In the early morning light the Old City of Jerusalem hums with forgotten life. The lack of living people wandering the narrow cobbled streets makes the memories of the many fallen who have tread these stones more evident. The Old City has its own personality, a distinct character of wisdom, longevity, and contempt. The crushing high walls of ancient buildings seem to sneer down at the lowly, self-absorbed humans who scurry to their meaningless tasks. The city knows that they will all soon die, just as the millions before them have done so, as it thrives and survives. The Old City has witnessed countless bloodshed amongst the people, it has borne the attacks of immense armies, it has seen our most exalted and heralded prophets pass away, and it has persevered. It is the Eternal city, the Holy city, the Golden city; no human can understand everything it has seen. The current conflict that Jerusalem bears witness to probably seems just like all the others. One ethnic or religious group attacking another which resists with all its heart. To the city the squabbles are meaningless because it will continue onwards long after the Israelis and Palestinians cease to fight, or exist; however, to us the conflict means more because our short unpredictable lives should lead us to value the beating heart of every other human, and to call for an end to the heartless violence that plagues our species. Unfortunately, many are too caught up in their own minor trials and tribulations to even acknowledge that a distant people are painfully lamenting, desperately crying, for attention and help. I went to Jerusalem, to Palestine, to Israel, and I met with many of these distant Palestinians. I heard their stories of oppression, I discovered their lack of freedoms, and I listened to their cries for help and recognition.
It has now been more than a month since I returned from the Middle East. It was a cold and difficult time as I struggled with talking about my experiences there with Americans here who by and large are ignorant of the colonialist oppression enforced on the Palestinian people. I decided that the best way to showcase my experiences in Palestine and Israel was to write about it, but a typical blog cannot do justice to all the people I met with and all the stories I heard. Also, the proliferation of twitter and other forms of mass social media have reduced the average American's attention span to 250 characters or less, so I decided to showcase select pictures from my trip and include a caption explaining some of the injustice represented by the picture. Through the organization Birthright Unplugged I was able to visit many parts of Palestine in a matter of ten days, and the experiences I had there are ones I cannot simply forget, or be silent about.
Jerusalem-The Old City has been separated into two zones of Palestinians and Israelis, East and West, that is reminiscent of Berlin in the Cold War. However, here the Israelis have built and continue to build illegal settlements in the land designated for the Palestinians.
The sun rising on the Dome of the Rock.
The Palestinian projects surrounded by the wall. For many of these neighborhoods of thousands of people there is only one entrance and exit.
Above are the tree lined suburban settlements, while below is a picture of the Palestinian neighborhoods taken from the same spot. Both of these communities are part of East Jerusalem and pay the same taxes, yet the settlements receive 5 times more social services from the government than the Palestinian's do.
Notice the lack of infrastructure and prominence of garbage. The garbage collectors are paid by the Israeli government, so trash is picked up on an irregular basis in the Palestinian areas.
The sign says Jaba Welcomes You. This used to be the main entrance to the town of Jaba until the Israeli's blocked the entrance to prevent the residents from getting to their agricultural fields outside the city. They then utilize a law which lets Israel confiscate any land that is not currently being used to take those fields.
This used to be a Palestinian home that was seized by settlers. An old woman of 80, the original owner of the house, still lives in the guest house behind this one. She was fearful that any day could be her last in what's been her home since childhood.
We attempted to pass through Qalandia, one of the biggest checkpoints in Palestine that separates East Jerusalem from Ramallah, a large city 20 minutes away. Each day Palestinians have to endure these humiliating checkpoints where they sometimes have to waits for hours at a time.
What it's like to pass through Qalandia checkpoint. I felt like a caged animal, subject to the whims of heavily armed teenagers. We were denied passage. Since 2000 thirteen Palestinians have died at Qalandia, none under the age of twelve. Also, sixteen women who were in labor and en route to a hospital have been refused passage. They all lost their babies.
Click for a panorama of this troubled city.
Bethlehem and Deheishe Refugee Camp- We stayed two nights with a host family from the Deheishe Refugee Camp which has been located within Bethlehem since 1948. An important town for the three major faiths, Bethlehem's ancient aura of holiness is marred by the armed soldiers, security walls, and bullet holes-reminders that peace does not reign here.
Bethlehem's main square. People of differing faiths have coexisted here for thousands of years.
The security wall in all its glory. It is being built throughout Palestine to "protect" Israel from terrorism, yet up to 80% of its length separates Palestinians from other Palestinians in what many believe is a plan to divide and conquer. The assorted debris is from Palestinian homes destroyed to make way for this important structure.
