Update from Penny (returned 7/16)

I am getting ready to fly home very late tonight, but just wanted to let you know about my last week or so....and many thanks to Seth for sending out reports for me!

I just heard that F-16's bombed Khan Younis last night, sounds like very near where we were. Getting out of the southern part of Gaza, Rafah and Khan Younis, was another whole experience. The 2 of us who were leaving that day arrived with our driver at the checkpoint at 7:30am, but it was already closed. We went up to the soldiers, passports in hand, who were high up in their guardtower with guns pointed; they said the checkpoint would open in 1/2 hour, but they didn't open it for 2 hours. Imagine a sea of cars -- taxis, donkey carts, garbage trucks, trucks with chickens, individual cars -- all swarming to cram thru the 2-lane dirt road. The gate lifts, it's a mad dash, much honking, then boom! after only about 40 cars are let through, the gate comes down again. Wait 5-10 minutes, the gate goes up, cars cram through, maybe 20 this time, the gate comes down, another wait, etc. On and on, infuriating, humiliating, degrading....and tho they say this is all for security, they never stop a car, never check any ID's, never look inside a car or truck. So it is clear that this is all about power and control, nothing about security.

I spoke with Jeff Halper, from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (they are having a weekend the end of July to rebuild Palestinian homes in East JErusalem), and he spoke at length about Sharon's plan for a Palestinian statelet in Gaza, and that the only difference between that and Labor's plan, is that Labor's plan for a Palestinian state would include some of the West Bank as well. But both states would only have limited 'autonomy', would still be under Israeli control, governed by US puppets. I know this is not new info to us, but it was chilling to hear it. Jeff urged our NGO's to play a stronger role in calling for an end to Occupation; he also supports various boycott and divestment campaigns of Israeli goods UNTIL THE OCCUPATION ENDS. He was also enthusiastic about the new campaign in the US against Caterpillar bulldozers, the 2-story tall machines which demolished Jenin. He believes we should boycott academic conferences in Israel, but not prevent Israeli academics from going to international conferences (this is anti-intellectual) - - but that professional associations should confront Israeli academics.

I had an inspiring meeting with Amneh Badran of the Jerusalem Center for Women, the partner of Bat Shalom, (who together are the Jerusalem Link) inspiring to hear her say in the midst of all the curfews and re-occupation, "There is a peace partner on the other side, women can provide an alternative approach to peacemaking." She advocates for a win-win strategy rather than one of compromise. The Jerusalem Link are working to build a joint women's movement for peace, both as Palestinian and Israeli women, and as a larger movement to involve women worldwide.

Everyone is talking about the Knesset's plan (not finalized yet as far as i know) to pass a law making it illegal for Jews to sell land to anyone but other Jews -- i'm sure you have heard about this. Former Knesset member Shulamit Aloni said that Israel is a democracy for Jews -- just like South Africa was a democracy for white people....

I also am hearing more and more about the new Israeli women's movement, Women Refuse -- how they are finding different ways "to refuse to be part of what's going on", whether by boycotting products made in settlements, refusing to go into the army, refusing to say there is no partner for peace. Each individual woman finds what it is she can refuse, so i think it's a powerful way to involve many women, including those who are not inclined to go to demonstration.

I also spent time with my friends Anna and Leon in Tel Aviv, Anna is on my dissertation committee. They go to the peace demonstrations and collect humanitarian aid for Palestinians -- and they also told me "wherever we walk, the suicide bombings are always in our minds. Whenever we see 15 people in line, we think 'this is a good target.' Their 8 year old son Neder cries when they leave him to go out to the movies, he is afraid they won't make it back home, "the uncertainty that at any moment you could go out and not come back." They also told me that "people believe (progressives) that if we continue like this, we're not going to have a country -- that in 50 years, we won't exist."

One of the most powerful experiences i've had this trip inside israel was going to an event organized by New Profile for young would-be refuseniks. There were about 50 of them (in jerusalem) of high school age, including some who signed the letter last fall saying they would refuse to serve (over 170 signed this letter), and some who have already served prison time for refusing to serve -- very inspiring. Apparently they are writing a new letter for others to sign this September.....Since January, over 100 Israelis have served jail time for refusing to serve in the army. I learned in much more depth what a huge deal it is to refuse -- what an enormous expenditure of time and energy and anxiety and angst to go thru this process. I was moved to see a few mothers at this event with their sons, supporting their sons -- and there were young women here as well.

I was honored that my friend Rela Mazali asked me to speak at the beginning about some of my experiences in Gaza and Ramallah -- and afterwards several young men came up and thanked me for what i said - - including one young man in his army uniform and gun slung over his back. He came up and called me by name, gave me a huge smile, and said that for him, my talk was one of the most powerful of the evening. And that he now wanted to go to Gaza to see for himself (and i understood this to be NOT as a soldier, but as a witness of sorts...). I was totally shocked, and just managed to thank him and ask for his name (Moshe). Later Rela told me that he had not spoken to anyone else that evening (his brother had brought him) or given his name or signed their sign-in sheet. So, that was another revealing of complexities, of zapping some of my assumptions....

My friend Terry from Bat Shalom has given to me so much of her time, both allowing me to process my experience with her, and to share her own thinking -- it's an amazing and generous gift, because her own schedule is so packed. She believes it's important that when we talk to the liberal to mainstream jewish community in the U.S. about ending Occupation, that it is important not to take shortcuts, to allow the process to sound too smooth or comfortable -- that we need to be clear that for everyone it is going to be very painful, and at a high expense -- but then, it already is, this is the only way to peace, we simply have no other choice....

