[Palestine] MPT Team Arrested in West Bank Village of Urif

On Tuesday, February 12th, 2013, our three person MPT team was invited to the village of Urif to accompany local Palestinian farmers.  The farmers had planned to plant 50 olive trees to replace trees that had been previously burned. 

Upon our arrival in Urif we were greeted by the local villagers and invited to meet with the Urif City Council members.  We were informed the area we would be entering was located in Area B, land under Palestinian authority.  Six additional internationals arrived shortly thereafter to join in the accompaniment. 

After being briefed and sharing a cup of coffee with the local villagers we ascended up a hillside to the edge of the village.  We then assisted the villagers in loading olive trees into a bus, and proceeded to follow on foot to the planting field. 

When we arrived in the field, we noticed armed Israeli forces already stationed on the hillside above us.  As soon as we began to unload the trees from the bus, the soldiers started descending upon the Palestinian land.  Despite the military presence, the farmers began planting their olive trees.  We decided to take on the role of observation, filming and photographing the events at hand. 

Soldiers soon arrived on the scene.  One soldier immediately demanded to see our team’s passports.  We asked to see the soldier’s identification and he produced his Border Police card.  As Julie and Jessica removed their passports from their bags the soldier immediately took them and walked away.

The three of us continued to observe, video, and photograph the scene.  The armed soldiers began to use force, pulling the villagers’ tools out of their hands, filling in the holes as they were digging, and kicking over newly planted olive trees.  At this point we noticed many soldiers surrounding one older farmer as he was planting a tree.  As the farmer knelt on the ground, the soldiers began grabbing his arms and body while shouting at him.  We quickly came to a team consensus to then interposition ourselves between the soldiers and the farmer.

Israeli soldiers pulling a local farmers tools from his hands as he plants trees in his field.

We positioned our bodies between the farmer and the soldiers, creating a circle while helping him to finish planting his tree.  The soldiers pulled us away and attempted to arrest the farmer.  We then clung to the farmer as members of the Israeli forces pepper sprayed the whole group.  In spite of this aggression, we were still successful in de-arresting the farmer and he was able to leave.

The focus of the soldiers became quickly redirected.  John-David was immediately grabbed by two members of the Israeli military.  Julie and Jessica then began clinging to John-David in an attempt to de-arrest him.  These attempts were very unsuccessful, and John-David was led away and detained.  Julie and Jessica followed closely behind as they were led over a hill, inquiring about the return of their passports.  Once over the hill the three of us, as well as one other international, were told to sit down in a field surrounded by armed Israeli forces.  Additionally, two internationals and one farmer from Urif were brought into the field soon after.  All of our hands were then bound and we were all detained.  The Palestinian farmer was soon released.  In total six internationals were transferred by the Israeli military to Ari’el, a nearby illegal Israeli settlement. 

In Ari’el the Israeli soldiers produced documents written in Hebrew we refused to sign.  Our passports were then given to the local Ari’el police and we were transferred into their custody.  The local police photocopied our passports and contacted the American Embassy.  During this time we discussed our day’s action.  We all felt elated that no Palestinians were arrested.  We were happy to have taken the place of a Palestinian farmer, because he would have surely face long imprisonment under harsh conditions. 

After four hours of detainment, we were shown an Israeli document claiming that the area we were taken from is a closed military zone.  As a condition of our release we signed a paper stating we would not reenter the area.  We were then released along with the three other internationals. 

We all then walked out of the Israeli settlement, down an illegal Israeli only road built on Palestinian land.  We exited the road through a Palestinian field where we were greeted by a shepherd and other locals as we entered the village of Yasuf.  In the small village we met a service driver who insisted we come to his home for coffee before driving us home. 

Our day had amazing contrast between the warmth we felt from Palestinian villagers and the bitter chill of the Israeli soldiers.  We were glad to be among friends once again.

-MPT Winter Team 2013

Julie, Jessica, and John-David

[Palestine] A Different Kind of Action

The following blog post is an update of what John and I have been doing, including a few personal observations.

It has been awhile since either of us last wrote. The olive season is in the books. Hopefully next year will provide a more bountiful harvest for Palestinian families. We were told this season was about 20% as fruitful as the previous one.

