This morning I was able to go back to my house, as tensions had cooled a little over the night. It was nice to get a shower, brush my teeth, etc. It was a little strange, fleeing the violence from the camp: becoming a refugee of a refugee camp. Perhaps I have a little more idea of what it was like for Palestinians to flee their villages from the violence of 1948 and 67; only, they were not allowed to go back to their homes. And, of course, the violence I saw last night was very tame compared to what has happened here during the wars of the past.
Anyway, I'm leaving this minute to go up to the Sea of Galilee for the weekend. It will be nice to get out of the camp after the drama last night. From what I've heard from others, I had good reasons to be nervous last night, as I had been right in the middle of the fire-fight. It sounds like there were tire-burnings and a burned car last night. Several intl's were kept from entering the camp by checkpoints and burning tires.
I'll post more next week when I'm back in Bethlehem.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Fighting in the Camp!
This afternoon, I was studying at my house in the center of Aida camp when I heard yelling and banging close outside my door. I went outside to see what the ruckus was, and seconds later there were about 200 people in the street, many kids 12 and under. The action was just 50 feet or so from my front door. I saw a man laying on the ground; then, some other men grabbed him and pulled him to a car. He was not fully unconscious, and he tried to fight them from putting him into the car. The group of men were finally able to force him into the car and speed away. The man had blood running down his face from laceration on his head.
I asked a shopkeeper what had happened, if there was a fight, and he said, no, the man fell down the stairs. I was highly skeptical of that story. In my mind, it seemed the guy had been hit on the head with a metal pipe (I had heard pipes hitting the ground during the ruckus), and that the men had forced him into a car to take him somewhere.
But, as the crowd was dispersing, I decided to go ahead with my plans to go to an event in Beit Sahour for the afternoon. After the event in Beit Sahour, I returned to the camp around 7:15 pm.
I was exercising in my room this evening when I heard more yelling outside, and I could see shopkeepers closing their doors and locking the metal casings in front of their doors. I realized it would not be a good idea to go outside, and soon thereafter, I started hearing gun shots very close to my house. Men were yelling, and then I started hearing explosions. I wasn't sure what to do, so I called the center, which is just a 2-3 minute walk from my house. They said they would send someone down if possible.
I continued with my exercising for a while, but the shooting and explosions kept getting louder and more frequent. Two times, I think, I went out into my living room because I thought I heard action at the windows. At least once, maybe twice, while I was in the living room, there were explosions right near my windows, and that made me hit the ground and army-style-crawl out of the room. I started looking for places in the house that might be good to hide and didn't have a lot of windows.
After about 30 minutes or so, I called some other leaders of the center, as no one was coming to get me. I finally reached the director and told him what was going on, and he reassured me that I would be ok, as long as I stayed in the house, and he said he would try to get someone to come get me.
I started hearing knocking, gun shots, and bullets dropping on the ground in the house that shares a wall with mine, and it sounded like someone broke into the new house the center has built for the volunteers. The whole scene was quite chaotic and there were lots of gun shots and explosions, mostly very close to my house. The explosions were the size of what I would imagine grenade explosion to be. But, they were very close to my house. I was the only one in the house.
After about another 10 minutes, I was standing in my room, and someone pushed open the window and curtains and stuck his head through. I froze, and then he said, "I'm a friend. I'm here to get you out of here." I gathered a few things quickly, then went to the front door, where my new friend was crouching on the ground. I didn't know whether to trust him, but I didn't think I had much of a choice. I told him my name and he told me his, and I quickly decided I would trust him. He told me to hurry out of the door and stay low, then he said, "Run!" We ran to the gate, then he pulled me close to him and held me behind the gate. We stayed there for 1-2 minutes, with him poking his head out around the gate to see if it was clear. Gun shots continued and were very close. When things calmed down just a little, he said "run" again and we made our way to a side street, then up toward the center. We quickly got out of the main fighting, which was right in front of my house, essentially, and as we got close to the center, all the kids started chanting my name, smiling, and giving my high-fives.
I felt safe once we got to the center, and there, I met up with my roommates. A few minutes later, I left the camp and went to a friends house for the evening.
Just now, my roommates returned from the camp and said we are not allowed to go back to our house tonight, which I wasn't planning on doing anyway. My roommates said that there was lots of smoke and burning tires in the camp, and that I had been caught right in the middle.
There are a couple different stories I've heard about what's going on. One story I heard is that the fight is between two families, and one family is seen to be working too closely with the Israelis. Another story I've heard is that there was an accident earlier today, and one family decided to take revenge. Despite what's actually happened, the family feuding reminds me of stories I've heard about Appalachian feuds.
I'm thankful to be out out of the house safe tonight. I'm not sure that my life was ever in real danger, but my nerves are quite high. This is kind of like watching a bad car accident happen right in front of you, and you realize if you had been a few seconds ahead of time, that accident would have been you.
I asked a shopkeeper what had happened, if there was a fight, and he said, no, the man fell down the stairs. I was highly skeptical of that story. In my mind, it seemed the guy had been hit on the head with a metal pipe (I had heard pipes hitting the ground during the ruckus), and that the men had forced him into a car to take him somewhere.
But, as the crowd was dispersing, I decided to go ahead with my plans to go to an event in Beit Sahour for the afternoon. After the event in Beit Sahour, I returned to the camp around 7:15 pm.
I was exercising in my room this evening when I heard more yelling outside, and I could see shopkeepers closing their doors and locking the metal casings in front of their doors. I realized it would not be a good idea to go outside, and soon thereafter, I started hearing gun shots very close to my house. Men were yelling, and then I started hearing explosions. I wasn't sure what to do, so I called the center, which is just a 2-3 minute walk from my house. They said they would send someone down if possible.
I continued with my exercising for a while, but the shooting and explosions kept getting louder and more frequent. Two times, I think, I went out into my living room because I thought I heard action at the windows. At least once, maybe twice, while I was in the living room, there were explosions right near my windows, and that made me hit the ground and army-style-crawl out of the room. I started looking for places in the house that might be good to hide and didn't have a lot of windows.
After about 30 minutes or so, I called some other leaders of the center, as no one was coming to get me. I finally reached the director and told him what was going on, and he reassured me that I would be ok, as long as I stayed in the house, and he said he would try to get someone to come get me.
I started hearing knocking, gun shots, and bullets dropping on the ground in the house that shares a wall with mine, and it sounded like someone broke into the new house the center has built for the volunteers. The whole scene was quite chaotic and there were lots of gun shots and explosions, mostly very close to my house. The explosions were the size of what I would imagine grenade explosion to be. But, they were very close to my house. I was the only one in the house.
After about another 10 minutes, I was standing in my room, and someone pushed open the window and curtains and stuck his head through. I froze, and then he said, "I'm a friend. I'm here to get you out of here." I gathered a few things quickly, then went to the front door, where my new friend was crouching on the ground. I didn't know whether to trust him, but I didn't think I had much of a choice. I told him my name and he told me his, and I quickly decided I would trust him. He told me to hurry out of the door and stay low, then he said, "Run!" We ran to the gate, then he pulled me close to him and held me behind the gate. We stayed there for 1-2 minutes, with him poking his head out around the gate to see if it was clear. Gun shots continued and were very close. When things calmed down just a little, he said "run" again and we made our way to a side street, then up toward the center. We quickly got out of the main fighting, which was right in front of my house, essentially, and as we got close to the center, all the kids started chanting my name, smiling, and giving my high-fives.
I felt safe once we got to the center, and there, I met up with my roommates. A few minutes later, I left the camp and went to a friends house for the evening.
Just now, my roommates returned from the camp and said we are not allowed to go back to our house tonight, which I wasn't planning on doing anyway. My roommates said that there was lots of smoke and burning tires in the camp, and that I had been caught right in the middle.
There are a couple different stories I've heard about what's going on. One story I heard is that the fight is between two families, and one family is seen to be working too closely with the Israelis. Another story I've heard is that there was an accident earlier today, and one family decided to take revenge. Despite what's actually happened, the family feuding reminds me of stories I've heard about Appalachian feuds.
I'm thankful to be out out of the house safe tonight. I'm not sure that my life was ever in real danger, but my nerves are quite high. This is kind of like watching a bad car accident happen right in front of you, and you realize if you had been a few seconds ahead of time, that accident would have been you.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
More politics; listening; changing focus; animals; Visiting Jer.
