Day 39 - June 28, 2009

It finally happened - I saw Naomi Klein in person! We made our way to Ramallah to see her speak as part of the Shock Doctrine being published in both Hebrew and Arabic and at the invitation of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign National Committee. Essentially, this is calling for the boycotting of Israeli products, divesting Israeli companies, and imposing sanctions on Israeli until the end of the occupation - a strategy very similar to that of South Africa. Naomi spoke a lot about the comparison of the Israeli and South African apartheid regimes, and noted that although they are not necessarily identical, the definition of apartheid was created after South Africa to ensure that all apartheid regimes, and not just those identical to South Africa (which is essentially impossible because each state is unique), would be recognized and abolished.
Noami outlined two main reasons that Israel currently has no interest in peace: the first is that its people are able to comfortably live a normal and fun life with no repercussions of the "war" being experienced by them. Secondly, and probably most importantly, is that Israeli companies are not feeling the financial pinch of war that often accompanies wartime, and they are therefore not pressuring the government to stop. There is actually a large sector of the economy that is profiting significantly from Israel's "homeland security" measures, as Palestine is essentially being used as a test laboratory for security products that are later exported to other countries. As the violence towards Palestine has increased over the last three years profit has increased - within the first eight months of 2008 exports to Canada from Israel went up 45%, and within the first seven days of the assault on Gaza the trade index in Tel Aviv went up 10.7%. Profitability is clearly a large factor as to why the focus in Israel is on security and not on peace.
The question arose as to whether or not the BDS tactic would hurt Palestinians. The thoughts on this were as follows: firstly, black South Africans were also hurt during the South African boycott, but most understood it to be temporary and as a tool for their liberation. Palestinians have suffered enough, and many believe that they can suffer a bit more as long as they can see the end of the tunnel. But secondly, and probably most importantly, is that the call to use the BDS tactic has come from Palestinians themselves and is overwhelming supported in Palestine. It is paternalistic and against the principles of solidarity for us as outsiders to deny their request because we are worried about the negative affects it would have on them. If this is what they feel will help most, then we should assist them in any way possible.
Today, some of us went to Jenin, a city and a refugee camp side by side in the north of the West Bank. The refugee camp was the site of the battle during the second intifada from April 3 to 11 2002, wherein 350 houses were demolished and 65 Palestinians were killed, some by being in their house when it was bulldozed. Israel claimed that the reason for the attack was that several suicide bombers had used the camp as a base. While I've been reading that Jenin at the time wasn't a very conservative place, the posters of martyrs and militia that were plastered all over the camp suggested to me that Jenin already was or has become somewhat extremist in its views. I have to wonder if the case would be different if the occupation did not exist. This is not to say that suicide bombings are ever permissable, but could at least some of them have been prevented if Palestine was given the soveriegnty and respect it deserves?

Day 37 - June 26, 2009

The past three days have been a whirlwind of activities. I spent Wednesday doing almost every major touristy thing possible, which entailed walking in the scorching heat for six hours straight. One of the more interesting sites I saw was the Western Wall tunnels tour, a rather controversial tour because of it's very obvious pro-Israel stance. It was actually quite intriguing, as there is significantly more to the Western Wall than is visible from the outside, and on the tour you can see the entire thing. I also really enjoyed it because normally there is a hefty fee to take the tour and tickets have to be booked in advance, but I found a nice tour guide who helped sneak me in for free! My favourite part of the tour was probably when the guide explained that the Dome of the Rock was built to ensure that Jewish refugees could never return - while that is probably somewhat true, the lack of the explanation that the Dome and the mosque beside it are two of the holiest sites in Islam was rather bothersome.
Thursday brought one of my favourite times of year - Pride! Pride in Jerusalem is usually a point of contention in the city because of the conservative nature of many of the Jewish citizens, however we were met with very few protesters. This was in part due to the very heavy police presence that sectioned off the protesters to an area which was not in our view - it was really nice to be protected by police instead of monitored by them for once! Elias (pictured left, and I'm not quite sure what he's doing but as always he looks cute) is part of a samba band that let me play with them, and I picked it up quite quickly! My female friend Iah, who wears a kippa, was there with her girlfriend Caroline and they were pretty much mobbed by photographers. All in all it was a really great day.

And today was my second and probable final shabbat in Jerusalem. Before shabbat began, however, I was finally able to find a really good bagel place (my first bagel experience here was terrible - it looked like the thing had been run over by a truck, AND they put olives on it - for anyone that knows me, they know that is a big no-no). For shabbat dinner we went to Rebecca's friend Jessica's house in Rehavia for a massive feast with about 15 people. Tomorrow I'm heading to Ramallah to see Naomi Klein, and then off to a few more days of travelling in the West Bank!