This section of the wall lets Israeli tours visit the tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem without making them see or interact with any undesirable Palestinians. The tomb is literally encircled by walls and towers which certainly help to promote a holy atmosphere.
Graffiti adorns the wall almost everywhere it stands. One of our guides was asked by his young daughter why the wall was there, impeding their lives. He was at a loss for words, and chokingly said, "How can I explain hatred I do not understand?"
This picture demonstrates the inanity of the wall. To the left is a small Palestinian village named Al Wallajeh, and to the right is Jerusalem. There has never been a threat from Al Wallajeh even though the residents can walk to Jerusalem, yet the wall is enclosing it completely. These people are not Israel's enemies, but once they are imprisoned in their own homes who knows what will become of them.
Touching graffiti that accurately describes how Palestinians feel about the peace process that has been ongoing for 20 years with no positive results for Palestine.
A mural done by children of Deheishe of the Palestinian tree and their hopes for the future. They aren't allowed outside of the West Bank, not even to visit the sea or the Dome of the Rock which is only 30 minutes away.
Another mural in Deheishe. This one depicts a 16 year old boy who was gunned down by Israeli forces in the camp during the popular uprising of 2002. The Israeli government first claimed it had killed an important leader of the uprising, before retracting their deceitful statements and admitting the mistake.
Some more graffiti in Deheishe depicting the bulldozers that destroy homes and ruin lives.
The default playground for the children of Deheishe as it is the only open space in the whole camp. Around 9000 people live in an area of one square mile, forcing residents to build on top of houses in pursuit of living space, and forcing children to be creative with their play.
The camp's mosque with Israeli settlements on the hill in the background. The easiest way to tell Palestinian homes from Israeli ones are the water tanks. Palestinian homes have at least two water tanks on their roofs while Israeli homes only have a water heater. The government will always pipe water to Israelis in the worst drought while Palestinians are held without, forcing them to conserve water in the tanks on their roofs.
This UN Resolution is placed a the entrance to Deheishe and calls for the return of refugees to their homelands at the earliest practicable date. I guess 62 years is too not early or practicable enough.
We visited Bethlehem University to tour the campus and speak with students. During the uprising of 2002 the University was shelled by Israeli forces as a warning against the students who protested the occupation. In Palestinian universities a student can be arrested and held indefinitely for belonging to any student society.
Political cartoon at Beth U. depicting the development of the Palestinian struggle. It started with Che and straightforward revolution, evolved to Machiavelli and his power politics. Then Hassan al-Banna who is the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood of which Hamas is an offshoot, and finally Gandhi and non-violence.
Here I am, looking great, with my beautiful host family: Hammad, Lena, Jasmine, Anwar, Abrar, and Mom. Their house has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and an office downstairs. John, the photographer, and I were given one of the bedrooms while the family slept on the floor and couches. They were unbelievably hospitable and open, offering us anything despite their precarious lives in a refugee camp.
This picture was taken on top of their house the morning I left. The father told me his greatest hope was that one day his children could have the opportunity to leave the refugee camp, to experience freedom, to have a normal life.
Despite its problems, the town of Bethlehem still evokes wonder, especially at Christmas.
Hebron- Hebron is Palestine's largest and most conflict ridden city. It purportedly contains the burial site of Abraham, making it a holy place to many zealous Jews who come to settle Hebron and reclaim it for their faith. These settlers are extreme in their abuse against and intolerance for their Palestinian neighbors.
Israeli graffiti in the settler neighborhood of Hebron. This area is walled off to all Palestinians who aren't residents of the neighborhood, and the people who are residents face limitations from the government such as being restricted from having cars, strict curfews, and closures of businesses.
This used to be a Palestinian home that was abandoned because of abuse from the settlers who are supported by the Israeli government. Often the settlers move into the houses left behind. Of 2000 cases filed against settlers by Palestinians in Hebron only 100 are brought to court, and of those 100 only 10 are actually tried, all of whom were found not guilty by the Israeli judicial system.
This is one of the last remaining Palestinian houses in the settler neighborhood. The owner, Abu Samir, is not allowed to have visitors, but we gained entrance due to our nationality and a lot of luck. The screens are to protect his house from the rocks hurled at it by his settler neighbors.
Our guide is on the left, and Abu Samir the right. Abu Samir has lived here for decades and he remembers when Jews and Arabs used to live side by side peacefully. He used to take care of and feed Jewish children, but when he welcomed his new settler neighbors with grapes and fruit, they rebuffed him and began to pelt rocks at his house.
