WEST BANK STORY - relacja/pokaz zdjęż z Hebronu, 13 maja, Poznan

O sytuacji w Hebronie na Zachodnim Brzegu Jordanu opowiedzą Małgorzata Juszczak

i Michał Gradoń /obserwatorzy w Hebronie w 2008 i 2009 roku/

13 maja 2010, godz. 19.30

Klub Dragon, ul. Zamkowa 3, Poznań

wstęp wolny

W PROGRAMIE:

-          pokaz zdjęć przybliżających sytuację na Zachodnim Brzegu Jordanu

-          krótkie filmy dokumentalne

-          dyskusja z udziałem publiczności

O CO CHODZI:
Zachodni Brzeg, Palestyńskie Terytoria Okupowane, Autonomia Palestyńska, Judea i Samaria - już sama wielość i niejednoznaczność nazw, a wręcz przeciwstawność niektórych, odzwierciedla skomplikowaną sytuację w regionie. Małgorzata Juszczak i Michał Gradoń pracowali na Zachodnim Brzegu przez trzy miesiące jako wolontariusze/obserwatorzy. Przebywali głównie w Hebronie - jednym z najstarszych bliskowschodnich miast, miejscu pochówku Abrahama, które jednocześnie gromadzi największą na terytoriach okupowanych liczbę posterunków kontrolnych (checkpointów), blokad drogowych i innych utrudnień ruchu.

Hebron, którego historia sięga czasów biblijnych to także jedno z największych miast na Okupowanych Terytoriach Palestyńskich, a zarazem obraz konfliktu izraelsko-palestyńskiego w pigułce. Osiedla izraelskie, nielegalne w świetle prawa międzynarodowego (IV Konwencja Genewska), znajdują się tu w sercu palestyńskiego miasta. Jest to jedyny taki przypadek na okupowanym Zachodnim Brzegu Jordanu.

EAPPI (Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel) jest ekumenicznym programem powołanym przez Światową Radę Kościołów. Jego misją jest wspieranie lokalnych i międzynarodowych działań na rzecz zakończenia okupacji oraz sprawiedliwego rozwiązania konfliktu na Bliskim Wschodzie opartego na prawie międzynarodowym.

Organizatorzy spróbują w trakcie prezentacji połączyć się z lokalnymi działaczami pokojowymi z Hebronu.

www.eappi.org

Grafika: Cesar Puebla

KINO PALESTYNA - tak było!

24-25 maja trwał pierwszy festiwal filmów palestyńskich: KINO PALESTYNA Obrazy Okupacji i Oporu. Dziękujemy wszystkim za liczne przybycie, wsparcie i ożywione dyskusje! Być może powtórzymy festiwal w innych miastach...

KINO PALESTYNA: OBRAZY OKUPACJI I OPORU 24-25.04 WARSAW

Program:

Sobota (24 kwietnia)

14.00 OTWARCIE FESTIWALU
- WSTĘP: Organizatorzy festiwalu
- 'ABC Okupacji' (Occupation 101) (USA/Palestyna 2007, 85 min) ***
solidna dawka faktów na temat konfliktu
- 'Wyburzenie' (Polska 2009, 8 min) Joanna Rajkowska
dramatyczna scena wyburzenia palestyńskiego domu przez izraelskie buldożery

16.00 DZIECI OKUPACJI
- 'Camping Dżenin' (Polska 2008, 34 min) Joanna Rajkowska
grupa nastolatków nie umiejących poradzić sobie z traumą okupacji izraelskiej
- 'Skradzione Dzieciństwo' (The Stolen Child) (Irlandia 2009, 25 min)
palestyńskie dzieci w izraelskich więzieniach
- PANEL:
Eamon Connolly, producent filmu Skradzione Dzieciństwo (do potwierdzenia)
pozostali paneliści – do uzp.

