The Foreign Press Association in Israel today issued this request to the Israeli Army:
“Over the past months journalists covering [events in the West Bank] have been harassed, arrested and attacked by the various on site forces before these forces turn their attention to the activists or demonstrators.”
“We would appreciate it were the authorities to remind the various forces involved, that open, unhindered coverage of news events is a widely acknowledged part of the essence of democracy.”
“Generally speaking this would not include smashing the face of a clearly marked photographer working for a known and accredited news organization with a stick, or for that matter aiming a stun grenade at the head of a clearly marked news photographer or summarily arresting cameramen, photographers and/or journalists.”
(As reported in Haaretz.)
See also the Foreign Press Association in Israel’s website.
Okay, so I love Tel Aviv. Not everyone loves it - some call it tacky, boring, or ugly. But I love the 1970s laid-back ambience, the beautiful beaches, the sweet sea breeze. Gorgeous, wavy Jewish hair and big sunglasses; people riding around shirtless on “cruiser” style bicycles; young people carrying ostentatious musical instruments, like cellos. People smoke a lot of joints, and the whole place reminds me insistently of the 1973 film version of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, if that means anything to you.
Did I mention, Tel Aviv makes me feel cold and bitter inside, like a putrid grapefruit? Continue Reading »
Al-Bueire, 6 July 2010
Today we made a foot patrol of Al-Bueire, an area on the edge of Hebron where settler harassment is a serious problem. We simply walked, slowly, up and down the road that runs through the village. Now and then we approached a Palestinian on the road, and each time the approaching figure visibly slowed down, cautiously trying to work out if we were friend or foe. What a way to live. We called out “As-salam aleikum” to reassure people.
None of the settlers came down to the village while we were there. (And indeed, this is one of the main goals of our foot patrols.) But they have been around recently, with daily encroachments small and large, trying to harass the native inhabitants out of the area. Continue Reading »
When I went to the An-Nabi Saleh protest on Friday, I was wearing an old anti-settlements cap that I found lying around the ISM apartment. It has some Arabic writing scrawled on the visor in pen; I hadn’t paid much attention to this, until a Palestinian friend looked at it and pointed out that it is Arabic script for “Emily”.
I stopped and wondered for a moment, “Is it bad luck to wear this cap?” But then I thought, no, I must wear this cap, or otherwise I might as well go home.
Student Who Lost Eye In Gaza Protest Turns To Art
POTOMAC, Md. — The left lens of Emily Henochowicz’s black-framed eyeglasses is covered in tape that bears a black-and-white pattern she drew in marker. The design obscures her eye socket, but a faint scar is visible underneath where a tear gas canister fired by Israeli border police crushed several bones and took her left eye.
Huffington Post
An-Nabi Saleh, 2 July 2010
Every Friday afternoon, the Israeli Army invades the Palestinian village of An-Nabi Saleh, initiating a passionate, inspiring and somewhat bizarre response from the villagers. What happens each week in An-Nabi Saleh is a powerful model for unarmed resistance to the Occupation.
Continue Reading »
Al-Awja (Jordan Valley), 28 June 2010
Monday morning I went down to the Jordan Valley: a long narrow gash between Israel and Jordan, centering the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, lowest point on Earth.
It is smaller than I had realised (like the whole of Israel-Palestine, which is all smaller than I realised). You drive a winding road down out of the mountains from Ramallah or Jerusalem, and you keep going down, and down, and suddenly you come out in this long valley, the mountains on the other side not too far away. Continue Reading »
There is a small Palestinian population living at a place called Bir Al-’Idd in the South Hebron Hills. This is the far south of the West Bank, a sparsely populated area that may be seen by the Israeli government as ripe for ethnic cleansing and annexation. I have not called Bir Al-’Idd a “town” or even a “village”, because in fact the people here live in caves and tents, perched on a rocky hillside.
In the 1990s, the population of Bir Al-’Idd was chased out altogether by army and settlers. The area was declared a military firing range. However, an Israeli court later overturned this, and granted Bir Al-’Idd residents permission to return. Just two large families have done so, re-establishing their tents and caves; but in a further twist, a separate Israeli authority has now ruled their dwellings to be “illegal”, and ordered their demolition. There is a demolition order for every ancient cave, every tent; even the rough screen that they use for a toilet here has a demolition order. Continue Reading »
Myself and another ISM volunteer did an observation patrol in Hebron this morning. In the mornings we normally observe the Tel Remeida checkpoint for a few hours, documenting any abuses (apart from the general abuse of Palestinians having to pass through armed checkpoints on their daily business). Other checkpoints in Hebron are monitored by other organisations, but we are the only ones keeping an eye on Tel Remeida.
Today being on a Friday, without the normal workday rush-hour, the Tel Remeida checkpoint was very quiet. So we let it be, and instead we made a general tour of streets around the settlement. We observed the following incidents: Continue Reading »
There are large parts of Palestinian life that go on quite happily, more or less unaffected by the occupation. There seems to be a doubleness to peoples’ lives: they are mostly quite cheery when they speak with you, very kind and generous, and like people everywhere, Palestinians are preoccupied with eating good food, asking about your family, and discussing who will win the World Cup. On the other hand, many people have a sadness in their eyes when you ask them about themselves. Many cannot visit the towns where they grew up, because those towns are now part of Israel. Some cannot travel at all. Many have lost family members, either dead or in prison for decades.
But it’s the first half I want to write about here: “normal”, everyday Palestinian life. I am writing this from Ramallah, which is a newly developed city, stronghold of the Palestinian Authority and the beneficiary of most aid money. I have briefly visited Nablus, which is very beautiful, poorer, and said to be more conservative; and Bethlehem, which is known for its Christian community. I’m yet to see Hebron.
Continue Reading »
One of the villages regularly visited by workers from the International Solidarity Movement is a place called Iraq Burin (no relation), in the northern West Bank, near Nablus. Every village here seems to have a story, and Iraq Burin’s is quite unhappy. In brief: a Settlement was built nearby, and the Settlers there are especially radical. In the last couple of years, the people of Iraq Burin have been attacked by Settlers while cultivating the land only metres from their village. The Israeli Army were called in, not to protect Palestinians from the attacks, but instead to push back the Palestinian villagers, who are automatically treated as the guilty party in any conflict.
Continue Reading »