In this post: comments on politics & increase in road blocks; learning to listen to the people; changing my focus at the center; torturing animals; Pal's visiting Jerusalem, etc.
This week has been ripe with political stunts here, but I wonder how Israel would have been able to spin things if they had actually shot down Tony Blair's plane--Yes, this actually did almost happen (see: www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/986517.html).
Now that the Economic Summit is finished in Bethlehem, I'm wondering how long it's going to take the Israeli military to begin their routine, middle-of-the-night kidnappings again. The military had publicly stated they were temporarily halting these tactics (and some others) that might inflame tensions while all the internationals were here (and, while the world was paying more attn. to what's going on here). So, I guess it's ok to inflame tensions again now, since the world's not watching anymore.
And, if you haven't had enough of my cynicism (or, Israel's, really), try reading about the fact that Israel has actually increased roadblocks or checkpoints in the West Bank by 7% since last Sept., according to a new report by the UN (see: http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29464). This practice of saying one thing (i.e., making pledges to reduce checkpoints at the latest peace conference in the Winter) and actually doing something else on the ground is a classic Israel tactic. In the last decade or more, Israel has made all sorts of promises to reduce settlement activity in Palestine, and it is well documented that the settlements have only expanded with these promises. This makes Palestinians really question the point of the peace conferences and negotiations.
After the Economic Conferences ended last week, several people from the conference asked me to show them around Aida Camp. I ended up waiting for them for 20 minutes or so, then we rushed through the camp. One person actually suggested we should just drive through the camp in a car because they were in a hurry, but I insisted they really couldn't "see" the camp unless they walked through it. So, two people followed me through the camp, all the while chatting about various topics and not paying much attention to what I was saying or their surroundings. I wondered why they had asked to see the camp if they weren't going to pay attention. Then, I started thinking that actions like this are part of the reason why these conferences fail: people from the outside come here with their agenda, throw some money around, and never stop to see or talk to ordinary people or listen to what's actually going on here. So, their efforts, although perhaps well intentioned, will fail because they haven't listened to what's actually needed. Instead, they came with their own ideas (many of them CEO's) and have tried to impose them. Until they stop, listen with an open mind and heart, and actually talk with people who are living in this situation day in and day out, their efforts will always miss the point.
I'm still waiting to move into the new volunteer house, and I found out today that volunteers will not have a way to wash their clothes in the new house either (aside from hand washing everything in buckets, which isn't sustainable for long-term volunteers). So, for now, I'm going to hall my clothes to Jerusalem every two weeks or so to wash them. If anyone has ideas about how to get a cheap/used washer machine in the W. Bank, I'm open to suggestions.
I'm hoping to reduce my hours in the computer lab/educational dept. at Al-Rowwad, and, instead, focus more on teaching ESL, typing, and other types of classes. I don't feel like I'm being used much in the computer lab, other than functioning as a glorified baby-sitter. The thing is, the students here respond fairly well with direction from local adults; but students rarely listen well to direction from international volunteers. So, I'm intending to focus the classes on older students who are more serious about learning, able to concentrate (hopefully), etc. (I'll let the adults teach the kids, since that seems to work better). Many adults here, including students in Master's programs, don't know how to type (other than hunt-and-peck), so they're dying to learn how to type faster. I will have to start teaching them on an English keyboard, but I may eventually learn how to type in Arabic, and I plan to be able to teach that eventually too. I'm also considering taking a short course in teaching ESL, which would give me a certificate I can use to teach ESL almost anywhere in the world. I'm hoping the course might give me a good basis of where to start with teaching ESL. But, in the mean time, I may start some relaxed courses here anyway. One idea I have is to use American films as a way to motivate attendance, discussion, and learning for advanced English speakers. Getting people to attend classes is always a challenge here, so I'm thinking that if I show movies with the US accent, people will be interested to see a movie; however, we would pause the film at various points and discuss what's happening. I could see this becoming quite popular here.
School is just about finished here, and there are more young students on the street now. For the last few days, kids have enjoyed torturing dozens of very small birds that can't fly. I'm not sure if this is a seasonal sport or what, but everyone seems to be carrying a small bird in their hand (even some adults). So far, I haven't seen anyone actually kill a small bird, but I'm sure that will happen. Already, I've seen the street kids try to kill a puppy by throwing it off a house, then poking it with sticks (they can't touch dogs here since dogs are considered unclean animals in Islam). They were successful in crushing one puppy to death. And, the other day, the kids were amusing themselves by throwing a dead chicken up into the air, then jerking it down to the ground by a rope they had tied to its neck. As I walked by, I just glared at them to make sure they didn't try to throw the chicken at me or my companion, which they oh so wanted to do. But, I've learned that keeping constant eye contact and talking to people will keep them from throwing things at you (kids only throw rocks sometimes when you turn your back on them).
Today, one of my closest Palestinian friends here told me that she is going to Jerusalem tomorrow to visit her daughter, who lives there. I was surprised that my friend could go to Jer. Then, she showed me the one day pass the Israeli gov.'t had issued her. I asked her how long it took her to get that, and I think I understood her correctly when she said 3 days. But, she was only able to get the one day permit because she was sick last week, and the doctor here gave her a note saying that she should see a Dr. in Jer. She's feeling better now, so she's excited she'll get to see her daughter tomorrow. I don't know how long it's been since she's seen her married daughter, but this story is just one of, probably, thousands of stories like it, showing how ordinary Palestinians are not even allowed to visit their loved ones because of the Wall and Israeli checkpoints, which don't allow most Pal.'s to go to Jer.
This week has been ripe with political stunts here, but I wonder how Israel would have been able to spin things if they had actually shot down Tony Blair's plane--Yes, this actually did almost happen (see: www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/986517.html).
Now that the Economic Summit is finished in Bethlehem, I'm wondering how long it's going to take the Israeli military to begin their routine, middle-of-the-night kidnappings again. The military had publicly stated they were temporarily halting these tactics (and some others) that might inflame tensions while all the internationals were here (and, while the world was paying more attn. to what's going on here). So, I guess it's ok to inflame tensions again now, since the world's not watching anymore.
And, if you haven't had enough of my cynicism (or, Israel's, really), try reading about the fact that Israel has actually increased roadblocks or checkpoints in the West Bank by 7% since last Sept., according to a new report by the UN (see: http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29464). This practice of saying one thing (i.e., making pledges to reduce checkpoints at the latest peace conference in the Winter) and actually doing something else on the ground is a classic Israel tactic. In the last decade or more, Israel has made all sorts of promises to reduce settlement activity in Palestine, and it is well documented that the settlements have only expanded with these promises. This makes Palestinians really question the point of the peace conferences and negotiations.
After the Economic Conferences ended last week, several people from the conference asked me to show them around Aida Camp. I ended up waiting for them for 20 minutes or so, then we rushed through the camp. One person actually suggested we should just drive through the camp in a car because they were in a hurry, but I insisted they really couldn't "see" the camp unless they walked through it. So, two people followed me through the camp, all the while chatting about various topics and not paying much attention to what I was saying or their surroundings. I wondered why they had asked to see the camp if they weren't going to pay attention. Then, I started thinking that actions like this are part of the reason why these conferences fail: people from the outside come here with their agenda, throw some money around, and never stop to see or talk to ordinary people or listen to what's actually going on here. So, their efforts, although perhaps well intentioned, will fail because they haven't listened to what's actually needed. Instead, they came with their own ideas (many of them CEO's) and have tried to impose them. Until they stop, listen with an open mind and heart, and actually talk with people who are living in this situation day in and day out, their efforts will always miss the point.
I'm still waiting to move into the new volunteer house, and I found out today that volunteers will not have a way to wash their clothes in the new house either (aside from hand washing everything in buckets, which isn't sustainable for long-term volunteers). So, for now, I'm going to hall my clothes to Jerusalem every two weeks or so to wash them. If anyone has ideas about how to get a cheap/used washer machine in the W. Bank, I'm open to suggestions.
