A personal story
Life has been quite tough recently. This morning I came into the office and a colleague, Alla, asked me how I was as I did not seem myself. We chatted for a bit.
Alla then declared that the whole office would be closing at lunchtime for the rest of the day and we are all going out together. Alla explained that Palestinians always ask lots of personal questions of each other, check up on each other and support each other. This partly explains how they have managed to survive this harsh and wretched occupation for so long and with such dignity.
It is my privilege to live and work amongst the Palestinian people.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Blog 14
Pick Up The Pieces and Move On
The Israeli invasion of the West Bank on 29 March 2002 is a memory filled with pain, death, and fear, tempered by anxiety and constant watching and waiting. The voices of desperate people looking for members of their families who were arrested by the Israelis permeate the atmosphere. Hundreds of detainees were transferred to newly erected and impromptu interrogation centers all over the West Bank, without anyone knowing where to ask after them. With no guarantees, we say goodbye to people we love and care about, not knowing if we will see them again, praying to God to protect them and bring them back to us alive one day.
The curfews that were imposed on us were comprehensive and restrictive. Only our ability to reach people by phone made it bearable, as it was the only available means to contact people. We published all of our personal numbers through local and international media in order to try and help in some way and feel that we were doing something at a time when everything was so uncertain.
We learned to divorce ourselves from emotions and deal with the facts before us. Often we found ourselves alone, confronted by an endless cycle of pain and agony on the other side of the telephone line. The phone calls we received were not necessarily related to imprisonment, but also required urgent solutions. We received endless phone calls of critical cases, including phone calls from those injured, women in labor, individuals informing us of an arrest or someone being killed, people with illnesses calling for help, and those whose water and electricity had been cut off. In these moments of madness, we wished that we could perform miracles, one moment turning ourselves into doctors, another an electrician, a policeperson, a psychiatrist, or any other profession that was needed at the time. Today, we continue to relate the stories of all the phone calls we received, recounting our experiences through that unforgettable time.
Most of the time we were overwhelmed by the heavy responsibility before us, and a hollowness that was difficult to fill. The mobile phone rings suddenly and the endless flood of phone calls begins with worried voices on the other side, or the sorrowful voice that looks to you for help. You try to run away from it all, but the voices seep into your ears and mind, full of anxiety and grief as they ask about their loved ones, as if you are the only one who knows of their fate.
We all tried to rein in our emotions and keep calm, despite the constant feeling that at any moment we could burst into tears, or begin screaming for someone or something to take you away from the madness. We all try to appear normal, as if nothing is wrong, smiling and remaining silent. But this facade collapses within you as soon as you hear the heartbreaking voice of the mother who is calling you because she doesn’t know what has happened to her son. You become speechless when an eight-year-old girl asks you “Where is my father and when will he be back?”
In these moments, you separate your emotions from your body, as you try and console a mother whose voice echoes with the melody of pain. You find yourself in several houses at the same time, wishing that your hands could travel distances so that you can wipe the tears from the eyes of more and more crying faces. Fate ridicules you when the list of names of those killed or arrested grows larger and larger, names of pain, hope, dreams, and waiting families. There is no time to stop, to think, to sleep, as the list gets longer.
It is extraordinary how crisis gathers people together who would have otherwise never crossed paths, uniting us through pain and grief. It was under these circumstances that we worked during the Israeli invasion of Ramallah. Our offices were raided and destroyed by Israeli occupying forces, as was the case with many other civil institutions, with equipment, files and furniture destroyed or stolen. In these difficult times, all we can do is pick up the pieces, heal our wounds, our grief, and our hope – and try to move on along the winding road ahead of us.
Jehan Jarrar
On behalf of Addameer Staff
The Israeli invasion of the West Bank on 29 March 2002 is a memory filled with pain, death, and fear, tempered by anxiety and constant watching and waiting. The voices of desperate people looking for members of their families who were arrested by the Israelis permeate the atmosphere. Hundreds of detainees were transferred to newly erected and impromptu interrogation centers all over the West Bank, without anyone knowing where to ask after them. With no guarantees, we say goodbye to people we love and care about, not knowing if we will see them again, praying to God to protect them and bring them back to us alive one day.
The curfews that were imposed on us were comprehensive and restrictive. Only our ability to reach people by phone made it bearable, as it was the only available means to contact people. We published all of our personal numbers through local and international media in order to try and help in some way and feel that we were doing something at a time when everything was so uncertain.
We learned to divorce ourselves from emotions and deal with the facts before us. Often we found ourselves alone, confronted by an endless cycle of pain and agony on the other side of the telephone line. The phone calls we received were not necessarily related to imprisonment, but also required urgent solutions. We received endless phone calls of critical cases, including phone calls from those injured, women in labor, individuals informing us of an arrest or someone being killed, people with illnesses calling for help, and those whose water and electricity had been cut off. In these moments of madness, we wished that we could perform miracles, one moment turning ourselves into doctors, another an electrician, a policeperson, a psychiatrist, or any other profession that was needed at the time. Today, we continue to relate the stories of all the phone calls we received, recounting our experiences through that unforgettable time.
Most of the time we were overwhelmed by the heavy responsibility before us, and a hollowness that was difficult to fill. The mobile phone rings suddenly and the endless flood of phone calls begins with worried voices on the other side, or the sorrowful voice that looks to you for help. You try to run away from it all, but the voices seep into your ears and mind, full of anxiety and grief as they ask about their loved ones, as if you are the only one who knows of their fate.
We all tried to rein in our emotions and keep calm, despite the constant feeling that at any moment we could burst into tears, or begin screaming for someone or something to take you away from the madness. We all try to appear normal, as if nothing is wrong, smiling and remaining silent. But this facade collapses within you as soon as you hear the heartbreaking voice of the mother who is calling you because she doesn’t know what has happened to her son. You become speechless when an eight-year-old girl asks you “Where is my father and when will he be back?”
