February 5, 2001
Putting a Closure
on Tel-Aviv Tonight
It’s 1:30 in the morning, and 17 of us just
returned from the Tel-Aviv lockup, where we were under arrest since 6:00 this afternoon, when the police decided they
had had enough of women taking control of the streets away from them. It was
our demonstration against the cruel ‘closure’ that Israel has imposed on the Occupied Territories.
The demonstration was brilliantly conceived by
a mostly Tel-Aviv group of the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace. About 500
women were there from all over Israel. We dressed in black and donned black
‘sandwich boards’ with the word ‘Closure’ painted in white in three languages (Hebrew, Arabic
and English). We massed outside the entrance gate to Israel’s ‘pentagon’,
its ‘Defense’ Ministry in Tel-Aviv. At the signal, a group of women
started to cross the street very slowly, with the intention of slowing traffic through this busy artery. But when the spirit moves you, you respond: A group of women
suddenly sat down on the road in a line clear across the street and completely blocked all passage of cars. Within moments, a larger group of women thickened the line, and stood with their placards facing the
cars – a solid block of ‘Closure’ signs preventing the drivers from advancing. For us, this was a small representation of what the Palestinians experience every day – being blocked
entry and exit from their towns and villages.
The sight was so dramatic – some women were
sitting across the road, others were standing behind them with arms linked, the closure signs forming a solid black message
clear across the road. We started to chant a very powerful set of slogans. Here’s the translation, though in Hebrew it rhymes and is very strong:
End the closure in the territories –
Get out of their bloodstream.
End the closure in the territories –
Give jobs to the workers.
End the closure in the territories –
Give food to the children.
It was amazing to be part of this powerful line,
and to have brought this busy road to a complete standstill.
Then the police drove up, shrieking with sirens. They didn’t waste time asking for cooperation – they just plowed in and
grabbed, dragging women to the sides, and wading in for more. Some women returned
to the road as soon as the police let them go, but there were car drivers who took their cues from the police, and tried to
use their cars to plow us off the road. I stood facing a car with my sign, and the
driver first hit me (gently), then kept moving forward on me. I was not
violent, but I wouldn’t step to the side. The police dragged some of
us off the street many times, but we returned again and again until they suddenly realized this, and began to throw us
into paddy wagons. All this was done with, shall I say, excessive force. My body feels bruised all over, and I’m not the only one.
After the police had taken away two carloads,
women returned to the road and again sat down and blocked traffic. It was wonderful
how they were not intimidated by the previous brutality. They continued for quite
a long time, until an hour or so had been spent illustrating for Tel-Aviv drivers the tip of the iceberg of what it means
to have a closure imposed on you. We did not, of course, demonstrate how it feels
to be cut off from access to medical care, jobs, schools, and family. That they
will have to imagine.
At the police station, we were first 12 women
and 4 men, who came to the demonstration. Then they arrested the lawyer
who showed up to represent us! The interrogations were civil, though they charged
us with everything they could think of – participating in an illegal demonstration, disturbing the peace, blocking traffic,
resisting arrest, attacking a police officer, and even (in my case) attacking a car (poor car!). Two of us (including me) admitted to the acts of civil disobedience (though not to the accusations of violence),
and the rest took advantage of their right to remain silent. Gradually, until
about 1 a.m., they released everybody after bail was posted. Many, many thanks
to our sister demonstrators who waited for us the whole time at the station, drove to the airport to find an open post
office to post bail, and met us with food and soft drinks when we came out. And
thanks to tireless Knesset Member Tamar Gozansky, who came to the station for a solidarity visit. And big, big thanks to Leah Zemel, human rights lawyer extraordinaire, who stayed with us to the bitter
end negotiating with the police for our release, brought enough cash to front bail for everyone, and gave her professional
services completely pro bono as her contribution to the cause.
I’m not sure how much will be in the media
tomorrow. There were TV cameras from French and Belgian stations, and lots of
still photographers. We had excellent coverage on the radio, with an accurate
explanation of who we were and why we were doing it. We think the Israeli newspapers
tomorrow will have some coverage. I hope so.
The Israeli media have a terrible track record of covering women’s peace actions, even though the women’s
actions are much more dramatic, progressive, and even larger than the mixed-gender demonstrations. Could it have something to do with the fact that we are, after all, only women?