18.00 BLOKADA GAZY
- 'Fatenah' (Palestyna 2009, 28 min)
film animowany, walka z rakiem w warunkach oblężenia
- krótkie filmy Medical Aid for Palestinians (UK 2010, 19 min)
ukazujące konsekwencje blokady Strefy Gazy oraz paraliż służby zdrowia
- krótki fragment 'Zastrzelić Gazę' (To Shoot an Elephant) (Hiszpania 2010)
dokumentu nakręconego podczas zeszłorocznej inwazji Izraela na Strefę
- PANEL:
Andrea Becker, Szefowa Działu Advocacy Medical Aid for Palestinians
Omar Faris, reprezentant w Polsce The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza
Ewa Jasiewicz, koordynatorka Free Gaza Movement i aktywistka w Palestynie, redaktorka polskiej edycji „Le Monde Diplomatique”

20.00 RYTMY OPORU
- Slingshot Hip Hop (USA 2008, 73 min) ***
muzyka okupowanych i dyskryminowanych

Niedziela (25 kwietnia)

14.00 REWOLUCJA PALESTYŃSKA
- materiały archiwalne
- PANEL:
Zbigniew Kowalewski, znawca pozaeuropejskich ruchów społecznych i partyzanckich, redaktor polskiej edycji „Le Monde Diplomatique”
Artur Żmijewski polski reżyser i fotograf, artysta współczesny, redaktor artystyczny pisma „Krytyka Polityczna” (do potwierdzenia)

16.00 UCHODŹCY. PRAWO DO POWROTU
- 25 Tysięcy Namiotów (25 Thousand Tents) (Syria 2008, 35 min)
położony na terytorium międzygranicznym obóz dla palestyńskich uchodźców z Iraku
- krótkie filmy eksperymentalne Studio Camps (25 min)
nakręcone przez uchodźców palestyńskich działających w kolektywie filmowym w obozach w Libanie
- PANEL:
Magda Qandil, współpracowniczka organizacji rozwojowych w obozach dla uchodźców palestyńskich na Bliskim Wschodzie, redaktorka polskiej edycji „Le Monde Diplomatique”
pozostali paneliści – do uzp.

18.00 SOLIDARNOŚĆ MIĘDZYNARODOWA
- Visit Palestine (UK 2005, 78 min)
działalność aktywistów międzynarodowych na terytoriach okupowanych
- krótkie filmy o BDS
akcje bezpośrednie kampanii BDS (Bojkot, Sankcje i Wycofywanie Inwestycji)
- PANEL:
Ewa Jasiewicz, koordynatorka Free Gaza Movement i aktywistka w Palestynie, redaktorka polskiej edycji „Le Monde Diplomatique”
Maciej Wieczorkowski, inicjatywa Stop Wojnie

20.00 IZRAELCZYCY PRZECIW OKUPACJI
- Anarchiści Przeciwko Murowi (Anarchists Against the Wall) (Izrael 2008, 33 min)
Izraelczycy występujący przeciwko okupacji i kolonizacji Zachodniego Brzegu
PANEL:
paneliści – do uzp.

*** liczne nagrody na festiwalach międzynarodowych
WSZYSTKIE FILMY W POLSKIEJ WERSJI JĘZYKOWEJ (NAPISY)

Organizatorzy:
Polska Kampania Solidarności z Palestyną i Le Monde Diplomatique – Edycja Polska
Partnerzy:
Krytyka Polityczna, Inicjatywa Stop Wojnie, The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, Medical Aid for Palestinians

Happy Easter....not for all!

As much as we can see pretty pictures on TV how Christians are celebrating Easter in the Holy Land, check out how Palestinian Christians from Betlehem are denied the right to pray in Jerusalem. Why we do not see any of this in our TVs in Easter programmes? Isn't Christianity all about solidarity with the oppressed and ...not turning the blind eye?

The video is long but check out especially what they say in the second half of it.

Święta Wielkanocne....może warto zajrzeć do Jerozolimy?

Poniżej artykuł Michała Gradonia "Bitwa o Jerozolimę" obrazujący obecną sytuację w mieście i żródła ostatnich napięć.

http://www.arabia.pl/content/view/292670/1/

'Open Shuhada Street' in Warsaw

On the 25th of February we joined the international campaign to reopen the Shuhada street. www.openshuhadastreet.org

During the daytime we held a protest in a popular shopping street in Warsaw, spreading flyers about the current situation in Hebron.