In these moments, you separate your emotions from your body, as you try and console a mother whose voice echoes with the melody of pain. You find yourself in several houses at the same time, wishing that your hands could travel distances so that you can wipe the tears from the eyes of more and more crying faces. Fate ridicules you when the list of names of those killed or arrested grows larger and larger, names of pain, hope, dreams, and waiting families. There is no time to stop, to think, to sleep, as the list gets longer.
It is extraordinary how crisis gathers people together who would have otherwise never crossed paths, uniting us through pain and grief. It was under these circumstances that we worked during the Israeli invasion of Ramallah. Our offices were raided and destroyed by Israeli occupying forces, as was the case with many other civil institutions, with equipment, files and furniture destroyed or stolen. In these difficult times, all we can do is pick up the pieces, heal our wounds, our grief, and our hope – and try to move on along the winding road ahead of us.
Jehan Jarrar
On behalf of Addameer Staff
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Blog 13
Jehan
Jehan occupies the next desk along from mine in the office. You know when she is about because she laughs so much. From time to time we down tools and chat about this and that. Today we talked of growing up during the first Intifada and living through the second. We also spoke of fear. Throughout our chat Jehan’s eyes would frequently come close to tears, but not quite.
Here is a bit of what she said.
As a schoolgirl in the 80s she recalls being taught to draw the maps of Syria, Jordan and France. Never Palestine. Palestine did not exist. People who thought otherwise would often die for the belief. Jehan knew of many people killed for raising the Palestinian flag which is illegal (though apparently tolerated now).
There was a sense of solidarity during the first Intifada. It started at the grassroots level and communities looked out for each other. Part of the disillusionment with Oslo was that whilst the youth who inspired the Intifada struggled against the Occupation, the PLO negotiated a settlement far away from their base in Tunis. Those deciding the fate of Palestine and the refugees were not seen by many as being a representative voice sharing in the struggle, not least because they did not even ask the refugees what they thought.
Fear looms large in Palestinian life under the Occupation. It is not immediately noticeable but it is always there, just below the surface. It seems that everybody has experienced a moment when they expected to die. Jehan, who is in her late twenties, has experienced this three times. Three times during which she got to the point of letting go of her fear and calmly accepting that she was about to die violently. One of these experiences occurred at a checkpoint, the other two in her apartment which she shares with her twin sister in Ramallah. During the current Intifada (which started in September 2000 and is ongoing) 2002 was, so far, the bloodiest year. During the IDF occupation of the town, all water, electricity, gas and telephones were cut off for 10 days. There was a curfew. Residents were allowed out to get provisions for a couple of hours every second or third day. Jehan recalls the torment of not being able to look out of the window, because of snipers. She recalls the nights when helicopters would hover overhead firing their guns and missiles into her neighbourhood. The fear felt during the couple of seconds between hearing the launch of a missile and it hitting a target – moments from hell. The guilt she felt as she hoped the missile would strike a neighbour rather than her. She recalls the tracer bullets at night flashing through her bedroom window and destroying her things, as she lay on the kitchen floor. Then she remembers the feeling of simply letting go of her fear and the release she felt at accepting that this was her time to die.
During this period, Addameer was the only NGO prisoner organization that still provided services. The offices were raided by the IDF, the walls riddled with bullets and a computer taken – so Jehan and the others worked from home. This was the time of mass arrests of Palestinians by the IDF (15,000). Jehan recalls taking phone calls from worried family members seeking news of a loved one. At the end of a three minute phone call there would be 50 missed call messages. Sometimes the missing relative had not been arrested, but was in the local morgue and Jehan would have to tell the family that this was so.
These memories are not unique in Palestine. In one form or another they are shared by all. So when the IDF entered town two weeks ago, what for me was an experience, was to a Palestinian a psychologically traumatic event bringing back painful memories.
“Who will compensate me for my lost youth? Where are my happy memories from when I was twenty or twenty-five? No one can give those back to me.” Jehan Jarrar
Jehan occupies the next desk along from mine in the office. You know when she is about because she laughs so much. From time to time we down tools and chat about this and that. Today we talked of growing up during the first Intifada and living through the second. We also spoke of fear. Throughout our chat Jehan’s eyes would frequently come close to tears, but not quite.
Here is a bit of what she said.
As a schoolgirl in the 80s she recalls being taught to draw the maps of Syria, Jordan and France. Never Palestine. Palestine did not exist. People who thought otherwise would often die for the belief. Jehan knew of many people killed for raising the Palestinian flag which is illegal (though apparently tolerated now).
There was a sense of solidarity during the first Intifada. It started at the grassroots level and communities looked out for each other. Part of the disillusionment with Oslo was that whilst the youth who inspired the Intifada struggled against the Occupation, the PLO negotiated a settlement far away from their base in Tunis. Those deciding the fate of Palestine and the refugees were not seen by many as being a representative voice sharing in the struggle, not least because they did not even ask the refugees what they thought.