I don’t think we stopped the closure tonight,
but we did let Tel-Aviv know what we think about it. The only way to maintain
a brutal occupation is by brutally suppressing awareness of it, and criticism. We
must not let that succeed.
* * *
February 13, 2001
The
Death of Hilmi Revisited
Over 4 years ago, in November 1996, a Palestinian
boy named Hilmi was killed. He was 10 years old at the time, and he was killed
because he and a couple friends were out on the road throwing stones at a car that drove by.
It was Hilmi’s bad fortune that the car they chose to stone was driven by a settler named Nahum Korman, who decided
to show these Palestinians that they couldn’t get away with throwing stones at him.
He chased the boys up the hillside and finally caught up with Hilmi, the slowest.
Using the butt of his gun and well-aimed kicks, Korman beat the boy into unconsciousness and then death.
I remember the condolence call to the home of
Hilmi’s family, together with a group of Israeli peace activists. After
sipping the traditional bitter coffee outdoors, the women were led indoors and upstairs to a room where a large photo of Hilmi
had been hung on the wall. The photo showed a boy of slight build, small brown
eyes staring out, not comprehending the sudden turn of events or the room full of women milling around awaiting his mother’s
appearance. She entered the room also looking bewildered, with red eyes and a
very used tissue in her fist. She said nothing, knowing no Hebrew. We all stood there for a long moment, knowing no Arabic, wondering how to express ourselves to her. Suddenly, one of the women approached her, took her hand, and kissed her on both cheeks. Then each woman walked over to her, some embraced her, some kissed her, some grasped
her hands and stared intently into her eyes.
Afterwards, we sat down on the plastic stools
in the room and listened to her as she spoke in Arabic describing the terrible tragedy.
A family member interpreted for us. As she spoke, a young girl, a toddler,
perhaps 3 years old then, would not leave her side or her lap. This is the sick
child, explained the cousin – the one who needs the bone marrow transplant – and Hilmi was the only match
that was found. Oh my god, we gasped. Never
mind, said the cousin in that way that ‘never mind’ is used to understate enormous woe in the Middle East. The doctors can still use the bone marrow from Hilmi’s body. ‘Thank god’ seemed wanting.
Today, 4 years after this brutal killing, the
protracted court proceedings of Nahum Korman finally came to an end. It took
years not because the case was so complex, but because the court found Korman not guilty, for insufficient evidence. Not that Korman denied kicking and striking the boy with his gun, but that the judge
felt that the coroner had not proved beyond a doubt that Hilmi had died from the blows, and not from a prior, unknown condition. This shocked the legal community sufficiently so that the case was appealed to the
Supreme Court, which ultimately did find Korman guilty. The problem is, the Supreme
Court returned the case to the lower court for sentencing. Same courtroom, same
judge – Ruth Orr. And suddenly a plea bargain was struck (why was
a plea bargain necessary at all?) and the sentence agreed upon was 6 months of community service and $17,000 in ‘damages’
to be paid to Hilmi’s parents. Six months and $17,000. Is this the price of a Palestinian boy’s life?
A group of us – organized by Rabbis for
Human Rights, B’Tselem, the Committee Against Torture, and Defence for Children International (Israel chapter) –
protested outside the court today, holding signs that decried the discrimination of the system. Some of us entered the courtroom to hear the final stage of this sentence – where the ‘community
service’ would be done. As the judge ended the hearing, two of our group
unfurled pictures of Hilmi and held them up for Korman to see. He didn’t
look, and the police quickly confiscated the pictures. I shouted ‘How does
it feel to kill a child?’ to Korman, but he didn’t look at me either. And
then I shouted ‘Great judging, your honor’ to the judge, and was ushered out.
The Israeli court system has an abysmal record
on prosecuting Israeli settlers who harm Palestinians in the territories. To
quote a B’Tselem report about this very subject, ‘The [Israeli] authorities have adopted an undeclared policy
of absolution, compromise, and mitigation for Israeli civilians who harm Palestinians.’
Recent settler violence, unpunished, is a violent reminder that this is true.
