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more reports by John click here>>

July 10th, 2003 B2p delegation in Jayous

    Report filed by: John, Michael R., Renae, Joe, and Michael D.
    Jayous, Occupied Palestine,

B2p delegates arrived in the small village of Jayous on Sunday. Jayous is located in the Qalqilya district and has been the site of much conflict as well as international presence over the past year. Located about 6 kilometers east of the "green line", the 1967 border with Israel, the villagers of Jayous are struggling with the fact that over 75% of their lands will be taken away from them by the construction of the "security wall", as Israeli's call it, or better known as the "apartheid wall" by both Palestinians and the international community. The lands lost will fall behind the Wall and it is unclear whether they will continue to have access to it in the future as it is believed that the wall will become the new border between Israel and Palestine. At the moment, instead of accessing the many roads which lead from the village to the farms in the valleys below, the only access now open to them is through one gate.

The one gate which is open for travel is a site of many problems. Due to recent events in the village, including the beatings of Palestinians who had attempted to travel to their farm lands through the gate and the response by some farmers to attempt to set up an international "peace camp", our Boston group had been asked by the ISM to help set up an international presence in Jayous.

We were welcomed by Omar, a prominent member of the community and a long-time activist of Palestinian rights. With his assistance we have set up the "peace camp". The idea behind the "peace camp", as it has been explained to us by the villagers is as follows:

While the Israeli government has informed the Palestinian farmers of this village that they will have access to their farm lands, the fact is that they have been regularly prevented from doing so. Beyond the soldiers harassment, they have had to deal with the security guards of the company contracted to build the Wall. These security guards (civilians) have detained and beaten Palestinians. The result has been that many farmers are afraid of going to their lands for the fear of this violence. Many farmers have, in response, set up makeshift shelters on their farm lands. The presence of international human rights activists will help to protect Palestinian farmers from being harassed and detained by Israeli soldiers who travel through the lands at night.

On July 9th, the Boston delegation met with the village council of Jayous. Present were various representatives of the village, including the mayor, the peasants union, Land Defense Committee, and others. The meeting was a success as we came to agreements on how we can best assist them. It was decided that we (the internationals) would make sure we were present at specific hours in the morning and the evening so that farmers would feel safer traveling through the gate to their lands. The farmers were to meet on July 10th to decide what hours would be set for travel. Another goal for our group in Jayous will be an attempt to continue to bring media attention to the construction of the Wall along with the suffering it creates for Palestinian society.

While our commitment to maintaining a presence in the village is still being considered, we are working with other groups such as the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel, as well as with local ISM coordinators to make sure that internationals do remain in this village.

Jayous is but one village which is struggling for its very livelihood because of the construction of the Wall. Nonetheless, it is significant in many ways -- especially in its commitment to non-violent resistance to intimidation by the IDF and the violence of Israeli civilians who take it upon themselves to force the Palestinians from working their fields.