BostontoPalestine
Boston
support group for the International Solidarity Movement
Home
About
us
News
from Palestine
Contact
Email
Subscribe
Donate
Current Delegation
Summer 2005
Past Delegations
Olive Harvest
2004
Freedom Summer
2004
Past Campaigns
Events
Photos
Videos (ISM)
Rachel Corrie
Links
Speakers
Be a Delegate
Press
faq
Actions!
more reports by John click here>>
9) July 16 and 17, 2003 Report
from Jayyous
by Joe P. and John P., from the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
At 4:00 pm we were informed by local residents that a family which lives on the other side of the separation fence was unable to travel home due to the construction of barbed-wire fencing stretching across the road. The separation fence at this location is still incomplete and the family had walked across it in the morning to purchase food and go to a doctor. Because the fence cuts just in front of the family's home and the only other way that they would have access to the house would require an hour walk over very difficult terrain, the Israeli government promised to make a special gate for the family. Unfortuantely the family discovered no such gate has been installed.
Ben, Michael R., and John P. went to investigate the matter. As we approached the new barbed wire fence we noticed that some children (under 10 years old) were pulling up stakes to the fence. The construction workers later noticed this and called in their special security guards to deal with the situation. As we were leaving the area, along with most of the children engaged in that activity, we began to hear gun shots from the direction of the fence toward the village. We began heading back to the area to find a number of small children running away toward us. One of the children of the family, a young man of about 16 years old, stopped us in our tracks and told us not to continue. He said that he did not want us to be at risk and that because of this new incident it is he "who wants to die". Gun shots rang out for a few minutes longer then later faded. No injuries were reported.
The military evidently showed up some time later and told local residents that a Palestinian from the village had fired upon the security guards. We strongly disagree with that statement as we were only a block away from the incident and heard no shooting from our direction. However, the military did use the excuse to shoot over one family's house on the northeast perimeter of the wall around 7:30 pm.. The house sits immediately along the wall and the soldiers attempt to keep the family away from it.
Meanwhile Joe P., Renae, and Michael D. were escorting a farmer to his land on the other side of the fence. He had not visited or worked on this land since October out of fear of beatings and detention from the private civilian security company which have become common. Upon arriving on the land and viewing the scarred landscape that the security wall created the man wept.
July 17:
At 6:15 am, Joe P. and John P., along with a Palestinian friend, met at the gate for our morning watch. We observe the gate for a few hours every morning to monitor that people are able to cross to their farmlands without harassment, detainment, or beatings. We noticed that the construction company was beginning to do work immediately in front of the gate causing concern amongst us that travel would be restricted. We approached one of the workers and he informed us that the work would only take 30 to 60 minutes and that travel would then be able to resume as "normal". We became increasingly concerned upon seeing that a mound of dirt and rock growing in front of the road and that a very deep ditch was also being made on the other side. Several farmers with donkeys were "allowed" through the gate after much difficult navigation. At one point an Israeli vehicle (workers with the company) came down the road toward the construction site and the workers filled in the ditch and flattened the ground so to allow it to pass. Once through the gate, the ditch was redug and the mound of rocks put back in front of the road. A moment later, Palestinian vehicles came down the road and were prevented from continuing. They were told that they would not be able to cross this area for at least 4 days. This was obviously longer than the 1 hour we were told it would take. In response to our questioning of why the time schedule changed they said that the military told them to close the road for that amount of time.
The security guards were still "allowing" the Palestinian farmers to cross on foot or donkey to their lands. However, they did require the Palestinians to lift up their shirts (to show that they were not carrying any explosives) and to show identification cards (both of which they have no authority to do). This gate, it should be mentioned, is not an international border and the guards are mere civilians. A number of tractors began to pile up waiting for word whether or not they would be able to go to work on their fields.
Around 10:00 am, to our surprise, WGBH of Boston showed up on the scene. They were evidently driving through the area doing a story about the security fence and happened to come down the road where we were. They jumped out of their car and went to the fence and began questioning the security guards about why the gate was closed. The security guards were their usual obnoxious selves and began yelling at them to leave the area. The reporters interviewed a number of the farmers waiting to cross with their tractors, as well as Joe and John.
Shortly afterwards we notified Sharif, the local coordinator of the Land Defence Commitee in the Qalqilya district about the closure of the gate. He contacted captain Ramy Qaroat, the local military commander of the Israeli military and he agreed to meet him at the gate to see what was going on. Apparently the military did not give the construction company orders to close the gate. Ramy told Sharif that the gate would be open by morning. Ramy further promised to "look into the matter" of a gate not being installed for the family on the other side of the wall.