Tonight, the man who killed Hilmi is sleeping
soundly in his own home. Hilmi’s parents are not sleeping as well. And should Judge Orr have a fitful night of sleep herself, I encourage her to
open her bible to Exodus 16:19-20 and ponder the words ‘You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality... Justice, and only justice, shall you pursue.’
And these words end ‘that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God gives you.’ That connection
is worth thinking about.
* * *
March 21, 2001
Stop
Weapons Sales to Israel
URGENT: We need your help right now to prevent
the sale of 9 Apache attack helicopters to Israel.
However you feel about the situation in the Middle
East, one thing is clear:
We do not need more weapons.
I am not opposed to foreign aid; on the contrary,
I think the United States should share its wealth with peoples throughout the world.
What it should not be doing, however, is exporting more instruments of war.
Apache attack helicopters were used by the Israeli
government to assassinate Palestinians, to shell Gaza city, Ramallah, Bir Zeit, and other locations.
Please, please, please:
The last thing that we in Israel and Palestine
need is more ways to kill each other.
* * *
February 25, 2001
Protesting
the Closure Today
Today felt like another good demonstration against the ‘closure’ of the occupied territories. About 300 Israelis, mostly women but with a growing contingent of men, showed up at
the Jerusalem-Bethlehem border-crossing.
‘Closure’ is sometimes called a ‘blockade’ or ‘siege’, because
the Israeli army actually encircles Palestinian towns and prevents residents from freely leaving or entering. Imagine how frustrating it must feel to have your freedom of movement obstructed – picture yourself
prevented from leaving your own city because foreign soldiers have bulldozed the roads and set down concrete slabs. But beyond the insult, there are serious problems – access to medical care, food and supplies, education,
and jobs. Several sick Palestinians who were held up at these barriers, pending
a decision by the young Israeli soldiers on duty about letting them through, actually died as a result of the delay, including
a baby. It is also shocking for me as an Israeli to realize that the closure
provides virtually no security dividend to Israel; it is simply a deliberate act of intimidation.
The Coalition of Women for a Just Peace held its first ‘closure’ protest opposite the Defense
Ministry in Tel-Aviv three weeks ago (ending in police violence, the arrest of 17, and practically no media exposure). Today’s event was fairly quiet, no one was arrested, but the Israeli media announced
that we ‘tried to force our way through the barriers’. Well, not
quite.
It was a sunny day, and many Israelis had come from Tel-Aviv and other cities. Soon after the demonstration began, both sides of the road were already lined with demonstrators carrying
or wearing signs ‘Closure kills’, ‘Closure starves’, ‘Closure creates enemies’, and the
usual ‘Stop the Occupation’. Our presence, of course, caused the
quick mobilization of a larger contingent of soldiers, who now manned the barrier. At
the signal, the protesters stepped off the sidewalk and filled the road, marching quietly toward the checkpoint. We walked slowly and in a dignified manner. The soldiers began
to scramble to prevent our getting through. At the checkpoint, they formed a
cordon across the road, and our forward movement was stopped. We stood there
facing them and began to chant the powerful, rhythmic slogan, which rhymes in Hebrew:
End the closure in the territories -
Get out of their bloodstream.
End the closure in the territories -
Give jobs to the workers.
End the closure in the territories -
Give food to the children.
We continued chanting while journalists from Israel, Europe, and the US had some good photo opportunities
of this confrontation. One young man in our group was forcefully shoved to the
ground by a soldier, but after we pointed out to the soldier that he was on candid camera, he controlled himself much better. Other than that, it was a completely nonviolent action, and therefore powerful. From there, the entire group walked 100 meters back to hold up our signs to the drivers
headed to the ‘bypass roads’, which lead to the settlements.
Our demonstration today was scheduled to take place simultaneously with a parallel demonstration on
the Palestinian side of the border, but there was deep concern that Palestinians demonstrating at this location would provide
a pretext for army violence, regardless of how quiet and dignified they were. Nevertheless,
50 or so brave ‘internationals’ who were visiting Israel and Palestine for the Sabeel ‘peace and justice’
conference did manage to come through the border from Bethlehem and join us. They
told us that the Palestinians knew of our demonstration, and expressed their solidarity.