In the evening we invited people to listen to the presentation, see short documentaries and hear a testimony of an ex Israeli soldier and discuss the issue with us. We also had people sign the petition.





Thank you all for coming!

You can see events in other parts of the world here:
http://www.openshuhadastreet.org/campaigns

Open Shuhada Street Campaign

On 25 February 2010 activists and organizations from around the world will join together in solidarity with the Palestinian residents of Hebron, through local protests and petitions to the Israeli Government. Our demands:

* Open Shuhada Street to Palestinian movement and commerce
* Full civil and human rights for all Israelis and Palestinians
* End the occupation

Please take a minute to sign this petition:

http://www.petitiononline.com/shuhada/petition.html

O co chodzi?

Hebron to jedno z największych miast na okupowanych terytoriach palestyńskich, miejsce pochówku Abrahama a zarazem obraz konfliktu izraelsko-palestyńskiego w pigułce. Osiedla izraelskie, nielegalne według prawa międzynarodowego (IV konwencja Genewska), znajdują się tu w sercu palestyńskiego miasta. Jest to jedyny taki przypadek na okupowanym Zachodnim Brzegu Jordanu. Blisko sześciuset osadników zamieszkuje Hebron. W związku z ich obecnością w mieście stacjonuje około 1500 żołnierzy izraelskich oraz znajduje się blisko 100 posterunków kontrolnych (checkpointów), blokad drogowych i innych utrudnień ruchu.

Ulica Shuhada nie jest jedyną zamkniętą dla palestyńskiego ruchu na terytoriach palestyńskich. Stała się jednak symbolem okupacji. Niegdyś główna ulica handlowo-komunikacyjna Hebronu, z bazarem mięsnym i warzywnym oraz terminalem autobusowym, dziś jest zupełnie opustoszała. Poruszać się po niej mogą jedynie osadnicy oraz, choć też nie zawsze, turyści. Palestyńczycy zamieszkujący ulicę Shuhada zmuszeni są wchodzić do swoich domów tylnymi wejściami lub poprzez domy lub dachy sąsiadów. Zamknięte zostały wszystkie palestyńskie sklepy na ulicy.

25 lutego 2010r. działacze i organizacje z całego świata, w ramach kampanii „Open Shuhada Street” pragną wyrazić solidarność z palestyńskimi mieszkańcami Hebronu poprzez lokalne akcje protestacyjne oraz petycje skierowane do rządu izraelskiego.

Nasze postulaty:

– Otwarcie ulicy Shuhada dla palestyńskiego ruchu i handlu
- Pełne prawa obywatelskie dla wszystkich Izraelczyków i Palestyńczyków
- Zakończenie okupacji

Więcej informacji na stronie:

http://www.openshuhadastreet.org/

Co możesz zrobić?

Podpisz petycję do premiera Izraela na stronie:

http://www.petitiononline.com/shuhada/petition.html

Young Israelis reject the military service - see why

Many young Israelis who decide not to go to the military service because of their beliefs are sent to jail. See why they made such decision. See what they wanna tell us.

New Profile is an Israeli organization that promotes demilitarization of Israel. They also help the young imprisoned conscienscious objectors.
To learn more about how the Israeli society is highly militarized and what the organization does, please visit: http://www.newprofile.org/english/

Mr. Netanyahu's speech - another "generous offer"

/Photo: One of the many Israeli colonies spread in the Palestinian Territory (West Bank). Next to it Palestinian boys riding a donkey. Currently there are around 400 000 settlers living in these isolated enclaves./

I carefully listened to Mr. Netanyahu’s speech, hoping for a change. Naïve me.
Most TV stations and analysts, to my surprise, pronounced this a breakthrough or a shift in the peace process. I wonder if we were listening to the same speech.

