YAS members have had their house raided by soldiers and Border Police, and Issa has been chased by settlers several times. He was arrested 20 times by soldiers in 2012 and in 2013, he was tortured. In spite of this, he and his group continue their work.
On August 7th in the afternoon, we received a call from him. A group of soldiers were coming into his house.
This was the second time today this took place, earlier in the morning they came in also. The soldiers punched Issa twice. A group of settlers also tried to come in that day before our visit, but he slammed the gate shut before they could.
When we got there, several soldiers were blocking the entrance to his yard, while others were inside the house. Those blocking his gate told us we are not allowed to enter. I replied that the owner gave us permission, and asked Issa to confirm, which of course he did. Of course, we were not allowed to enter. What the soldiers did not know is that there is more than one way to get into the house, so as I and some others stood arguing with him, other ISMers sneaked in.
The soldiers claimed that Issa gave shelter to some Palestinian kids who threw rocks at them, he responded by saying that no such people came to the YAS house that day, and that there are cameras set up that can prove the truth. The soldiers left, but not before one of them said "you like playing games, Issa? We will be back". To end things in style, one of them also gave us the middle finger.
I admire Issa, and Palestinians like him. They bravely stand up for their people, knowing that the price they may pay will potentially be very high. Many people like him have bruises and memories of stint after stint in interrogation rooms and jail cells. They know that it is possible for them to be killed. The risks they face make the risks faced by us almost a joke. Yet they continue fighting the good fight.
May God bless them.
Matthew and I trying to enter the gate. The soldiers blocked it.
One of the soldiers takes a photo of me with his phone. Later, he made a very interesting comment. Please refer to the video below.
Matthew, having managed to evade the soldiers blocking us, and to enter the house via a different route.
An Israeli soldier taking pictures of T, who responded by taking pictures of him.
Two soldiers leaving the YAS house. The one who is carrying the helmet hit Issa earlier that day.
One of the cameras near the entrance of the YAS house.
A second camera.
Entrance to the YAS house.
An Israeli settler, visible from the backyard. The house literally almost next door to a settlement.
Israeli soldier guarding the homes of a settler.
A Palestinian father plays soccer with his boys. Due to proximity to the settlement and the threat of attacks, he doesn't allow them to go out on their own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqnBoFN5Cd0
Soldiers not allowing us to enter the YAS house, even though Issa asked us to.
On a lighter note, one of the soldiers, curiously, made a comment that I and other ISMers are still trying to make sense of. After blocking our way inside, he glared at me for several moments and said... "you're so boring" (at the end of this video).
I am not sure if he was referring to me or the group. If he was talking about me, there are many children in my city who probably agree with his assessment. As I often (and jokingly!) tell them, if I had social skills and/or compassion and/or was interesting, the division would not have hired me to be their substitute teacher. If he was talking about the group, there may be a problem. Perhaps we need to take this up at our next core meeting. If the Army sees us as "boring", it may be time to step up the activism.
We have been accused before of "causing problems", "helping the terrorists", as well as of course antisemitism and being "nazis"- the last two from the settlers, who have said that even to our Jewish volunteers. In regards to how this is possible, your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps some things aren't supposed to make sense.This is the first time though we have been told we are "boring".
Regardless of how this was meant to come across, his constructive criticism has been a source of merry speculation in our apartment ever since.
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