A day earlier, these internationals had joined us on a Women in Black vigil in Jerusalem, bringing our a total yesterday
to about 200.
On the way to the event today, a friend of mine complained that no one had called her about the demonstration,
but she had fortunately read about it in the newspaper ad. ‘You’re
making a revolution,’ she said, ‘and I don’t want to be left out.’
The news this evening had good shots of the confrontation. The
soldiers were armed with their M16s and we were armed with our signs and determination.
In the long run, it’s not much of a contest. The subjugation of
a people is always doomed to failure – sic transit tyrannis. Ultimately
the closure and all the apparatus of occupation will be dismantled. It’s
only a matter of time... and of how many more people will have to suffer first.
* * *
March 23, 2001
Not Cooperating
With Evil
I wish I had not just gotten the phone call I just did, and this story would have had a better ending.
As you probably know, the Israeli army has laid siege to many cities, towns, and villages in the occupied
territories. One way they do this is by digging trenches across the roads leading
in or out, making them unpassable by cars. Where, once, soldiers merely patrolled
these exits and granted permission to enter or leave, today the trenches prevent all access by vehicle. This serves no security function whatsoever – it prevents Palestinians from having access to each
other, not to Israel – but is a cruel and arbitrary way to assert power and control.
For some time, the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace has been demonstrating to lift this siege (referred
to benignly as ‘closure’ by Israel). Six weeks ago, we ourselves
‘lay siege’ to the Defense Ministry of Tel-Aviv (blocking the entrance with our bodies), and three weeks ago we
marched on the military blockade of Bethlehem.
Today’s action was the next level of resistance, and the Coalition of Women worked hand in hand
with three other organizations: Rabbis for Human Rights, Gush Shalom, and the Committee Against House Demolitions. The idea was to come to a village under siege and physically fill in the trench, thereby making the road
passable. The army was clearly intent on preventing that from happening.
We chose to lift the siege on Rantis, a peaceful town of 3,000.
Rantis has no doctor and no employment opportunities; under siege, there is no access to medical care and almost total
unemployment. One woman already gave birth at the trench when she was unable
to get out for medical attention, and seven students have lost a semester of university studies.
Together we were about 300 activists who set out on buses this morning.
Most of us were Israelis, but there was a significant presence of internationals, too, including the undauntable CPT-ers
(Christian Peacemakers Team) who work in Hebron. On each bus, one person led
a discussion about the strategy of nonviolent direct action, the importance of not provoking soldiers, and the commitment
to breaking the law openly and nonviolently. We talked about rights under arrest
and interrogation, and our responsibility for the safety and well-being of each other.
On our bus, I shared the words of Gandhi, ‘Non-cooperation with evil is a sacred duty.’
When we reached the perimeter of the village, we began to march with our shovels and hoes toward the
trench, now being blocked by a line of soldiers. But we were many more activists
than soldiers, they didn’t open fire, and we easily passed through. As
soon as we reached the trench, we swarmed all over, shoveling rocks and dirt into it, trying to fill it up. It seemed an impossible task, as we had few tools and the trench gouged out the road quite deeply from
one side to the other. What’s worse, the ground was very hard, studded
with rocks, and it was very difficult to loosen earth for use as fill.
Soon after we began work, someone found a second trench about 50 meters (roughly 160 feet) further
along. Half the group broke away to work on filling up that trench, and we realized
it would be twice the work to break the siege on Rantis. But then, suddenly,
soldiers swooped down on those of us holding tools, and grabbed them out of our hands.
We began to chant ‘Dai LaKibbush’, which means ‘End the Occupation’. Some struggled not to release their shovels, others less. Soon,
the soldiers had confiscated every single tool we had brought, and arrested 4 of us.
In my recollection, there was no pause at that point and no discussion about what to do. We just all got down and with our bare hands began to scratch out handfuls of dirt and rocks, and throw
them into the trenches. Some of us used rocks to loosen the ground, others tried
sticks. Some held posters (that read ‘Dismantle the Settlements’)
on the ground like big dustpans, and others pushed pebbles and dirt onto them, for transfer into the trench. Some of the children from Rantis came out and joined us, and we worked together like that in the hot sun
for over 2 hours. And when it was over, everyone was amazed to see that we had
actually filled in both trenches, and made the road passable.
