Night of Power, Day of Rage

  As the fragile ceasefire in place on Saturday was in effect, the citizens of Gaza temporarily opened banks, searched for survivors and counted the dead. That day followed an unprecedented turn out of Palestinians in the West Bank in support for Gaza on Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power) and the ‘Day of Rage’. On Thursday night, the date during Ramadan that marks when the Prophet Muhammad revealed the first verses of the Quran, tens of thousands of people around the West Bank were on the streets venting their frustration and anger at the deaths of their brothers and sisters in Gaza.

  The most remarkable show of this feeling was seen in Ramallah where the focus was on Qalandia checkpoint near Jerusalem. The swathes of people amassing at the checkpoint inevitably turned violent with Israeli forces and the Al-Aqsa Brigade exchanged live fire and two Palestinians were killed. Friday was declared a ‘Day of Rage’ by the Palestinians with protests and more clashes occurring all over the West Bank.

The '#48k' March heading to Qalandia Chekpoint

  Myself and the other volunteer here were staying in east Jerusalem and as the last Friday of Ramadan broke, we heard reports that Al-Aqsa Mosque was closed to all except over 50’s. The whole of east Jerusalem had a repulsive smell as the police had used and dispersing measure colloquially termed ‘skunk water’. This putrid chemical is thrown over buildings and roads to dissuade Palestinians amassing together. Police and army were all around the old city, setting up roadblocks and deploying water cannons effectively separating east Jerusalem from the rest. We managed to get back to Abu Dis in the evening and were met with the smell of tear gas that had been used extensively by the army.

Police block roads from east Jerusalem to the Old City

One of dozens of spent rubber bullet casings littering the streets of Abu Dis

  As the bombings and ground operations in Gaza have resumed, the frustration and anger of Palestinians in the West Bank endure. How this manifests itself in the days to come remains to be seen. What is certain is that the pictures and stories seen and heard about the situation in Gaza shows the suffering Gazans are enduring and how it cannot continue at the behest of a government claiming it as self-defence.

Army Incursions into Abu Dis - A Video

This video from the Independent Media Centre shows what occurs in Abu Dis almost every night. What is shown in the first couple of minutes is a march of solidarity for the people of Gaza. What occurs after shows the army firing rubber bullets and tear gas before entering a home and arresting two people. The journalist filming the event is then subsequently arrested himself as caught on film. This was filmed outside Dar Assadaqa.




http://www.imcpal.ps/news/?p=42742 retrieved on 23rd July 2014

The Blame Game

  The 'who's to blame' argument gets brought up continuously in the discussion of Israel and Palestine. I see posts on Facebook and Twitter, articles in newspapers and online, blogs and general discussion every day as to which side is more culpable. It seems that there is very little hope of finding a consensus on the subject of who is more to blame for the situation as it is today. Supporters of each side have their version of what atrocities occurred and who was the aggressor during the formation of Israel. What is more important is what is actually happening on the ground now. Are human rights being abused? Are acts being committed in violation of international law? The answer to both of these questions is yes.

  Palestinians have been living under occupation for over 40 years with systematic human rights abuses committed against them. A separation wall has been built and continued settlement construction occurs, both illegal under international law. No one denies that rockets are being fired at Israel by Hamas but the severity of response due to the concept of ‘needing to defend oneself’ is wholly disproportionate. The Israeli government is continuing to occupy the West Bank and maintaining the blockade on Gaza. That is not self-protection, it is collective punishment of all Palestinians and is just unfathomable and unjust in whatever context you think of.

   Myself and the other volunteers meet people every day that have been arrested and put in jail with no charge, who have been shot or injured by the army, or know someone that has been killed. These events aren't isolated incidents, they happen almost daily and have been for over 40 years. The wall cuts through the middle of the town and people have told me their friends are on the other side and they haven't seen since the wall was erected, or they cannot visit the mosque in Jerusalem during Ramadan or even that the checkpoints refuse to let ambulances through.

  This is not some historical contextual argument to decide who is better or worse, that discussion will be argued by the different sides indefinitely. Yet that argument is a moot discussion when faced with the reality as it is for Palestine right now. A reality that millions of Palestinians are living in which is now into its 2^nd and 3^rd generation with people dying every day. The ‘blame game’ of past events can be played but it pales in comparison to the continued human rights abuses, transgressions of international law and the deaths of innocent people that currently occur. 

The Reasons and Excuses

  The pounding of Gaza with bombs continues with the death toll now reaching over 150 men, women and children. Casualty inducing raids and army incursions are continuing in the West Bank on a daily basis. It’s a grim situation in this part of the world, especially if you’re a Palestinian.

  Here in Abu Dis, the army presence is becoming an almost habitual routine. Around the time of Iftar (breaking of the fast during Ramadan), the army will make its way to the University at the top of the main street. What follows is a tear gas, rubber bullet and stone throwing standoff for a few hours before the army move out. It’s become such a familiar sequence of events that the owner of one of the houses next to Dar Assadaqa that is taken over every evening for ‘strategic purposes’, suggested to the army that he and his family should just move out and make his home a new army base.