I'm hoping to reduce my hours in the computer lab/educational dept. at Al-Rowwad, and, instead, focus more on teaching ESL, typing, and other types of classes. I don't feel like I'm being used much in the computer lab, other than functioning as a glorified baby-sitter. The thing is, the students here respond fairly well with direction from local adults; but students rarely listen well to direction from international volunteers. So, I'm intending to focus the classes on older students who are more serious about learning, able to concentrate (hopefully), etc. (I'll let the adults teach the kids, since that seems to work better). Many adults here, including students in Master's programs, don't know how to type (other than hunt-and-peck), so they're dying to learn how to type faster. I will have to start teaching them on an English keyboard, but I may eventually learn how to type in Arabic, and I plan to be able to teach that eventually too. I'm also considering taking a short course in teaching ESL, which would give me a certificate I can use to teach ESL almost anywhere in the world. I'm hoping the course might give me a good basis of where to start with teaching ESL. But, in the mean time, I may start some relaxed courses here anyway. One idea I have is to use American films as a way to motivate attendance, discussion, and learning for advanced English speakers. Getting people to attend classes is always a challenge here, so I'm thinking that if I show movies with the US accent, people will be interested to see a movie; however, we would pause the film at various points and discuss what's happening. I could see this becoming quite popular here.
School is just about finished here, and there are more young students on the street now. For the last few days, kids have enjoyed torturing dozens of very small birds that can't fly. I'm not sure if this is a seasonal sport or what, but everyone seems to be carrying a small bird in their hand (even some adults). So far, I haven't seen anyone actually kill a small bird, but I'm sure that will happen. Already, I've seen the street kids try to kill a puppy by throwing it off a house, then poking it with sticks (they can't touch dogs here since dogs are considered unclean animals in Islam). They were successful in crushing one puppy to death. And, the other day, the kids were amusing themselves by throwing a dead chicken up into the air, then jerking it down to the ground by a rope they had tied to its neck. As I walked by, I just glared at them to make sure they didn't try to throw the chicken at me or my companion, which they oh so wanted to do. But, I've learned that keeping constant eye contact and talking to people will keep them from throwing things at you (kids only throw rocks sometimes when you turn your back on them).
Today, one of my closest Palestinian friends here told me that she is going to Jerusalem tomorrow to visit her daughter, who lives there. I was surprised that my friend could go to Jer. Then, she showed me the one day pass the Israeli gov.'t had issued her. I asked her how long it took her to get that, and I think I understood her correctly when she said 3 days. But, she was only able to get the one day permit because she was sick last week, and the doctor here gave her a note saying that she should see a Dr. in Jer. She's feeling better now, so she's excited she'll get to see her daughter tomorrow. I don't know how long it's been since she's seen her married daughter, but this story is just one of, probably, thousands of stories like it, showing how ordinary Palestinians are not even allowed to visit their loved ones because of the Wall and Israeli checkpoints, which don't allow most Pal.'s to go to Jer.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Finkelstein denied entry to Israel: ACTION
"Jerusalem - The US political author and critic of Israel Norman Finkelstein was denied entry to the Jewish state on Friday, his lawyer said.
Finkelstein landed at Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv in the early morning and was told by a representative of the ministry of interior that he would not be allowed into the country on 'security' grounds, attorney Michael Sfard told dpa.
'This usually means a 10-year ban on entry,' Sfard added.
Finkelstein, who is Jewish and the son of Holocaust survivors, has written critical books on Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories and on what he called 'exploitation' of the Jewish tragedy during World War II.
Finkelstein has received with the fierce disapproval of some authors and academics, while others have praised his controversial works.
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&ar=1700"
You can DEMAND THAT DR. FINKELSTEIN BE PERMITTED TO ENTER ISRAEL IN ORDER TO REACH THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
It is necessary to act quickly if we are to have any influence on this decision:
You can DEMAND THAT DR. FINKELSTEIN BE PERMITTED TO ENTER ISRAEL IN ORDER TO REACH THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
It is necessary to act quickly if we are to have any influence on this decision:
Minister of Interior Mr. Meir SHEETRIT
Israeli Ministry of the Interior
2 Kaplan St., Qiryat Ben-Gurion
P.O. Box 6158, 91061 Jerusalem
Tel. +972-2-670-1411 / +972-2-629-4722
Fax: +972-2-670-1628
or
Mr. Meir SHEETRIT's numbers at the Knesset
Telephone 1: +972-2-640-8410
Telephone 2: +972-2- 640-8409
Fax: +972-2- 640-8920
Email: mshitrit@knesset.gov.il
If you are in the US please call your congress-person and senator and advise them a Jewish American U.S. citizen is being denied access to Israel
Also, CALL the STATE DEPT's Hotline for American Travelers: 202-647-5225 and let them know this is happening and is in violation of international law.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Weekend; Recent Politics; Move, etc.
In this post: weekend in Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah; finding spiritual meeting; thoughts on recent politics/happenings here; moving back to Aida camp; settlers in Beit Sahour; teaching position, etc.
During last weekend, I traveled with friends and some locals to Nablus, Jenin, and Ramallah. I was a little nervous about the trip, as there have been some upturns in tensions in Jenin and Nablus recently, but the trip went without incident. We visited several of the places I saw the first time I visited these cities last fall, so I'm not going to readdress things I've already recounted.
On Friday evening, we made it to Jenin, and the group thought it would be fun to surprise me with a birthday cake at a small amusement park. I think this was the first birthday I've celebrated outside the USA, as other trips to Europe, the Middle East, etc. have taken place at different times of the year. Anyway, I felt very special on Friday evening, and we had fun eating some good food and relaxing.
Friday night, we stayed at a guest house in Jenin refugee camp, which has and continues to be a fairly volatile place. The community center in Jenin is much like Aida camp's Al-Rowwad, but they seem to have more money and influence from abroad (many suicide bombers came from Jenin refugee camp).
On Sunday, I was able to visit the Quaker Meeting in Ramallah for the first time since I returned to Pal., and it was really nice to connect with people there. I've been missing connecting with a spiritual community, so I made a point to express my interest in being involved in the meeting there as much as possible. I met one Quaker who lives fairly close to me, and I was told of another Quaker in Jerusalem who is not able to go to Ramallah. In the future, we're going to discuss starting a second meeting (maybe in Bethlehem or Jerusalem) for those of us who cannot go to Ramallah every week. I'm excited about the possibility of meeting with a few people at least once a week for group meditation and sharing.
Sunday evening I visited an apartment in the municipality of Jerusalem. All around the neighborhood, there was a lot of construction, and I had mixed feelings about the amenities offered, as it's sometimes hard to tell where development ends and settlements begin. Should I consider all of the land pre-1948 (the establishment of Israel) as settlement land? Much of it was stolen, although not all of it. Or, does settlement activity only apply to land taken after the 1967 war? How long does an invading force need to stay on the land before at least some of it is considered legitimate ownership?
As most everyone knows, Bush was here last week to commemorate Israel's birthday and speak to the Knesset (Israel's parliament). It is so fascinating to read Israeli newspapers, as they have much more to say about US policies here--policies we'll never here about in the USA. I have noticed much more discussion here about US presidential candidates views re: Israel and the policies they would enact with Israel.
Bush, though, raised a stir, with his words to the Knesset (i.e., "America is Israel's best friend in the world"). Some conservative Zionist members of the Knesset (MK) said: Bush is a better Zionist than Olmert (Israel's Prime Minister), and we would be better to have Bush as our leader than Olmert (www.imemc.org/article/54902)
Nancy Pelosi (US Democratic Speaker of the House and the most powerful women in the US right now, if not the world) is also in Jerusalem right now, and I was amazed at how she pandered to the Zionist regime (especially considering that she has a fairly liberal record in the House). She said the other day that all of the presidential candidates will support Israel, and there is no difference regarding Israel between Clinton, Obama, or McCain. She refused to draw any distinction between her party and any others regarding Israel (www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/984584.html)
Yesterday I had to move back to the old center in Aida camp (where I lived before) because the family I was living with had a guest coming to visit for three months or more and they needed the room in the house. There is a new volunteer house being built in Aida camp, though, and I hope to move into that in the next few days. The accommodations there should be much better than anything I've had so far (I've struggled to find places to wash clothes, shower, eat, etc.).
During my move, I noticed dozens of police and military vehicles moving into the area, and I knew they were preparing for the Economic Conference being held in Bethlehem Wed.-Fri. this week. The summit is actually held right across the street from where I used to live, so I'm very close to the action. In fact, Mahmoud Abbas (President of Palestine) came to visit Aida camp's huge key last night, so there were literally hundreds of police and military in the street. I tried to travel to Beit Sahour last night (across town), but it was very difficult because of all the military checkpoints, etc. On every street corner, there are at least four military personnel, and one newspaper reported there are 3,000 extra police and military here to offer security for the conference. It makes me wonder why some people are given all this extra "security" while the ordinary citizens who live here are allowed to live in a "less secure" environment.