Fear looms large in Palestinian life under the Occupation. It is not immediately noticeable but it is always there, just below the surface. It seems that everybody has experienced a moment when they expected to die. Jehan, who is in her late twenties, has experienced this three times. Three times during which she got to the point of letting go of her fear and calmly accepting that she was about to die violently. One of these experiences occurred at a checkpoint, the other two in her apartment which she shares with her twin sister in Ramallah. During the current Intifada (which started in September 2000 and is ongoing) 2002 was, so far, the bloodiest year. During the IDF occupation of the town, all water, electricity, gas and telephones were cut off for 10 days. There was a curfew. Residents were allowed out to get provisions for a couple of hours every second or third day. Jehan recalls the torment of not being able to look out of the window, because of snipers. She recalls the nights when helicopters would hover overhead firing their guns and missiles into her neighbourhood. The fear felt during the couple of seconds between hearing the launch of a missile and it hitting a target – moments from hell. The guilt she felt as she hoped the missile would strike a neighbour rather than her. She recalls the tracer bullets at night flashing through her bedroom window and destroying her things, as she lay on the kitchen floor. Then she remembers the feeling of simply letting go of her fear and the release she felt at accepting that this was her time to die.
During this period, Addameer was the only NGO prisoner organization that still provided services. The offices were raided by the IDF, the walls riddled with bullets and a computer taken – so Jehan and the others worked from home. This was the time of mass arrests of Palestinians by the IDF (15,000). Jehan recalls taking phone calls from worried family members seeking news of a loved one. At the end of a three minute phone call there would be 50 missed call messages. Sometimes the missing relative had not been arrested, but was in the local morgue and Jehan would have to tell the family that this was so.
These memories are not unique in Palestine. In one form or another they are shared by all. So when the IDF entered town two weeks ago, what for me was an experience, was to a Palestinian a psychologically traumatic event bringing back painful memories.
“Who will compensate me for my lost youth? Where are my happy memories from when I was twenty or twenty-five? No one can give those back to me.” Jehan Jarrar
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Blog 12
Jenin
Last Friday I took a bus to Jenin, a town in the far north of the West Bank. The bus trip from Ramallah to Jenin takes about two hours. The bus passes through three main army checkpoints and at one point Palestinian traffic is diverted from the main highway along a small winding backroad so as not to pass too close to a settlement.
The countryside consists of steep hills, rocky terraces, olive trees, Palestinian villages identifiable by their distinctive minarets and hill top settlements, distinctive by their red roofs and modern construction. There is hardly a point in the trip where you cannot see a hill top settlement, standing medieval like with fences watchtowers and roadblocks. Most of the road signs in the West Bank are in three languages; Hebrew, followed by Arabic, then English. Close to settlements, the Arabic script on these road signs is often obliterated by black spray paint. I have yet to see a road sign where the Hebrew or English script has been defaced.
In April and June 2002 when the current Intifada (the second, or Al-Aqsa Intifada) was at its most intense, the Israeli army entered the refugee camp in Jenin with tanks and armoured bulldozers after a number of deadly Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel killed scores of civilians.
A number of the suicide bombers had come from this refugee camp.
During bitter fighting that lasted nine days, around 52 Palestinians were killed, including 22 women and children
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1940913.stm)
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1965471.stm)( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1941504.stm)
During the fighting much of the camp was reduced to rubble.
The camp has since been rebuilt with money donated from the Emirates. The new houses are painted a pale yellow whilst the older houses are concrete grey. This colour distinction gives a clear indication of the scale of the destruction - I would estimate about half of the houses had been destroyed.
During the rebuilding process the IDF ensured that the once narrow twisting lanes were straightened and widened sufficiently throughout the camp to allow their tanks easy access. The natives of Jenin who I was with, told me that Israeli tanks do in fact rumble through the camp most nights. In this occupation, much brutality appears to occur in the night.
The “martyrs” cemetery in the camp contains about 100 graves filled during the current Intifada, mostly in 2002. The stonemason who carves the headstones has his own story. As a boy in the 1990s he was one of seven friends in the camp who took to acting. A theatre had been established in the camp by an Israeli woman and her son, as a therapeutic measure against the constant violence and as a means to build bridges between the two communities. This was just after the Oslo Peace Accords had been signed in 1993 and optimism was high. However, as the occupation continued and the building of new settlements accelerated (during Oslo (1993-2000) the number of settlers in the West Bank doubled in number) the spirit of optimism faded and was replaced by despair. This dispair exploded into the Second Intifada in September 2000. As despair took hold and the level of violence increased, the boys, now young men, left the theatre never to return.
Five of the original seven friends are now dead.
On leaving the theatre, one of the dead boys became a policeman for the Palestinian Authority. He was on duty in the camp police station during the IDF invasion when a tank shell exploded in the school playground next door. He ran to the playground and found a nine year old girl lying on the ground lacerated and bleeding from shrapnel. A short time later the girl died in his arms from loss of blood. Acquaintances of the policeman said he became obsessed by the girl’s death. Ten days later, he acquired an automatic weapon, traveled to Israel and gunned down four Israeli civilians at a bus stop before being killed himself.
The stonemason survived these violent times and carved each of the headstones for his five young friends.
Following this sad tour we visited the theatre in the camp where Palestinian poetry and songs were performed by young women with extraordinary passion to an audience of Palestinians, Israelis and some internationals. Sitting in front of me was an Israeli lawyer with a large, round scar above his right ear. Six months earlier he had been demonstrating peacefully against the Wall in the village of Bi’lin (see Blog 5) when he was shot in the head with a plastic bullet fired by the IDF. The bullet lodged in his brain. His recovery has apparently been remarkable, but whereas before he could speak eight languages, he is now teaching himself to read again (for more details follow the link in Blog 5)
Next to the theatre is a new computer room with 14 computers donated by an American. On the wall hangs a picture of a young boy, 10 to 12 years old, I guess. The computer room is named in his honour. He was crushed to death by a tank in Jenin in 2002. His father also said a few words next door in the theatre.
It is impossible to truly appreciate the pain which many people live with in this part of the world.
Last Friday I took a bus to Jenin, a town in the far north of the West Bank. The bus trip from Ramallah to Jenin takes about two hours. The bus passes through three main army checkpoints and at one point Palestinian traffic is diverted from the main highway along a small winding backroad so as not to pass too close to a settlement.
