Return to Hebron

Yesterday afternoon, some of us ISMers who were in Susya returned to Hebron. There were clashes in the city while we were away, and as we were coming back, in most parts they were dying down.

Hamas called on that Friday to be "A Day of Rage" across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and in many parts there were clashes between rock throwing Palestinians and heavily armed Israeli soldiers and police. We heard loud explosions in an area of the city called Qeitun and some members briefly went, but it was decided, due to safety considerations, it was best to not have a presence. In addition to the intensity of the clashes, the Palestinians there did not want internationals present and made it very clear to those who were briefly there, to leave.  Being present at such a situation would have been foolish and senseless.

I definitely do not support Hamas. In their response to the Israeli military occupation of their people and the war crimes that are committed daily by the Israeli military, they have responded at times with war crimes of their own, like suicide bombings and rocket attacks. While it is true that the number of Palestinian civilians killed by Israelis has always greatly overshadowed the number of Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians, one crime does not justify another. Like the Palestinian Authority, Hamas also has committed human rights violations against Palestinian people, including executions and torture, and even home demolitions, in Gaza. Their proposed solution to the conflict- the expulsion of all or most Israelis to Europe, does not differ that much from the proposed solution of several right wing Israeli politicians- expelling all the Palestinians to Jordan. Either of these actions would constitute ethnic cleansing on a large scale, if not genocide.

However, Hamas does have a large following among many Palestinians in the West Bank, especially Hebron. Part of this is because they are far less corrupt than their rivals, the Palestinian Authority. I believe however that an even larger reason that Hamas gets support from the Palestinian people, is caused by the actions of the Israeli government. 

When people are deprived of their rights on a daily basis- facing humiliating searches and detentions, water shortages, harassment, home demolitions, random violence from settlers- many of them will cast their lot with anyone who says they will take up arms against the oppressors who do this to them... and then follows through. While I have no respect for the political leaders of Hamas, I can understand why many of my Palestinian friends see them differently.

On our way back to our apartment, we noticed Israeli soldiers stopping two men at Checkpoint 56. One of them was allowed through, the other held back. After about 15 minutes of observation and getting permission from his family who were observing, we talked to the soldiers and asked why he was being detained.

One of the soldiers said he isn't obliged to tell us.

We asked that if he wouldn't tell us, could he at least tell the man's family, who were just a few metres away. 

The answer was no.

We asked them if the man being detained even knew why he was stopped. We received no answer.

One of the soldiers then said something to me that I found shocking. He told me that even he had no idea why the man was stopped, and neither did his other friends. They just had an order to stop him and hold him. The soldier said he didn't know whether they would let the man go, or arrest him. 

They kept him standing for over thirty minutes, while they held his ID. While he was waiting, they joked around a short distance away.

After a while, a police car pulled up. The police officer spoke to the soldiers, then to the man. He gave him back his ID, then let him go. 

A man who clearly was not violent (if he would have been, he would have been arrested), was humiliated by being detained and made to stand for 30 minutes, for no reason. Neither he or even his family were given the minimal decency to be informed as to why he was stopped. Not even the soldiers who stopped him seemed to have any idea why. The fact that he was a Palestinian seemed to be reason enough.

As I stated before, I am opposed to any political group that promotes or uses violence, and this certainly includes Hamas. However, when people are being treated like this man was- and in so many cases, it is far worse- who can blame people for supporting them? What would you do if you were in their situation?

 

Israeli soldiers in H1, a violation of the Oslo Agreement, which confines the Israeli military to H2, and Palestinian Authority forces to H1.

The Palestinian boy covered up by the umbrella, in Bab E Zawiya, just threw a stone towards the soldiers at Checkpoint 56. This is all the clashes we witnessed in Hebron yesterday. In Qeitun, they were far more intense.

As Israeli soldiers stand on the roof above, Palestinian Authority officers on the street (in H1) observe the situation. The PA and Israeli Government have a very close "working relationship".

PA military police hanging out in H1, observing the scene where clashes earlier took place, in Bab E Zawiye.

Israeli soldiers at Checkpoint 56 searching the bags of Palestinian women.

The man in the white shirt was detained by soldiers for thirty minutes.

While he stands just a few steps away, not even knowing why he is being detained, the men holding him enjoy some laughs.

After about 30 minutes, a police car drove by and after a chat with an officer, the man was let go. The man in the black shirt and hat was detained also, but let go earlier.

Both men walk away, after 30 minutes of an unexplained detention.

After having detained someone who was clearly innocent for half an hour, the soldiers decided to pose for a picture.