The conference itself is supposed to help stimulate the Palestinian economy, but I agree with what Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American business person here pointed out: What international business in its right mind would invest in starting a business in Palestine right now when it cannot guarantee that any of its owners, managers, or outside personnel could travel to Palestine and be allowed into the territories? There has to be a political solution before the economy here will take off. Until Israel relinquishes its siege on Palestine and allows it to control its own borders, the economy here will remain stagnant at best.
Last evening I attended an event in Oush Grab, on the outskirts of Beit Sahour. Last Thurs., Israeli settlers tried to claim the land as their own, and their website (www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126195) claims they will be back to develop the land this week. The land, on top of a hill, has been occupied by a military presence since the Turk-Ottoman empire, and this is the first time that local Palestinians have had access to the hill for a very long time. A few years ago, the Israeli military pulled back from the hill, but they have left the hill under military orders. The peace activist community here is trying to mobilized the community to show that the hill is wanted and used by the municipality of Beit Sahour (they were talking of building a hospital on the hill, but those talks are on hold for the moment). However, I'm not sure that there is a lot that we can do with the hill, as it is technically still under the control of the Israeli military, and they will have final say over what happens with the land (even though Israel has no legal right to claim the land; here, the military rules).
When I was here before, one local told us that their community was blessed not to have many people with disabilities. That does not seem to me the case in the communities (especially refugee camps) I've visited this time around. I have seen many people who are mute, deaf, and/or blind. I'm sure there are more people with disabilities who are not allowed out of the houses. I think there is a higher portion of disabled people here than anywhere I've ever seen.
Just today, I saw that Olmert is proposing to Nancy Pelosi that the US impose a Naval blockade on Iran for Iran's supposed nuclear ambitions. Israel used, as part of the justification for its preemptive strike starting the war of 1967, the blockade that Arab states had placed on it. When is the US going to stop laying down at the feet of Israel?
Also today, at the direction of one of the teachers from the camp here, I went to Al-Quds Univ. branch near the camp to see their library and talk to an administrator. It turns out that they badly need an English Lit. teacher, and he's interested in hiring me for the fall semester. This creates a dilemma for me, if I'm offered the position, as I didn't come here to teach English Lit. I still have a long time to decide on this, and it's not set in stone, but it highlights the need that is everywhere here, that they don't have enough qualified intructors to teach basic courses. I'll keep you updated on these developments.
During last weekend, I traveled with friends and some locals to Nablus, Jenin, and Ramallah. I was a little nervous about the trip, as there have been some upturns in tensions in Jenin and Nablus recently, but the trip went without incident. We visited several of the places I saw the first time I visited these cities last fall, so I'm not going to readdress things I've already recounted.
On Friday evening, we made it to Jenin, and the group thought it would be fun to surprise me with a birthday cake at a small amusement park. I think this was the first birthday I've celebrated outside the USA, as other trips to Europe, the Middle East, etc. have taken place at different times of the year. Anyway, I felt very special on Friday evening, and we had fun eating some good food and relaxing.
Friday night, we stayed at a guest house in Jenin refugee camp, which has and continues to be a fairly volatile place. The community center in Jenin is much like Aida camp's Al-Rowwad, but they seem to have more money and influence from abroad (many suicide bombers came from Jenin refugee camp).
On Sunday, I was able to visit the Quaker Meeting in Ramallah for the first time since I returned to Pal., and it was really nice to connect with people there. I've been missing connecting with a spiritual community, so I made a point to express my interest in being involved in the meeting there as much as possible. I met one Quaker who lives fairly close to me, and I was told of another Quaker in Jerusalem who is not able to go to Ramallah. In the future, we're going to discuss starting a second meeting (maybe in Bethlehem or Jerusalem) for those of us who cannot go to Ramallah every week. I'm excited about the possibility of meeting with a few people at least once a week for group meditation and sharing.
Sunday evening I visited an apartment in the municipality of Jerusalem. All around the neighborhood, there was a lot of construction, and I had mixed feelings about the amenities offered, as it's sometimes hard to tell where development ends and settlements begin. Should I consider all of the land pre-1948 (the establishment of Israel) as settlement land? Much of it was stolen, although not all of it. Or, does settlement activity only apply to land taken after the 1967 war? How long does an invading force need to stay on the land before at least some of it is considered legitimate ownership?
As most everyone knows, Bush was here last week to commemorate Israel's birthday and speak to the Knesset (Israel's parliament). It is so fascinating to read Israeli newspapers, as they have much more to say about US policies here--policies we'll never here about in the USA. I have noticed much more discussion here about US presidential candidates views re: Israel and the policies they would enact with Israel.
Bush, though, raised a stir, with his words to the Knesset (i.e., "America is Israel's best friend in the world"). Some conservative Zionist members of the Knesset (MK) said: Bush is a better Zionist than Olmert (Israel's Prime Minister), and we would be better to have Bush as our leader than Olmert (www.imemc.org/article/54902)
Nancy Pelosi (US Democratic Speaker of the House and the most powerful women in the US right now, if not the world) is also in Jerusalem right now, and I was amazed at how she pandered to the Zionist regime (especially considering that she has a fairly liberal record in the House). She said the other day that all of the presidential candidates will support Israel, and there is no difference regarding Israel between Clinton, Obama, or McCain. She refused to draw any distinction between her party and any others regarding Israel (www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/984584.html)
Yesterday I had to move back to the old center in Aida camp (where I lived before) because the family I was living with had a guest coming to visit for three months or more and they needed the room in the house. There is a new volunteer house being built in Aida camp, though, and I hope to move into that in the next few days. The accommodations there should be much better than anything I've had so far (I've struggled to find places to wash clothes, shower, eat, etc.).
During my move, I noticed dozens of police and military vehicles moving into the area, and I knew they were preparing for the Economic Conference being held in Bethlehem Wed.-Fri. this week. The summit is actually held right across the street from where I used to live, so I'm very close to the action. In fact, Mahmoud Abbas (President of Palestine) came to visit Aida camp's huge key last night, so there were literally hundreds of police and military in the street. I tried to travel to Beit Sahour last night (across town), but it was very difficult because of all the military checkpoints, etc. On every street corner, there are at least four military personnel, and one newspaper reported there are 3,000 extra police and military here to offer security for the conference. It makes me wonder why some people are given all this extra "security" while the ordinary citizens who live here are allowed to live in a "less secure" environment.
The conference itself is supposed to help stimulate the Palestinian economy, but I agree with what Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American business person here pointed out: What international business in its right mind would invest in starting a business in Palestine right now when it cannot guarantee that any of its owners, managers, or outside personnel could travel to Palestine and be allowed into the territories? There has to be a political solution before the economy here will take off. Until Israel relinquishes its siege on Palestine and allows it to control its own borders, the economy here will remain stagnant at best.
Last evening I attended an event in Oush Grab, on the outskirts of Beit Sahour. Last Thurs., Israeli settlers tried to claim the land as their own, and their website (www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126195) claims they will be back to develop the land this week. The land, on top of a hill, has been occupied by a military presence since the Turk-Ottoman empire, and this is the first time that local Palestinians have had access to the hill for a very long time. A few years ago, the Israeli military pulled back from the hill, but they have left the hill under military orders. The peace activist community here is trying to mobilized the community to show that the hill is wanted and used by the municipality of Beit Sahour (they were talking of building a hospital on the hill, but those talks are on hold for the moment). However, I'm not sure that there is a lot that we can do with the hill, as it is technically still under the control of the Israeli military, and they will have final say over what happens with the land (even though Israel has no legal right to claim the land; here, the military rules).
When I was here before, one local told us that their community was blessed not to have many people with disabilities. That does not seem to me the case in the communities (especially refugee camps) I've visited this time around. I have seen many people who are mute, deaf, and/or blind. I'm sure there are more people with disabilities who are not allowed out of the houses. I think there is a higher portion of disabled people here than anywhere I've ever seen.
Just today, I saw that Olmert is proposing to Nancy Pelosi that the US impose a Naval blockade on Iran for Iran's supposed nuclear ambitions. Israel used, as part of the justification for its preemptive strike starting the war of 1967, the blockade that Arab states had placed on it. When is the US going to stop laying down at the feet of Israel?