The countryside consists of steep hills, rocky terraces, olive trees, Palestinian villages identifiable by their distinctive minarets and hill top settlements, distinctive by their red roofs and modern construction. There is hardly a point in the trip where you cannot see a hill top settlement, standing medieval like with fences watchtowers and roadblocks. Most of the road signs in the West Bank are in three languages; Hebrew, followed by Arabic, then English. Close to settlements, the Arabic script on these road signs is often obliterated by black spray paint. I have yet to see a road sign where the Hebrew or English script has been defaced.
In April and June 2002 when the current Intifada (the second, or Al-Aqsa Intifada) was at its most intense, the Israeli army entered the refugee camp in Jenin with tanks and armoured bulldozers after a number of deadly Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel killed scores of civilians.
A number of the suicide bombers had come from this refugee camp.
During bitter fighting that lasted nine days, around 52 Palestinians were killed, including 22 women and children
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1940913.stm)
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1965471.stm)( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1941504.stm)
During the fighting much of the camp was reduced to rubble.
The camp has since been rebuilt with money donated from the Emirates. The new houses are painted a pale yellow whilst the older houses are concrete grey. This colour distinction gives a clear indication of the scale of the destruction - I would estimate about half of the houses had been destroyed.
During the rebuilding process the IDF ensured that the once narrow twisting lanes were straightened and widened sufficiently throughout the camp to allow their tanks easy access. The natives of Jenin who I was with, told me that Israeli tanks do in fact rumble through the camp most nights. In this occupation, much brutality appears to occur in the night.
The “martyrs” cemetery in the camp contains about 100 graves filled during the current Intifada, mostly in 2002. The stonemason who carves the headstones has his own story. As a boy in the 1990s he was one of seven friends in the camp who took to acting. A theatre had been established in the camp by an Israeli woman and her son, as a therapeutic measure against the constant violence and as a means to build bridges between the two communities. This was just after the Oslo Peace Accords had been signed in 1993 and optimism was high. However, as the occupation continued and the building of new settlements accelerated (during Oslo (1993-2000) the number of settlers in the West Bank doubled in number) the spirit of optimism faded and was replaced by despair. This dispair exploded into the Second Intifada in September 2000. As despair took hold and the level of violence increased, the boys, now young men, left the theatre never to return.
Five of the original seven friends are now dead.
On leaving the theatre, one of the dead boys became a policeman for the Palestinian Authority. He was on duty in the camp police station during the IDF invasion when a tank shell exploded in the school playground next door. He ran to the playground and found a nine year old girl lying on the ground lacerated and bleeding from shrapnel. A short time later the girl died in his arms from loss of blood. Acquaintances of the policeman said he became obsessed by the girl’s death. Ten days later, he acquired an automatic weapon, traveled to Israel and gunned down four Israeli civilians at a bus stop before being killed himself.
The stonemason survived these violent times and carved each of the headstones for his five young friends.
Following this sad tour we visited the theatre in the camp where Palestinian poetry and songs were performed by young women with extraordinary passion to an audience of Palestinians, Israelis and some internationals. Sitting in front of me was an Israeli lawyer with a large, round scar above his right ear. Six months earlier he had been demonstrating peacefully against the Wall in the village of Bi’lin (see Blog 5) when he was shot in the head with a plastic bullet fired by the IDF. The bullet lodged in his brain. His recovery has apparently been remarkable, but whereas before he could speak eight languages, he is now teaching himself to read again (for more details follow the link in Blog 5)
Next to the theatre is a new computer room with 14 computers donated by an American. On the wall hangs a picture of a young boy, 10 to 12 years old, I guess. The computer room is named in his honour. He was crushed to death by a tank in Jenin in 2002. His father also said a few words next door in the theatre.
It is impossible to truly appreciate the pain which many people live with in this part of the world.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Blog 11
Quietish in Ramallah
Apart from a couple of shops being burnt to the ground it has been a fairly quiet few days in Ramallah.(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6241185.stm)
Went to a legal conference in Tel Aviv yesterday and heard some interesting speakers, including a Palestinian who spent 27 years in jail for being a member of a the PFLP (the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - a local political party). In the absence of anything interesting to report, here are some of the main UN Security Council Resolutions that have been passed (and ignored) since 1967 in regards to the Occupied Territories:
Security Council Resolutions
1967 - Res. 242
Calls for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Occupied Territories.
1968 - Res. 252
Considers that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel which tend to alter the legal status of Jerusalem are invalid.
1969 - Res. 267
Deplores the failure of Israel to show any regard for resolutions of the General Assembly or the Security Council.
1971 - Res. 298
Reaffirms resolutions 252 (1968) and 267 (1969).
1973 - Res. 338
Calls for a ceasefire in the current hostilities.
1979 - Res. 446
Determines that the establishment of settlements by Israel in the Occupied Territories have no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a just and lasting peace. Calls upon Israel, as the Occupying Power, to abide scrupulously by the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilians Persons in Time of War (12 August 1949).
1979 - Res. 452
Calls upon Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Occupied Territories and Jerusalem.
1980 - Res. 465
Strongly deplores Israel’s construction of settlements in the Occupied Territories and Jerusalem and calls for the dismantling of existing settlements. Further calls on member States not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connection with settlements in the Occupied Territories.
1980 - Res. 476
Reaffirms the overriding necessity to end the Israeli occupation of the Occupied Territories and Jerusalem. Strongly deplores Israel’s refusal to comply with Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions. Reiterates that all measures to alter the geographic, demographic and legal status of Jerusalem are null and void. In the event of non-compliance by Israel with the present resolution reaffirms a determination to find practical means within the terms of the UN Charter to effect compliance.