To me, Mr. Netanyahu's speech brought nothing new. Indeed he says he wants to reach out for peace and is ready to negotiate, these are very nice and promising words.
The conditions he establishes however, are clear to the people that are familiar with the facts on the ground. Firstly, he is talking about the Jewish state, while 20% of Israeli citizens are Palestinians or Israeli Arabs (depending who says it), it makes them second class citizens. Secondly, saying that the "refugee issue is to be resolved outside of Israel's borders", means taking no accountability whatsoever for the refugees' fate Israel (and of course the international community) is responsible for. And last but definitely not least, the topic of the Israeli settlers, which deserves another paragraph.

I have been living in Hebron and witnessed what occupation means and who the settlers are. And trust me they are anything but bridges to peace. Settler violence is known to all Palestinians living in the West Bank, of course Hebron being the special case. Mr. Netaniahu's saying settlers are "pioneers and people of principle" is actually true but the principle he is supporting here is taking all means to regain the "land God promised to them" as the settlers say themselves, which translates into expropriating public or private Palestinian land and intimidating Palestinians to move out with multiple methods from verbal harassment to stone throwing, olive tree burning, setting cars and houses on fire, shooting (which I all witnessed myself). This is combined with the impunity the settlers have and Palestinian defenselessness (over 90% of settler violence incidents are not punished). I could write pages about it. Forgive my bitterness but living in Hebron one almost can't believe a situation like this can be taking place. (Just to be fair, apart from these ideological settlers there is a whole lot of so called economical settlers who live in the West Bank only because they are encouraged by the state with cheaper rent and better living conditions.)

Netaniahu says settlements will stay there. How then a viable Palestinian State could exist with a net of settler only road infrastructure. An independent Palestinian state with this separation and Israeli colonies inside is just not feasible. This, to me, means occupation won’t end because the settlers, as it happens now, will need to be protected.

And lastly, in relation to Mr. Netanyahu's call for demilitarization of the Palestinian state, I wonder if the settlers will be desarmed as well. I honestly don't believe that will happen.

Settler kids throwing stones at us in Hebron

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-bySD9nCYM

All I saw but told by a professional!

I know people can't be aware of every conflict on earth and study all of them in detail.
So here you have a resume of what you should know!
This is exactly the reality I and my fellow volunteers experienced in Palestine/Israel now.
Nothing is exagerrated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tor75dMABi8

Only now...

It is only now, after almost two weeks after coming home, that I am able to sort out my photos from Hebron. The emotional load is still there but at least I can look at them and talk to people about my experience. Experience - this is the key word. And it is first-hand. Although for some even the I-was-there-and-saw thing is not convincing enough.

But I will continue doing my little steps. Showing. Telling. Asking questions. Discovering.
Also here on the blog: I will continue writing all these untold stories.
I do it for me. I will not solve the conflict. But I will be happier with myself.

Does it make sense?

After coming back and facing the people who do not have the experience I had I started to realize there is a big wall I wont easily brake. It is very frustrating to hear these pre-formulated sentences people repeat after the mainstream media.

Does it make sense to put energy in changing public opinion?

Double standards

We visit this Palestinian family every Saturday. This is when settlers usually attack - on their holy day of the Shabat. The house is being attacked a lot more than the neighboring houses and the family is wondering why. The reason might be that the father of the family owns a lot of land in the area and also the house is very big. It could be also a strategic point as it is located between the Kiryat Arba settlement and the Givat Ha'avot settlement.

Photo: A Palestinian house frequently attacked by settlers; In the upper part of the picture the houses of Kiryat Arba settlement can be seen.

What is interesting, the Israeli police station is just in a hundred meters away, and apart from many complains, nothing is done and settlers are never accounted for what they do. However if the Palestinians try to, God forbid, defend themselves they would be immediately arrested.
Now the only weapon the family has is a video camera, distributed by B'tzelem, an Israeli human rights organization, within a project called 'Shooting Back'. The one who mainly 'shoots' videos is a young girl. She says after so many attacks she is not afraid of the settlers anymore.