Also today, at the direction of one of the teachers from the camp here, I went to Al-Quds Univ. branch near the camp to see their library and talk to an administrator. It turns out that they badly need an English Lit. teacher, and he's interested in hiring me for the fall semester. This creates a dilemma for me, if I'm offered the position, as I didn't come here to teach English Lit. I still have a long time to decide on this, and it's not set in stone, but it highlights the need that is everywhere here, that they don't have enough qualified intructors to teach basic courses. I'll keep you updated on these developments.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
More Nakba; English Classes; Pal. Funding Crisis, etc.
In this post: More Nakba events, including releasing 21,915 balloons; the idea of English conversation classes in the camp; Al-Rowwad and Palestine's funding crises; quotes, etc.
For the last several days, and climaxing today, we have had more demonstrations commemorating the Nakba ("Catastrophe" for the Palestinians who fled their homes during the war and creation of the state of Israel in 1948). Last Thurs. was the day that Israel celebrates it's independence, according to the Jewish calendar. Today, according to Western calendars, marks 60 years since the Nakba and the birth Israel.
I attended a rally today on the outskirts of Aida Camp, by the Wall and the key that we erected a week ago. I was very happy to observe that the demonstration was very peaceful, with no military or police presence, no rock throwing, etc. Instead, there was dancing, singing, speaking, sweets, etc. We released 21,915 black balloons across Palestine (including Aida Camp); each balloon represented one day of the occupation (365 x 60 years), and inside every balloon was a message from a refugee child. The idea was to turn the skies of Jerusalem black today, to remind people that Israel's cause of celebration is Palestine's cause of mourning, and that although Palestinians in the West Bank cannot travel to Jerusalem, they will not be silenced. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the balloons worked so well, as the wind blew in the wrong direction. But, it was a creative, nonviolent demonstration nonetheless, and I'm am constantly amazed by the refugees ability to have hope, despite 60 years of living in camps.
I began working this week on starting an English conversation class in the camp. Several camp residents have asked me about starting a class on the American accent, since it is difficult for them to understand. So, my idea is to eventually hold two classes: one for students who have almost no English language skills (I would use a translator some for this class), and one for students who are fairly proficient with English but need to practice hearing and speaking with the American accent. I plan to accept students under 15 by permission only, so I'm hoping that by working with an older crowd, we can really focus on language learning, and hopefully, I won't have to spend my time asking students to stay on task, etc.
Sometimes, working with younger students here, I feel like I'm "herding cats" and most of what I'm doing is damage control. The problem is--as I've tried to explain some before--that in the classrooms I work, we don't have recesses or other delights we can give the students or take away to prompt good behavior. So, often, the only recourse is to kick misbehaving students out of the classroom; but, that classroom is exactly where they need to be (not in the street). At the same time, if the behavior is allowed to continue, it distracts other students who do want to learn, and it reinforces the disruptive behavior, setting a bad precedence.
The classrooms are supposed to become much busier in a month or so, when all the students start summer break. Then, we'll hold summer camps for the students, most of whom will not travel outside of the camp during the summer. I may actually have to postpone my vision of the English classes for a while until I know how busy I will be with the summer camps.
But, I found out today that Al-Rowwad is facing a major funding crisis, as they were informed recently that Islamic Charities, which was supposed to fund their Education Department through 2010, will actually end all funding for Al-Rowwad in June, 2008. This is due to a Islamic Charities' funding crisis. At any rate, I've been asked to help write applications, etc. for more funding. I heard that the department is looking for $6-8,000 to fund just their summer programs. As a volunteer, I am not as affected by this funding crisis as other local employees of the center, who will likely lose their jobs.
But, this financial crunch is not only limited to Al-Rowwad. Rather, it speaks to a larger financial crisis that has hit the West Bank (and the Globe?). Palestine was already very economically depressed, but in the last several months, the situation has become worse by rising prices in essentially every sector, while at the same time, people remain with little or no work. Please see this website for information on the major price inflations here, just in the last few months: http://english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&id=11662
Tomorrow, I travel to Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah for the weekend with some internationals and locals. I'm looking forward to the traveling, but it may also prove stressful, as these areas have been fairly volatile in the last few weeks (the perpetrators: Israeli military, Palestine police trying to assert their "authority," and local militants).
For now, you can also puruse the following:
An insightful Israeli's observations: Jeff Halper's "Rethinking Israel after Sixty Years": http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/51792
I leave you with these two quotes:
No Settlement can be just and complete if recognition is not accorded to the right of the Arab refugee to return to the home from which he has been dislodged… It would be an offence against the principles of elemental justice if these innocent victims of the conflict were denied the right to return to their homes while Jewish immigrants flow into Palestine, and indeed, offer the threat of permanent replacement of the Arab refugees who have been rooted in the land for centuries.” - U.N. Mediator for Palestine, Count Folk Bernadotte, September 16th, 1948
For the last several days, and climaxing today, we have had more demonstrations commemorating the Nakba ("Catastrophe" for the Palestinians who fled their homes during the war and creation of the state of Israel in 1948). Last Thurs. was the day that Israel celebrates it's independence, according to the Jewish calendar. Today, according to Western calendars, marks 60 years since the Nakba and the birth Israel.
I attended a rally today on the outskirts of Aida Camp, by the Wall and the key that we erected a week ago. I was very happy to observe that the demonstration was very peaceful, with no military or police presence, no rock throwing, etc. Instead, there was dancing, singing, speaking, sweets, etc. We released 21,915 black balloons across Palestine (including Aida Camp); each balloon represented one day of the occupation (365 x 60 years), and inside every balloon was a message from a refugee child. The idea was to turn the skies of Jerusalem black today, to remind people that Israel's cause of celebration is Palestine's cause of mourning, and that although Palestinians in the West Bank cannot travel to Jerusalem, they will not be silenced. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the balloons worked so well, as the wind blew in the wrong direction. But, it was a creative, nonviolent demonstration nonetheless, and I'm am constantly amazed by the refugees ability to have hope, despite 60 years of living in camps.
I began working this week on starting an English conversation class in the camp. Several camp residents have asked me about starting a class on the American accent, since it is difficult for them to understand. So, my idea is to eventually hold two classes: one for students who have almost no English language skills (I would use a translator some for this class), and one for students who are fairly proficient with English but need to practice hearing and speaking with the American accent. I plan to accept students under 15 by permission only, so I'm hoping that by working with an older crowd, we can really focus on language learning, and hopefully, I won't have to spend my time asking students to stay on task, etc.
Sometimes, working with younger students here, I feel like I'm "herding cats" and most of what I'm doing is damage control. The problem is--as I've tried to explain some before--that in the classrooms I work, we don't have recesses or other delights we can give the students or take away to prompt good behavior. So, often, the only recourse is to kick misbehaving students out of the classroom; but, that classroom is exactly where they need to be (not in the street). At the same time, if the behavior is allowed to continue, it distracts other students who do want to learn, and it reinforces the disruptive behavior, setting a bad precedence.
The classrooms are supposed to become much busier in a month or so, when all the students start summer break. Then, we'll hold summer camps for the students, most of whom will not travel outside of the camp during the summer. I may actually have to postpone my vision of the English classes for a while until I know how busy I will be with the summer camps.
But, I found out today that Al-Rowwad is facing a major funding crisis, as they were informed recently that Islamic Charities, which was supposed to fund their Education Department through 2010, will actually end all funding for Al-Rowwad in June, 2008. This is due to a Islamic Charities' funding crisis. At any rate, I've been asked to help write applications, etc. for more funding. I heard that the department is looking for $6-8,000 to fund just their summer programs. As a volunteer, I am not as affected by this funding crisis as other local employees of the center, who will likely lose their jobs.
But, this financial crunch is not only limited to Al-Rowwad. Rather, it speaks to a larger financial crisis that has hit the West Bank (and the Globe?). Palestine was already very economically depressed, but in the last several months, the situation has become worse by rising prices in essentially every sector, while at the same time, people remain with little or no work. Please see this website for information on the major price inflations here, just in the last few months: http://english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&id=11662
Tomorrow, I travel to Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah for the weekend with some internationals and locals. I'm looking forward to the traveling, but it may also prove stressful, as these areas have been fairly volatile in the last few weeks (the perpetrators: Israeli military, Palestine police trying to assert their "authority," and local militants).