1994 - Res. 904
Strongly condemns the massacre of Palestinian civilians at Hebron in which 50 were killed and several hundred injured. Calls upon Israel, the Occupying Power, to implement measures to prevent illegal acts of violence by Israeli settlers.
1996 - Res. 1073
Expressing deep concern about the high number of Palestinian deaths and injuries in Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem and the Gaza Strip. Calls on Israel to ensure the safety and protection of Palestinian civilians.
2002 - Res. 1397
Recalls all previous resolutions and in particular resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). Demands immediate cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction.
2003 - Res. 1515
Reaffirms the vision of a two State solution. Endorses the Quartet Performance-based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the conflict.
(The full text and list of Security Council Resolutions can be found at - http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_resolutions.html)
There are now approximately 430,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. According to a report prepared by the Directory General of the International Labour Organisation in 2004, the settler population in the West Bank is increasing at a rate of 5.3% per annum.
Apart from a couple of shops being burnt to the ground it has been a fairly quiet few days in Ramallah.(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6241185.stm)
Went to a legal conference in Tel Aviv yesterday and heard some interesting speakers, including a Palestinian who spent 27 years in jail for being a member of a the PFLP (the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - a local political party). In the absence of anything interesting to report, here are some of the main UN Security Council Resolutions that have been passed (and ignored) since 1967 in regards to the Occupied Territories:
Security Council Resolutions
1967 - Res. 242
Calls for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Occupied Territories.
1968 - Res. 252
Considers that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel which tend to alter the legal status of Jerusalem are invalid.
1969 - Res. 267
Deplores the failure of Israel to show any regard for resolutions of the General Assembly or the Security Council.
1971 - Res. 298
Reaffirms resolutions 252 (1968) and 267 (1969).
1973 - Res. 338
Calls for a ceasefire in the current hostilities.
1979 - Res. 446
Determines that the establishment of settlements by Israel in the Occupied Territories have no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a just and lasting peace. Calls upon Israel, as the Occupying Power, to abide scrupulously by the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilians Persons in Time of War (12 August 1949).
1979 - Res. 452
Calls upon Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Occupied Territories and Jerusalem.
1980 - Res. 465
Strongly deplores Israel’s construction of settlements in the Occupied Territories and Jerusalem and calls for the dismantling of existing settlements. Further calls on member States not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connection with settlements in the Occupied Territories.
1980 - Res. 476
Reaffirms the overriding necessity to end the Israeli occupation of the Occupied Territories and Jerusalem. Strongly deplores Israel’s refusal to comply with Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions. Reiterates that all measures to alter the geographic, demographic and legal status of Jerusalem are null and void. In the event of non-compliance by Israel with the present resolution reaffirms a determination to find practical means within the terms of the UN Charter to effect compliance.
1994 - Res. 904
Strongly condemns the massacre of Palestinian civilians at Hebron in which 50 were killed and several hundred injured. Calls upon Israel, the Occupying Power, to implement measures to prevent illegal acts of violence by Israeli settlers.
1996 - Res. 1073
Expressing deep concern about the high number of Palestinian deaths and injuries in Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem and the Gaza Strip. Calls on Israel to ensure the safety and protection of Palestinian civilians.
2002 - Res. 1397
Recalls all previous resolutions and in particular resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). Demands immediate cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction.
2003 - Res. 1515
Reaffirms the vision of a two State solution. Endorses the Quartet Performance-based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the conflict.
(The full text and list of Security Council Resolutions can be found at - http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_resolutions.html)
There are now approximately 430,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. According to a report prepared by the Directory General of the International Labour Organisation in 2004, the settler population in the West Bank is increasing at a rate of 5.3% per annum.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Blog 10
Clean up in Ramallah
The talk about town is that late on Thursday afternoon an Israeli undercover squad entered Ramallah in order to arrest/execute two members of the Al-Aqsa martyrs brigade. They were discovered and called in the regular army with bulldozers. The two men wanted by Israel escaped but so far the death toll is four with about 25 seriously injured.
The resulting clean up after the Israeli raid took most of Thursday night. One of the main streets leading to Manara Square received most of the attention. Although one of the widest streets in central Ramallah, the parked cars were picked up, smashed up and shoved up against the shop fronts. About 20 cars were destroyed in this fashion. It is difficult to understand why this was necessary as they were not impeding access.
Leading off this street is a small lane that is home to the central fruit and vegetable market. The market is like most other outdoor markets, trestle tables on both sides of the lane with wood and canvass serving as a roof. An Israeli armoured bulldozer drove about 30 metres up the lane into the market destroying a number of livelihoods as it went. This part of town smelled of freshly squeezed orange juice for the rest of the evening as a Palestinian bulldozer and dump truck cleaned up.
Locals believe that the Israeli's were frustrated at failing to get what they came for and so decided to use the opportunity to smash up the town.
These raids are apparently quite common in the West Bank towns of Nablus and Jenin and generally go reported, if at all, as "militant killed in the West Bank". The difference with Thursday's raid in Ramallah was that it occurred in front of the Aljazeera office in Manara Square and the footage was aired on Aljazeera and CNN, for what that's worth.
Friday was a day of prayer, funerals, talk on the street and was wet, misty and cold. In search of something a little more cheerful, I joined a German contingent in Jerusalem for a drink. As one of the Germans had a diplomatic pass, we could drive to Jerusalem along a settler road. These roads are well constructed without much traffic, as Palestinians are not permitted to use them. To gain access to a settler road you must pass through a military checkpoint to ensure Palestinians are kept out. All the settlements in the West Bank are linked by these exclusive roads to Israel.