  These clashes are all too common but not without consequence. Last night, an 18 year old Palestinian student was shot in the head with a rubber bullet. As the ambulance was taking him to Ramallah hospital, they were stop but an Israeli flying checkpoint. What followed seems to just defy any logical sense to most human beings. The army and police held up the ambulance, took the keys, confiscated all identity cards and made them wait at the side of the road. It was only after half an hour of pressure from the paramedics, human rights groups and other organisations that the authorities finally let them pass. It’s hard to believe in any situation when there is a person with an injury as serious as a bullet wound to the head, would be denied medical treatment for half an hour by anyone, whether you regard them as an enemy or otherwise.

  To Gaza, where the constant bombing and deaths of hundreds of civilians is relentless. The moral high ground claimed by the Israeli government is one of self-defence and retaliation rather than attack and instigation. What is often not mentioned is that the instigation has been occurring for weeks, months and years before the recent events. Over the past month alone, well over 1000 Palestinians have been arrested or re-arrested with no charge and 8 people were killed. The constant barrage of news reports and word of mouth anecdotes of casualties in the West Bank and Gaza over the years must simply be unfathomable to foreigners. “What other nation would put up with rocket fire without retaliation?” is a phrase heard often in defence of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, but what nation would put up with constant occupation and human rights abuses from said occupiers?

  Targeting civilians is morally unjust in every scenario one can imagine. There’s never a valid excuse for it but there is always a reason. The rockets being fired from Gaza by Hamas and the reasons behind them are plain to see. Living under siege, no access to adequate resources, no freedom of movement, and the list goes on. The reasons for the assault on Gaza and the actions of the army in the West Bank, not just this past month but for decades past, are given by the Israeli government as self-defence of its population. This reason cannot and will never wash as any moral excuse for the treatment, occupation and death of so many innocent Palestinians.

Local youths prepare for the inevitable army incursion

Volunteers from the Red Crescent present to tend casualties

An IDF soldier takes position next to Al Quds University

Adam Eriqat was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during clashes in Adu Dis

Fear

When I came to Palestine over a week ago I was in the mindset that I am practically entering a post war zone. I knew it wouldn't exactly be safe or a walk in the park after talking to Palestinian students I met in January.

After a week of being here, 'post' war zone couldn't be further from the truth. With what's happened with the 3 israeli teens being killed ALLEGEDLY by Palestinians and the brutality and murder carried out by the Israelis, it's much more of a pre war zone. There are many clashes all over Palestine. All of a sudden, most of my Facebook friends and the groups and pages I follow are sharing and writing posts in support of Palestine condemning the actions of the Israelis showing the scale of people this has reached.

Being here in Abu Dis it is not the centre of the conflict but the incidents have been getting closer and closer. Clashes are taking place in Abu Dis and I keep myself away. My family and friends back home all tell me to just come home asap. Many people I have met here have talked about how a potential uprising is imminent and that the indicators are there. Life in Abu Dis continues to go on. We go to work in the morning and open the fast in the evening and see our friends. But lately clashes are on the rise. There have been a few helicopters passing over this week and the way the Israelis bomb Gaza and the way the media backs them up I can't help but worry that what if we were bombed now? England wouldn't go against Israel, they'd get get a slapped wrist and call it an accident or something like that. Only yesterdat in Abu Dis there was a car with a sort of megaphone and speaker system driving around apparently urging people to stand up for Palestine. At night there was a standoff between locals and the israeli army and army though nothing significant took place, the numbers of people who showed up was quite large. The very next morning, today, Israel killed another 9 people in Gaza and 2 in shofat. So who knows what will happen next?

What is surreal is the genuine threat there is out here. When passing a checkpoint or a guard, I can't help but wonder that this is a trigger happy moron who would love an excuse to beat the daylights out of me or worse for being a Muslim and pro Palestine.  Over the years I've heard of foreign people being hurt or killed out here like reporters being mowed down by a tank. Even if such incidents are rare or one off, I can't help but think, what if I'm the next "one off". Initially I wasn't fearful, I'd downplay anything people from back home would say to me. I'd think yeah Palestine is pretty dangerous but then realise I am in Palestine, so I can't imagine how my mother must feel every time she hears something about Palestine. Over the last couple of days, the fear is creeping in. It seems so dangerous now and it's ramadan. Palestinians are more reserved and have little energy in this month. What will happen when ramadan ends? I fear being caught up in a war.

Tension

  There is tension all across the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Since the murders of the three Israeli teens and the Palestinian boy from East Jerusalem, incidents, protests and clashes are occurring daily in towns and cities across the region. There are reports of settlers and Israeli nationalists seeking out Palestinians, mass operations and arrests by the army, and Palestinians seeking out settlers and the army for confrontations.

  Last night the army entered Abu Dis once again. There were calls throughout the day from a car fitted with a loudspeaker, lamenting the continued occupation and organising a demonstration that evening at the wall. The army promptly responded.

  The university was raided and the security staff taken and locked up in a room while the army conducted their search. There were hundreds of Palestinians, mostly young men, all along the main road in Abu Dis. Stones were being thrown and fireworks aimed at the army who responded with rubber bullets. The locals had also blocked the roads going into the centre with rubbish skips to prevent the army from entering further. The army then moved off to enter the town through a different route and the protesters moved on to the local army base where they were met with more rubber bullets and tear gas.

