Tag: Israeli forces - Page 4 - International Solidarity Movement

Ali Jiddah – an alternative tour guide

6th April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Jerusalem, Occupied Palestine

Ali greets us international activists with a certain kind of warmth that those who are foreign to the middle east (or Palestine in this case) may have never experienced or have been accustomed to in our home countries. We have all learned very quickly to appreciate the culture that is being bestowed upon us and the welcoming nature of the Palestinian people; a nature which remained steadfast for more than a half century despite the ongoing, brutal occupation and despite what much of the media and certain governments from abroad would like you to think of the Palestinian people and the current situation they are facing.

He prepares seating arrangements for us to the best of his ability in his tiny family home, asking everyone to take a seat whilst he sits himself on a single bed that has been prepared in the living room. The bed has been placed there to accommodate the extra people in his family, due to the evident lack of space they endure whilst living in the highly dense African quarter of Jerusalem.

You know from the moment he begins to speak that Ali has natural charisma, charm and a quick way of thinking that has been acquired through a lifetime of hardship and struggle. Turning his past situation into positive ideas and proposed solutions for the future of Palestine. He sheds real food for thought for those who care to know the real situation the Palestinian people of Jerusalem, and Palestine as a whole, continue to face.

Ali was only eighteen years old in 1967 when he and some friends tired of the situation, along with the racial oppression that he ~~also~~ faced ~~from~~ being an afro-Palestinian ~~from the Israeli’s,~~ decided in an act of defiance to place a bomb at the entrance to Jaffa gate in Jerusalem. Nobody was killed, however nine Israeli soldiers were seriously wounded. Ali was soon found, arrested and tried for the crime that he had committed. His next seventeen years were to be spent in an Israeli jail, shaping and changing the way in which Ali would now live out the remainder of his life.

When released Ali started to run alternative tours throughout Jerusalem, bringing awareness to the situation that the people of Palestine and occupied Jerusalem face daily. However it’s a tour far different from the standardised religious journeys that the majority of internationals and passers by would participate in. In fact anyone fortunate enough to strike up conversation with Ali, who can be found near the entrance of Damascus gate, may just find themselves on one of the most worthwhile, informative and alternative tours in the old city.

Ali chain-smoked his cigarettes, pausing between inhalations, leaving long but comfortable silences as he pondered on what to tell us next, leaving us internationals on the edge of our seats. As he exhaled, the smoke danced in front of his face through the thin ray of sunlight that cut through the dimly lit room and onto his face.

Ali spoke to us about the current situation the Palestinians in the Islamic quarter face and the “tightening of the noose” on Palestinian shopkeepers by the occupying forces. He sees the Islamic quarter being reduced to nothing in the near future due to strategic economic strangulation by the Zionist government, heightening taxes and limiting the flow of tourisms and locals within the area. He explained to us the continued harassment and occupation of homes by the illegal Israeli settlers in the area.

Ali looks at the ideas put forth from the political parties regarding the situation facing the Israel/Palestine conflict, the one state or two state proposals that he deems have passed their used by dates, “the new Palestine, if there is to be one must come from the roots up.” This was a perspective that, in no small part due to my experiences on the ground as well as the conversations about the dead-end nature of past attempts at top-down political reorganisation I have had with Palestinians, I found myself in absolute agreement with.

Ali has toured internationally throughout Europe, giving speeches in varying countries and has received recognition and admiration wherever he has spoken.

My take on the day: Ali is a unique character, he is in no way what you would expect of a tour guide, he speaks from the heart (perhaps a little crudely at times!) and tells it how it is. He is extremely informative and brings about questions and points that no formal tour would dare speak of. All of which makes him and his talk captivating and extremely interesting in their own way. I would highly recommend him to anyone wanting to get to know the real Jerusalem. If you’re interested you can find him near the entrance to Damascus gate drinking coffee on most days. Just look out for the ‘Denzel Washington’ character as he likes to call himself.

University rooms destroyed in early morning raid by Israeli forces

5th of March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah team | East Jerusalem, occupied Palestine

In the early hours of Tuesday, 5th April, around 3am, an armed group of Israeli soldiers stormed the campus of Al Quds university in the area of Abu Dis, part of East Jerusalem. The soldiers terrorised security guards on duty and forcefully entered four rooms belonging to student political parties and confiscated equipment while completely destroying the rest of the rooms.

Destroyed items from the Tuesday morning raid gathered outside the rooms

During the early hours of the morning the only people present at the university campus were the campus security, they were rounded up and locked together in a room, they were given no reason from the soldiers as to why they were being locked in a room nor as to why the soldiers were entering the campus grounds. The soldiers proceeded to forcefully enter four rooms belonging to various political parties run by students of the university, cutting the locks and smashing their way in, completely destroying the doors. This is the fourth time in 2016 alone that soldiers have entered the campus, destroying and confiscating material while giving no reason for their actions.

