12/7/2009
Hi,
As ever there is so much to write about, but first back to part two of what I didn't include last week...

While in the Nablus area we were asked to accompany two farmers in Burin ( history on the internet) who wanted to repair the eighty-one olive trees attacked by the settlers living on top of the hills surrounding the grooves. Gaie (UK) and I accompanied farmer Akram who arrived on his donkey, his buddy and six Palestinian young men way up the hills, chain-sawed the broken branches and made fires for the limbs; one young man stood watch on the ridge watching for settlers. It felt good to be doing physical work in the beautiful country-side..almost like being back on Prospect St.,except we were visited by an army patrol wondering what we were doing (there are watch towers on all the ridges) I was asked to explain and described the attack on the groove by the settlers, with the resulting international press coverage, and stated that we were simply engaged in the cleanup..the army patrol said OK and departed. Within the hour about thirty settlers gathered on the highest ridge and began to descend hurtling rocks via slingshots. Gaie's arm was grazed. Those slingshots have a very long range. I have to say I was glad when the army returned even though they seemed pretty forlorn against the descending settlers; reinforcements arrived, shots fired into the air.

Thankfully, the army didn't attempt to use the teargas they were preparing as it would have seriously backfired and helped the settlers immeasurably. After awhile all youths dispersed and Gaie began getting a barrage of phone calls inquiring about rumors of an Israeli army jeep having been overturned by settlers. Come to find out the jeep overturned while attempting to navigate dirt roads in an effort to get above the settlers. In my naive mind I think it is interesting that the story of the jeep won far more press attention and general drama than the story of the settler attack which is, apparently common place and so not worth reporting.

Next day I set out for Jenin..a city about an hour to the north. I managed buses, terminals and services with the continued help of hospitable Palestinians who if they don't speak English just simply walk me to the appropriate bus terminal.

In Jenin, a city known to many for the Israeli's army destruction of the heavily populated refugee camp in April 2000. I visited Yousef, whom I had met in 2003 during the International Women’s 'March. Yousef was offered political asylum when he was studying Palestinian refugees in Sweden but couldn't imagine himself becoming a refugee himself and so returned to Palestine. He has paid a high price as his wife has Israeli papers and so now can't live in the West Bank while he can't live in Israel; even worse, within the last seven years the wall has been built separating him from his family. He now runs a cultural center in Jenin, commands much respect from Palestinians and has a long history of courageous nonviolent resistance to the Israeli Occupation.

Soon afterward I returned south, went to part of a presentation on the Abraham Path which promises to be a great history/cultural/walking eco-tour through villages of the West Bank; and,(so proud to be the tour guide by now), took my often Palestinian hosts to the Tent of Nations and Beit Ommar where I learned the Israeli army had come in again the night before, entered 7 houses and arrested five youths who remain detained without charges.

Weekend spent back in east Jerusalem camping out with other internationals in Sheikh Jarrah in a small tent squished between the Palestinian house and the armed settler occupied front portion. Saturday morning Palestinians told me the US consulate office hadn't been around lately although members from other countries visited regularly. I was actually surprised that simple visits from the US Consulate were important to the neighbors, so on the way to the Israeli Women in Black demonstration, I dropped by the Consulate to convey the message. I was very surprised to be given an immediate meeting with consular officials. I gave my views about the situation in East Jerusalem and shared with them my experiences with settlers in the olive grooves and the settlers blocking the street on Thanksgiving; concluding that the settlers are running the country. I also shared my clinical assessment obtained over the course of three visits to US Embassy and consulates that the lower level staff seem quite depressed. Many officials have shared that they feel very helpless, as they are clearly reporting the facts to Washington but having the information politicized on the way up the hierarchy. I encouraged them to visit the international march, many, many young Israelis at Sheikh Jarrah on Friday afternoons which is loud, joyful and does manage with the help of all the children to drown out the increasing number of taunting settlers. I was encouraged to remain in touch and will even if nothing comes of it. It is a way of documenting American citizen presence. Interestingly enough word of my visit to the Consulate got back to the neighborhood so there must be a pretty quick pipeline.

I also managed to reconnect with a former friend-chef from St George Guest House who I had known seven and eight years ago. He is now happily married and expecting his second child, but his is worried because Israel has issued papers to revoke his wife's Jerusalem ID. Meaning she will be forced to leave the City. Thousands of Palestinians in Jerusalem are being threatened with revocation of their ID, despite living all their lives in Jerusalem. This, along with home demolitions and evictions are simply ways Israel is intending to remove much of the Palestinian population from Jerusalem. How can it not be called ethnic cleansing when it is being done on such a huge and open scale?

Back in Beit Ommar I asked to visit some of the families of the 15-19 year olds arrested last week.
I'll write about these visits next time.
take care,