Abu Samir's grand-son demonstrated the over-whelming Arab hospitality by offering each one of us almonds. We never visited with any Arabs who didn't first offer us tea and coffee. Abu Samir's house is surrounded by settlers and military bases, but he courageously refuses to leave despite enormous offers for his house by Israel, because "resilience here is my fate."
Abu Samir's beautiful grand-children face regular abuse from the settlers. Water, eggs, and rocks are thrown at them as they walk home from school, this child pointed to his head and said 'they hit me with shoe here, and I bleed.' A settler tried to run over two other grand-sons with his car, and there is an infamous video on youtube of a settler woman incessantly calling Abu Samir's grand-daughter a whore.
This is the settlement across the street from Abu Samir's house. The military can be seen lounging in the bottom right. Because the settlers are citizens of Israel, even though they are colonizers of an occupied territory, the military is unable to discipline them or halt their actions. If a soldier sees a settler throw a rock at a Palestinian, who then throws a rock back at the settler, the soldier is required to arrest the Palestinian.
This is another Palestinian home in the settler neighborhood. Here the military has built an outpost on top of the home, demonstrating the lack of rights awarded to Palestinians living in this area.
The road passing this synagogue and settlement leads to a Palestinian all girls school. The settlers refused to let the girls walk on the road past their homes, forcing them to walk on this ridge. The settlers used to push the girls down the cliff as they walked to school, breaking bones and creating fear. An NGO installed this fence to prevent these attacks against children from continuing.
This used to be a thriving marketplace of Palestinian wares and food. The Israeli government shut down 520 stores for security reasons. Security is a magicians word that the Israelis use to justify any oppressive act.
This marketplace is still in business but is protected from projectiles by the metal screen above it. Settlers living in the houses above routinely throw trash and rocks onto the marketplace to harass the people here and disrupt their daily lives. Why? I can think of no justification for such gross behavior.
Inside Israel- Next we visited with Palestinians who live inside Israel. While these people are not under the thumb of occupation, they are still an oppressed second class citizen lacking the full rights granted to Israeli Nationals. For example, Palestinians are forbidden from buying or renting most of the land in Israel. It is also extremely difficult to obtain building permits to build houses or businesses on the land they do own.
This picture was taken from the roof of a house belonging to a farmer named Hani Amer. His home has been completely surrounded by fences and settlements, and much of his land confiscated. In addition, the Israeli government has destroyed his restaurant, mobile homes, chicken farm, and nursery. This particular part of the wall blocks the view of the nearby Palestinian town Mas-ha which is also being seized by Israel.
These are the settlements across from Hani Amer's house situated on what used to be his land. The settlers tell Hani Amer that simply by being on this land, which he has owned for decades, he is committing a criminal act and they will treat him as one until he leaves. So they throw rocks at his windows, solar panels, and children. His ten year old son recently had to get four stitches on his head because of the assaults.
Here is Hani Amer's youngest son of six years old. If he doesn't look to happy its probably because he lives in a cage. Israeli soldiers have told Hani Amer that they have the green-light to shoot anyone who is too close to the wall which is 20 meters from this spot, making the whole family legitimate targets.
This is a house that was demolished by the Israeli government on January 3rd, 2011. At 1:30am 2000 soldiers surrounded the house and helicopters circled in the sky. The family was removed, and were not allowed to take out any of their belongings before the house was bulldozed. Also, the family is forced to pay for the fees associated with bulldozing their home.
Three families of brothers lived in this house. They have owned this land for more than ten years. They needed a place to live with their budding families, so they requested a building permit for their land. For six years their requests were completely ignored, so they finally built a house on their land out of desperation and necessity. The government designated the house as illegal, and placed an order for demolition upon it. Israel is the only democracy that refuses to recognize its own borders, and the only democracy without a constitution. Why? Because they can't let silly things like borders or constitutions halt their progress.
We visited what used to be a Palestinian town named Al Lajun before the Palestinians were expelled in the war of 1948, which Arabs refer to as the catastrophe. This man, our guide, is named Abu Hassim, and he spent his childhood here before he was forced to leave. The spot he stands on is where his house used to be. It was an emotional moment.
The Israelis executed their plan for removal of the native people in 1948 in three stages. First, the soldiers would come through and drive the people from their homes, then the bulldozers would come to demolish the villages. Finally, people would come and plant trees to cover up any vestiges of the village. They implemented this plan throughout the area to great success, evidenced by these scant remains in a forest.
