Day 2: The Wall, Water, and Palestinian Rappers

So if you recall, I mentioned the insidious wall yesterday. Today, we visited a Palestinian family whose home is completely surrounded by the wall. Their home, which the husband built and in which the wife has lived for the full 27 years of her marriage, is outside the village of Mas'ha. Pre-wall,the family owned the house, surrounding land, a farm, greenhouses on the land, chickens, goats and a restaurant. When it came time to construct the wall in this part of the West Bank, the Israeli Army informed the family that they needed to vacate the home and the land because the honme was to be demolished so that the wall could be built on their land. The family refused. With the help of human rights organizations protesting outside their home, and often chaining themselves to the Army's bulldozers, the family has managed to remain in their home but the greenhouses, the animals, the restaurant are all gone, as is the family's livelihood. The house is surrounded by the wall, which is a locked, activated sort of double fence in this area. A key is needed to get in or out of both gates. The family finally obtained the key to the inside fence but the Army controls the outside fence. So, for example, one day the children came home from school and could not get inside the outer fence nor could the mother get to the children because she only had the key to the inner fence. I have attached picture to try and give you a visual of how they are surrounded but I am not sure the true effect comes through - you may have to take my word for this stunning situation.

But this does not end this saga. If the family misbehaves, the soldiers confiscate the key, which means the family is locked up in their own home (or locked out, for those family members not at home when the key is confiscated). Misbehaving has included, in the past, having visitors. Because there are cameras on the fence surrounding the home, the Army knows everything the family does. The mother told us this is the worst part of her situation, being watched at all times. Despite the risk, and despite having faced the armed soldiers, the family continues to welcome guests (and, consistent with Palestinian tradition, serve refreshments as well). And if the family has a medical emergency, they are on their own, as there is a possibility they will not be able to get out and no medical personnel in.

Medical emergencies arise, for example, when the settlers directly on the other side of the wall (there is always a settlement on the other side of the wall) throw rocks at the family members, hitting one small son in the head. Some nights, the mother wakes up to the sound of rocks hitting her windows. She stays quiet, feeling like she may have a heart attack, until the noise stops

Sometimes, the Army welds the lock shut and no key will work. Why does the family stay then? Why does the family have visitors? Why does the family take on the Israeli Army? Because, the mother told us, giving in to one demand is the equivalent of surrender and the result would be that the fanily would be at the Army's mercy. Mercy is in short supply in the Israeli Army.

Consistently, traveling through the West Bank, one understands by seeing the wall that the purpose cannot possibly be security. All along the wall are the settlements, confiscating Palestinian land, usurping the water, dividing villages, preventing Palestinians from having access to any unconfiscated land or, in this family's case, from leaving their home.

So now lets talk about water. We met with the Palestinian Hydrology Group. Here, I can just bullet point for you:

- the Palestinians contribute 50% of the water supply in the area but are allocated only 8.2% for use and then charged for the use of the water.
- the settlements are all located on hill tops, which means they grab the water and prevent it from running down hill to the villages. What does run down hill is the sewage from the settlements - contaminating any water that does reach the villages.
- if the wall proposed by the Council of Settlements is completed, Israel will have 70% of the surface water supply.
- simultaneously, the wall blocks water in certain villages, causing flooding that never existed pre-wall.
- the wall has confiscated 26 Palestinian wells and 15 springs. The Israeli government does not allow the Palestinians to build any new wells in the West Bank.

I cannot even cover the water situation in Gaza in such a short space. Suffice it to say that water, what humans need most to survive, is amongst that which the Israeli government in general, and the settlements in particular, is confiscating from the Palestinians, a situation which is creating a humanitarian crisis, especially in Gaza but clearly in the West Bank as well.

Ok, I know this is rough, but bear with me because THIS is important. Nonviolent resistence, the lack of which is always the criticism of Palestinians. They are all suicide bombers waiting for their chance to murder innocents, right? Wrong. Besides being amongst the most hospitable people I have ever met, today we met with Issa Souf. Issa is a nonviolent activist who is paralyzed from the waist down. He was paralyzed when, in 2001, soldiers were tear gassing his village and, running out to gather the small children, he was shot in the back, left to bleed for a while until the Israeli soldiers decided to let his brothers carry him to medical care. I will leave you to read his story, published in Ha'aretz and found at www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/448709.html. This is a human being, stuck in a wheelchair for life and, instead of being angry and bitter and preaching revenge, continues to tell his story and work for a nonviolent solution. I am not sure I could conduct myself in such a graceful manner in his situation. PS. he brought a civil suit against the Israeli Army and won a monetary settlement.

Finally tonight we saw a movie entitled "Slingshot Hiphop," the story of the growing rap music movement inside the Occupied Territories. I cannot put in words, really, what this was like to witness. The inspiration and hope that these youths carry (this from someone who is not a fan of rap whatsoever, mind you) was again so contrary to what we read about in the US media and so unbelievably positive given their dire circumstances, and the story of what is happening in the Occupied Territories so brought to life in the film, that I bought two copies of the DVD.

For those of you in Michigan, Josh will have one copy, with the promise that he is to host a viewing party (I will provide the beer). We will have one copy in New York. Both copies will be available for viewers in other states.

Ok, as it is 11:35 pm here and we are leaving for yet another stunning day tomorrow at 8 a.m., I must sign off now. Please, please email me with questions - in order to create a reasonably readable blog, I have only included a portion of what we are seeing and doing here.