Photo: Givat Ha'avot settlement

Also on the Palestinian land, between the two settlements, a tent synagogue was built with a paved path between the settlements, like if the settlers could not pray elsewhere inside the settlements. Now the Palestinians cant even walk around it and when they did once, they were arrested.

If you have doubts about Gaza

'Phosphorus shells' hit Gaza UN school

John Ging, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), describes the moments and aftermath of an Israeli strike on a UN school, designated as a shelter, in Beit Lahiya.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2009/jan/21/gaza-israelandthepalestinians

Ahlan wa Sahlan

Ahlan wa Sahlan (welcome) - probably the most common expression I have heard here. You might even say it is overused but it shows how deeply hospitality is rooted in the Arabic culture. Polish people are also famous for their hospitality but comparing to the Palestinians, it is really nothing.

Maybe this is why it is so easy to feel here like at home. And maybe this precisely makes so many people come back to Palestine again and again....

Petting the donkey or seam zone watch

5.30 a.m. Susan and I are heading to the Agricultural Gate. I is supposed to be open at 6. The farmers already gathered and are waiting to be able to cross for a few hours to their land that they have been working on for generations. After the Separation Barrier was built that land is not theirs anymore and is located now in the so called Seam Zone (see explanations below). They need special permits to be able to access it. Even that is many times denied to them, the gate is open with a delay of sometimes even a few hours.


Photo: Waiting for the gate to be open. Farmers make fire to keep warm.

Photo: Soldiers open the gate with a delay


Photo: Gate is open. Now the permits will be carefully checked.

Photo: Permits that need to be shown. This time only few farmers are allowed to pass due to West Bank closure imposed because of Gaza war.





Some explanations (source UNOCHA):

• SEAM ZONE - the area that lies between the Barrier and the Green Line in the northern
  West Bank, which was declared closed by Israeli military order in 2003.
  Palestinians now require permits to either live in or access this area and
  passage is permitted only through designated gates in the Barrier.

• GREEN LINE - the 1949 Armistice Line, which serves as the internationally recognized
  boundary between Israel and the West Bank.

• SEPARATION BARRIER - a complex series of concrete walls, electronic fences, observation towers, trenches, patrol roads and razor wire constructed by Israel around and in the West Bank. Upon completion, the Barrier will isolate some 9.5% of the West
  Bank, including East Jerusalem, while physically connecting it to Israel. In
  July 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that the route of the Barrier
  that lies in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem—some 90% of
  the route—is illegal

Huwwara checkpoint: it would seem to be nothing

Photo: Palestinians waiting to be checked by the Israeli soldiers at the Huwwara checkpoint at the exit of the city of Nablus.

Huwwara is on of the 7 big checkpoints surrounding the city of Nablus. There is no other way in or out of the city than crossing them. If you work or study in Nablus and live in the outskirts, waiting in line sometimes for hours is your daily experience.

When you see Huwwara there is an inevitable association to industrial cattle corridors. It is particularly crowded on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings when students go home for the weekend (Friday and Sutarday). Today it was rather a usual number of people and still it was quite an unpleasant experience. On my own, with a backpack, I suddenly found myself among a crowd of people squeezed between two metal barriers. Like cattle. Although many times I was told about it and shown pictures, to really understand one must go through it. But what for me was a one-time travel experience, for all these people it is daily life.


After crossing this checkpoint I felt like crying. When I reached the soldier, he briefly asked me where I am going and said "Have a nice day". So ironic, I thought. I will be honest with you, I have not been crying here even while hearing stories of people being shot and witnessing settlers attacking old people. But seeing this constant humiliation broke something in me. I had to hold up tears to hop on the litte yellow 'service' and continue my travel.

A young man sits next to me asks: -Have you seen this? What do you think?
Well, there is not much I can say. I try to express my disagreement with the situation and explain our work as a programme. He seems very depressed and says:
-You know you cannot do anything for us, don't you? I know that people in Europe have no idea about this and think we are the terrorists.
- "No, not all of them, some of them know.....".
Before getting off the bus he writes his email address on a little peace of paper and hands it to me.
-Please, write to me and tell me what your people said about it!