One of the computers destroyed in the raid — One of the computers amongst other items destroyed in the raid

The rooms entered belong to varying student bodies who’s students work within the university and the local community. Among the varied groups they advocate student rights, create activities within the campus and surrounding neighbourhoods, hold discussions on the state of the middle east, volunteer within the community, offer services for students, hold workshops and meetings about young prisoners and host an array of solidarity activities for the Palestinian community.

Students cleaning up debris from Tuesday's raid — Students cleaning up debris from Tuesday’s raid

During the raid the army took personal computers, laptops and cameras belonging to the Islamic party. Around one hundred and seventy flags were confiscated from the union party room and all of their stationary equipment for creative activities. Whatever was not taken was destroyed during the raid by the occupying forces.

The activities room for the ladies Islamic movement which works mainly with disadvantaged youths and students had the majority of their belongings destroyed, posters ripped from walls and electronic equipment confiscated.

The area of Abu Dis were the university is located was around thirty thousand hectares prior to 2002 and is now around four thousand hectares with 75% of the area now falling under area C and 25% under area B. This malicious land grab by the Israeli government has left students facing huge difficulties with their education. Many students within the faculty of medicine can’t reach Jerusalem where the main hospital for training is located and have been forced to go elsewhere for their practical while the media faculty faces new difficulties also. Since the beginning of what most would call the third intifada, checkpoints leading into the city of Ramallah, where the media students must go to complete their practical work have become extremely tightened and students are often denied access to the area or face long waits to enter.

The annexation wall surrounding the university

On the 2nd November, 2015, Israeli forces entered the campus around 4pm and began firing on students using tear gas, rubber coated steel bullets and even using live ammunition. Over two hundred students were injured and required medical care while two students were seriously injured, with access to Jerusalem hospital unavailable the students were forced to travel over an hour to the city of Ramallah for treatment.

With the student elections to take place on April 19th, this attack falls into Israel’s wider policy of targeting political activity within student campuses and bodies as a means of repressing resistance to the occupation.

Four students of the university have been killed by Israeli forces since November, 2015.

Israeli military destroys agricultural lands in Gaza

3rd of March 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine

At around 9am on Thursday, the 31st March, four Israeli bulldozers entered the Gaza Strip at El Fakhuri. They came in order to destroy agricultural lands located near the border, once again violating the indefinite truce that ended the 2014 Israeli aggression against Gaza.

Meanwhile more than thirty tanks were located along the fence line, pointing at the Palestinian farmers who kept working on their lands despite the great risk that they face doing so.

In less than a month the wheat harvest season will start. The families who own land near the border don’t know what will happen then, as no one seems to do anything to stop the systematic aggression. The wheat harvest is vital for the families ability to feed their children.

Yes Theatre: Resisting occupation through theatre and socially engaged art practice

3rd April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied West Bank

The Yes Theatre in Al-Khalil works with dedication, for a brighter future for the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank through a diverse set of cultural activities. Roughly eight new productions every year reach an audience of over thirty thousand Palestinians, and on occasion also tour theatres of Germany, France and Tunisia. Additionally, the Yes Theatre continually searches for new ways to share and develop its decade-long artistic practice, by engaging in dialogue with its local community, sharing their stories, hosting workshops, providing youth education, and internships with a job-guarantee. Their projects include Yes 4 Future, Yes 4 Kids, workshops that support women speaking in front of an audience, along with several plays that include female actors – something which is not a standard feature in Palestinian theatre.

ISM had a chat with general manager Mohammad Issa, and some of the artists, after having watched the powerful performance “3 in 1”, written collectively by Ihab Zahdeh, Raed Shiokhi and Muhamed Titi. The different stories of the play were inspired by meetings with the local citizens of Hebron, and depicts the everyday challenges of what Raed Shiokhi (actor) describes as the circles of life for Palestinians.

This play seems to evolve a lot around the occupation, but you also tap into the occupation of your own limitations?

“We like to say all the time that we live inside circles. We have the circle of the family, and then the circle of society. Then the circle of our government and the circle of occupation at the end. So occupation includes everything. So you go smaller and smaller and start with the family. They teach you what to do, and what not to do. Then the society, what is right, what is shameful and what is not. Then the government and the people in power who essentially are in full control, the governor, the mayor, and the religious leaders, who on several occasions in the mosques have mentioned and criticised our work. They corrupt our children and prohibit our cultural development. If we were to listen to their advice, we would have stopped a long time ago. Again and again we come to a point where it appears impossible to continue, but we remind each other of the message we have. As artists we feel stuck in between two fires. The fire of continuing your work of curiosity as an artist, and the fire of society trying to push you back.”