For now, you can also puruse the following:
An insightful Israeli's observations: Jeff Halper's "Rethinking Israel after Sixty Years": http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/51792
I leave you with these two quotes:
No Settlement can be just and complete if recognition is not accorded to the right of the Arab refugee to return to the home from which he has been dislodged… It would be an offence against the principles of elemental justice if these innocent victims of the conflict were denied the right to return to their homes while Jewish immigrants flow into Palestine, and indeed, offer the threat of permanent replacement of the Arab refugees who have been rooted in the land for centuries.” - U.N. Mediator for Palestine, Count Folk Bernadotte, September 16th, 1948
"I will never accept a solution that is based on their return to Israel, any number… I will not agree to accept any kind of Israeli responsibility for the refugees. Full stop. It is a moral issue of the highest level. I don't think that we should accept any kind of responsibility for the creation of this problem." - Ehud Olmert, Israeli Prime Minister, March 30th, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Settlers; Stats on Water and Casualties
In this post: An encounter with Settlers in Nahalin; stats on water and casualties in this conflict.
On Saturday, a companion and I went to Nahalin (just South of Bethlehem), to a farm owned by a Palestinian Christian. This man held a Tent of Nations conference on his farm that day for people from all religious and cultural perspectives to come together and work for peace. His property sits high on a hill overlooking the town, and I really enjoyed escaping from the city for the first time since I've been here. This Palestinian Christian's hill is the only one in the area (as far as you can see) that doesn't have an Israeli settlement on it. Since 1991, he has been battling to keep his land (which has been in his family since the early 1900's), and his legal appeals are still pending in the Israeli High Court (since 1991). In the meantime, he is not allowed to build on his land or provide electricity or running water.
Toward the end of the conference, I left the group to enjoy the property alone for a few minutes. As I strolled, I noticed a new group of young men enter through his gate, and I thought, "Oh, we have more visitors!" As I was some 150 feet away still, it took me a minute to notice their kippahs; then, I noticed one carrying an automatic rifle, and I knew these settlers were not here to participate in the peace talks. A few seconds later, I noticed the owner of the land walk up to talk to the men, and I started taking pictures. I wasn't sure exactly what I should do, because I didn't want to inflame tensions--waving a camera in front of the settlers' faces--but I also knew that cameras can be very valuable for letting people know they need to behave because what they are doing is being recorded. I decided to stay at my 150 ft. away and take some pictures, and as the situation progressed, I moved closer to get better photos and hear some of the conversation. I heard the one settler who was talking the most yell, "Bottom line is, this is our land, and you're on it!" A little later, I heard him say, "Oh, so you're Christian? Then you know this land was promised to us . . . Well, at least you're not as bad as those crazy Muslims . . . We're going to destroy their mosque in Jerusalem and rebuild our temple over it." He also admitted, in the course of the conversation, to residing in the next settlement over and being an officer in the Israeli military (he defended all the military's tactics as self defense).
The Palestinian Christian tried to talk softly and deescalate the situation (tactics I know from working with homeless people), and a few other people from the farm also came over to offer support. After a few minutes, the five settlers, all in the early 20s, had settled down a little and even cracked (cruel) jokes with the land owner. One asked if he could join our peace meetings, and the owner said, "If you come back next time without your gun, you are welcome. But, when you come with a machine gun, it makes me feel threatened." The owner reiterated several times that he was against all forms of violence and killing, and the settlers didn't find a lot to argue with him about on that front. They then asked, "Can we come live here with you?" This is a particularly sensitive question, as Israeli settlers have often squatted on Palestinian land to eventually steal it. The owner said, "Would I be able to come live in your settlement?" The men replied, "Well . . . that would not be possible because of the security situation. We trust you, but others wouldn't." The owner encouraged them to come back next time without their gun, and they started to stroll away. This was not the relaxing walk I had anticipated, and it reminded me that there are really few (if any) places to get away from the situation here.
On Sunday, our water in the house came back on. So far, we have had water about 1 day for every 7-8 days since I've been in the camps. I mentioned before that I wanted to find out who, exactly, was responsible for cutting our water off, and I have a few answers now, and I'll keep looking for more.
The Bethlehem Municipality web page (http://www.bethlehem-city.org/English/TempVewMenuSub.php?Mid=17) states that all of the Bethlehem area electricity comes from the Jerusalem district (Israel), and of course, you need electricity to be able to pump in water. Families here tell me that they also suffer electricity cuts during the winter months.
The Applied Research Institute in Jerusalem published an article, "The Palestinian Water Crisis" (http://www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/pubs/19990818ib.html) which asserts that Israel essentially controls all of Palestine's water. Indeed, it's easy to find lots of articles condemning Israel's control of Palestine's water. Even the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land speaks of "Israeli control over Palestinian ground water resources" (http://www.elcjhl.org/ed/programs/environmental/environmental.asp).
I'm still looking for more documentation of specifically what is happening here when the water gets cut off, and I'll keep you updated.
After looking for information on water distribution, I stumbled across this BBC webpage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7375994.stm . I was quite pleased with some of their graphs and statistics, particularly the graph that showed that Israel spends almost double (per percentage of GDP) on its military to the US. Also of note on this page are the graphs on Palestinian-Israeli fatalities since 2000 and on the refugee camps.
This web-page motivated me to get a better grasp of the stats re: Israeli-Palestinian casualties (something I mentioned in a post before). There is some disagreement between the various camps on the exact numbers, but I have not found any sources that significantly distort the percentage gap between Palestinians and Israeli's killed (approximately four Pal's for every one Israeli). Most of the stats I found start from the 2nd Intifada (2000), and a few date back to the 1st Intifada (1988), but I have found no stats so far that estimate how many Israelis and Pal's killed from the creation of the state of Israel (1948) or from the rise of the Zionist movement in the Middle East (1920's?). But, I suppose the most important facts for today are what have happened in the last few years?
For an interesting page on the differing reports on the casualties, see: http://www.israelipalestinianprocon.org/deaths.html
A very comprehensive list of Palestinian casualties comes from the Palestine Red Crecent Society: http://www.palestinercs.org/modules/cjaycontent/index.php?id=15
Similarly, a list of Israeli deaths from the Israeli Ministry of Foriegn affairs: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Palestinian+terror+since+2000/Victims+of+Palestinian+Violence+and+Terrorism+sinc.htm
Although a disputed article, Wikipedia offers an interesting breakdown of the makeup of who has been killed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_in_the_Israeli-Palestinian_conflict_2003
Most of these webpages focus on the deaths, but a few of them also offer insight into those wounded, which usually means a person was severely maimed by an explosion or other weapon.
Some of the stats from If Americans Knew are particularly telling: http://www.ifamericansknew.org/index.html . One graph points out the disparity between Palestinian and Israeli children casualties (this number grows to 8.3 Pal. children killed for every one Israeli child). While most of the statistics of deaths of Israelis and Palestinians include militants and civilians on both sides, the statistics on children are particularly telling because I don't know of any argument that could make children seem responsible for the conflict.
Finally, the Palestinian Red Crecent Society's stats (see above for web link) drive home to me that tensions are very high here right now, and that I'm not just noticing more violence in this area because I'm now living here. The record from Jan. through the end of March this year shows an escalation in violence similar to that seen during the heights of the 2nd Intifada.
All of this is quite sobering. While I believe Palestinians do receive a much larger brunt of the violence here, there are many, many Israelis who suffer too, and none of my words or the above statistics are meant to diminish the many Israeli's deep hurt and pain.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Nakba Day; Protests; Discipline; hospitiality
In this post: events around the Nakba; Al-Khader protest; providing order and discipline in the classroom; and Palestinian hospitality, etc.
Yesterday was the Nakba (Arabic for Catastrophe), when Palestinians commemorate the cleansing of their land to make room for the modern day state of Israel. Israeli militias depopulated more than 500 Palestinian villages during the creation of Israel in 1948 (creating, initially, 800,000 refugees) (www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=3&id=466). According to international law and multiple UN resolutions specifically mentioning Palestinians, refugees are supposed to be allowed to return to their homes after the war has ended, but Israel has never allowed the Arab refugees to return home.
Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian refugees being kicked out of their homes. Most likely non-coincidentally, yesterday was also the 60th anniversary of Israel's "independence." There was not really anything to celebrate here in the camps, though, as Israel had restricted everyone's travel--even the ability of Palestinians to travel between Palestinian towns in the West Bank.