We did a little speechmaking on top of what had once been a trench, and vowed to continue to subvert
the mechanisms of occupation. We admired our persistence and cooperative spirit. We laughed at how covered with dirt and mud we were.
And we started to plan the release of our partners sitting in the army van nearby, just as the army actually let them
go, seeing we were finished with our work and on our way out. They even returned
our tools when we boarded the buses.
And now at home, freshly showered and sitting down to tell you about this small victory, I get a call
from Dina, who made friends with one of the villagers. The army returned, the
Palestinian had told her, and used their heavy machinery to dig out fresh trenches.
We expected that. And now, he said, they also placed large concrete slabs
in front of the trenches, which could never be moved by bare hands and grit alone. And
the truck that had brought these slabs had driven off the road, deliberately destroying crops in the fields. And one villager had been beaten and his car window smashed.
These are more than just reprisals against the Palestinians.
They are a message from the army to us: This will happen everytime you do something like this.
Tomorrow, five of us will go to Rantis to document the new damage and talk to the villagers. We’ll also be thinking about how to continue to subvert the oppression without jeopardizing the Palestinians
themselves. It won’t be easy or simple, but, as Israelis, we’ve got
to figure out a way to stop cooperating with evil.
* * *
Background: The Israeli newspapers recently announced that famed author Susan Sontag
will be coming to Israel to accept the Jerusalem Prize for Literature. This is
a letter that the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace faxed to Ms. Sontag.
April 1, 2001
Letter to Susan
Sontag
Dear Professor Sontag:
The Coalition of Women for a Just Peace represents 9 Jewish and Palestinian women’s
organizations in Israel, which have joined together to work for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our principles, reprinted in full below, call for an end to the occupation and a just
peace with the Palestinians, as well as the full participation of women in the peace negotiations.
Over the years, many of us have followed your struggle for human and women’s
rights. We have considered ourselves your disciples in feminist theory and practice,
and have eagerly read your literary works, regarding you as a leader and mentor. For
this reason, we were surprised and disappointed to learn that you have agreed to accept the Jerusalem Prize for Literature,
to be awarded by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert.
This prize recognizes not only your outstanding literary achievements but also
your activities on behalf of human rights. You may not be aware that Israel is
engaged in a wholesale violation ofthe most basic human rights (freedom of speech, movement, employment, education, health,
and housing) in the West Bank and Gaza. You may not know that both Mr. Peres
and Mr. Olmert have been, and continue to be involved in major breaches of human rights whether at the policy level or on
the ground. For instance, Mr. Olmert has instituted a policy of home demolitions
in Jerusalem and has developed the practice of revoking citizenship from Palestinian residents of the city, which in turn
denies them the right to health, education and other basic services. He plans
to build yet another Jewish settlement in the heart of the Palestinian village of Abu Dis.
Such a settlement will serve no purpose other than to try Palestinian patience and expropriate more Palestinian land
and water. These abuses and violations are documented by Israeli and Palestinian
human rights organizations and have been the subject of ongoing protest.
We would like to draw your attention to the fact that your acceptance of the prize,
and your presence in Jerusalem at the ceremony, is a tacit legitimization of the occupation, and of Mr. Olmert’s brutal
policies against Palestinian residents of this city. You would also be causing
a serious setback to the feminist movement and to the Israeli civil rights movement as a whole, which is fighting an uphill
battle to expose the suffering and despair of the Palestinian people under the occupation and is trying to galvanize Israeli
public opinion on the side of reason and humanity.
Professor Sontag, we would like to take the liberty of suggesting that you not
come to Jerusalem and publicly explain that you cannot, in the circumstances, accept this prize. We have already seen a slight easing of some of the collective punishments against the Palestinians as
a result of the protests of the European Community and the US State Department. Many
Israelis were also affected by the refusal of the renowned soprano, Emma Kirkby, to carry out a planned concert tour here,
a refusal accompanied by a declaration of opposition to the continuing occupation. Alternatively,
may we suggest that you use the podium of receipt of the prize to express your condemnation of the ongoing occupation and
human rights violations by Israel of Palestinian land and its residents.