The most notable occurrence since our last blog post was the recent conflict in Gaza. Hamas fired homemade/ Iranian built rockets, Israel conducted airstrikes with American made F-16 jets which dropped precision munitions on targets in Gaza in addition to rockets fired from naval vessels in the Mediterranean. The shelling lasted for just over a week before a cease-fire was brokered. The final death toll symbolizes the asymmetrical balance of power and resources between the seemingly intractable sides – 6 Israelis and 169 Palestinians killed.  

We have done a lot of reading, from many different sources, and come to the conclusion that the majority of articles/reports about the conflict published by mainstream media sources are inauthentic representations of what has objectively transpired to date. Consistently the patina of objectivity is used to belie the ‘Israeli as a victim of aggression acting in self defense’ narrative. This position further justifies the Occupation and the violent actions of fundamentalist settlers. But it is up to the reader to get informed and then form his or her own opinions about the struggle.

Gas & Stones 

When the gas comes you run. 

Across the West Bank, during the conflict in Gaza, there were many demonstrations. Including in our own backyard, at the nearby Huwarra Checkpoint, less than two miles from where we live. At one of the protests, there were nearly 300 Palestinians and 4 internationals, including us. We witnessed the usual anti-Occupation dance. Palestinians gathered, and began to throw or slingshot rocks at soldiers who were positioned above them on a hill. Soldiers then fired great amounts of tear-gas, and rubber-coated steel bullets in the direction of different groups of young men. The Palestinians then retreated and collected themselves, by breathing in deeply from limes and onions, to re-orient their minds to the smell of something other than the gas. Once the pain passed they moved forward again and the dance repeated itself.

A protestor is given CPR after gas inhalation.

After seeing this kind back-and-forth many times, and after inhaling a great deal of tear-gas myself, I began to see the fruitlessness of that action. The question came up… what are these young men achieving besides getting out some of their Occupation-generated anger? - Which, in my opinion, is completely understandable, but really not the best way to achieve a just and peaceful end to the struggle. There must be alternatives to the stones and gas.

Habibi come to Tabib

A few days later John and I went to a public demonstration in Izbat Tabib, a very small town, near several settlements in the Qalqiliya District. Altogether it was a very different demo than any we had been to thus far.

When you turn off the main road, toward Tabib, there is a red and white sign warning Israelis that they are entering an area where Palestinians live and is accordingly very dangerous. That type of misleading language can be very powerful. Take for instance the military title of Israel’s most recent Gaza shelling – “Operation Pillar of Defense”. As John (my colleague) eruditely notes the Israeli military narrative is simultaneously part victim and part aggressor.

In Tabib locals are concerned with cultivating a very different and unifying narrative. Most Fridays a group of Israeli activists bus into the no-stoplight town to participate in an inter-cultural theatre group. They march together with Palestinians, including many children, past the red and white sign, down to the nearest main road. There they chant in Hebrew, Arabic and English. Our favorite chant and when we tend to yell the loudest is… "One, Two, Three, Four… Occu-Pation No More… Five, Six, Seven, Eight… Stop the killing, Stop the hate.”

Protestors march together in Izbat Tabib.

After minutes of peaceful yelling a handful of soldiers circled our group of about 40 protestors. This went on for a while and they, the soldiers, seemed to have no idea what to do. They made calls and more soldiers came with several armored vehicles. The merry group of protestors then created a semi-circle and began to act out their different interpretations of the struggle and the affinity they have for each other. After an hour or so everyone went home rather satisfied, well I cannot speak for the soldiers who remained perplexed as to what had just transpired, but we were pleased with the action.

We went home feeling much different than we normally do after the usual demonstration. The rock and gas demos leave us with mixed feelings; a potpourri of anger, frustration, and powerlessness. After leaving Tabib I felt good about what had just happened; we witnessed collective action between Israelis and Palestinians at a personal level, a powerful statement in such a divided land. 

John and Sam 

[Palestine] Homes Demolished in Hares, near Illegal Israeli Settlements

If you routinely answer your phone perched tenuously atop an olive tree, then you are either a crazy person, or someone who picks a lot of olives – draw your own conclusions. Yesterday I received a call, in such a position, and was informed of a house being demolished in Hares, a nearby town (we would later find out that three houses were being demolished, on that day, and 14 more were set for demolition at a later time).

