How can you send love with a missile?

writing from Shatila refugee camp, Beirut, Electronic Lebanon, 6 August 2006

My name is Usama Abu el-Sheikh, and I am from Tabaria, Palestine. I am of course a refugee and have never been to my hometown in Palestine though I learned about it from my grandparents and I read some books about it. I have never been to Tabaria, but I am Tabarian, and will remain so, as I am from Shatila too and will remain so. Although I always dreamt of corresponding with my country and my hometown to see if I still have relatives there, I was unable to because there is no mail between Lebanon and the State of Israel. Ironically, only the missiles of Hizbullah can be sent to Israel. We are not allowed to return, but the missiles go where we cannot. But how can you send love to Tabaria with a missile?

I am nineteen now, and I grew up in Shatila camp. As a child I wanted to be many things, sometimes a doctor, other times an engineer or a journalist. As a child, you know, I could dream whatever I wanted to and I wanted to be many things. As I was growing up though, my dreams started to be hit by my reality, by my being a refugee in Lebanon where we have no civil rights. Being the oldest son of a widowed mother with seven children and no one to care for after the death of my dad when I was just seven years old, I lived a real struggle inside. My father’s words as he was on his death bed asking me to “care for the family” are words that keep echoing in my head. I got to be the “man of the household” without choosing it, without knowing it. As a child, it was ok, but as I was getting to be a teenager, I wanted always to fulfill this responsibility, always. I was not able to stand the fact that I’m not fulfilling my responsibility as the head of the household. My mum, like all Palestinian mothers, wanted me to get my education. For her it was the way to help the family out, because the identity “educated” is kind of a compensation of our lost identity as Palestinians — not lost in terms of our own feelings but in terms of how the world deals with us. It was hard to focus though, especially because I couldn’t see a future. How could I be a doctor in a country where we have no rights? So I left school, and now I work in a telephone calling shop in the camp.

Maybe you are wondering why I am writing to you about my personal life at a time of war. I just wanted to express that this war reinforced my ideas that what we need is a collective solution for everyone, not individual solutions such as are offered here and there. Just as being “educated” will not replace my loss of identity, a solution for Palestine, separate from Lebanon or Syria or Iraq is not going to be possible. I sit in the camp and think about how much effort is put to separate us all from each other. And now we have the F-16s over our heads joining us together all in one camp. I do not mean Shatila camp, but a much bigger camp for all those whose lives are cheap in this world, the camp of those who die like bugs, the camp for those on whom they test their weapons. As proud as I am of Lebanon’s resistance, I do not think I will be returning to Palestine soon. I will keep sending my love to my hometown in Palestine. I know that the world never hears our cries. But they do hear the roar of the missiles. Can you send love on a missile?

With love from Shatila.

Daily Harassment at Beit Iba Checkpoint


A woman waits after a long line for soldier to approve her passing

by Woody, Miss J and Ernesto

There is continual harrassment and human rights abuses at Beit Iba checkpoint, northwest of Nablus, which connects the largest city in the West Bank to Tulkarem and Jenin. Students and patients travelling in ambulances are routinely stopped, as human rights workers witnessed yesterday, August 7th. One international travelling through the checkpoint was also arrested, apparently for taking pictures.

Human rights workers monitoring the checkpoint reported that three students of Al Najah University were detained by Isaeli soldiers, which means that they were pulled out of line and put into a pen surrounded by razor wire until their name was cleared. It is necessary for these young men to travel through this checkpoint daily in order to attend the university.

There were an additional 15 men detained between 20 minutes and 3 hours. They reported to the internationals that they are detained almost daily because the last four digits of their ID numbers are the same as those of “wanted” individuals (meaning the Israeli army wants to arrest or assasinate these people). Some soldiers acknowledged that these men, many of whom are students, cross the Beit Iba checkpoint daily and are known to not be “wanted”. However, they still could not explain why these men are detained regularly nonetheless.

Ambulances with their lights on were stopped at the vehicle crossing and required to provide documentation and undergo a rigorous inspection in order to clear the checkpoint and transport their patient to the nearest hospital.