The role of artists and intellectuals as leaders and shapers of public opinion
can be of inestimable value not only in the short term, but also in a historical perspective.
We hope and trust that your voice too will be raised in protest against a cruel and unjust occupation.
Cordially,
The Coalition of Women for a Just Peace
* * *
Background: My first encounter with Neta Golan was a phone
call in which she asked me to publicize her invitation to join her as a human shield – living in a Palestinian village
to reduce (but not eliminate) the risk of the IDF shooting into the village. Neta
continued in many subsequent acts of heroism. I know of only a few.
April 2, 2001
Protecting
the Olive Trees
Yesterday two massive bulldozers arrived at the Palestinian village of Dir Istya to knock down 1,500
olive trees that provide a livelihood for many of these villagers. The army used
the excuse of ‘security’ – preventing stone-throwing from the cover of the trees – although these
were young trees and could hardly provide cover. While court appeals had been
filed in previous weeks to prevent this destruction, all appeals were dismissed and the villagers knew their orchard was threatened. When a settler was recently injured badly by a rock thrown nearby, a decision was
made to demolish the trees at once, as a kind of collective retribution against the entire village. Yesterday the bulldozers came and began their work.
Not far from here, however, is another Palestinian village where Neta Golan, 29, spends considerable
energy monitoring army and settler abuse of the local Palestinian villages, and intervening whenever possible. Neta is an Israeli Jewish woman who is part of the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace, and she is often
a one-woman show, calling out to the Israeli soldiers from inside the Palestinian village to stop them from shooting in. This has worked a couple of times, perhaps because the soldiers were shocked to hear
a fellow-Israeli speaking Hebrew to them from inside the firing zone.
When Neta heard that the bulldozers arrived, she ran to the site together with two other young women
– Zipporah Ryter, 28, an American, and Yasmine Jayal, 22, a German-Palestinian.
The villagers were already there, and together they all walked in front of one bulldozer and sat down. It stopped in its tracks. After some negotiations, threats,
and determined responses by those resisting, one of the soldiers approached the Palestinians and explained that the army would
not bulldoze any more, but the Palestinians had to move so the bulldozer could turn around.
As soon as the Palestinians gave the bulldozer room to maneuver, it promptly drove through and mauled another tree. The Palestinians and the women returned to block the bulldozers.
Soon army reinforcements arrived and out-numbered the Palestinians and women. They forcibly arrested the three women, who refused to move of their own accord, and also one Palestinian
man who had been photographing them. As a result of their action, ‘only’
150 trees had been bulldozed. And meanwhile, the legal department of the local
Quaker center managed to get a temporary injunction to prevent the further destruction of the orchard, pending more legal
activity.
Late last night, the three women were released on bail. Now
the legal work has to run its course, and the resistance is prepared in case that fails.
* *
*
April 4, 2001
Chapter
2: The Olive Trees
This story began two days ago, when two massive bulldozers arrived at the Palestinian village of Dir
Istya to knock down 1,500 olive trees that provide a livelihood for many of these villagers.
Through the brave efforts of three young women and the villagers themselves, who sat down in front of the bulldozers,
the Israeli army was able to destroy ‘only’ 150 trees before a Quaker legal center managed to get a court order
to temporarily halt the destruction.
Tomorrow, Thursday, April 5, the Supreme Court will hear the case.
Chances are that the Court will deny the appeal of the villagers, and sanction the destruction of the trees, under
the pretext of ‘security’.
We need four kinds of help:
1) If you cannot go to the village of Dir Istya, then try to get to the Supreme Court in Jerusalem
at 9:00 for the hearing.
2) If you are up to it, join Neta Golan and others at Dir Istya, who will be chaining themselves to
the trees. Go even if you are just willing to protest, and not face the bulldozers.
4) Fax or call your government leaders and tell them what you think.
P.S. Yes, activists in Israel will have to choose from
a menu of activities tomorrow – rebuilding the Shawamreh home, going to Court, or chaining themselves to a tree. Do you think you could take the time to print out a letter and fax it out? Many thanks.