Demonstration at Susya

This afternoon, a group of Palestinian activists from Hebron, YAS (Youth Against Settlements), came to Susya to take part in a demonstration of solidarity with the people of the village. 

YAS in Hebron are involved in peaceful and creative responses to the occupation, from organizing demonstrations against the closure of Shuhada Street, to documenting abuses faced by Palestinians in H1 and doing what they can to support their neighbours. A few weeks ago, YAS and other Palestinian groups in Hebron and elsewhere across the West Bank, decided it was important to stand in solidarity with the people of Susya, and other villages facing settler attacks and demolitions... unfortunately, Susya is only one of many Palestinian villages in this situation.

Several dozen people drove in from Hebron and Yatta, where they went for Friday prayers, and then stood and chanted various slogans against the occupation, and made speeches.

I will not provide commentary for the photos and video below, they speak for themselves.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JbAXaFAjkQ

Some amazing people I have had the privilege of meeting

Despite the risk of sounding patronizing or fake, I would like to say that every time I travel to Palestine, I find amazing people, people who inspire me by their courage and resilience and moral fortitude. There are many such people I have met in Susya and elsewhere in the West Bank, these are only two of them.

 The man in the photo above is Nasser Al Nawaja. The co-ordinator of Susya's resistance to the demolition, he has a very powerful, yet tragic, story.

Nasser was born in Susya, and has experienced the Israeli Army's cruel policy of home demolitions many times. After the first demolition in 1986, some one hundred families from the original Susya left to Yatta. Nasser's family remained. 

In 2001, when Nasser was a youth, one evening an Israeli settler from Susya was murdered by some Palestinians who came in from Yatta. Although Nasser and the people of his village had nothing to do with the murder, their homes were destroyed. Nasser and other men in the village, including an elderly man, were arrested at six the following morning, and handcuffed and beaten by soldiers and police. Then the settlers came, and were allowed to beat them also.

It didn't help that prior to the murder of the settler in 2001, two villagers from Susya were murdered by Israeli settlers, one in 1991 and the other in 1993. One of the men who was murdered was Nasser's uncle. While the killers of the settlers were tracked down and killed by the Israeli Army, the man who murdered Nasser's uncle got six months in prison.

After receiving his beating and watching the homes of his people destroyed yet again, Nasser says he began to hate Jewish people. He said at this point in his life, he could have easily joined an armed group. 

However, soon afterwards he met Jewish activists from Rabbis for Human Rights, and other Israelis who began coming to his village and opposing the demolitions and other crimes of the settlers and Army. 

His feelings changed, and he realized that the monsters who persecuted him and his people do not represent most or all Jews or Israelis. Nasser told me that now, he has as many Jewish as he has Palestinian friends. He is also committed to peaceful struggle for the rights of his people, and has rejected using violence, despite what has been done to him and the village. 

The stress Nasser faces is enormous.

His people are facing the wholesale destruction of their homes. If this plan succeeds, they will be driven off whatever remains of their land. 

The Army, realizing how successfully he has managed to raise awareness to what is happening to his people, are now trying to make him a new deal- they are offering him and the villagers a plot of land that would be 1/6 of the territory of Susya. The newly offered territory would be actually on land that is already owned by other Palestinians. How this would affect them or the people of Susya, was of course not considered by the military planners who are making this offer. While making such "generous" offers, the soldiers also tell Nasser that as soon as the internationals leave, they can easily destroy his village. 

The fate of some 350-400 people rests largely in Nasser's hands.

Despite the challenges he faces in his courageous work, he will not abandon his people.

I first heard about Rabbi Arik Ascherman  in 2007, when I read an article about an American rabbi who was beaten, along with other Jewish people, by men armed with sticks and pipes. The attackers weren't North American or European neo-nazis, but other Jewish people- or at least, people claiming to follow Judaism. They were Israeli settlers, who ambushed him and two other friends as they were escorting Palestinians who were about to plow their fields in the village of Bnei Na'im.

Arik immigrated to Israel in 1994, and in 1998 became executive director of a group called Rabbis for Human Rights. For him, to follow Judaism means to be working for justice. He has been standing in solidarity alongside Palestinians being persecuted by the settlers and Israeli Army ever since. 

RHR often sends out their Jewish volunteers to stay with and accompany Palestinian villagers who face home demolitions, and settler and army violence. Like ISMers and CPTers, some of the volunteers have paid a high price. A few have been severely beaten by settlers. Arik has not escaped this fate.

The rabbi is hated by many Israeli settlers, some of whom he told me would be very happy if he was dead. In their eyes, he is a traitor and a figure of derision and contempt. In the eyes of people who believe that working for justice is a good thing, he is a hero.

