Since the end of the delegation I have been with Sascha, Gabriel, Michelle and Elias in the West Bank. Yesterday we traveled from Jaffa, where Elias lives, to Ramallah to meet with a friend of his that he hadn't seen in very long time. We then traveled to Tent of Nations where we are staying for two nights. Tent of Nations is a Christian Palestinian camp that promotes peace through non-violent resistance. The land is cultivated by a family that has been there since 1916 and luckily, unlike most Palestinians whose land claims were always through verbal agreements, have the papers to prove it and therefore have not been evicted (although the Israelis have tried, but Tent of Nations won the court battle). They are surrounded by three settlements, and their water and electricity have both been cut off, and the road leading up to their camp has been blocked by large boulders. These were all measures taken to pressure them into leaving after the Israeli government could not legally take their land. The tent that I was staying in technically has a demolition order - Dahoud, a brother in the family, paid $1000 to request a permit and was later denied.
Dahoud told us an amazing story of a woman from one of the neighbouring settlements. She was invited to a group event through a friend of hers who was visiting the country. While Dahoud was explaining the lack of water and electricity, she put up her hand to say something, and Dahoud expected a debate to ensue. Instead, she commented: "You don't have running water, and yet we have swimming pools?" This woman soon brought her husband down to visit the camp, and once made the long trek down (as the road is blocked, it is difficult to get to the camp) to say happy new year.
Dahoud explained some aspects of the West Bank to us that I had not previously well understood. The different laws that I spoke of earlier were clarified: the area is divided into three sections - Area A (completely Palestinian controlled), Area B (Palestinian civil control and Israeli military control) and Area C (completely Israeli controlled). One would think that Area A would be the majority, as the entire area is supposed to be Palestine. However, Area A only makes up 13% of the West Bank, Area C is 65%, with the remaining 22% being Area B. How is this a Palestinian territory?
Interestingly, a well, the Israeli government has had to change its tactics with the checkpoints. Earlier, soldiers were being placed at the same checkpoints for three to four weeks, but it became apparent that they were sometimes developing good relations, if not friendships, with the Palestinians. When there is interaction instead of segregation, "terrorists" suddenly become human. Now, soldiers are only stationed at checkpoints for two weeks or less.
Yesterday we went to Hebron, a city in the south of the West Bank and the site of the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre. In 1994, an Israeli-American named Baruch Goldstein entered the mosque and killed 39 Palestinians and wounded 125 during Ramadan prayers. Hebron is also a city strictly divided, containing some of the only Israeli settlements found within a Palestinian city (normally the settlements surround the Palestinians, disabling the cities or villages to grow). There is a street that cuts through the entire city that Palestinians are not permitted to walk or drive on, and therefore if they want to get to the other side of the city they have to go all the way to the outskirts of the city and go around the street. Hebron is also known for the nets that hang above Palestinian inhabited streets, as the Israelis who live above them throw garbage down onto the people.
I was able to take some amazing pictures of the graffiti on part of the separation wall today. I also got to graffiti myself! There were two guys there doing it, and I asked if I could as well! I wrote "Plant justice, harvest peace" which is one of my favourite sayings. I also wrote it right under a watch tower :) I will post pictures as soon as I can!
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