The end

This is my last entry from Palestine. Tomorrow morning - very early - I leave to go to Ben Gurion airport. Assuming they don't hold me until I miss my flight, I will depart at 12:30 and return to the States.

It has been a privilege to live in Palestine and assist the struggle against the occupation. My passion for this cause has been strengthened by the people I have met here and the experiences I have had. I have never been more convinced in the righteousness of the fight here, and the necessity for Israel to cease to exist.

If I have been able to give some perspective and detail about what is going on here through this blog, I am happy to have done so. It is impossible to sum up all the experiences I have had in a way I find sufficient, but I will say this: do not look at the conflict here as a conflict among equals. It is not as complicated as some would say it is. This is an occupation, and Israel is the occupier.

Look at what is going on day to day. There are many things that do not make headlines that make up the everyday struggle faced by Palestinians. The invasions by the Israeli military, the checkpoints, the arrest of children, the de facto ban on protests with the use of overwhelming force, the settlement of the West Bank - it's all making life much, much worse for the people here.

To say "it's too complicated" is an easy out. It's made complicated by those who would not have you see the truth. There is only one side to this conflict that has a military that can close off villages on a whim. There is only one side tear gassing and shooting the other. If there is occasionally a bomb or a shooting carried out by a Palestinian, this does not make them equals. This does not justify the treatment of an entire people. And there's only one side that has stolen and continues to steal land, only one side that ethnically cleansed and continues to drive out the other.

This is our tax dollars at work. We have a responsibility to oppose this. I have tried and will continue to oppose the occupation of Palestine to the best of my ability. I only hope that more will listen, and act.

Faster of Puppets

One day into Ramadan! Fasting yesterday went very well - I was able to keep it up the whole day. In the evening, our host made us a dinner of rice and vegetables, and shared some delicious rice from his family's meal.

Fasting was easier than I expected. Not that it was easy - especially right before dinner - but I wasn't too tired and didn't get a headache. I did a good job eating and drinking enough in the morning. We've been told that after 3 days it gets easier, so I'm looking forward to that. It's a shame I won't be in August for the whole of Ramadan. I may consider fasting for the rest of it in the States, but it will be more difficult, I think. I'm fortunate here because no only is almost everyone fasting, but that even includes my fellow volunteers. Having a good support system helps a lot.

This morning there was a house raid in the village by the Israeli military. Our host woke us up at 3:30 to tell us there had been concussion grenades used nearby and that Israeli forces had entered a house nearby. We went to the roof - I was scared, thinking they might enter here as well. They did not, but we watched in the pre-dawn silence as a line of military jeeps and a prison truck drove past. Apparently they arrested a member of his family. Not sure why.

It was a grim reminder of the reality of the occupation here. The military acts with impugnity. There is a gate at the front of the village, near the watch tower. If the military wishes, the village can be cut off from the world. This village is quiet enough that I sometimes forget that shortly before I came here, the military beat one of the members of the Popular Committee here almost to the point of death after he was detained in a protest. Earlier this year, settlers killed a young man in a village nearby. And in the recent past, young people have been rounded up and detained in a show of collective punishment.

After witnessing this event, we went downstairs and ate our pre-dawn meal. Ramadan is said to be a time of blessings, when the gates of hell are closed and the gates of heaven are open. How long until all the gates to all the Palestinian towns in the West Bank shatter?

Ahlan wa Sahlan Ramadhan (Welcome Ramadan)

The holy month of Ramadan started yesterday. For Muslims, this means no food, drink, smoking, or physical relations from dusk until dawn for a whole month. It was revealed in the following verse from the Qur'an:

Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an as a guide to mankind also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So everyone of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spent it in fasting, but if anyone is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you He does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful.
2:185

Not everyone here fasts, but there is no eating or drinking in public until after the evening call to prayer. During the day, many Muslims spend time reading and reciting as much of the Qur'an as possible. In the evening, there are large family dinners as people break the fast for the day.

While I am in Palestine, I am observing Ramadan as well. I feel that it's important act in solidarity with the people here, and is also something I've wanted to try in the past. It feels very special to be participating in such a powerful act, especially with so many others here and aroudn the world doing so as well. The most challenging point may be English class today, because we hold it at 4, which is very close to the evening call to prayer. It will be a very hungry class.

I have never actually fasted before, but myself and the other volunteers woke up at 4 for Suhoor, a pre-dawn meal. This morning I had a pita with hummus, some cheese, and eggs with water and orange juice. Hopefully I'll feel okay today, if not I'll have to change it up tomorrow.