Day 34 - June 23, 2009

Yesterday at the lovely hour of 4am, Rebecca and I headed to the Bethlehem checkpoint to do checkpoint watch with a friend of hers, Debs, who is from South Africa and is here for 3 months working with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, which has been monitoring checkpoints for eight years. Every morning two individuals from this NGO monitor the checkpoint, both by counting how many people go through and how quickly (stats which are then sent to the UN), and by intervening when problems arise between soldiers and the Palestinians attempting to go through. Most of the individuals going through the checkpoint are men who work in Israel. The checkpoint opens at 5am, however there are over 2500 people that go through everyday, so people start lining up at 1am every morning and sleep on cardboard boxes in the jail-like queue they have to stand in - there are usually 800 already lined up by 4:30am. There is a "humanitarian" queue for the elderly, women, emergency workers and tourists, which means that they don't have to stand in line with the men and generally get through faster. To go through any checkpoint into Israel, one must have a permit, however only 15 000 of the four million Palestinians living in the West Bank have been able to obtain one. 

The checkpoint is set up as follows: there are two lines, one with the men (who are in a surrounded by a long metal gate on the sides and top, with openings only at distant ends), and the humanitarian line. Beginning at 5am, a soldier lets only a few from each line go and will then close the turnstyles (which are significantly smaller than international standards) abruptly, often causing the hurried men to crash into them. Once the individuals do get through, they literally run over to the next terminal where they again wait in lines to go through a metal detector, even though most of them were only carrying their lunches. The solider patrolling the metal detector that I went through was asleep. There are three metal detectors present, but only two were being used, as is apparently normal and sometimes there is only one in use. Because some had missed morning prayers because they were crammed in the earlier metal gates, many men pray in the terminal. We watched as a soldier patrolled the area, often on beams overtop the Palestinians. In this terminal there are no bathrooms - one must either go back and have to wait in line again, or wait until he or she finally makes it out. Once through the metal detector, they must again wait in line to show another soldier their permits and be fingerprinted. Beside them in this third line are Israel tourism posters reading such things as "Israel - where it's vacation time all year round." I found the irony amusing and nauseating at the same time. Debs said that at this point permits are sometimes taken away for hours for seemingly no reason, being given back eventually with no explanation. 

While Rebecca and I were talking about what we were seeing, she said what I was having trouble putting into words - Israel can put a checkpoint in place if it were a border crossing and Palestine was an independent state, or if Palestine is supposedly part of Israel, then the crossing should be without restrictions. But to have the checkpoint as-is is dehumanizing. At times I felt like I was on a cattle farm, watching the cows be herded. People should not be treated like this.

I slept until early afternoon and then finally did some touristy stuff - I walked the walls of the old city and saw the Wailing Wall. After dinner we saw an open air performance of Rent which was amazing, especially since a friend I've met here choreographed it. We then went to the best drag show EVER, which was made even better by the fact that it's Pride week in Jerusalem and the crowd was out in huge numbers. Pride is a very controversial subject in Jerusalem, so I'm really looking forward to the parade on Thursday.

Today I bussed across the city to Yad Vashem, or the Holocaust museum. The thought that such hatred can exist in the world was hard to take in, and to comprehend how such a thing was able to take place was impossible. The paranoia and fear of another Holocaust taking place is what fuels a large part of Israel's need to "defend" itself, and seeing this museum helped me to better understand the thought process of those committing modern day crimes against Palestine. And while nothing compares to what happened to the Jews and so many other groups under the Nazi regime, a few times it struck me - do they not see the similarities in what is happening today? The talking of random shootings and ghettos and systemic violence - isn't this what is happening now? In one of the videos a man, after talking about not stealing bread and then going hungry during the Holocaust, said "I will never again make the mistake of being moral. This is the jungle, and in the jungle, only predators survive." I really thought that spoke volumes to what so much of the current conflict is based on. I know that my opinion on comparing the Palestine/Israel conflict to the Holocaust is controversial, and I by no means think that they are of nearly the same magnitude. But I do truly believe that some of the similarities cannot be ignored and am surprised that they are not recognized by more people.

Day 32 - June 21, 2009

I have spent the last few days wandering Jerusalem. Friday evening was the beginning of shabbat, which was a wonderful experience. I went to a synagogue for the first time, and although I had no idea what anyone was saying or why they were doing what they were doing, there was something quite beautiful about it. Amidst the conflict of Israel, there is true beauty to be found in the Jewish faith.
We then had a traditional shabbat dinner at Rebecca's (well, as traditional as you can get with a vegan dinner). There were people from all over the world - South Africa, America, Brazil, Canada, and of course Israel. There were all different points of view on the conflict, and although we tried to avoid the subject, having one person working at ICAHD and another working at a right-wing think tank sitting beside each other, it was bound to come up. For the most part though it was a very peaceful (and delicious!) dinner. The guests stayed until 4am, with some staying over, as is tradition since it is not permissable to drive a vehicle (and because Jeff lives in Ramallah, which although very close in distance, would take hours to get to through the checkpoints at that time of night).
The next day was a perfect shabbat - we woke up at 1:30, had "breakfast" at 3:30, and then proceeded to take a nap. What a perfect day! That night we met up with Marvin and his Canadian friend for coffee in the German Colony, which I'm really confused as to why it's called that because it's filled with Americans.