Though the embers of the previous night’s fire were still smoking in our minds, John and I forgot about everything else, and made our way to Hares.

There we encountered a lopsided standoff. Heavily armed Israeli soldiers and Border Police had a cement-block house completely surrounded. Army vehicles and bulldozers edged the nearby road. Inside the house there were Palestinians, and on the other side of the Israeli defense shell there were more Palestinians (roughly 20 Israeli soldiers/border police and 60 Palestinians). One group had an array of weapons the other had rubble. There were also 10 internationals, including ourselves.

The situation was tense! We ran around documenting, unable to position ourselves within the house that would soon be destroyed. In these kinds of situations we, very quickly, weigh the choice of interposing ourselves versus witnessing the event. It is not easy to choose the latter, the injustice smacks you in face.

When the bulldozer moved toward the house, the fuse was lit, the house sitters evacuated, and the situation went off. Palestinians picked up stones, from around the Israeli line of defense, and began throwing them toward soldiers and police. In the other direction soldiers fired tear gas, sound grenades and rubber coated steel bullets, which can be lethal if taken to the chest or head. I have no idea which side escalated the violence, but that does not matter, it was bound to play out like it did. This is not a new story I am telling.

This went on for hours (not an exaggeration) the house demolition continued, one… two… three houses, while Palestinian rock throwing ebbed and flowed.

At one point we found ourselves rushed into a nearby building, close to the first house that was being demolished. We were told that soldiers had begun using live ammunition. In hindsight we strongly question the veracity of this claim. Regardless, we waited inside while soldiers surrounded the perimeter. Amongst us were medics and women. The women were huddled together and crying. Their sons were outside, as young as ten years old, throwing rocks, physically expressing their pent up anger at the symbol of occupation.

I want to end this by taking a moment to consider the house owners, the mothers, and their children in the street. Forget about the Palestine/Israel geopolitical malaise, and the myriad narratives we associate with the struggle. After all this is a story about people living under extraordinary pressure.

If you are a Palestinian homeowner you might have your house demolished, left helpless, without any legal recourse. That knock on the door could come at anytime. If you are a Palestinian mother you are experiencing deep maternal pain. Your children cannot grow up to be whatever it is they want to be. Is it your responsibility to tell them why they cannot become a doctor, or why they cannot see the world for themselves? Imagine being that child, all you know is the occupation. How else, besides throwing rocks, should you get that terrible anger inside of you out?

Just before we left Hares an elderly woman came up to us, she was hysterical, and her eyes looked red from crying for a long time. She spoke frantically, screaming at us, or maybe at a higher power. We asked for a translation and were told that she was pleading for help. Not help from a neighbor, or help from the government, but help from the burden, the yoke of injustice.

Like bountiful olive trees that grow from arid soils, Palestinians exhibit love and kindness in the midst of such injustice. We feel safe here, and we feel a great affinity for Palestinians and their beautiful culture. And in the midst of pain and suffering there is happiness and laughter. Every single day we experience what it means to be Palestinian and we are much better off for it.

You might be asking yourself, why would Israeli’s go through all of this to demolish a few houses? I surely was. Here is a little context.

In the West Bank there are three types of non-contiguous land area, which are designated as areas A, B, and C. They were delineated during the Oslo II Accords in 1995. Area A means full civil and security control by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Area B means Palestinian civil control and joint security control (go ahead have a laugh). Area C means full Israeli civil and security control. 18% of the West Bank is Area A, 21% is Area B and 61% is Area C. Area C is where this story takes place.  Area C is where illegal Israeli settlements, settler bypass roads, areas zoned for settlement expansion, and finally what the military complex calls “security zones” are located. 

Hares is a small town, which happens to be nearly surrounded by Israeli settlements. Including the largest settlement in the West Bank – Ariel (like the mermaid). The 17 houses being demolished with bulldozers are on the edge of town. And by edge I mean they are basically in the town of Hares. Israel considers these houses to be Area C, and thusly they can be demolished legally. Though legality in this context is opaque and pliant to the will of those in power.