However, at Aida camp, residents have been working for weeks to create a nonviolent symbol for the Nakba day. So, they made a huge key (allegedly the largest in the world--Guinness book still has yet to confirm if it is the largest) to symbolize their right or return. Many Palestinian refugee families still have the keys from their original homes hanging in their camp "houses." Residents of Aida camp also constructed an enormous key whole beside the camp, and people from all over Bethlehem came to the unveiling of the key and key whole. We walked from Deheisha camp (on the other side of Bethlehem) to Azza camp (where I live) and Aida camp to commemorate the Nakba event. According to news reports here, over 700 people attended the rally, and I was happy to see that there was no violence or clashes with the Israeli military during the event. Indeed, there are many protests and events here that are not violent; unfortunately, in the US, we only here about the ones that get violent. Please see the following web pages for pics, info, etc. on the event: www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29112 ; www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29139 ; www.imemc.org/article/54727 .
You might also check out this article in the NY Times (www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/world/middleeast/07israel.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&oref=slogin), which doesn't report everything completely accurately, but does drive home the point that many of the villages that Palestinians are not allowed to return to are uninhabited. This starts to debunk the myth that there isn't room for the refugees to return to Israel.
Today, I went to a protest at Al-Khader, which is a village just outside of Bethlehem. The military is building the Wall through more of the village's land, essentially making impossible to farm on the land that is clearly on the Palestinian side of even the 1967 border. In the past, the Israeli military has attacked (using rubber coated steal bullets and gas) some unarmed protesters and sent them to the hospital. The action consists of locals praying near the Wall, then approaching where the military waits in order to try to farm their land. Today, however, the locals simply prayed and left the area, so there were no clashes with the military, who were out in force. I will likely return to this protest in the coming weeks to document what is going on there.
I have been reflecting a lot in the last several days about how best to provide a healthy learning environment for the students in the computer lab where I work. As I've already mentioned, often the Palestinian teachers don't respond to the students' with any sort of discipline until the situation is completely out of control, and then the discipline tends to be quite harsh (yelling, a little shoving or hitting, etc.). The students especially don't listen to internationals. So, how do I create order and discipline without resorting to the violence of yelling and hitting? If the students are trained not to respond to an adult until the adult shows anger, what alternatives do you have?
One thing I've found so far that's important is for me to be very consistent. I have to communicate that what I say, I mean, and there will be consequences if students break the rules. But it's difficult, because the students aren't required to come to the center--they're there at their own prompting. I definitely believe in a "carrot and stick" approach to providing order (positive incentives to doing what the teacher asks, and negative consequences to breaking the rules). At any rate, I think the students are starting to see where I draw the line, and they can either respect that line or be asked to leave. Finding the positive incentives is difficult though, aside from offering the students bribes.
The other day, I was walking home from Aida camp, and a group of men in the their 20's greeted me, and we talked a little. I'd never met these men before, but after talking five minutes, they asked me to spend the evening with them, which I wasn't able to do due to previous engagements. But, this made me reflect some on the hospitality that exists here. I have to even be careful who I talk to on the street if I don't have time for a lengthy conversation over tea and coffee. If any of these Arabs walked on a street in the USA and greeted someone, there is almost no possibility that that Arab would be invited to the strangers home for tea and coffee. We in the US are so afraid of Arabs, but in a lot of ways, they have more of a reason to fear us, due to US military action in the region. But, defying all stereotype and prejudices, people here, knowing full well that I'm American and that the American gov.'t is largely responsible for the financial end of what Israel is doing, these people welcome me, as a total stranger, into their lives and homes. They make a distinction between what my gov.'t does and who I am as a person; I only wish that we could do the same in the US and be half as welcoming of strangers--be they Arabs, Jews, Africans, Asians, etc.
Yesterday was the Nakba (Arabic for Catastrophe), when Palestinians commemorate the cleansing of their land to make room for the modern day state of Israel. Israeli militias depopulated more than 500 Palestinian villages during the creation of Israel in 1948 (creating, initially, 800,000 refugees) (www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=3&id=466). According to international law and multiple UN resolutions specifically mentioning Palestinians, refugees are supposed to be allowed to return to their homes after the war has ended, but Israel has never allowed the Arab refugees to return home.
Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian refugees being kicked out of their homes. Most likely non-coincidentally, yesterday was also the 60th anniversary of Israel's "independence." There was not really anything to celebrate here in the camps, though, as Israel had restricted everyone's travel--even the ability of Palestinians to travel between Palestinian towns in the West Bank.
However, at Aida camp, residents have been working for weeks to create a nonviolent symbol for the Nakba day. So, they made a huge key (allegedly the largest in the world--Guinness book still has yet to confirm if it is the largest) to symbolize their right or return. Many Palestinian refugee families still have the keys from their original homes hanging in their camp "houses." Residents of Aida camp also constructed an enormous key whole beside the camp, and people from all over Bethlehem came to the unveiling of the key and key whole. We walked from Deheisha camp (on the other side of Bethlehem) to Azza camp (where I live) and Aida camp to commemorate the Nakba event. According to news reports here, over 700 people attended the rally, and I was happy to see that there was no violence or clashes with the Israeli military during the event. Indeed, there are many protests and events here that are not violent; unfortunately, in the US, we only here about the ones that get violent. Please see the following web pages for pics, info, etc. on the event: www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29112 ; www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=29139 ; www.imemc.org/article/54727 .
You might also check out this article in the NY Times (www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/world/middleeast/07israel.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&oref=slogin), which doesn't report everything completely accurately, but does drive home the point that many of the villages that Palestinians are not allowed to return to are uninhabited. This starts to debunk the myth that there isn't room for the refugees to return to Israel.
Today, I went to a protest at Al-Khader, which is a village just outside of Bethlehem. The military is building the Wall through more of the village's land, essentially making impossible to farm on the land that is clearly on the Palestinian side of even the 1967 border. In the past, the Israeli military has attacked (using rubber coated steal bullets and gas) some unarmed protesters and sent them to the hospital. The action consists of locals praying near the Wall, then approaching where the military waits in order to try to farm their land. Today, however, the locals simply prayed and left the area, so there were no clashes with the military, who were out in force. I will likely return to this protest in the coming weeks to document what is going on there.
I have been reflecting a lot in the last several days about how best to provide a healthy learning environment for the students in the computer lab where I work. As I've already mentioned, often the Palestinian teachers don't respond to the students' with any sort of discipline until the situation is completely out of control, and then the discipline tends to be quite harsh (yelling, a little shoving or hitting, etc.). The students especially don't listen to internationals. So, how do I create order and discipline without resorting to the violence of yelling and hitting? If the students are trained not to respond to an adult until the adult shows anger, what alternatives do you have?
One thing I've found so far that's important is for me to be very consistent. I have to communicate that what I say, I mean, and there will be consequences if students break the rules. But it's difficult, because the students aren't required to come to the center--they're there at their own prompting. I definitely believe in a "carrot and stick" approach to providing order (positive incentives to doing what the teacher asks, and negative consequences to breaking the rules). At any rate, I think the students are starting to see where I draw the line, and they can either respect that line or be asked to leave. Finding the positive incentives is difficult though, aside from offering the students bribes.
The other day, I was walking home from Aida camp, and a group of men in the their 20's greeted me, and we talked a little. I'd never met these men before, but after talking five minutes, they asked me to spend the evening with them, which I wasn't able to do due to previous engagements. But, this made me reflect some on the hospitality that exists here. I have to even be careful who I talk to on the street if I don't have time for a lengthy conversation over tea and coffee. If any of these Arabs walked on a street in the USA and greeted someone, there is almost no possibility that that Arab would be invited to the strangers home for tea and coffee. We in the US are so afraid of Arabs, but in a lot of ways, they have more of a reason to fear us, due to US military action in the region. But, defying all stereotype and prejudices, people here, knowing full well that I'm American and that the American gov.'t is largely responsible for the financial end of what Israel is doing, these people welcome me, as a total stranger, into their lives and homes. They make a distinction between what my gov.'t does and who I am as a person; I only wish that we could do the same in the US and be half as welcoming of strangers--be they Arabs, Jews, Africans, Asians, etc.
Monday, May 5, 2008
W Bank Closure and Pal.-Israeli death stats
The following comes from this website: http://www.imemc.org/article/54680. The picture at the website some of you may remember from when I visited the same checkpoint just outside of Nablus. The portion of the article below certainly has a bias, but I decry all the needless deaths on both sides.
However, after the picture of the dead child from Gaza I posted last week (and at the time of that posting, I mentioned that there were dead children on the other side too), I want to point out that it is somewhere between 4-1 and 10-1, Palestinian deaths and Palestinian children's death to Israeli ones. This disparity highlights the severe imbalance in power and aggression. But, as I already mentioned, I decry ALL of the deaths as unjustified and needless.