* *
*
April 4, 2001
Press Release
‘House of Peace’ Demolished for Third Time
The re-built home
of the Shawamreh family in Anata was demolished for the third time this morning by bulldozers of Israel’s Civil Administration
in the Occupied Territories. Although two Israeli peace activists, Jeff Halper
of the Committee Against House Demolitions and Rabbi Arik Ascherman of Rabbis for Human Rights, parked their car in the path
of destruction and sat down in front of the bulldozers, the army removed them forcibly, moved the car, and then plowed through
the home, garden, and water tanks, plowing up the foundations as well, to ensure that the home could not be rebuilt yet again. Rabbi Asherman was arrested.
This demolition was
the fourth of the morning in the town of Anata – three Bedouin houses were bulldozed into rubble prior to the Shawamreh
home – and the driver reported they were on their way to demolish two more homes in the town of Issawiye. Both Palestinian towns are in close proximity to Jerusalem. The
stepping up of demolitions by the Civil Administration – 11 homes were destroyed in the past 2 days – suggests
the determination of the authorities to assert absolute control over life in the territories through intimidation of the Palestinian
residents, in addition to escalating the warfare.
The Shawamreh home
had become the ‘poster child’ of the movement to end demolitions, due to speaking tours in North America by Jeff
Halper with Salim Shawamreh, the owner, in which they advocated an end to the violence and a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Extensive circulation of the story ‘Lena Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’,
about the teenage daughter who witnessed her home being destroyed had also publicized the severity of the issue.
The Shawamreh home
has been repeatedly destroyed by the army and rebuilt by a coalition of Israeli, Palestinian, and international peace activists. The first demolition, witnessed by activists, took place in July 1998. Within two months the home was rebuilt, but the authorities demolished it the day after the construction
was complete, in August 1998. It took time for the family to find the strength
to rebuild their home yet again and risk another demolition, but finally they agreed and, at the second rebuilding, completed
in July 1999, the house was dedicated ‘House of Peace’ in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.
After the demolition
today, nothing was left of the ‘House of Peace’ sign that had been hanging on the front door.
* * *
April
4, 2001
Rebuilding the Shawamreh ‘House of Peace’
I didn’t see the TV news this evening, but according to Israel radio news, no fewer than 17 Palestinian
homes were destroyed today. No fewer than 17 families were invited to hate Israel
even more than they already do. In allusion to the beautiful Shawamreh home,
the newscaster said, ‘Among the buildings destroyed were four shacks in the town of Anata.’ Is this a deliberate lie to minimize the evil? Or is ‘shack’
the arrogant, disdainful word for any home owned by a Palestinian? Or perhaps
this was merely the carelessness of a journalist when reporting damage done to ‘the enemy’...
We, all of us, with the help of many friends abroad, had practically brought home demolitions to an
end under the Barak administration. Now, under Sharon, the demolitions have returned
with a vengeance, though the sound of a beautiful home being turned into rubble is barely audible under the thunder of cannons,
gunships, tanks, and stun grenades.
But we do hear it, we do care, and we will not stand by passively.
Tomorrow, together with the courageous and determined Shawamreh family, we shall begin the rebuilding
of their home. No amount of bulldozers will prevent this home from being rededicated
as the House of Peace someday, just as no amount of brutality will prevent this occupation from ultimately coming to an end. Tyranny inevitably loses. It’s
just a matter of time.
Please come tomorrow, if you can, to help clear away the rubble.
If you can’t, there will be other opportunities. Bring work gloves,
if you have.
* * *
April 6, 2001
Four Arrests and a Tree
Brief Recap:
Two days ago, Israeli army bulldozers arrived to knock down the olive tree grove that belongs to the
Palestinian residents of Dir Istya. The army claims that villagers hide behind
the trees and throw stones at passing vehicles. Some 150 trees were already mauled
before peace activists in the vicinity managed to arrive and sit down in front of the bulldozers, preventing the destruction
of the entire grove of 1,500. A subsequent Supreme Court appeal was denied, although
the Court limited the size of the area that the army could legally clear, and the peace activists camped out and waited for
the bulldozers to return.
Update:
At about noon today, the bulldozers returned, but two young women, Neta Golan (29), an Israeli Jew,
and Yasmine Jayal (22), a German-Palestinian now living in Ramallah, were waiting for them.