The autobiographical struggle of the 3 artists in the play clearly resonates directly with the personal struggles of the audience, and the different scenarios and situations repeatedly spread overwhelming waves of laughter and uncontrollable giggles. Seeing a Palestinian smile or laugh is a surprisingly common sight, given the extremity of their situation, but this collective release of emotions seemed to connect the spectators in a deep and intimate manner. The Yes Theatre is profoundly interested in this shared space, in which cultural resistance occurs. General manager Mohammad Issa says that for them the resistance will not succeed through the use of physical force or politics, but through intellect, culture and the empowerment of women and the young generation. Sustainability and competence development are key words that go hand in hand as the Yes Theatre engages in social activities, and training programs that employs thirty graduates per year.

The Yes Theatre finds alternative ways of resisting the occupation, but you also protest against internal restraints of Palestine such as gender inequality, socio-hierarchical imbalances and even restraints of religion. Do you envision what future Palestine could look like, or is dialogue the main objective?

“I totally agree that we are resisting, in our own way. We can’t throw the Israelis out of Palestine. This is the reality. They have to live with us, we have to live with them. What the political formula will be, whether we are talking about two states or one state, this is something that could maybe be solved later on, or maybe this dilemma is something that lies in the hands of the young generation. This is part of our national struggle, but at Yes Theatre we don’t have a vision for that, we don’t wish to impose anything. What we get from the local community is the material, and this material is brought back to the community in a creative manner. And the discussions we have around the material, in its context, must also be circulated in the community. We look for input and feedback from different focus groups, even in more traditional productions like “Ali Baba” (currently in production at Yes Theatre). I have my own views on gender equality, but the locals might have its own ways, and we need to take that seriously. That doesn’t mean that we should not advocate, or raise awareness, but we need to reflect the status quo, in order to talk about it, and find the precise questions, which are not ours – they are the questions of the local community.”

Still from the award winning performance “3 in 1”

The artistic efforts that Muhammad Issa describes offer a space for its Palestinian audience, in which everyday terrors can be processed without fear. What might be referred to as “cultural resistance” has an essential significance for the Hebronites, as the daily struggle of facing the occupation, passing checkpoints, being searched, questioned, tear gassed or even shot, continues and worsens. Only in the last 10 days 3 youngsters have been shot dead in Hebron, withheld from medical attention, one of which was brutally executed by a soldier of the Israeli Forces, as has been seen in a viral video recorded Thursday the 24^th of March. It might seem near impossible to imagine how Palestinians could truly resist or even end the occupation. The situation that they face daily is not only humiliating and dehumanising, it’s paralysing. Searching for education and togetherness through cultural meetings, if nothing else, might offer an opportunity for unity and common understanding. The Yes Theatre raises a question: How do the people imagine Palestine would look when, or if, occupation somehow, someday ends?

A night of protective presence needed

3rd April 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | al-Khalil, occupied Palestine

The two boys met us at the store, shouting the name of our Palestinian contact and waving us along. The cobbled stones in the alley made a nice contrast to the darkness of the night. My feet landed softly on the mud where we started our climb. Glimpses of trash were seen from the flickering flash lights, as if we were threading our way across the city dump. We were going to the house of Imad Abu Shamsiyyeh, the man who had managed to catch last week’s execution on film. His name was out in the media and he and his family had received death threats. The local illegal settlers had also put up posters with his name and face on them, saying they wanted him skinned alive. The house had already been firebombed. We were going there as an international presence to act as a deterrent to what seemed a likely further attack.

Emad in his family home — Imad in his family home

This night his backyard looked like your average neighbourhood barbecue, except that nobody was eating. Imad was sitting by the brazier alongside ten other men from the surrounding houses. His children were buzzing about, and his wife Faisa made sure everyone got their coffee and tea. When the soldiers showed up she made sure everything got caught on film.

There were three of them, all dressed in green, with black automatic rifles and some form of knee pads, which went well with the beret of their leader. They reminded me of turtles with their inability to look back over their shoulders. The execution had been condemned by president Netanyahu at first but later on, as the Israeli public opinion cleared in favour of the soldier, the shooting was surrounded with excuses. The situation for the messenger had however deteriorated.

As the soldiers walked in to the backyard a handful of camera LCDs lit up the night, like torches keeping the wolves at bay. Faisa brought her camera close to the officer’s face, where he hopefully saw a reflection of himself, a harasser of ordinary people.

The soldiers stood around for a while as they checked our passports and IDs. The situation was a bit tense but as everyone had the right to be there, they turned on their heels and left. They were the second delegation from the Israeli army that night. A lone soldier had come at first, to see if there was any protection present, and Issa guessed, to go back and tell the settlers. Luckily, there were a lot of people showing Imad and Faisa their support.

As the hours passed people started to leave for their homes. Our delegation from the ISM spent the rest of the night at Imad’s place. There was an Indian soap opera on TV, dubbed to Arabic, and the children surfed the internet. It could have been a quiet night in a home anywhere in the world, if it hadn’t been for the occupation, or the death threats.