[Palestine] Olive Harvest to Arson

Sam and I spent our day harvesting olives with a young man, Hassan, and his parents. The family's agricultural land sits on a terraced hillside overlooking the small rural village of Burin, in which they reside. The village looks serene from a distance, homes and shops begin at the bottom of the valley and are set into the hills on its opposite side with an aesthetically pleasing ease. The minarets of the local mosque shine white against the chalky beige hues and pastel greens of distant olive orchards that serve as a backdrop. It is only when your eyes travel upwards to the hilltops surrounding the village that all notions of serenity and tranquility must be abandoned.

Perched on said hilltops loom the imposing structures that compose the illegal Israeli settlements of Yizhar to the South West, and Bracha, to the North East. Together, they effectively sandwich Burin beneath them and impinge upon the everyday movements of its inhabitants. Their guard towers, mounted with snipers posts and telephoto security cameras, have a birds eye view of all that transpires in the valley below, nothing goes unseen. Fields that were once cultivated near these militarized outposts now lie barren and unused, the result of systematic settler intimidation, harassment and violence.

And yet, this is easily forgotten by the end of a long and at times monotonous day's work in the olive orchard. Having survived the monotony, I find myself riding back to Burin in the back of a tractor that has seen better days and at the mercy of a driver who seems to have little regard for his cargo; several large burlap sacks of olives, myself, Sam, two international volunteers from ISM, Hassan and his mother. Eventually we arrive at Hassan's house and are treated to an excellent home-cooked meal, all the while enjoying an elevated level of warmth and hospitality that seems to personify the Palestinian household.

Following dinner, we step out onto the front porch for a cup of coffee and are met with a sight that shocks both Sam and I, but leaves Hassan and his family strangely calm and composed, seemingly completely unphased. Looking across the valley to the hillside we had been working on no more than an hour before, plumes of dark smoke are rising and orange flames are increasingly visible as dusk sets in. The source of this blaze is abundantly clear to me without a second thought; settlers have set the orchards on fire, an act of arson. This is a common practice used to harass and make life unbearable for the village's residents. We decide to go for a closer look, to document this incident and to lend a hand if possible.

Jumping in a servis with Hassan and the two ISMers, Sam and I jet across town, hop out and sprint uphill from the floor of the valley towards the fire. We are amongst the first to arrive, beaten only by a couple of men from the local fire brigade who are trying, largely in vain, to curb the fire's voracious appetite as it spreads up the hill. Eventually around twenty-five young men scramble up from the village to join in this effort. They are equipped with only the most basic of tools, namely rubber mats and fistfuls of dirt, which they use to smother the fire and counter its spread. The level of comradery and bravery exhibited is astounding. Although most of these men have no training and are merely responding to defend their village from an imminent threat, they manage to contain the flames and get the situation under control. 

The most incredible part of this experience to me, however, is the collective calm and cool-headedness exhibited by the Palestinian citizens of Burin throughout the entire ghastly incident. I witnessed a group of young men whose land and source of livelihood was attacked in a brutal, premeditated, and ethnically motivated fashion. In response, they came together as a community, dealt with the problem at hand and then went home to their families. Where I was infuriated by the aggression against their village, they took it in stride and went about their daily lives, undoubtedly upset but able to suppress these feelings by acting rationally and avoiding escalation. This level of violence should not be tolerated  in any society yet it has been normalized within this one.    

-John

[Panama] 15th Anniversary of the Ngabe-Bugle Comarca

On Wednesday, March 7, the MPTers were invited to ascend the mountains of western Panama to the Ngäbe-Buglé capital of Tugri to celebrate with the Ngäbe-Buglé the date marking fifteen years since the establishment of their Comarca, or autonomous region (similar to a reservation). That morning, we crowded into the back of a pick-up truck with about 15 other people and drove into the clouds. As the temperature dropped from 99 to 65, the moisture in the air turned to rain, and the wind threatened to knock us over, our majestic surroundings left us awe-struck. (We were later humbled to discover that many of the Ngäbe-Buglé themselves had walked to the celebration, some families taking as many as twelve hours to get there.)