Arrived at work this morning to find that offices on the third, fourth and seventh floors (our floor), had been set on fire on Friday. People seem to think it was Fatah - the clean up continues.
(Here's what the BBC had to say: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6231439.stm)
The talk about town is that late on Thursday afternoon an Israeli undercover squad entered Ramallah in order to arrest/execute two members of the Al-Aqsa martyrs brigade. They were discovered and called in the regular army with bulldozers. The two men wanted by Israel escaped but so far the death toll is four with about 25 seriously injured.
The resulting clean up after the Israeli raid took most of Thursday night. One of the main streets leading to Manara Square received most of the attention. Although one of the widest streets in central Ramallah, the parked cars were picked up, smashed up and shoved up against the shop fronts. About 20 cars were destroyed in this fashion. It is difficult to understand why this was necessary as they were not impeding access.
Leading off this street is a small lane that is home to the central fruit and vegetable market. The market is like most other outdoor markets, trestle tables on both sides of the lane with wood and canvass serving as a roof. An Israeli armoured bulldozer drove about 30 metres up the lane into the market destroying a number of livelihoods as it went. This part of town smelled of freshly squeezed orange juice for the rest of the evening as a Palestinian bulldozer and dump truck cleaned up.
Locals believe that the Israeli's were frustrated at failing to get what they came for and so decided to use the opportunity to smash up the town.
These raids are apparently quite common in the West Bank towns of Nablus and Jenin and generally go reported, if at all, as "militant killed in the West Bank". The difference with Thursday's raid in Ramallah was that it occurred in front of the Aljazeera office in Manara Square and the footage was aired on Aljazeera and CNN, for what that's worth.
Friday was a day of prayer, funerals, talk on the street and was wet, misty and cold. In search of something a little more cheerful, I joined a German contingent in Jerusalem for a drink. As one of the Germans had a diplomatic pass, we could drive to Jerusalem along a settler road. These roads are well constructed without much traffic, as Palestinians are not permitted to use them. To gain access to a settler road you must pass through a military checkpoint to ensure Palestinians are kept out. All the settlements in the West Bank are linked by these exclusive roads to Israel.
Arrived at work this morning to find that offices on the third, fourth and seventh floors (our floor), had been set on fire on Friday. People seem to think it was Fatah - the clean up continues.
(Here's what the BBC had to say: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6231439.stm)
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Blog 9
Rush hour in Ramallah
I finished work early today and was just heading out of the building when I witnessed what can best be described as instant panic. The busy shopping street suddenly became a wave of running people trying to find shelter where ever they could. It wasn’t immediately apparent what the cause was. I bumped into Didi, a university student who works in the mobile phone shop in the lobby and sometimes practices her English on me – “the enemy have come” is what she told me.
In less than 30 seconds the street that had been full of people and cars was now deserted just in time for the arrival of two Israeli armoured bulldozers and about 20 jeeps. The convoy sped into town to the sound of heavy gunfire and explosions and made for my favourite round-about in the centre of town, just down from the office. There they remained for approximately one hour, the bulldozers pushing cars about and the constant sound of machine gun fire and explosions. I could see four Israeli gunships overhead and a drone, circling the centre of town discharging flares every now and then and occasionally unleashing ear splitting fire.
At this stage I was observing the scene crouched down behind a car in the street, which was now strewn with empty bullet casings. Every now and then I would be joined by a passer by and we would exchange pleasantries – “where are you from? – how do you like Ramallah?” etc etc as bricks and rocks rained down on the convoy near by and was returned with fire and stun grenades.
After being in town for about an hour the Israeli convoy came slowly back down the street met with a hail of stones and responding with intense fire from the ground and air, and then they were gone – rush hour in Ramallah.
Walking back up the street towards the round-about there were rocks and rubble everywhere, smashed up cars, the smell of tear gas and smoke, rubbish skips on fire and an extremely excited local population. Five minutes later I was home having a cup of tea and watching it all on Aljazeera. My apartment is centrally located as they say.
Reports say four killed and four Palestinians taken away. I hear that Bethlehem got a similar treatment. Israel has described the event as “a routine arrest operation”. The Israelis were apparently after two members of the Al-Aqsa martyrs brigade (the armed wing of Fatah) – both who apparently escaped.
I finished work early today and was just heading out of the building when I witnessed what can best be described as instant panic. The busy shopping street suddenly became a wave of running people trying to find shelter where ever they could. It wasn’t immediately apparent what the cause was. I bumped into Didi, a university student who works in the mobile phone shop in the lobby and sometimes practices her English on me – “the enemy have come” is what she told me.
In less than 30 seconds the street that had been full of people and cars was now deserted just in time for the arrival of two Israeli armoured bulldozers and about 20 jeeps. The convoy sped into town to the sound of heavy gunfire and explosions and made for my favourite round-about in the centre of town, just down from the office. There they remained for approximately one hour, the bulldozers pushing cars about and the constant sound of machine gun fire and explosions. I could see four Israeli gunships overhead and a drone, circling the centre of town discharging flares every now and then and occasionally unleashing ear splitting fire.
At this stage I was observing the scene crouched down behind a car in the street, which was now strewn with empty bullet casings. Every now and then I would be joined by a passer by and we would exchange pleasantries – “where are you from? – how do you like Ramallah?” etc etc as bricks and rocks rained down on the convoy near by and was returned with fire and stun grenades.
After being in town for about an hour the Israeli convoy came slowly back down the street met with a hail of stones and responding with intense fire from the ground and air, and then they were gone – rush hour in Ramallah.
Walking back up the street towards the round-about there were rocks and rubble everywhere, smashed up cars, the smell of tear gas and smoke, rubbish skips on fire and an extremely excited local population. Five minutes later I was home having a cup of tea and watching it all on Aljazeera. My apartment is centrally located as they say.