Neta and Yasmine had wrapped chains around their bodies and chained themselves to olive trees in the path of the bulldozer. The soldiers demanded that they leave, but the women refused. The soldiers went off to find tools to break the chains. Villagers
watching the confrontation knelt down in prayer. Upon their return, the soldiers
managed fairly quickly to break through the chains, ‘liberate’ the trees, and arrest both Neta and Yasmine. Two other young Israeli peace activists who had just arrived on the scene, Sheli Nativ
and Eyal Oron, were arrested with them.
After fairly brief interrogations, Sheli and Eyal were released, but they remained on site to support
Neta and Yasmine. Neta and Yasmine refused to sign the terms of release –
that they would not enter any ‘closed military zones’. So now, 12
hours later, they remain under arrest and are currently being moved to Kishon jail near Haifa, where there are ‘cells
for women’.
If you live near Kishon, you would be performing a patriotic deed by going there right now and welcoming
Neta and Yasmine with a voice of solidarity. They will undoubtedly spend the
Passover seder not at home.
P.S. After all that, a loss of only one tree was reported,
as the army bulldozer backed into it while trying to turn around. But it's not
over yet.
* * *
April
12, 2001
Subverting the Occupation
Three young Israelis were arrested this evening for driving a car through Tel-Aviv as they broadcast
through a loudspeaker, ‘A curfew has been imposed on Tel-Aviv. Residents
must enter their homes. People seen on the streets after 7:30 p.m. risk the usual
response from the authorities.’ A second car with the same message made
a successful getaway.
Police arrested the three (two young women and one young man – names still withheld) and have
so far refused to allow them to meet with their lawyer. The charge against them
is ‘terrorizing the public’.
One wishes that politicians and generals could be similarly charged for making the same statements
in Hebron and other Palestinian cities.
In that same satirical vein, another group of young people plan to ‘lay siege’ to Kokhav
Ya’ir tomorrow, the up-scale Israeli community where many Israeli generals reside.
The announcement of the action reads:
‘Kokhav Ya’ir is inhabited by several army generals who endanger both our security and
the security of the entire region. Therefore, for security reasons, tomorrow,
April 11, we will lay siege here to prevent these dangerous people from going about their harmful affairs. Needed: people, vehicles and tools. Those interested in participating
please contact us as soon as possible.. Moran and Noam’
A few weeks ago, another group staged a march with signs calling ‘Restore the British Mandate!’ Perhaps they confused some onlookers, but the message was clear: British colonial rule of Palestine was in many ways more benign than the Israeli occupation.
This defiance of the Israeli occupation by the young – often daring, often with humor –
helps expose the absurdities of the occupation and subvert the self-righteousness of its perpetrators.
And the most optimistic news lately is the growing reluctance of Israeli men to show up for army reserve
duty. While not generally motivated by ideological reasons, this very absence
of ideology is what is so encouraging.
Post-ideology would be such a relief.
* *
*
April
13, 2001
Upcoming Events
Today’s demonstration in Tel-Aviv was wonderful. We
were roughly 200, mostly women. We wore black and banged vigorously on our pots
and pans in time to the slogans led by Dalit, Iris, and others. An especially
nice touch was the black, helium-filled balloons with the message printed on it ‘End the Occupation, End the Closure
– Coalition of Women for a Just Peace’.
Sample slogans (they rhyme in Hebrew):
1-2-3-4: Get out of Kiryat Arba.
1-2 and also Beit El, Netzarim, and Ariel.
Fuad, Fuad, Minister of Defense, How many children have you killed today?
End the closure in the territories; get out of their bloodstream.
Bring the soldiers home, get rid of the checkpoints.
Reporters and TV cameras were there, but I didn’t see if anything made it to the local or international
news yet.
Every day this week was filled with actions sponsored by the Human Rights Tent in Tel-Aviv. The schedule for the next few days (sponsored by a mix of organizations):
Friday, 13 April:
Continue rebuilding the Shawamreh home in Anata. Women in Black regular
weekly vigil in six locations.
Saturday, 14 April:
Joint Palestinian-Israeli demonstration at Bethlehem checkpoint.
Sunday, 15 April:
Demonstration at um-Tuba to prevent 7 homes from being demolished.
Monday, 16 April:
Removal of roadblocks c