The human rights workers spoke with the soldiers on duty and negotiated the crossing of several men across the checkpoint, despite official military orders that no men between the ages of 15 to 35 are allowed to cross under any circumstances. The Israeli authorities claim that it is a security risk to allow men of this age group to cross the checkpoint.

An international woman from Sweden, not working with the group monitoring the checkpoint, but on a tour with a group to Jenin, was arrested. The group noticed a Palestinian man being arrested although he had on a leg brace and said he was on the way to the hospital. She asked the soldiers why he was being held and took some photos after which the soldiers told her to stop or they would call the police. They passed the checkpoint and went to get food and water. When they returned the police had arrived and directly targeted the international who took pictures. The police were very aggressive and informed her that a soldier had filed a complaint against her, which justified her arrest.

The police took her to Qedumim settlement police station and then Ariel settlement police station and threatened to deport her. They asked her to sign papers agreeing she will stay out of the West Bank. She reported that,”They tried to bribe me with offers of ‘only being excluded from Nablus’. I said I wanted to move about freely: ‘Is Israel not a democracy?’ I said. They finally let me go with no papers being signed.”

Rafah’s Remains after “Summer Rains”

“Everybody hopes to have a good life and a future. We love our children, mothers, and fathers, we love our families, like you. And we feel sad when somebody is killed. We are humans of flesh and blood. Think of that for a minute please,” says Fida Qishta a journalist and resident of Rafah, Gaza Strip.

The military withdrew from Rafah early yesterday morning, and returned yesterday night. They are now present at the airport and the outskirts of Rafah. The destruction that they have left behind since last Thursday, August 3rd, consists of 13 killed, including three children one of which was a three-day-old infant. Over 200 dunams of agricultural land, mostly olive and palm trees, have been completely destroyed.

Fida reported that at least 5 buildings are completely annihilated. It is still dangerous to go to areas which have been destroyed to assess the exact damage. Even before this incursion, residents of Rafah have had only 2 hours of water every four days and electricity for one hour each day.

“Never rely just on information from the stronger side,” Fida implores, “Hearts can tell what information is accurate and guide people to the truth. Truth can tell us how to reach justice and peace.”

An additional consequence of Israel beginning its “Operation Summer Rain” in Gaza, was the closure of Rafah Crossing on June 25th, 2006. This has resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian situation for thousands of Palestinians stuck on the Egyptian side of the border crossing and hundreds of travelers stuck inside. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights reports that because of the closure five patients, including 2 women and 3 children, died due to the deterioration of their health, the inability to return to the Gaza Strip, and the inability to refer them for treatment abroad.

The Center also noted in a press release from August 3rd that nearly 7,000 Palestinian travelers are forced to stay in Egypt, including 400 in the exit terminal at the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing. 500 Palestinians returned to the Gaza Strip in exceptional circumstances when the border fence was breached by resistance forces on 14 July 2006. And nearly 6,000 travelers returned to the Strip on 18 July 2006 when Israel allowed the temporary opening of the Rafah Crossing for returnees only.

Nearly 15,000 Palestinians are now waiting for the reopening of the Crossing, including hundreds of families who live abroad and are in the Strip for family visits. They face the threat of losing their residency visas in the countries where they work and live. In addition, hundreds of patients are awaiting the reopening of the Rafah Crossing in order to travel for treatment in Egyptian hospitals for ailments and conditions that cannot be treated in the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of students are waiting for the reopening of the Rafah Crossing in order to resume their studies abroad. And hundreds of recent secondary school graduates who want to pursue university studies abroad are also waiting for the reopening of the Rafah Crossing. The work of governmental and civil society organizations was affected by the closure, especially the areas that require external travel and co-ordination.

Thousands of Gaza Strip residents who traveled abroad before the closure are forced to wait for the opening of the crossing in other countries, especially Egypt.

Israeli Soldiers Treat Palestinians like Animals at Beit Iba Checkpoint


Human rights worker is dragged by Israeli police

by M.W.