Reports say four killed and four Palestinians taken away. I hear that Bethlehem got a similar treatment. Israel has described the event as “a routine arrest operation”. The Israelis were apparently after two members of the Al-Aqsa martyrs brigade (the armed wing of Fatah) – both who apparently escaped.
Blog 8
Mechanics of the Occupation
Since the beginning of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip following the 1967 war (The Six Day War), some 650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel. This represents one in five (20%) of the entire population, or 40% of the male population.
As at July 2006 some 9,493 Palestinian prisoners were being held in Israeli prisons. This is in contravention of Article 47 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states that:
“Protected persons accused of offences shall be detained in the occupied country, and if convicted shall serve their sentences therein.”
With the strict system of permits, one practical result of this contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention is that many Palestinian prisoners held in Israel never receive family visits.
There are currently 120 Palestinian female prisoners, 19 of whom are mothers, 2 of whom gave birth in prison.
Children
There are currently 349 Palestinian children (under 18) being detained, of whom 48 are under 16 years of age. Under Israeli military regulations a child over 16 is considered to be an adult. This contravenes Article 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (“CRC”) which defines a child as a person under the age of 18 years. Israel ratified the CRC in November 1991.
In practice, children as young as 12 may be charged and sentenced in military courts. Children between the ages of 12 and 14 can be sentenced for up to six months, for example, for throwing a stone. After the age of 14 Palestinian children are sentenced as adults if the offence carries a maximum penalty that exceeds five years, such as throwing a stone.
Military orders
Much of Palestinian life is governed by military order. The Israeli military have issued 1500 military orders for the West Bank and 1400 for the Gaza Strip since 1967. Palestinians generally become aware of a new military order only once the military start enforcing the order.
Here are some examples of military orders:
Order 101
Prohibits:
(i) Conducting a protest march or political meeting with 10 people or more without permission from the Israeli military commander.
(ii) Raising a flag or other symbol.
(iii) Distributing or publishing a political article or picture with political connotations.
(iv) Attempting to influence public opinion in a way detrimental to public order or security.
Max. penalty – 10 years
(Applies to all those 14 years of age or older)
Order 898
An Israeli settler may detain any Palestinian, including children whom they deem to be acting suspiciously.
Stone throwing
Max. penalty – 20 years
Custody
Under Israeli military regulations a Palestinian can be detained for up to eight days without being informed of the reason for his or her arrest and without being taken before a judge. This period is sometimes extended to 18 days. During the eight day period the detainee is interrogated, charged with an offence, given an administrative detention order, or released.
A Palestinian detainee can be interrogated for up to 180 days. During this period, the detainee can be denied access to a lawyer for up to 60 days.
Military trial
Those accused of breaking military orders are tried before a military tribunal located on military bases or settlements in the Occupied Territories. The tribunals are presided over by three judges appointed by the military. Two of the judges have no legal training and the entire panel consists of either soldiers and/or settlers.
98% of proceedings against Palestinians in military tribunals end in conviction.
I read an anecdotal story the other day of the trial of a Palestinian that ended in an acquittal. The court translator, who had been working in the system for three years, did not know the Arabic word for "acquittal".
Administrative detention
Administrative detention orders are issued based on secret evidence presented to a military tribunal, by the military. Neither the detainee nor his or her lawyer are permitted to see the secret evidence.
There are approximately 765 Palestinians being held under administrative detention orders. They are held without charge or trial for up to six months. This six month period can be extended for another six month period, again and again, indefinitely. One of the longest serving Palestinian administrative detainees was held for eight years without charge or trial.
Between March and October 2002 (at the height of the current Intifada) the Israeli military detained 15,000 Palestinians in mass arrest campaigns, rounding up males in cities and villages between the ages of 15 and 45. By October 2002, 1,050 Palestinians were being detained pursuant to administrative detention orders.
The detainee and his family usually do not know whether the administrative detention order will be extended until a few hours before the expiry of the previous order. I was told the following anecdotal account the other day of a young Palestinian man who was released from administrative detention after six months. As he was walking into his village and in sight of the family home, he was taken back into custody by the Israeli military. He was close enough to smell the meal his mother had cooked to welcome him home. (See http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engMDE150031997?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES%5CISRAEL%5COCCUPIED+TERRITORIES and http://web.amnesty.org/pages/isr-action-detention)
Much of the cost of detention is paid for by the detainee's own family - like I said in a previous blog, you would require a seriously good sense of humour to live here.
(Source: Ad.)
Since the beginning of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip following the 1967 war (The Six Day War), some 650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel. This represents one in five (20%) of the entire population, or 40% of the male population.
As at July 2006 some 9,493 Palestinian prisoners were being held in Israeli prisons. This is in contravention of Article 47 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states that:
“Protected persons accused of offences shall be detained in the occupied country, and if convicted shall serve their sentences therein.”
With the strict system of permits, one practical result of this contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention is that many Palestinian prisoners held in Israel never receive family visits.
There are currently 120 Palestinian female prisoners, 19 of whom are mothers, 2 of whom gave birth in prison.
Children
There are currently 349 Palestinian children (under 18) being detained, of whom 48 are under 16 years of age. Under Israeli military regulations a child over 16 is considered to be an adult. This contravenes Article 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (“CRC”) which defines a child as a person under the age of 18 years. Israel ratified the CRC in November 1991.
In practice, children as young as 12 may be charged and sentenced in military courts. Children between the ages of 12 and 14 can be sentenced for up to six months, for example, for throwing a stone. After the age of 14 Palestinian children are sentenced as adults if the offence carries a maximum penalty that exceeds five years, such as throwing a stone.