Seeing Jerusalem

As I approach my last week in Palestine, I'm taking some time to visit the religious and historical sites here on top of my volunteer work. It's not easy - we're expected to be available pretty much all the time - but I manage.

Thursday I finally did some touring in Jerusalem. It was incredible. I was able to see four major holy sites in one day.

Walking around the Old City was pretty wild. The streets are very narrow and not very well marked, and when you enter the city the streets are lined with shops selling all sorts of things.



My friend and I found the Church of the Holy Sepulcre without much difficulty. There were many people there, but it's much larger than the Church of the Nativity and has a lot more to see, so it wasn't very crowded. The final locations in the Via Dolorosa are located there, ending at the Sepulcre itself which commemorates the death and burial of Jesus.

I find it fascinating and very powerful to be in a place where so many resources have been dedicated to making it beautiful. It's hard to describe. I was lucky because I was able to beat the tour groups to seeing the Sepulcre and going inside. They don't allow pictures, but there's a small alter with some artwork depicting the death of Jesus. I was hustled inside with a small group by a rather impatient Orthodox priest, and were were given a minute or so to look. It was short, but still very good.

After the Church, we went to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. The Wall was nice, but rather strange. As special as it is, it's soaked in the symbols of the occupation - Israeli flags, settlers and soldiers. We didn't spend too much time there.

It was difficult finding the entrence to the Temple Mount. Non-Muslims need to go through the Wall plaza to go there, but there are no signs showing you where to go. We finally tracked it down - you go down a ramp next to the exit and get in line.

There were fewer tourists there than any of the places I've been so far, which made the experience a little more intimate and much less rushed. The Mount is only open at certain times in the morning and afternoon, and only for an hour or so. The Mosque is still in use as a place to pray and study by Muslims, and both have been subject to attempts to destroy them by Jewish fundamentalists and others.



The Mount is actually a large complex, containing the Dome of the Rock, the Al Aqsa Mosque, and some other structures, areas to sit, as well as trees and other plant life. I wasn't allowed in either the Dome or Al Aqsa, but seeing them was wonderful. I had studied both in college, and it was very special to see them in person. The very architecture of these monuments is immersed in religious significance.

After the Mount, we did a little shopping. The merchants in the Old City are pretty aggressive, and you need to bargain with them to avoid getting screwed. I did an okay job, I think.

After Jerusalem we headed back to Beit Ommar. You need to transfer in Bethlahem, so I showed some tourists I met on the bus the way to the Church of the Nativity. The cab drivers will swear that it's too far and you should pay some absurd fare to get there, but it's actually a straight shot from the place where you get dropped off in the city.

I may try to go to Jerusalem again before I leave. There's enough to do that I could probably make another day out of it, if I wanted. Other than that, I may try to go to Nazareth, although it's pretty far north. I need to make up my mind soon!

A note to my reader(s): I'm having some issues uploading pictures onto Blogger, so please check out my flikr.

Pool in Palestine

It can be hard to make an update every day here - when I'm not very busy, there's more than a little down time when I'm not doing much at all.

I'm teaching an English class to some Palestinians - the class varies, usually we have around 5 people who come. It can be a challenge teaching because I've never taught before and the English capacity of the students ranges from very limited to more advanced. Thankfully a fellow coworker has stepped up and is helping, so we can split the class according to ability.

After class, one of the students invited us to his house for tea, and then we shot some pool. It had been ages since I'd shot pool last, so it was a lot of fun. I'll only be teaching another week and a half of classes, but it's been a good experience.

On a more serious note, there was another protest this past weekend in Beit Ommar. The military was very aggressive, and I got pushed around more than a little. It's tough trying to hold a camera while a soldier's in your face. I did a good job filming though. Media work scares me because you need to be up front in the action, and need to relatively close, which means that you put yourself at risk of arrest without being as liquid as other folks in the protest. But, I survived!

Adventures in Bethlahem

Today was my first real (almost entirely) personal day here since I came. After waking up at 6 AM to the sounds of my housemates preparing for a day at the beach that didn't happen, I and a friend decided to go to Bethlahem and do a little touring.

We boarded a service - a large taxi, kind of like a van, which can be found all over the West Bank - and traveled to Bethlahem. It's only around 20 minutes from here, and the cost to travel is around $2 one way.

Bethlahem is probably not what many people in the world imagine it to be. It's a city like many others in the West Bank, and most people who live there are Palestians, most of whom are Muslim. There are two refugee camps, where Palestinians who were driven or fled from their homes during the founding of Israel in 1948 live. It also has a large section of the Apartheid Wall that cuts into the city.