I have to admit that since I first heard about this guy, I was hoping to one day meet him in person. I thank God this came to be. It was a pleasure and privilege to hang out with him, although it was only for a few minutes- he was on his way to speak to more people, both Israelis and non-Israelis, to raise awareness to what is happening in the village.

This is a guy who loves God and loves other people. He is not a Christian, but in some ways he follows Jesus more closely than many people who claim to be followers of Christ today.

Back to Susya

Some of us ISMers went to Susya yesterday. Like every other previous time, we were hosted by very friendly and compassionate people, who looked after us well and made us feel at home. We taught an English lesson, and went out with the shepherds. Later on, some Palestinians from the group YAS (Youth Against Settlements) came from Hebron, and there was a short and peaceful demonstration, following Friday prayers.

More awareness is being raised each day, I heard there were diplomats from the Canadian embassy who visited yesterday morning. The international visitors as well as Israeli activists can be seen there on an almost, if not a daily basis. 

I learned today from some of the villagers the official reason provided by the Israeli Army for their planned demolition. After the last complete destruction of the village in 2001 (since then there have been partial demolitions of certain buildings but nothing as wholescale as is being planned), the people rebuilt their homes. However, they did so without permits. After destroying their homes, the Army demanded permits from the people newly made homeless. Although the permits were expensive, the people of Susya tried to buy them. They were refused, so they built their homes anyways. Evidently, this was a crime on their part.

The second reason for the destruction is even more interesting... women's rights. The Israeli Army has announced that living in tents is unhealthy, and in particular, bad for the women. Of course, the fact they used to have homes in the caves before they were displaced to make way for an archaeological centre is ignored, as well as how their rights must have been violated when their homes were destroyed. Ignored also is how their rights are being violated today in light of the electricity and water deprivations they and their families face (the people of Susya are already living on only a fraction of the land they used to have prior to 1986, which means they have been denied access to most of their wells and now have to buy their own water at high prices), as well as the constant threat of settler attacks. The level of cynicism and hypocrisy is astounding.

God willing the international pressure will pay off, and our friends will not be made homeless again.

Please keep writing, calling, emailing, praying.

Driving into Yatta, one will see a lot of car repair shops. Some of them advertise in very creative ways.

Some of the kids in Susya, playing "silent ball", after an English lesson. It's interesting how cross-cultural certain classroom games can be. My only hope is, that if any of them ever move to Canada, they won't be expecting to be playing games during every class!

Evening at Susya.

Going out with the shepherds.

A breakfast at Nasser's house (not Nasser Al Nawaja, the co-ordinator, but a shepherd). For starters: bread, passion fruit, and grapes.

Water tanker driver coming back from a well. Village kids hang on.

Breakfast part two: tea and deep fried goat cheese

Dangerous water

After returning from following the soldiers through the Souq, we came to a scene unfolding outside our flat. A group of soldiers ran into an apartment close to ours, and while two ran up the stairs to interrogate a family, another two kept us from following them. Soon afterwards, a large police truck pulled up, and another eight soldiers arrived.

The police officers angrily questioned three of our volunteers, and took their passports for a few minutes. One of the soldiers, the same one who tortured the Palestinian man a few weeks ago, began taking photos of me with his smart phone, saying repeatedly "I know your name, I know your name... _________ ". A few weeks ago, he took my passport from me and looked through it, and now evidently knows my first name. He must have thought he looked very intimidating. I was torn between wanting to fall to my knees and beg this brilliantly intelligent man to spare me, and wanting to shake his hand and congratulate him for having picked up the ability to read. After all, he looks only to be in his twenties. In the end, I decided to ignore him.

A group of Jewish tourists came by, most of them being young men and teens. They got off their tour bus and began to observe the situation. Some of them began dancing and singing a song about Israel, and then taking photos of us.

One of them asked me if I am antisemitic. I told him definitely not.

Their leader pointed to us and called us "Nazis", saying that his Jewish grandparents were murdered at Auchswitz. I resisted the urge to point out that my some of my Polish Catholic family members also were murdered by the Nazis and that non-Jews as well as Jews were mercilessly murdered by Hitler's soldiers. Jews, Roma and Slavs were the three racial groups that were marked out for extermination, and were put to death without mercy by the SS, Gestapo, and to a smaller extent the Wermacht, by the millions.

Instead of bringing up this history, I told the tourists that there are many Jewish people who see that what is happening in the West Bank is wrong, and I asked them to open their eyes and see what the Palestinians go through. I told them that the checkpoints and beatings and abuses that the soldiers inflict on the Palestinian people are contrary to the Jewish religion and values, and I encouraged them to come join us. I told them there are Jewish ISMers, and that there are Jewish activists in other groups also who do the same work we do. Some of the kids seemed to be listening . Their leader noticed this and frantically started yelling at them, telling them to walk away from us, which they did. I think I made a new friend.


