was blatantly clear with the respect that was shown around his tomb.

Turkish Bath in Ramallah

They say a change can be as good as being on holiday. I have to agree with this statement.

I had a day off today and decided to spend it in Ramallah at a Turkish Bath. It was a heavenly experience. The best decision since I've arrived in the West Bank. I will recommend this treatment to everybody. Listen to your body. If you need a break from the pressures of work; go and take care of yourself.

Clearly Israel-Palestine is not all doom and gloom. There are some lovely cultural, historical, religious, sites and places for relaxation to visit that are of interest.

Lunch with Sammy&Rula

We went to Nablus this morning to attend the service at The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd. Thereafter lunch was served at the home of Sammy and Rula, a Christian Palestinian couple from the congregation. It was lovely to be with them. I felt at home and comfortable. They were so hospitable and would not allow us to leave. I definitely made some new friends. Their house is aproximately two hundred years old and has been in the family for generations. Sammy mentioned that the Christian population in Nablus used to be more than eight hundred but this number has reduced drastically over the last few years. We discussed at length the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel and the seperation wall. We talked about the place for Christianity in a predominantly Islamic country and came to the conclusion that peace can only be achieved once you find true peace in your heart. We need to build the country and not the army.

Richard, a photo journalist from the UK is visiting our placement for a few days. He is covering a story on the effects of the seperation wall on the farmers and he is scheduled to exhibit his work in a few months. I saw some of the photographs he took. It is just incredible.

Taybe / Efraim Checkpoint

All Palestinians who live in the West Bank and work in Israel have to pass through a checkpoint at some point. This is true for Tulkarm and surrounding areas. Their checkpoint is called Taybe also known as Efraim. Around four thousand people cross this checkpoint every morning between 4h00 and 7h00. Workers line up at Taybe as early as 02h00 in the morning. Israel claimed that it was neccessary to protect its land and people against Palestinians who are a security threart. We are not allowed to pass through the checkpoint. Apparently before passing through to the other side they should lock their fingerprint, show a valid permit and have their bags scanned. Most times they are subjected to utter humiliation; they are talked down to and insulted to a degrading level. Sometimes people are turned back and if this happens they will lose a days work and will not be paid. "No work - no pay". This is a concern as the per capita income for the Tulkarm population is only around $250 per annum.

Shufa Girls School

Shufa is a village outside Tulkarm. For a while they had no electricity in the village. Apparantly they refused to have electricity installed some time ago because the village would not collaborate with their oppressor, Israel. This will soon change it seems; they will be provided with electricity in a few months. Having such a firm opinion for a cause is both fair and applaudable. There is an Israeli settlement next to Shufa; these two communities never interact with each other. Probably as a result of propoganda, solidarity and a strong sense of patriatism. Until just last year the Shufa Girls School used to be of mixed gender (both boys and girls attended there), but as from the next school year the boys will attend at the new Shufa Boys School. The School celebrated with an open day and awards for academic achievement. It would have been special to have a few sports or cultural awards. They had beautiful items of song, poetry, dance and theatrics. The underlying message was to achieve freedom for Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Prisoners Day

Every Tuesday, at 10h00 family and friends gather in Tulkarem in front of the office of the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) to share in a peaceful prisoners sit in. The purpose is to show solidarity for the hundreds of young men and women from Tulkarem who are under security detention in Israeli prisons. The Israeli Military is known to have placed Palestinians (also from Tulkarem) under arrest after a search operation or in cases where they feared a security threat to Israel. Today marked the annual commemoration of such detainees. The EAPPI team was there to show solidarity and a protective presence. The political detainees are currently on strike in Israeli prisons. The form of the strike is at the time of publication of this blog not clear. I have been reliably informed though that the families of prisoners are supporting the strike by not registering for visitation. Alledgedly, one of the detainees are demanding their release. I hope to follow up with an article.

Jericho

Jericho is recorded to be the oldest city in the world. It was truly a memorable experience that taught me so much about the people, the history and the landscape. We saw the Mount of Temptations,visited Hisham's Palace, The Jericho Village Resort and off course the Dead Sea which I enjoyed most of all.