The main draw of the city for tourists is the Church of the Nativity, which was built on the site Jesus's birth. It's an extremely old church, having been built in 333, although it was destroyed in 529 (thanks Wikipedia). When you go in, you can sense how old it is. There are a number of very beautiful pieces of art depicting the baby Jesus and Mary. There were also many tourists - although, not a ton. The tour groups were large, but I think coming on a weekday in the summer made things a little smoother.

After a very long wait in line, I was able to see the Grotto of the Nativity, the location which is claimed to be Jesus's original birthplace. It was beautiful. A simple star surrounded by lamps marks the place, and it was very much worth the wait. I didn't take many courses on Christianity in college, but I find it fascinating to see how people commemorate the sacred. It was very special.

Once we wrapped up things in the church, we went to the Apartheid Wall. On the Palestinian side it is covered in graffiti, some of which is extremely good. I'll let the pictures tell the tale. However, it is pretty ridiculous to think that there is a giant concrete barrier cutting into a major city. In the place of Jesus's birth, those who live there are often unable to cross through this wall simply because they are Palestinian. It's pretty appalling.

After a good day in Bethlahem, we went back to Beit Ommar and I taught my English class. I'm teaching 6-10 people English here. I've never done this before, so I'm kind of winging it, but I think it's going well. The students are mostly college age and very attentive, and have some English capacity already. They want to learn more grammer, which is especially tricky because formal grammer rules were my weak point in school. But I like teaching, and they seem to be getting something out of it, so I guess that's what counts. They've even taught me a few things in Arabic as well!

Conferences and Tear Gas

For the past 6 days I've been extremely busy preparing for and supporting a conference on the popular resistance in Palestine. That conference ended yesterday, so now I'm free to make an update.

Volunteering here isn't all supporting protests and confrontations with the military. While they may be some of the most exciting parts, just like the US there's a lot of basic, mundane stuff that happens as well. I spent the last three days waking up at 6 or 7 AM to attend a conference, at which I helped take notes on speakers and film. In the days leading up to that, I was working with the other volunteers here to prepare handouts - meaning collating papers, stapling, and stuffing folders. Not exciting, but important.



The conference was alright. I didn't get too much out of it myself - there were a few interesting speakers, but most of it was speeches. The point of the conference wasn't to cater to internationals, and I hope that the folks who are struggling here were able to move their cause forward. My friend put it well though when she said that the main point of the conference was to build visibility and morale for the resistance, because it hasn't been doing so well in recent years. The Palestinians have been fighting for some sort of existence for decades, and neither violent nor non-violent resistance have achieved the goal of self-determination, so there is a lot of apathy and cynicism they must resist.

One extremely beneficial aspect of this trip has been the chance for me to get a better sense of Palestine and Palestinians. It isn't all rioting and protests here - they do happen fairly frequently, but that means once or twice a week. In the US, and perhaps in general, Palestinians are only in the news when there's dramatic protest footage. They are usually associated with a political party or resistance group like Islamic Jihad. Here on the ground, identities are much more complex. And just like anyone else in the world, most days of the week are spent doing things like working, studying, caring for a family, etc. There are people who organize demonstrations, and there are people who go to demonstrations and throw rocks. Unlike in the US, there's a general acceptance and appreciation for the latter.

On the final day of the conference, there was a demonstration in the town of Budrus. It's a pretty famous area - they were able to stop the Apartheid Wall from cutting through it with a massive, long-running struggle. There's a movie named after the town that I need to check out after I get back.

It was pretty intense. The military was firing tear gas almost immediately after the protest started. While protests are tolerated to some extent in the US, in Palestine, no matter how large or even if people are throwing stones, they are almost always dispersed by violence.

This protest was only underway for a few minutes when the soldiers began launching tear gas. There was tons of it, although I was told they may have held off some because of the presence of internationals. I was filming all of this going down, so I was gassed as well. Much worse than any previous experiences with tear gas - not only was I coughing and my sinuses were going crazy, but my skin stung as well.

When we fled the initial tear gas barrage, a friend and I ended up behind a wall near a few houses in town. The soldiers continued to fire tear gas canisters into the residential area, including a school. An older Palestinian woman put some perfume on our hands so that we could control the effects of the tear gas. While what tear gas does is a chemical reaction, some of its effects can be controlled by distracting your body with other smells, which remind it to breathe again.

That kind of support was really nice. It reminded me of Pittsburgh, when people assisted us in running from the cops. It feels good to know that kind of solidarity exists.

Today I go to court for a friend of mine who the Israeli government is trying to deport. Israel really doesn't like internationals working with Palestinians, so the case is very political. The worst thing that will happen is that he is deported. Hopefully he gets off, but I will let you know what happens.