The situation at the apartment was soon resolved. It turned out that a woman was watering flowers on the roof, and accidentally spilled a few drops on the backpack of a soldier, who was standing below, and whom she didn't see. The response, involving two police officers and at a total of at least twelve soldiers, lasted about an hour. I am wondering when the watering can will be added to the long list of possibly lethal weapons that could be used by terrorists against innocent Israeli soldiers, a list that already includes firecrackers.


Part of me couldn't help wondering what would happen if I called the police in my home city and asked for four squad cars to rush over and help me because someone spilled a glass of water on me from a window, even if the liquid actually landed on me. I am not sure if I would get a fine for wasting their time, or just get off with a strict warning. I keep having to remind myself that this is Hebron, and we are dealing with a situation that is anything but normal, by any definition.

We eventually went home, and spent the next few hours writing reports, which we do after every incident. So much fun.

A large team of soldiers, some standing behind a heavily armed police car, gather near an apartment under which the 'terrorist incident' occurred.

Two soldiers blocking entrance to the staircase.

An Israeli police officer grabs the passport of Sally, one of our ISMers.

The soldier who has learned my name and is very proud of this painstaking achievement, taking photos of us with his cellphone.

The leader of the tour, who called us "Nazis" and invoked the Holocaust in order to justify what Israeli soldiers and settlers do to Palestinians. 

Members of the tour group singing and dancing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no8eOfacPvU&feature=youtu.be

Some of the people in the group, taking pictures of us. After I started talking to them, the leader of the tour ordered them to quickly walk away from us.

Tzippi, one of the most vocal settlers, and who got an ISMer and some Palestinians arrested last year on false charges, taking pictures of us with her camera.

http://mighty-stream123.blogspot.com/2014/07/settler-response-to-bubbles.html

http://mighty-stream123.blogspot.com/2014/07/pictures-of-july-28-incident.html

We haven't seen each other for almost an entire year and she was so happy to see us she needed a million pictures, so I felt it was only fair to reciprocate our friendship. 

A Wednesday afternoon in the Souq

Today around 1:30, some of us went on a patrol. It began well- we went for a walk through the Souq and talked to some shopkeepers, who of course had us sit down for cup after cup of black coffee and sweet tea. They had all been doing well, and had not reported any harassment from settlers or soldiers in the past few days.

We were almost finished our patrol and were on our way to do some groceries, when we ran into a patrol of five soldiers. I almost swore out loud. I was really hoping for a quiet and uneventful morning. However, protocol needs to be kept. We started following them, as we always do.

They stopped a Palestinian man in the market who had a beard and was clearly a religious Muslim, and ordered him to open his briefcase.

As we were following them, the commander clearly wanted to get us off his tail, so he jumped a fence and ordered his men to do the same. We couldn't follow them, but the Palestinians in the neighbourhood knew the area as well as the soldiers do, and directed us to some back alleys we could walk down, in order to meet up with the patrol. We caught up with them after about ten minutes.

As we were following the patrol, a man asked us to come into a building. He leads a community centre, and told us that the patrols often cause problems for the neighbourhood kids, harassing them and chasing them. He asked us if we could increase our presence in his neighbourhood, and include it in our patrols.

About thirty minutes later, the soldiers stopped two Palestinian young men, and took their IDs. One of them was ordered to put his hands against the wall and spread his legs, as soldiers searched him. We asked them why they are doing this, and no response was given. After about eight minutes, the men were let go.

The soldiers eventually returned to the base. We went out for some lunch with a Palestinian friend, and had some falafel.


Sometimes the situation feels so surreal. If I was in Canada and never had been in Hebron, and someone told me they spent two hours following a group of soldiers with cameras and playing what sometimes feels like a game of tag, I would laugh and think they are crazy. However, for the Palestinians who live here, this is not a game. The soldiers make their lives difficult for them on a difficult basis. If it wasn't for the foreign observers on the ground, the situation would be even worse.

The leader of the patrol.

A Muslim man is stopped, and made to open his briefcase.

The soldiers hop a fence to get away from us. Sometimes they go up and down hills, and try to lose us by jogging. Often we are able to follow and keep up with them, but this time were unable to, so we went down a back alley and caught up with them soon afterwards.

Two Palestinian men stopped by soldiers, one was searched.

A soldier with a camera on his helmet. As we film them harassing and stopping Palestinians, I guess they film us interfering with their work.

