11/10/2009
Hi All,
So, the first thing to establish is that I have been in the West Bank of Palestine and East Jerusalem for about a week. Reacquainting myself on a whirlwind trip with Sabeel, with East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Nazareth and some towns and villages new to me. As you know I was here about the same time of year during 2002(daily tear gas, shootings, closures and curfews) and 2003, general difference: much less overt military presence but more insidious and ultimately destructive Israeli occupation. settlement expansion is huge, water is an incredible problem, poverty and decay are everywhere, and the settlers (often American immigrants esp from Brooklyn NY) are engaging in the violence formerly the province of the military which now seems mainly very available and unquestioning 'back up' .

Settlements: It is obvious that the settlement expansion is a very successful plan to continue taking Palestinian land and to establish 'rings' around what is left of the Palestinian population centers to prevent them from developing, having access to each other etc..all this is, of course an effort to get the land and force Palestinians out. The expanding settlement blocs are in the process of connecting with each other through the West Bank.

In East Jerusalem, Palestinians with deeds are forced out of their houses by the police("You are Palestinians, we can do what we want") and Brooklyn settlers are moving in. We visited one family with 4 young children who are now camping out in the street across from their house. supported by neighbors and internationals. The police came to tear down their tent..European Union MPs were on the scene protesting loudly..of course, no American gov presence..our(US) position is increasingly isolated and we will ultimately pay the price. I will tell you more about this family as I visit with them..suffice to say for now they are resolute and, having their tent torn down brought in a container truck...

The established settlement blocs are expanding as well..the position of these deep in the west bank defies any possible 'security' rational..Settlers are very violent attacking farmers, destroying crops and poisoning the fields thus killing the sheep and goats. On Friday I will go to one of these villages for one plus week to work in the fields, accompany the farmers, teach some English and do the non-violence trauma work with the school children..the grassroots nonviolence movement of peacefully resisting land confiscation and working with the next generation continues.

this is too long so just briefly:
Water..Israeli Settlements have been established on the Palestinian aquifers, so Palestinians are deprived of access ( the world Bank and other official orgs have recently come out with descriptions of this). Palestinians have to buy back their water from the Israelis at twice the price Israelis pay. Bethlehem, surrounded by settlements and torn apart by the Annexation Wall, only gets water for two hours each week..With this they fill up whatever containers are on their roofs etc. The surrounding Israeli settlements have no such containers on their roofs as they have water piped in 24/7. I spoke with a couple who moved here from US and talked about what changes this means for them. Showers 2x per week..minimum flushing of toilets and wearing clothes for 5 days before washing.

We had lunch with families in Bethlehem. One of our members reported that his family with embarrassment gave him a cup of water with which he could wash his hands before lunch.

All over poverty and unemployment. My Congressman says that West Bank economy has grown 7%..terrific!..Palestinian officials note that this is based on pouring in of aid ( they are embarrassed by being the largest recipient, as they are hard workers. This is not real economic development)and so depends on continuation of aid. The politicization of this aid is a whole other story..we are now paying for a new Palestinian 'security force that is designed to maintain power for a particular faction supported by US government. Members of this force openly call other parties "spoilers"..a similar policy of divide and conquer which we have seen in Iraq and Afghanistan. It ensures that real democracy has no chance.

Furthermore growth is very clearly concentrated and limited to Ramallah ( the city Israel wants to be the capital of whatever might be a Palestinian state)..one official compared it to one's house when visitors come—the living room might be tidy but the rest of the house is a mess.

Hope you are well and that this email is not too overwhelming!
Ridgely