Dear all, lets give this man some hope, he is a lawyer and goes through Huwwara every single day, having to raise his shirt up to show he does not have explosives.
Feel free to leave your comments here or send them to my email, and I will be more than happy to forward them to him. Thank you.

Dear Obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcGm-gxmxHw

Please watch this.

Gaza: just a stone throw away (by Karin Luedi)

No question - while our mind tells us that there are quite a few kilometres between us and Gaza, the traces of the war are clearly visible in Hebron. Hardly anyone of the people we talk to does not have family or friends living there, and even if they do not, they still suffer with the Gazans as if they were their own brothers and sisters. Students tell us how hard it was for them to concentrate on their exams for the last two weeks, and a few of them cannot keep back their tears. More often than not, I get the impression that the people we talk to try to keep up some of their previous lightness, just for us. There are moments, however, when we see people on the street, or even our closest contacts broken – the same ones who, during the violent settlers’ attacks just a few weeks ago, seemed so matchlessly strong and invulnerable. Helplessly, in the midst of discussing, we often fall silent, together with them. – Yesterday afternoon, a 15 year old boy was shot by IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) during a demonstration in Hebron against the war in Gaza. He had thrown stones (according to the media report), and he was standing next to one of our local contacts.

All of a sudden, Gaza has become just a stone’s throw away from us, and yesterday’s death toll from the war in Gaza has increased by one.

Photos: non-violent demonstration of teachers of Hebron against the war on Gaza

Tulkarem and two very special ladies

When I arrived in Tulkarem what stroke me is that it is so different from Hebron. Difficult to explain how.





Anyway, I was so warmly welcomed by my colleagues Susan and Ana and from the very first moment I was made very comfortable. Here I would like to stress how much I admire and appreciate them . Thinking of human rights activists you probably imagine crazy young people. Susan and Ana are at least my parents' age and you can tell that they really enjoy so much being here. I hope in a couple of years I will still have as much hope and strength as they do now.
Thank you!


Photo: Susan and her favourite steps in Tulkarem :)


Photo: Tulkarem Univ. Playing football in the shadow of the Wall.

On the road

Today I went to a placement visit - to see what my colleagues from EAPPI do in other locations. I chose Tulkarem because the problems people face here differ completely from the ones in Hebron.

Around noon I took a 'service' (little yellow van - means of public transportation) to Betlehem. In Betlehem, after the bus got full we left to Ramallah and finally in Ramallah I hopped on a 'service' to Tulkarm. As today is Friday most of the shops are closed and there is less traffic on the road.

Photo: Friday prayer in Hebron

We were luckily not stopped for longer at any checkpoint but had to take a longer route as there were some clashes around Qalandia checkpoint close to Ramallah.



There was news on the radio people on the bus were listening to. -There is a demonstration in Ramallah- they tell me. -What are they shouting- I ask. - Unity between Fatah and Hamas! The people of Gaza are precious to us!

I enjoy so much traveling on my own in the West Bank. I admire the views. I can practice my Arabic, observe the people and ask whatever questions might come to my mind. Somehow these little busses create an atmosphere of intimacy and people open up very easily to share their opinions and ideas on any subject. Some of the most interesting conversation I had, were on the bus.



Bust most of all, traveling with a 'service' inspires me a lot. Suddenly my mind is so clear and there are million topics and ideas I want to spread to the world. Maybe it is this feeling of freedom that traveling gives you. This feeling of freedom of movement that, in the bigger picture, has been taken away from the Palestinians.

To the Wall, may it Fall!

....as one of my friends always says when having a toast.....

Traveling through the West Bank you can see the Wall, Separation Barrier or whatever name you give it, every now and then. And it always leaves the same bitter impression. It has cut some people off from their relatives and friends, from their agricultural land but it has not killed yet creativity. All different kinds of writings and graffiti are the way for people to express their anger and disappointment.










But when traveling on the Israeli roads it is not so easy to see the wall. It may be covered with earth, decorated or look more like a sound screen. Not to disturb the view.