The Palestinian man in the picture asked us to start including his neighbourhood in our patrols, as kids have been harassed by soldiers there.

After several hours following the soldiers around, we stopped at a small restaurant for some falafel, along with a Palestinian friend.

On patrol with the Israeli Army

Whenever ISMers see a patrol of Israeli Army or Border Police passing through the market (Souq), our policy is always to follow them.

This definitely does not endear us to the soldiers, who are probably as happy to see us as Palestinians are to see them, but it is necessary. Often during these patrols, random Palestinian civilians are stopped and harassed by these guys. We try to get it on tape to document what is happening, and, when possible to speak to the soldiers to encourage them to treat people with more respect.

The following is a short photo montage of our latest patrol, which included following five soldiers around for two hours, through the souq and neighbourhoods in Hebron.

As they exit the yellow gate that leads to their base and a nearby settlement, the soldiers stop a Palestinian car.

They walk around for a while more, then march away a young man.

He is made to stand against the wall, and detained for thirty minutes. The reason? Possession of a small box of firecrackers. Yes, firecrackers. Not only are they absolutely harmless, but he wasn't even using them.

We spoke to the soldiers while filming them, pointing out to them how ludicrous this situation was, and asking them to think what kind of image they were sending of Israel to the world.

They ignored us, but eventually let him go.

The soldiers next stop two people on a motorcycle to check for ID.

Then it is the turn of a car driver in the Souq.

The trunk is inspected, for weapons, I guess.

Meanwhile, while these brave men are hard at work, Israeli settlers walk around the city, openly displaying firearms.
http://hungryandthirstyforjustice.blogspot.com/2015/07/settler-tour-pictures-settlers.html

Another two nights in Susya

I just came back from Susya, where we spent the last two nights. The village is still under threat of demolition, but people continue living their lives as normal... although the situation is anything but.

There have been some positive developments.

Media and visitors keep coming, and the story is getting out. On Friday this week, some five hundred Palestinians, Israelis and internationals protested on the road leading into the village, against the planned demolition. There has also been a lack of settler violence during the past few weeks, although some speculate this may be due to an effort by the settlers to avoid negative attention in the run-up to the planned demolition.

The Army will be having a meeting with some of the villagers today in the evening.

Earlier, they tried making a "deal" with them, offering that if the villagers completely move out of the area they will be allowed to come daily, to graze their flocks and harvest their vegetables. The villagers turned it down. They were forced out of their homes, on their own land, several times already in the past. Now, under this new "deal", they would leave it altogether. The settlers in Susya are using political pressure of their own, to have the Army move the Palestinian villagers off the land completely. A settler non-governmental organization, the Regavim, is doing everything possible to have the village destroyed. Given that on the remaining land that the villagers have left there are olive trees, many people fear that the settlers would take it over completely. If this were to happen, it wouldn't set a precedent.

There are more and more people who are starting to feel that with the massive international pressure, the attack may be averted.

However, there is no way to know for sure. Amidst the uncertainty, life goes on.

A view of the landscape on the road to Susya, through the front window of Mahmud's car.

Some of the farm animals in Susya.

A small boy near a tent.

Muhammad (who also goes by Mahmudi) gathering straw for the goats and sheep.

He then shows us how it's possible to hold a turkey.

Israeli Jewish activists in Susya village, showing yet another group of delegates around, to continue the awareness raising and resulting pressure on the Israeli government.

The day these activists came (July 26) is also a special time in the Jewish calendar: Tish'A B'Av. On July 25 and 26, many Jewish people commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Many fast on this day.

Rabbis for Human Rights, in addition to fasting, decided to spend these days by visiting and raising awareness about the situation of Palestinian villages which are facing demolition across the West Bank.

A Palestinian family in Susya.

Some members of the youth wing of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, who came to visit Susya and other parts of the West Bank, in order to get a better understanding of the situation. They will aso be calling on their government back in Sweden to pressure the government of Israel to not go through with the demolition.

Some of the kids from Susya, playing on the play structure near the entrance to the village.

Rabih (wearing the orange hat) and her daughter Nagam, a mother-daughter shepherding team. In Susya, both men and women, as well as children, herd sheep and goats.

Attacks by settlers are nothing new in Susya. Rabih faced such violence herself, when one day an Israeli settler hit her in the face with a club and knocked out one of her teeth.

Nagam, Rabih's daughter.

A sheepdog, on duty.

Cody, a very good friend, who is in CPT. He works full-time in Hebron, and has a sense of humour, coupled with colourful language, that makes it fun to work with him in all situations.

A snapshot of Yatta.