  It seems that this is the only form of resistance that is available to many Palestinians. A form of resistance that many have grown up with under occupation, it’s become part of their psyche. This is such a normal part of resisting occupation that parents teach toddlers how to throw stones because it will be useful when they grow up.

   Yet Palestinians don’t live in glass houses, they live under collective punishment in a prison where most will never be able to leave. The prison is made of walls, checkpoints and army bases. Throwing stones to try and smash their way out of this prison is the only option many Palestinians see themselves having but the walls don’t seem to shatter and the cycle of violence continues. 

Local Palestinians blocking the main road into Abu Dis during army confrontation.

First visit to Al Aqsa Mosque

On Saturday 5^th July, I visited the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. I was hoping to spend quite a while there and being the only Muslim in the group I would have to make the trip on my own. My friend Khaled, from Abu Dis, arranged for his friend, from Jerusalem,  to meet me in the Jerusalem bus station and show me  around the Old City and Al Aqsa mosque. I did not even know this person, nor did Khaled have to make such arrangements, yet it once again highlights the kind and generous nature of the people of Palestine. So Khaled accompanied me to the bus in Abu Dis and made sure I got on the bus and ready to go before he left. He was unable to come to Jerusalem as nobody in Abu Dis has the permits to enter the area. He constantly phoned me checking where I was and that all was well. So after about 20 minutes of waiting for passengers to fill the bus, I was on my way.

 

 

En route to Jerusalem, we passed a checkpoint, Alzayim I think it may have been called. The bus pulled over in the checkpoint and the majority of the people got off the bus and queued up to have their passes checked. One of the soldiers got on the bus and checked peoples passport, he said something to me I just shrugged and showed him my passport because I didn’t know what he said. I was watching the people in the queue and they were showing their passes to the soldier and they were passing fairly quickly. There was a Palestinian lady among them who showed her pass but did not look him in the eye because she just wanted to get back on the bus and go. The soldier stopped her and stared at her and her pass for a few long seconds, clearly making her feel uncomfortable then let her go. All passengers on our bus were able to continue the journey. The soldier was carrying someone’s green pass, it was a Palestinian mans who was standing near the soldiers looking helpless and fed up. They harass anybody they feel like based on their bogus set of rules.

        

I arrived at the Jerusalem bus station and saw Khaleds friend Muhammad waiting there for me with his friend. They walked me to the Damascus Gates and through the Old City markets. They looked lively and colourful, you get a sense of what it must have been like in the old times, like you see in the movies. There were soldiers stationed every 100 meters or so and generally in pairs and as we arrived at the Al Aqsa gate, I got some strange looks from the soldiers stationed there.

 

WOW! I entered the grounds of the Al Aqsa mosque and it was breathtaking. It was overwhelming. As a Muslim I cannot stress the significance and the actual feelings of being in such a sacred place, especially after reading deeper into the history and significance of the place in Islam. Muhammads friend left us and Muhammad showed me around. I learned that everything within the walls of the Al Aqsa region, so even the grounds outside of the Dome of the Rock ad Qibli mosque, are all part of the Al Aqsa mosque and people can pray anywhere here. I saw men, women, children and families everywhere. People were happy and the children were playing. I learned that the Dome of the Rock was for women to pray and Qibli was for men, although I am unsure whether it is just for the prayers in Ramadan or all year round. The view was amazing over the side walls. There are public wudh (ablution) areas and drinking fountains. It is easy for one to get lost in amazement here and forget about everything going on.

 

 

What I found particularly heart warming was how organisations set up iftars for the public and anyone can join them without having to pay. I would love to join them sometime but today Muhammad invited me to do iftar at his house. So I soaked in what I could of Al Aqsa and headed to his place for iftar. There, he introduced me to his older brother Omar who welcomed me with open arms and incredible hospitality. I was a complete stranger to these folks yet by the time we left I felt as though these people are my close friends. One thing I noticed and they told me was there is a loud bang, like a cannon, to signify the opening and closing of the fast. After we had eaten we prayed together and then left to go back to Al Aqsa mosque to perform the night prayer.

 

We met some of their friends on the way who were also headed to the mosque. We passed some soldiers who walked past us quite quickly with their helmets on. Omar told me the helmets being on signify they’re looking to arrest someone. We go to Al Aqsa and the prayer had started. There were thousands of people praying there, some inside and some outside. We joined the prayer, Muhammad accompanied me into the Qibli mosque as I wanted to pray inside it. It was a truly amazing experience to be able to pray there. After the prayers we went out and met some of Omar and Muhammads friends who were all very welcoming. As there was no buses running this late, Muhammad and his brother and friends drove me all the way back to my place in Abu Dis.

 

 

Upon looking back at the photographs I had taken at Al Aqsa, it feels almost like a dream. Having seen the place so much in pictures and then looking at mine made it feel almost too good to be true. When I got back Khaled said to me, “I will not ask you how it was, I know you will not be able to describe the feeling”. He was right.