Bethlehem

I am on placement visit in Bethelehem.
We visited the village of Nahhalin and shared some interesting thoughts with the women about the occupation in the Westbank and its effect on society. They were clear that the people of Palestine are in need of assistance and that the truth about the conflict should be shared with the world. They are ready to see some much needed development in their village. Thereafter we attended a meeting with Nidal AbuZuluf. He is the manager of the Joint Advocacy Initiative (JAI) of the YMCA in Bethlehem. They are also spearheading the Olive Tree campaign. We discussed the Kairos Document in detail. This document is a call from Palestinian Christians to the world churches for support.
I leave Bethlehem tomorrow for Jericho and the Dead Sea.

"Spring cleaning" Tulkarem Church

We went to the local church in Tulkarem and helped the caretaker, Daoud to clean the garden. This town of approximately 50 000 people has only two christian families. Daoud cannot remember the last time they had a service in the church. Normally he travels to Nablus (one hour away) to attend mass. He has very little support and taking care of the church is clearly an overwhelming responsibility for one person. Palestinian christians are in the minority in the Westbank. According to a report by the Joint Advocacy Initiative (JAI) around 400 000 Palestinian christians were living in Palestine before the 1948 war when the state of Israel was created. Now this statistic has decreased from 10% to only 2%. Many of them were forced from their homes by the Israeli Military and as a result they emigrated to the diaspora. I heard Dauod say to us while cleaning the garden, "I thank God for you."

Hard at work in Tulkarem

Some days are very busy in Tulkarem. Most activities require special planning with coffee and sweets to ensure effective resolution. Our weekly schedule is normally tight with checkpoint duty,visiting locals, presenting village conversations and monitoring agricultural gates. Once this is complete we have to write reports and publish articles. We do not have time to sit around and be idle.

The story of Ala'a

I met Ala'a today. She is only 24 years old. Her husband Riad is 28 years old. They have three children together. Riad used to work for the mother of Ala'a in their clothing store. This is where they met and fell inlove. One fateful day around 18 months ago while on their way to Nablus to purchase goods for the store he was arrested at the checkpoint. She waited with their one month old baby until late that night begging for his release. Instead she heard from him three days later that he was tortured and deported back to the Gaza strip where he was born. Since then she has tried profusely to be with the man that she loved but to no avail. The forces of politics stood between them. Yesterday we received a message that Gaza is under complete closure and that everyone found on the WestBank who is born in Gaza will be deported immediately. No-one is allowed to leave or enter the area. The situation in Gaza is hopeless and inhumane. Most of the people are unemployed and are living on AID and charity from international donors. This is no place to raise three children.
It is not certain how the story of Ala'a and Riad will end...

Visit to the Mayor

We were welcomed to the town of Tulkarm by the Mayor, Eyad Jallael along with his Director, Abdul Ghalek. During our conversation at his municiple office he mentioned that his vision is for Palestians is to live side by side with their neighbours. "We are all human beings and should be considered as equals" he said.

A few days later we met with the Director in the Ministry of Labour and Economics, Ahmed Drobe. He mentioned that Tulkarem, a predominantly agricultural town showed financial promise and growth before the two Intifadas. Considered as the "food basket" for the West Bank because it was the commercial gate for import and export but today the unemployment rate of the town has increased to 27%. Fewer workers are able to reach the labour market since the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the building of the seperation wall in 2002. It seems as if the West Bank is slowly becoming financially dependant on Israel for its existance because economic liquidity is under control of Israel. Furthermore, the nearby villages are surrounded by Israeli settlers who make movement very difficult for the Palestinians. They have no contact with each other for fear of conflict and intimidation.

Easter Service in Nablus

We attended a blessed Easter Service at the Church of the Good Sheppard (Anglican) in Nablus with Reverend Ibrahim Narouz. The church pews were full with Palestinian Christians and following the service we shared a cup of coffee with the congregation. We were invited for lunch to the home of one of the members on our next churh visit.