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Boston support group for the International Solidarity Movement

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"I am a 22 yr. old student from Boston and also an aspiring journalist. I'm hoping to do everything I can to educate people about the plight of the Palestinians"   -- James Eden

1) July 10, 2003 The Wall in Jayous

2) July 8, 2003, Beit Sahour

3) July 4, 2003, Arrival

July 10, 2003 The Wall in Jayous

We have been spending the past few mornings at the recently constructed entrance gate to the soon to be erected Apartheid wall, the purpose of which is to segregate the beleaguered people of Jayyous (and all of Palestine) from their land under the ruse of security for Israel. I watched battalions of Caterpillar tractors barrel their way down an artificially carved out road as they drilled deep into the hillsides, defoliating the landscape and leaving the rubble to pile up. Much of the land that to date has been destroyed was at one point very arable and plush, but now, because of the imperative to make the illegally implanted "settlers" feel safe while they plunder somebody else's land, the farmers of Jayyous are in danger of losing not only their lives- for that has always been a consequence of the occupation- but their livelihood.

The Israeli and American companies building the wall have hired private security forces, euphemistically referred to as "special protection police", to patrol the road separating the town from the farmland and to prevent the farmers from irrigating their land. We have heard accounts of young children who have been violently assaulted by the Caterpillar Cops as they would try to pass through the gate to their families' land. Myself, John, Michael R., Renae, and Joe interviewed one of the four youths who was allegedly beaten. It was noticeable to me that his right eye was swollen and his cheekbone somewhat bruised. Fortunately for him, however, he was able to avoid serious injury, unlike the many young Palestinian children who are shot like dogs in the street by the Israeli military for engaging in the horrendously violent act of throwing stones at the soldiers who are occupying their country.

A higher up in the Israeli military was scheduled to meet with the Mayor of Jayyous to discuss the issue of the harassment of farmers attempting to access their lands. Apparently their was some disagreement over the terms under which the meeting should take place, and it was swiftly cancelled. Shortly thereafter the Israeli military invaded Jayyous and began firing rounds of live ammunition on children who were throwing stones. Myself, John, and Renae happened to be in the town of Jayyous minutes before the military invaded. A group of children were following us around shouting "How are you!" I turned around and teasingly started to chase them, and upon catching up with them, I started communicating with them the best I could and as a result ended up making a few friends. I bought myself a frozen ice cream bar-which was absolutely exquisite- and hung out with the kids for a while. One of the boys, Famie, asked if he could try on my sunglasses. I obliged and he then began to teasingly make like he was going to run off with them. While he was running, he tripped over one of his friend's bicycles, and while he was lying on the ground, instead of looking to his friends for assistance, he turned to me and extended his hand, and I grabbed it and helped him up. A simple gesture, yes, but prescient in that he looked to me, a stranger, for help even though he could just have easily turned to his friends.

When I learned of the invasion, my instinct was to strap on some army boots and head into town, but Sharif, my host, dissuaded me from doing so out of fear for my safety. It really bothered me that minutes prior to the invasion the children had seen me gallivanting around town, and then when the bullets started flying, I wasn't there to protect them. It was frustration I had never experienced until that moment.

Qualkilya Checkpoint

We arrived at Qualkilya checkpoint early one morning posing as a delegation from the World Council of Churches. After giving our passports a cursory glance the soldiers instructed us to wait in the shade while they determined whether or not it was okay to permit us entry. We were made to wait for about an hour. Meanwhile, columns of Palestinians were required to wait patiently in the burning sun, whereas the IDF afforded us the privilege of being able to wait in the shade. Upon receiving permission to pass through, we bumped into a group of fellow ISM activists we had met at the ISM training in Beit Sahour. Two actvists who were carrying out a routine "checkpoint watch" were detained by the military police and one of them had his passport taken. We decided to stick around while one of the ISM coordinators present, Mahmoud, contacted the American consulate in Jerusalem. Luckily he was able to secure the release of the activists and we then proceeded onward to view the portion of the Apartheid Wall that had already been completed in Qualkilya.

I was perturbed at the resemblance the wall in Qualkilya had to the prison walls of the Dachau concentration camp; barbed wire, sniper towers, and the inherent ugliness associated with any wall designed to isolate and imprison.

I will be sending a report soon sharing with you all some of the ideas we have been discussing with the community of Jayyous. Stay well.

Free Palestine.