Each March, the Ngäbe-Buglé gather for several days not only to celebrate, but also to take the opportunity to talk about important issues facing the community. This year, the mood was dampened slightly by the serious pressure put on them by the government to make concessions to companies who want to build several hydroelectric dams and mines around the Comarca, pressure that is unfortunately contributing to divisions within the community.

There has been much violence from government and armed forces in response to nonviolent protest, and such tension in the country, that MPT was invited to Panama. The Ngäbe-Buglé  leadership was aware that talks with the government could disintegrate at any moment, and desired to have international observers at the ready should the situation erupt in violence. Thankfully, due to the skilled leadership of Carerra and the recent involvement of the UN (which took some action after the police violence against Ngäbe-Buglé demonstrators last week), the talks have continued relatively peacefully.  In the meantime, MPT has been building relationships with those involved in the situation and learning more of the complexities. 

Tradional Dancers

The dams, the companies claim, will enable Panama to produce their own energy, making Panamanians wealthier and bringing prosperity to all. Many Panamanians believe this claim, and are therefore in favor of the dams. The Ngäbe-Buglé , on the other hand, after consulting lawyers and environmentalists who have dug more deeply into the situation, have discovered that Panama currently produces more energy than it uses, so the dams are unnecessary for the use alleged by the companies. 

In the negotiations process, the Ngäbe-Buglé have much in their favor. According to international law, the Panamanian government was supposed to abide by a strict consultation process with the Ngäbe-Buglé before selling their land to any company. While the government did speak with a few indigenous people before making a deal with the hydroelectric companies, it did not come close to following the standard process. The Ngäbe-Buglé are hopeful that this will give them much leverage in an international court.

For many Ngäbe-Buglé, the talks with the government have been going too slowly, with not enough concrete results, and they are becoming impatient. Many do not trust that the negotiations will be successful in protecting their land and way of life. Silvia Carerra, the Cacique (figurehead and leader),on the other hand, is pushing ahead with the dialogues. She fears that if the talks break down, violence could break out all over Panama, resulting in many deaths of her people.

[Palestine] Balata Refugee Camp 2011

The Balata Refugee Camp is only about 5 miles from the MPT home in Huwwara. It is the largest and most crowded refugee camp in the West Bank. Buildings were often built to the dimensions of the original tent and crowded together. As families grow and additional space is needed, they build straight up as there is no horizontal space. Some streets are extremely narrow with just room to walk. There are almost no places for the many youth to play. Noise is constant. 25,000 bodies are living in one square kilometer which is about 247 acres. That is more than 100 people per acre.

The following murals are on the wall outside of Balata. The first one depicts the happy life before 1948.

The second mural shows the sad time of leaving when Palestinians were forced out of their homes and became refugees or displaced persons within their own country. This event in 1948 is known as the Nakba, the Catastrophe.

Many Palestinians still have the keys to their homes, some still speak of their previous village as home, although they have never seen it. The hope to return is still very alive for many.

Refugees lived in UN tents for years before the building of permanent homes started.

If you view the murals and then turn around, you will be looking at the Greek Orthodox Church. We took the tour to the basement and viewed Jacob's Well. The quiet spacious green garden inside the walled church compound stands in stark contrast to the crowded, dusty camp right across the street.

MPT visited Balata recently and took an informal walk through the narrow streets talking with children and adults. We had tea with a shop keeper and his friend. He had been “visited” by soldiers recently but did not want to discuss it. His friend said, “He fears that any publicity may cause the soldiers to return.” This friend spent time in prison for reasons that were not clear to us. We dropped by the Yafa Cultural Center and had a nice conversation with a staff member. He reviewed the history and conditions at Balata. He also shared that Germany (indeed a German social worker sat in on this discussion) was helping to establish a mental health program, a clinic where support groups could meet and therapists could work. Psychological problems caused by overcrowding, stress, unemployment, abuse, grief and despair are rampant. He said, “It is a total community problem; everyone has mental health issues.” It was painful to see this man’s frustration as he said, “I continue to be a moderate but what good does it do? We have waited for freedom for over 60 years and nothing changes.”