On August 5, seven Palestinian men were caged in a detention structure at Beit Iba checkpoint outside Nablus. They included 6 students and one assistant dean from Al-Najah University. All 7 men were given no reason for their detention, and were detained for periods ranging from 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours in duration. The assistant dean was placed in detention after objecting to an Israeli soldier describing the Palestinians waiting to pass through the checkpoints as “animals”.

Three international activists, including one woman from Sweden and two women from the United States, attempted to negotiate with soldiers to obtain a reason for detention or a time of release. They were unsuccessful, and were told by soldiers to leave the checkpoint. The internationals stated they would not leave until the Palestinians were released, and were then told that the police would be called if they did not leave. After speaking with the detainees, the internationals entered the detention area, which is a metal roof held up by posts and surrounded with barbed wire, and sat down as a statement of solidarity with the Palestinians being held without charge.

After approximately 30 minutes, border police arrived and demanded to see the internationals’ passports. The police were told by the internationals that all three passports had been left in their hotel, and that they weren’t attempting to cross the checkpoint without passports, but merely to inquire as to why the Palestinians were being held for so long. The police stated that the internationals had to leave, and the internationals again stated that they would not leave until the Palestinians were released. The police and soldiers then forcibly removed the internationals from the detention center, dragging them over dirt, rocks, and barbed wire. The police stated the internationals were under arrest for not having passports; however, when the internationals offered to retrieve the passports, they were denied. The internationals asked where they were being taken and were again denied this information. It was during this time all seven Palestinians were released from detention.

The internationals were put into the back of a green army jeep, and were driven to the opposite end of the checkpoint where the soldiers put them back in detention. The soldiers began shouting, “There’s a terrorist with a bomb. Get down!” while aiming loaded guns at Palestinians waiting at the checkpoint and shouting at them. The police had left the scene, and the internationals again asked to be released to obtain their passports. They were denied. The internationals then attempted to leave the detention center, and were physically stopped by soldiers, who threatened to tie them up and drag them back into the detention center if they did not comply. The internationals continued to slowly walk away with their hands in the air, and eventually left the checkpoint.

Soldiers Steal Palestinian Flags from the Outpost


Shelter at the outpost (foreground), roadblock (middle) and settlement outpost (background)

Internationals were disturbed at the Palestinian outpost* in Bil’in by Israeli military vehicles both during daytime and in the middle of the night. On the night of July 31st at 11:30 pm, the IOF (Israeli Occupation Force) drove a military vehicle directly into the shelter where internationals were sleeping, revved their engines and shone their headlights into it. They did this on a number of other occasions during the days before this incident. In response, the internationals consulted the popular committee of Bil’in about the idea of constructing a “roadblock” with large stones to prevent the Israeli military vehicles coming too close to the outpost. The committee agreed with this idea and so five internationals moved a large number of rocks across the approach road to the shelter. Since then, the army vehicles have been kept away from the outpost.


The roadblock (foreground) and the outpost (background)

On the afternoon of August 4th, a few hours after the weekly demonstration, four soldiers came to the outpost and entered the shelter. The soldiers then attempted to tear down the Palestinian flags that where adorning the outpost. They succeeded in snatching two of the flags, while verbally abusing the one International present. This harassment has occurred over a number of days when the Israeli soldiers, who controlled the gate between Bil’in village and the outpost, had several times refused access to Internationals.

On August 5th, two internationals were not allowed to pass the gate with flags which were brought to replace the stolen ones. The internationals were told that they were not allowed to bring Palestinian flags across the barrier as it was “Israeli land” beyond.

*The outpost is two structures built by the people of Bil’in on land they own, which is separated from them by the Annexation Barrier. It is near the settlement of Matityahu Mizrakh and is an important site for the non-violent joint struggle between Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals. The people of Bil’in with Israeli and international peace activists maintain a 24 hour presence at the outpost. There is a demolition order issued on the two small structures that make up the outpost, while the extensive and much larger buildings that make up the settlement housing complexes, which were also built illegally under Israeli law, have no such order threatening them. All Israeli settlement structures are illegal under international law.