Military orders
Much of Palestinian life is governed by military order. The Israeli military have issued 1500 military orders for the West Bank and 1400 for the Gaza Strip since 1967. Palestinians generally become aware of a new military order only once the military start enforcing the order.
Here are some examples of military orders:
Order 101
Prohibits:
(i) Conducting a protest march or political meeting with 10 people or more without permission from the Israeli military commander.
(ii) Raising a flag or other symbol.
(iii) Distributing or publishing a political article or picture with political connotations.
(iv) Attempting to influence public opinion in a way detrimental to public order or security.
Max. penalty – 10 years
(Applies to all those 14 years of age or older)
Order 898
An Israeli settler may detain any Palestinian, including children whom they deem to be acting suspiciously.
Stone throwing
Max. penalty – 20 years
Custody
Under Israeli military regulations a Palestinian can be detained for up to eight days without being informed of the reason for his or her arrest and without being taken before a judge. This period is sometimes extended to 18 days. During the eight day period the detainee is interrogated, charged with an offence, given an administrative detention order, or released.
A Palestinian detainee can be interrogated for up to 180 days. During this period, the detainee can be denied access to a lawyer for up to 60 days.
Military trial
Those accused of breaking military orders are tried before a military tribunal located on military bases or settlements in the Occupied Territories. The tribunals are presided over by three judges appointed by the military. Two of the judges have no legal training and the entire panel consists of either soldiers and/or settlers.
98% of proceedings against Palestinians in military tribunals end in conviction.
I read an anecdotal story the other day of the trial of a Palestinian that ended in an acquittal. The court translator, who had been working in the system for three years, did not know the Arabic word for "acquittal".
Administrative detention
Administrative detention orders are issued based on secret evidence presented to a military tribunal, by the military. Neither the detainee nor his or her lawyer are permitted to see the secret evidence.
There are approximately 765 Palestinians being held under administrative detention orders. They are held without charge or trial for up to six months. This six month period can be extended for another six month period, again and again, indefinitely. One of the longest serving Palestinian administrative detainees was held for eight years without charge or trial.
Between March and October 2002 (at the height of the current Intifada) the Israeli military detained 15,000 Palestinians in mass arrest campaigns, rounding up males in cities and villages between the ages of 15 and 45. By October 2002, 1,050 Palestinians were being detained pursuant to administrative detention orders.
The detainee and his family usually do not know whether the administrative detention order will be extended until a few hours before the expiry of the previous order. I was told the following anecdotal account the other day of a young Palestinian man who was released from administrative detention after six months. As he was walking into his village and in sight of the family home, he was taken back into custody by the Israeli military. He was close enough to smell the meal his mother had cooked to welcome him home. (See http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engMDE150031997?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES%5CISRAEL%5COCCUPIED+TERRITORIES and http://web.amnesty.org/pages/isr-action-detention)
Much of the cost of detention is paid for by the detainee's own family - like I said in a previous blog, you would require a seriously good sense of humour to live here.
(Source: Ad.)
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Blog 7
Jerusalem
It is currently the five day Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha. The first day of the holiday was accompanied by sporadic shooting all day - I couldn't tell whether it was the holiday spirit or the execution of Saddam that provoked this response. No body seemed particularly concerned and there were no reports of trouble.
The trip to Jerusalem from Ramallah starts at the market in the centre of town where one catches the Service (Palestinian mini-buses that are the only form of public transport in the West Bank). The Service takes you to the outskirts of town to a major checkpoint in the Wall, which at this location consists of concrete, watchtowers, machine guns and graffiti. The bus is not allowed through the checkpoint, along with most Palestinians who do not possess the correct permit. You enter a large covered area on foot with many aisles leading to turnstyles. About three people at a time are permitted through the turnstyles into a space containing an x-ray machine and bomb proof glass, behind which the guards observe you. You remove you coat and place it with any bags into the x-ray machine and place your ID up against the glass for inspection. If approved, you pick up your things and wait at the turnstyle at the other end to be released into East Jerusalem, where you pick up another bus to take you to the old city. The wall cuts right down the middle of the street with Palestinians on both sides at this point.
The old city is surrounded by 4.2km of wall dating from the 16 century which you can walk along from the Jaffa to the Damascus gates. It is a beautiful city of limestone, with busy alleyways, markets, churches, wailing walls and mosques on rocks.
It is currently the five day Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha. The first day of the holiday was accompanied by sporadic shooting all day - I couldn't tell whether it was the holiday spirit or the execution of Saddam that provoked this response. No body seemed particularly concerned and there were no reports of trouble.
The trip to Jerusalem from Ramallah starts at the market in the centre of town where one catches the Service (Palestinian mini-buses that are the only form of public transport in the West Bank). The Service takes you to the outskirts of town to a major checkpoint in the Wall, which at this location consists of concrete, watchtowers, machine guns and graffiti. The bus is not allowed through the checkpoint, along with most Palestinians who do not possess the correct permit. You enter a large covered area on foot with many aisles leading to turnstyles. About three people at a time are permitted through the turnstyles into a space containing an x-ray machine and bomb proof glass, behind which the guards observe you. You remove you coat and place it with any bags into the x-ray machine and place your ID up against the glass for inspection. If approved, you pick up your things and wait at the turnstyle at the other end to be released into East Jerusalem, where you pick up another bus to take you to the old city. The wall cuts right down the middle of the street with Palestinians on both sides at this point.
The old city is surrounded by 4.2km of wall dating from the 16 century which you can walk along from the Jaffa to the Damascus gates. It is a beautiful city of limestone, with busy alleyways, markets, churches, wailing walls and mosques on rocks.
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