The remains of an intricate water system that piped water to all the houses of Al Lajun. Abu Hassim lives 20 minutes away from his old village in a Palestinian township. He would love to return here and live on his ancestral land, but the Israeli government won't let him even though the land is unused. In fact, 80% of the land that used to be Palestinian villages in Israel lies fallow, but Palestinians are forbidden from returning to it for no valid reason.
This is what remains of the village's cemetery. In 1977 the Israelis dug up the cemetery and burned waste in the hole. Abu Hassim witnessed them doing it, and was able to get the sacrilege stopped. Israel still denies that this incident ever happened.
This is the only structure still standing from 1948. It used to be a water mill. Every Palestinian knows exactly which village or town they originate from in modern day Israel. The land is sacred to them, and many desire nothing more than to return to tend it with care as their ancestors did. Even though this could be possible for many, as their land is nothing but ruins and trees, Israel refuses to let it be.
The Negev- The Negev is an arid land in central Israel that is mostly inhabited by Bedouins. They have been largely left to their own devices until the past ten years or so when Israel began to move into their land too, demolishing villages and proscribing rights.
Since July of 2010, this village we visited, Al Arakib, has been demolished by the Israeli government ten times because Israel claims it belongs to the state, even though the villagers have lived there since Ottoman rule. In the process 60 modern homes were demolished, 4500 olive trees uprooted, and 100o other fruit trees destroyed. The people were left in the summer heat of the desert without shelter.
More ruined homes. When the Israeli's came back they sprayed pesticide on the freshly planted crops, killed the villagers' livestock, and confiscated anything of value-from milk to tractors. The villagers had to pay a fine to get their property back. Finally, sand was dumped into the lots of the destroyed homes to prevent rebuilding. All of this is done to force the Bedouins off their land.
Despite the mindless oppression, the people of Al-Arakib continue their life amidst the rubble, for "the land speaks to us, and it will remain Palestinian until judgement day." Israel is doing everything to prevent this though, as Al-Arakib has been demolished twice more in the month since the day we visited.
We then stopped at this small village in the valley of miracles. In the background lurk 19 petro-chemical plants that produce dangerous chemicals like chlorine and bromide. The pollution level here is 400%, we could literally smell the chemicals on the wind, and we left feeling sick despite only being there for 15 minutes.
As well as having to deal with the chemical plants, there is an enormous electrical plant that services much of the Negev located next to the village. 5000 people live in this village, and they suffer from the highest rates of miscarriages, lung, skin, and respiratory cancers, and deformed births in the whole country. The Ministry of Interior denies these findings, and refuses to move the people to new homes even though they request it. The icing on the cake is that the village doesn't receive any electricity from the plant a mere 700 meters away.
Conclusion- The most alarming thing about my trip was how all inclusive the oppression was. Everywhere we went, whether in Israel or Palestine, Palestinians were being abused by the state, and there was nothing they could do about it. These Palestinians know that violence will not work against a state willing to strike back on a much larger level, evidenced by Israel's actions in the Gaza War in which 1400 Palestinians died, most of them civilians, while only 11 Israelis lost their lives. So Palestinians have turned to peaceful means, but these too, have not worked as settlements continue to be built despite everyones, including Obama's, protests. The answer is muddled, but a Palestinian told me one night that "Our biggest enemy is ignorance," and that is something we can all fight. The USA provides $3 billion, roughly 1/5th of our foreign aid budget, in aid to Israel each year, and it is the only country that we don't demand to know how the money is spent. No politician in the USA can oppose Israel because AIPAC, the Israeli lobby, will destroy their careers. Our country, the USA, is Israel's biggest supporter, directly funding the oppression of a beleaguered people who have no fight with us. We are participants in the subjugation of Palestinians, and many of them asked us, why? why do Americans hate us? What have we done to deserve this? I cannot answer their questions yet, and in time I hope that I will never have to.
The city of Tel Aviv from neighboring Jaffa. Israelis and Palestinians coexist together, but they cannot yet live together peacefully and equally.
The group I traveled and witnessed with in the city of Jaffa.
One last mural done by the children of Deheishe. It says "Walls and armies do not bring security. Justice will bring security and peace."
A rainbow blossoms over both Palestinians and Israelis. According to the Torah, after the great flood and the deliverance of Noah to land, God shows Noah the rainbow as a sign of His covenant with all mankind that He will never again bring a deluge to destroy them. But, what can stop us from destroying ourselves?