I spent 2 days in Nablus with ISM (int. solidarity movement), where we were once again welcomed so warmly by palestinians in the streets, who all wanted to greet us, interact, speak and be listened to. I cannot emphasize enough how strongly i hear the message over and over just how poor people are -- it is worse than ever before. They have no jobs, no money, and so many do not have enough to eat. Plus there are the daily curfews, tanks rolling through the streets....I remember nablus as a city teeming with people and shops, similar to the Old City of East Jerusalem -- only now under curfew it is like a ghost town -- very eerie -- because most people are afraid to be out on the streets during curfew. I simply cannot imagine living like this, day after day. And yet, every day around 4pm, the light became very beautiful in this mountainous town, the air cooled, and children would appear on rooftops and even in the streets, flying their kites. It was so beautiful, hopeful in a way, indicative of a high-flying spirit that prevails here...

I entered Nablus with a group of young ISM'ers from Sweden, and although there was no curfew at that time, the soldiers would not let us pass thru the 2nd checkpoint. So for 2 hours we were waiting by the side of the road in the hot sun, trying to negotiate with the soldiers. I have had a LOT of experience this trip negotiating with soldiers....Learning from Huwaida (the ISM leader in ramallah), i try to stay calm, ask open-ended questions, look at them directly in a human way. AT the Nablus checkpoint, one of them really connected with me -- he looked at me intensely and at one point said, "I want you to get through, i believe in what you are doing." We had told them we were healthworkers trying to get to the hospital for a meeting -- and i suspect he felt that we were peaceworkers as well. Finally after much patience and persistence, we were given the ok to walk through -- and this soldier crossed to road to come say goodbye to me and shake my hand and wish me well....

high points in Nablus: 1) spending time with Neta Golan who is the ISM leader there, and some of you remember from her work trying to protect olive trees from demolition, or delivering milk powder to children under curfew in Bethlehem, or acting as a human shield in arafat's compound in april. She constantly has a cellphone to her ear, directing ISM'ers (she gave us advice as we were struggling to get thru the checkpoint) or speaking with palestinians (she is israeli-canadian, is fluent in arabic, english and hebrew). Just walking down the street with her, everyone comes up to greet her, tell her their problems, from very early morning to very late at night. She is the embodiment of commitment, as well as warmth and humanity and courage -- and humility. And getting to my 2nd high point there 2) she began to lead us in "Free Palestine" chants at teh beginning of our solidarity march with Pallestinians, to break the curfew, the 3rd of these in 3 weeks. WE were close to 100 total, half palestinian and half internationals, as we marched through the Old City and into the rest of Nablus, wtih many signs, from "2 million under curfew, end the occupation" to "women for peace, against occupation," to "the whole worlld is watching" (my sign!), and others in arabic, "We have a right to food, we have a right to education, we have a right to move freely, we have the right to work," etc.

There were press there, and the next day my friend Siham in jerusalem told me my picture was in the arab paper (al quds!). As i was leaving Nablus, we heard reports that tanks and helicopters were descending on Al Farah refugee camp outside Jenin, and ISMers began the 3 hour walk there to act as human shields -- including a man and woman from the michigan peace team who appeared to be in their late 60's or 70's. Such an amazing diversity of people from around the world who are drawn to this work.

am out of time and need to end this, but need to also tell you briefly about going to Jenin. My friend Zakaria drove us there for the day, he is the person who helped guide the women's peace delegations i lead in the early 90's....Even after hearing all the reports, seeing some of the photos, i was completely unprepared for the devastation....just mountains and mountains and mountains of rubble --very much reminded me of post-earthquake scenes. I felt i was walking through a graveyard. On the sand beneath our feet, part of a sewing machine, video tape, a child's shoe. Above us half of a house remaining, a couch hanging out of it. A smashed wheelchair. As we walked and saw wires coming out of the ground, one of the palestinians with us said "we are walking on the 2nd story of a house."

Unbelievable. There are no words. Prayers in hebrew started going through my head. And then, from Babi Yar, "Let no one forget, let nothing be forgotten." And the graffiti on walls: "Liberty or death, We will not leave", "we will not forget, we will not forgive." We had tea in a house overlooking the center of teh devastation --we sat in a 'lliving room' which only had 2 walls remaining -- so as we sat, we looked out on the wreckage and rubble, there was no wall or window between us..

Over 800 homes were fully or partially destroyed, and tanks continue to roll in here, people continue to be arrested, to be shot. My friend Hanan, a Palestinian-Israeli woman lawyer, spent many many days here in April, interviewing people. She has still not recovered from the experience. She said, "I'll never forget this, i'll be telling my children, i lost 3 kilos of weight...I am against the attacks on Israeli civilians -- but all the media protests that, where is the media about all the palestinians who are dying? Is the blood of Palestinians so cheap?"

She told me of a man in Nablus who lost 8 family members (90 people were killed in Nablus in april/may, actually more than in jenin). The bulldozer destroyed his house and didn't give them the chance to leave. Underneath the rubble they found his sister carrying one child, and another sister carrying another....She spoke with one man who was found under the rubble alive. He said the last thing he heard was from his grandchildren crying "grandfather we are so hungry,we want to eat." He said that when the rescuers found him, he thought he had died and that they were angels."

All for now my friends, thanks for reading this, i will be back in oakland (inshallah, goddess willing) by wednesday the 17th-- love and peace to you all, penny