Refugees tend to be more involved politically so it was no surprise to see many names on the list of martyrs.  Previous MPT teams have visited the Balata Refugee Camp on numerous occasions. Related MPT blog post lists are available on our main report website.

[Palestine] Two days immersed in Deir Istiya

This is a view of the Deir Istiya skyline from the walls of the “old city”.

The village of Deir Istiya is one of the West Bank’s largest, in terms of land mass originally including 34000 dunums (8500 acres) of which approximately 900 dunums (225 acres) were built up. Dier Istiya is located SW of Nablas and about 15 km from the Green Line. The community has lost approximately one third of its land to the construction of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts. Outposts are illegal even under Israeli law.

List of losses (date, settlement name, area lost - 4 dunums=1 acre)

-1978, Karne Shomron, 2000 dunums

-1981, Yakir, 3000 dunums

-1982, Emmanuel, 5150 dunums

-1988, Nofim, 500 dunums

-1991, Revava, 1570 dunums

-2000, Gina Shomron, 500 dunums

-2000, an outpost between Karne Shomron and Ginat Shomron, 450 dunums

-2000, another outpost near Revava, 500 dunums

Reported difficulties for the village include:

-reduction of grazing land by 30% as villagers are not allowed on their land which happens to be near a settlement.

-deliberate pumping of waste water into Wadi Qana causing negative impact on the agricultural diversity and the pollution of drinking water.

-closure of much of the agricultural land causing major access problem for plowing, pruning and harvesting.

-ongoing attacks on the villagers by settlers including live ammunition, sound bombs, and beatings

-(unconfirmed by MPT) the release of wild boar which damage the land and crops.

Both members of the MPT 2011 Fall team spent Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 25-26, immersed in the harvest and life of this ancient village. We picked both days and spent the night with a Palestinian family. The following pictures and text share our observations.

We drove to the olive groves in an old truck as the farmer explained that there was a much shorter easier route but they were not allowed to drive that close to the settlement. After a bumpy ride on a very rough road, we started the 10 minute walk to the grove. We were very surprised to be so close to the outpost and also to the settlement of Revava.

The same process of fouling the land with waste water is practiced in this area. It is hard to express the disgust we felt for a community that would do such to their neighbors’ crop land and for a larger system that would allow such pollution to continue. The water had a slight flow to it indicating that there was an ongoing release of the fluid. But it was basically a putrid stagnant mess of liquid waste. It was impossible to determine what all might be in it.

A tanker truck appeared on the second day and we were told that it would dump bad water to drain into their olive grove. We tried but were not able to confirm that it was dumping.

This lady is trying to harvest some olives from this small tree which is surrounded by filth. We were told this tree would die and saw evidence of other flooded trees having already died. Furthermore, the family reported that too much water prior to harvest negatively impacts the quality and quantity of olive oil.

The picking took place very near the outpost and the settlement. We gained enough altitude to look right down into the outpost.

We were never able to see more than the edges of Revava, the settlement. We were visited by the soldiers and the settlement security. As we were picking during the allowed time, these visits were routine - "no problem" as our Hebrew speaking farmer was inclined to say.

Our landlords reported to us that wild pigs have been released to damage crops in the plains of Huwwara and that a lady was recently hospitalized after being attacked by one. When picking in Jammain, the men said they saw one and chased it off by throwing stones. Wild pigs (boars as they are often called in the USA) can be a huge problem. We are not able to give you an eyewitness account, but the farmer also said, “See the damage that pigs have done to the ground and to this tree.”

We often see a very small scat which all of the folks have said is gazelle. I asked about this much larger scat and was told, “Pig”. It appears that the wild pig/boar is indigenous to Israel/Palestine. There does not seem to be any clear evidence that anybody has intentionally released them. There is thought that the wall has effected their migration and Israeli army report have shown skyrocketing populations in some areas.

The farmers are not allowed into the groves before 8:00 AM (no picking in the cool hours of the morning even though it is light enough by 6:00) and must be out or moving in that direction by 4:00 PM. Here is the farmer and one MPTer walking out to the truck past the outpost at the end of the day. After dinner a young family member drove us to meet our taxi and said, "They steal our olives; they foul our water; we have nothing left but the air we breathe. Thank you for coming. You give us hope.”