Reflections of Summer Peace Team Member

Reflections of Summer Peace Team Member

Glimpse of Life in an Occupied Country

Life in an occupied country is an experience no one should have. It is like living in a potential war zone night and day. One is continually alert and tense regarding one's every action.

Three of us from Michigan Peace Team were sleeping at night in the outpost camp to maintain their claim on Palestinian land illegally taken by the Israelis for building settlements. This land case was soon to be decided by the Israeli High Court.

In the early hours in the morning, we were awakened by gun fire from the nearby village of Bil'in. A call from our team members there confirmed that there was an Israeli army incursion into the village. As we three talked quietly in the moonlight, two young Palestinian men coming from the village through the check point approached us. Esam [not his real name] said he had not slept for three nights worrying about the situation in the village and in Gaza. He had left the village before the incursion, but was considering returning. He consulted us, but when we heard he had cell phoned his mother, we asked what she had to say. Her advice had been to stay in the outpost. So our suggestion was to follow his mother's recommendation. The two young men spent the rest of the night sleeping safely on the mats near us in the outpost.

A couple weeks later we were thrilled to meet him in the village and be introduced to his lovely mother. Palestinian parents worry about their children who at any time could be involved in an encounter with young, machine-gun-carrying Israeli soldiers.

One Sunday, two us waited in line 1 1/2 hours in the Old Jerusalem post office to buy shipping boxes.
In the line next to us among a group of three to four young Palestinian men, one began to hassle another rather volatile-looking lad. Quietly, but quickly an older white haired man came to the group and quieted them down.
A few minutes later, a young black Palestinian man near us moved over to talk to the agitator. This was a common scene in our time in Palestine. Every Palestinian conditioned themselves to maintain a controlled behavior because Israeli soldiers could arrest them with little cause. From an early age children learned this conditioning.

Most Palestinian people have responded to the occupation with nonviolence. The village of Bil'in, home of the "Palestinian Gandhis", has for almost two years had weekly nonviolent protests against the wall separating their village land. The courage and creative spirit of the people of Bil'in and the Palestinian organization with whom we worked and the boldness of both the international and the Israeli peace activists were inspiring. Abdullah, the leader of the nonviolent action from Bil'in was a man of strong character and deep commitment. The twenty-three year old man from Sweden who coordinated the action with him had exceptional maturity and dedication. Both men were often in the front line in these nonviolent actions against the wall.

Each Friday, Bil'in planned creative actions with the villagers, other Palestinian peace activists, and Israeli and international activists [including Americans youth] who came to confront the presence of the wall and the continued land grabs for building Israeli settlements. Some MPTers were present for two of four demonstrations in the time we were there. Each Friday was different. The first Friday, we wore orange sacks on our heads, to protest the treatment of Palestinian prisoners. The next Friday, a group got past barbwire fences into the settlement on the hill and put a Palestinian flag out an unoccupied apartment window. The third Friday, a Basque band from Spain joined the marchers to the high wire fences. The fourth Friday, there was a wedding of a wonderfully alive Palestinian activist and a Palestinian-American. This couple formed part of the front line facing the Israeli soldiers. The bride took the opportunity to lecture the soldiers.

All the demonstrations began with all of us - Palestinian activists with Israeli and international activists followed by villagers marching, singing and dancing up and down the hills to the high wall of barbed wire fencing. Every demonstration ended with soldiers volleying tear gas, sound bombs, and rubber bullets (with steel cores) and the resulting injuries. The Basque band with cow bells on their outfits could have provided an afternoon concert for all, but they were routed by the Israeli soldiers just after they reached the wall.

Many times the Palestinians told us to tell the American people that the Palestinians were not terrorists. They felt like the world had forgotten them or saw them as the aggressors rather than the victims of occupation.

My experience with the Palestinian people in two different villages brought out many thoughts and emotions. I loved the deep humanity of the Palestinians - a joyful and loving people who did not hate Israelis, but wanted to be treated with dignity and respect. They wisely saw the psychological destruction the occupation was doing to both Israel and Palestine society. They yearned for peace with justice after nearly 70 years of warring.

I sadly remembered the involvement of the USA government in the Middle East - in Iraq and Lebanon and in our foreign aid of $5 billion a year to support Israel. These emotions were overwhelming at times. I long for Palestinian children to be able to play freely without fear. I long for Israeli children to grow up not as soldiers, but free of fear of their neighbors.