*******************

2) July 8, 2003, Beit Sahour

Hey Everyone,

We just finished our 2 day ISM training. It was really tedious and repetitive, but I think it will prove useful once we get out into the field and begin our work. It is hard to feel like I am in occupied Palestine when in Jerusalem, even though there are some soldiers present and conditions are relatively poor. Last night a few of us saw what we assumed was a pack of armed soldiers patrolling the Old Town, equipped with walkie-talkies and machine guns. It was a bit scary, but it also made me very angry.

I had a terrific experience in Beit Sahour (when I wasn't in the training) interacting with the Palestinians who lived there. I became really friendly with a young Palestinian named Alex. One night I went for a walk with 3 other ISMers- 2 Israelis and one Swede, and we ended up getting a bit lost. Luckily Alex noticed us from the balcony of his apartment and he shouted my name and told us to come in. Most of his family, including uncles and cousins, were present and they prevailed upon us to stay and sip some tea and relax. I myself didn't need to be persuaded, but, for obvious reasons, my two Israeli friends were nervous. I was unaware at the time but found out later on that night that they didn't tell the family that they were Israeli or even Jewish. The reason I didn't know this while I was there was because I spent all my time playing with the kids. Alex's cousin Issa was a ton of fun, and we played some games and just messed around. He became comfortable with me right away and before I knew it he was climbing up my back and horsing around. Alex taught me quite a bit of Arabic, which of course I have ceased to remember, but the one word that I retained was the Arabic word for crazy, or, "majanoun". I'm sure I just misspelled it, but it's easy to pronounce. Issa and I spent all night teasing one another calling each other crazy. Issa told Alex to tell me that he liked my necklace, which I had bought it Jamaica. Issa had been playing with during the night when I was holding him, so I offered it to him. He told me that he wanted it so he would have something to remember me by. Then, and this is what was really touching and is even giving me the chills now, he said that I was his hero because I wasn't afraid of the Israelis. Of course I am afraid of the Israelis, but I just gave him a hug and told him he was my hero.

Alex and I have made tentative plans to get together before I depart Palestine. I have his information and he has mine. Already I am thinking about how difficult it is going to be to have to leave, and the real work hasn't even begun yet.

Today Michael , John, Joe, Renae, and myself are taking off for Jayyous. Ben and a few others are heading to the MasHa peace camp for a night and then on to Yanoun. There is a farmer in Jayyous who would like some internationals to help him establish a "defense" against plans to confiscate his land in preparation for the erection of the despicable Apartheid Wall. We are going to make it clear to him that we will not be a long term permanent presence, but that we will do whatever we can in the next three weeks to help.

Freedom for Palestine.

In Solidarity,

James

*************************

1) July 4, 2003, Arrival

I arrived in Israel this morning and am currently at an internet cafe in East Jerusalem. My flight in was, to phrase it melodramatically, horrendous, but everything smoother out once I made it to Ben-Gurion. Getting in was not that difficult. The airport didn't seem to have that many interrogators on hand, so the responsibility devolved upon one poor woman who was moving like a machine to question us and get us through 'rapidamente'. In short, not what I was expecting.

I met quite a few Israelis on the trip here. They were very pleasant, and very willing to share with me pointers on where to go and not go if I wanted to have a "good time" during my "vacation" in Israel. Much to my everlasting disbelief, I succeeded in remaining apolitical throughout the whole of my flight and posed as an Israel-adoring tourist who just couldn't wait to experience what it was like to float on the Dead Sea. Lucky for me I have a hefty helping of Imodium at my disposal.

It was interesting, and a little weird, listening to many of my Israeli acquaintances as they implored me to go to this or that club, or visit this or that site, but when the subject of Arabs was broached, their attitude was one of indifference. One guy told me that although it would be worth my while to visit Ramallah while things are relatively static, it would be a "waste of my time" to go to a place like Nablus or Jenin. In other words, the Palestinians are an eyesore not to be bothered with.

It appears to me as though the Palestinians living in annexed East Jerusalem are allowed much more freedom of travel than their brothers and sisters languishing in the occupied territories. This could be the result of the pseudo-truce, but Ben informed me that the Palestinians of East Jerusalem are usually afforded a certain level of "privilege" as East Jerusalem is in fact viewed by Israel as part of Israel proper.

That's all for now. We are having a group meeting tonight to discuss our plans for tomorrow. I myself am exhausted from traveling, but I suspect that will wane once my body clock gets adjusted.

In Solidarity.

James