Today I spent some time in the commercialized Ben Yehuda area and then headed down to the old city for the "Jerusalem Hug." It was quite the hippie event (which of course I loved) and began with songs in Arabic, Hebrew and English and we then made a banner of painted handprints to symbolize our solidarity with each other. We all then "hugged" the old city wall by holding hands. I was holding the hand of a beautiful little Palestinian girl from Hebron who was quite shy in using her English to talk to me but we communicated quite well. At the hug I ran into Flore, our photographer who had been arrested at the protest, and I was so excited! We grabbed dinner at a burger place, and I still was unable to find a place that will make me a cheeseburger - I'm now on a mission! I'm now staying up all night to do checkpoint watch tomorrow morning.

Day 29 - June 18, 2009

We spent the night at the Ein Gedi youth hostel which is in Israel proper, on the Dead Sea. Michelle and I attempted to go to Jericho yesterday, but after making it to Abu Dis and waiting in a service taxi for over an hour (as the taxi has to be full before it will leave), and having the driver ask us if we were married and / or looking more than a few times, we decided to head back to Jerusalem and take a bus to Ein Gedi to meet the boys. We immediately headed to the Dead Sea, and it HURT! I had so many mosquito bites, some still from Cairo and many from Tent of Nations (I counted 92 in total) but afterwards they felt great! The Dead Sea is so strange, we just bobbed around and I could "stand" straight up in the water and still be floating comfortably.
This morning we headed again down to the Dead Sea and then to Masada, where in 73 BC 960 Jewish rebels committed mass suicide as an alternative to being captured by the Romans and becoming slaves. It's atop a tall mountain, but Sascha and I were lazy and took the cable car up and down. As luck would have it, I took a huge fall as soon as I reached the top and badly scraped my knees and hands, something I haven't done since I was a child. Luckily, we weren't going to the Dead Sea again!
I am now staying again at Rebecca's, probably for at least another week. I will continue to update as I go with my new adventures!

Day 27 - June 16, 2009

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!

Day 25 - June 14, 2009

I spent the majority of the day on the beach in Tel Aviv - it's a rough life, I know! We went swimming a few times and relaxed, and I fell asleep for a few hours. We really needed a little R&R after the days we've been having.
The remaining Codepinkers who haven't left the country yet then headed down to Bar Ilan university where Netanyahu was presenting his speech in response to Obama's speech in Cairo. We set up shop in our pink t-shirts, pink banners and pink signs across from signs that read "Barack Hussein Obama: Anti-Semetic Jew Hater" and "Palestinian State = The Destruction of Israel." Immediately we had police officers surrounding us and barricades put up in front of us. While the other side eventually had barricades erected as well, the police consistently faced and monitored us.
The protest quickly grew violent as we were not permitted to beyond where the police seem to have haphazardly decided where we could go (the boundaries were rapidly changing). If we went somewhere where it was deemed we couldn't go, which was sometimes literally a few steps to the left or right, we would be pushed quite forcefully. There was one police officer that was most often the peretrator of these pushings. Eventually, the pushings subsided as they were attracting significant media attention and we were given a great space in which to roam. Don't worry, mom, I was never pushed :)
The protest continued and we had one incredible moment - a Palestinian family exiting the university joined us in our songs. It was beautiful. We would also sometimes get waves from people in cars passing by, surprisingly not all Palestinians. There was a man in the opposing protest who, throughout this moment and afterwards, got on the megaphone and started yelling "Mother f*ckers, piss on you" "Kikes" and "No peace now." It's important to understand that these were extrememely right wing individuals, some followers of Kach, and I don't believe to be representative of the majority of the Israeli population. But the juxtaposition against us singing "This little light of mine" in bright pink was quite astounding.
Again the protest continued into the evening. Peace Now, an Israeli peace group, soon joined us and tripled our numbers. Our photographer, with a valid press pass, had attempted to cross the street to take photos of us, however she was told she wasn't allowed to. She took off her pink shirt to try once more, and was arrested. This created an uproar among our group who ran to the barrier and began yelling "Let Flor go." This didn't last very long, however, as the police officer who was earlier pushing members of our group began pushing several very violently, and at some point amidst the scuffle one of our leaders, Tighe, was hit in the head with the butt of a rifle and left bleeding quite profusely on the ground. To make things worse, he had an asthma attack after being hit. An ambulance was called and he was rushed off with a neck brace, and later had a CT scan and spent the night in the hospital. There were several other members of the group with bruises and cuts.
And still, Flor was in a police car. We were told by the Codepink lawyer that they would more than likely wait for the protest to end and then let her go. However nearing the end of the portest they drove her away. We found out which police station she was going to and Sascha and I went to be with her, while others went to be with Tighe and others went back to the hostel to wait for updates. It took us about two hours to get to the station because of the difficulty of finding a taxi, however luckily when we did she had already been released. We met her back at the hostel and everyone, minus the few at the hospital, spent the night eating chinese food (the only thing open that late) and toasting to Flor's freedom. Tighe was eventually ok, as far as I had heard. What an incredibly emotionall draining day to end my final delegation.