I was hoping to go to Jerusalem this afternoon to get a shower (we're out of water again), but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go now due to this closure. It is concerning to me that Israel wants to not only seal off the West Bank, but even stop all traffic between W Bank towns. What does that have to do with Israeli security?
"It is common practice for the Israeli military to clamp down on the entire Palestinian population every time the Israelis want to celebrate a holiday. There is generally no marked increase in Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation during these holidays -- indeed, over the past several years there has been very little Palestinian-initiated violence at all -- but the Israeli 'security measures' are always taken as a 'precaution' during holidays.
The Remembrance Day celebrations will commemorate the 1,634 Israelis who were killed by Palestinian attacks since Israeli was created in 1948. Over 1.5 million Israelis are expected to participate in various commemoration ceremonies.
During the 1948 war of Israel's independence, at least 13,000 Palestinians were killed - although no official numbers were ever released. Since that time, Israeli forces killed more than 29,300 Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon, 15,000 Palestinians and other Arab combatants and civilians during the 1967 war, and in the two Palestinian uprisings - from 1988 - 1996, and from 2000 - 2006, Israeli forces killed 2,939 Palestinians. Human rights groups have estimated that 80% of those killed were civilians.
The closure will include a ban on travel for all Palestinians - not only outside of the West Bank, but also between towns within the West Bank; a closure of all government functions and offices; a ban on hospital procedures involving travel; and a ban on those wishing to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The last closure on the West Bank was imposed from Thursday until Saturday this past week, while Israelis commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day."
However, after the picture of the dead child from Gaza I posted last week (and at the time of that posting, I mentioned that there were dead children on the other side too), I want to point out that it is somewhere between 4-1 and 10-1, Palestinian deaths and Palestinian children's death to Israeli ones. This disparity highlights the severe imbalance in power and aggression. But, as I already mentioned, I decry ALL of the deaths as unjustified and needless.
I was hoping to go to Jerusalem this afternoon to get a shower (we're out of water again), but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go now due to this closure. It is concerning to me that Israel wants to not only seal off the West Bank, but even stop all traffic between W Bank towns. What does that have to do with Israeli security?
"It is common practice for the Israeli military to clamp down on the entire Palestinian population every time the Israelis want to celebrate a holiday. There is generally no marked increase in Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation during these holidays -- indeed, over the past several years there has been very little Palestinian-initiated violence at all -- but the Israeli 'security measures' are always taken as a 'precaution' during holidays.
The Remembrance Day celebrations will commemorate the 1,634 Israelis who were killed by Palestinian attacks since Israeli was created in 1948. Over 1.5 million Israelis are expected to participate in various commemoration ceremonies.
During the 1948 war of Israel's independence, at least 13,000 Palestinians were killed - although no official numbers were ever released. Since that time, Israeli forces killed more than 29,300 Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon, 15,000 Palestinians and other Arab combatants and civilians during the 1967 war, and in the two Palestinian uprisings - from 1988 - 1996, and from 2000 - 2006, Israeli forces killed 2,939 Palestinians. Human rights groups have estimated that 80% of those killed were civilians.
The closure will include a ban on travel for all Palestinians - not only outside of the West Bank, but also between towns within the West Bank; a closure of all government functions and offices; a ban on hospital procedures involving travel; and a ban on those wishing to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The last closure on the West Bank was imposed from Thursday until Saturday this past week, while Israelis commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day."
Sunday, May 4, 2008
More H20, Debts, Worthy Donations, Hebron Orphanage Action, etc.
In this post: military action on bus and Beit Sahour; more on water; paying back electricity; debts; 2 worthy causes to donate to; action on Hebron orphanage; etc.
When I was returning to Bethlehem (from Jerusalem) yesterday, an Israeli military jeep stopped our bus and collected Palestinian ID cards. These stops can last hours at time, but ours only lasted 15 minutes.
When I arrived in Bethlehem, I found out that the military had invaded Beit Sahour (near here: Shepherd's Field) and imposed a road block for hours. I also found out our water had been turned back on, just as my family had run out of their barreled water. However, today, our water was shut off again.
I casually told a few people in Jerusalem that I had traveled there to take a shower and clean up because we had no water in Bethlehem. People were shocked to hear we had no water (as if this is something new). I realize there are usually two sides to every story, but I don't see much of another side to the fact that people's water is shut off. When I can look across to the nearest hill and see an Israeli settlement on Palestinian land, and those nice Israeli houses have no water barrels on top of the roofs, but all the Palestinian houses have to deal with no water and wonder when they'll run out of water in their barrels, I struggle to even hear, much less understand another side. The only possible explanation from another side I can think of that doesn't wreak of deliberate inhumane practices is that somehow Israel is not responsible in any way for the water on this side of the wall. I'm interested to find out who actually controls all this water. From my CPT delegation and everything I've heard here, it all sounds like Israel has complete control over it, but I'd like to verify that somehow. However, even if Israel doesn't have direct control over our water here, I still believe it is indirectly responsible because of how the Wall has taken more Palestinian land (i.e., those settlements I can see from here who have water used to be Palestinian villages); also, I believe it is the responsibility of an occupying power to provide for the basic essentials of the occupied (since the occupied do not have the ability to have (or are kept from having) a proper gov't, etc.).
My Palestinian roommate said tonight, "Everything here is getting more expensive: the bread, the gas, building materials, everything except the cost of human lives. Our lives here have only gotten cheaper."
I want to make a clarification from an earlier post. One of the sons of this house is a member of the Palestinian police force, which deals with Palestinian matters (mostly things like directing traffic). Neither he, nor anyone else that I've met so far, is (to my knowledge) involved in any kind of violent resistance to the occupation.
During the height of the 2nd intifada, my family had to choose between paying their electrical bill and eating. They still owe thousands of US dollars to the the electrical company for this, and even though they try to pay back a small portion monthly, there is no realistic hope they will break free of this debt. I understand many families here have similar predicaments. It reminds me of the practice in the US of charging homeless people tens of thousands of dollars for hospital and medical treatment. There is no way that either of these groups is going to be able to repay their debts, and society would do better to figure out a way to give humanitarian help, rather than to continue to send them a pointless bill for thousands of dollars. And, we may even find, as some in Seattle have discovered, that keeping people from accruing those debts to begin with (i.e., giving the homeless healthcare) is more cost effective and beneficial to society than continuing to run up debts. If, here in Palestine, more people were able to work, for example, they would have more money to pay for things like electricity, and having something productive to do would help thwart some forms of violent resistance.
If you are looking for a way to donate funds toward a worthy cause here, I can suggest two right now. One situation entails a new kindergarten in Aida refugee camp that would like to be able to provide lunches for its pupils. Many students go to school and have no lunch and no lunch money, so the teachers are trying to provide lunch money for all the kindergarten students at the school. I have asked the principal to make a proposal of how much funds this might take. Secondly, I know of a very bright 5th grade student here whose favorite classes are English and Computers, and I would love to find a way to get a laptop for him (new or used). If you are interested in more details for either of these situations, please let me know.
Finally, here is the website where you can take action on the Hebron orphanage situation: http://cpt.org/node/7028. I would particularly urge you to call the Israeli embassy in the US (I have a funny story from doing this) and your congresspeople; it might also be interesting to email the Israeli military (see the website above for info on all of this). Please do not mention my name in connection with any action you take on this item.
Peace.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Camp raid, Water, Reflections on Gender and Power
In this post: an early morning raid and kidnapping in my camp; the (escalating) violence; crossing to Jersusalem; Water situation in Bethlehem; Reflections on gender and power here.
Early this morning (May Day), Israeli forces raided Azza camp (where I live) and kidnapped one person. I knew nothing of the incident until I read the news today, and I was actually the first one to inform my house family here of the event. They shrugged and said, "This happens here all the time. We don't care what the Israelis do." However, they said they did know the man the military abducted and that this is not the first time the military has taken him. See www.imemc.org/article/54575 for more info.
In addition to all the horrific events occurring in Gaza right now, including more killings of civilians there by the Israeli military, the violence continues in the West Bank too. One website (http://www.imemc.org/article/54577) claims that the military abducted five children in Jenin last night too. Indeed, the abductions, and, in general, harassing of Palestinians seems to be increasing, if anything.
I heard all the dogs barking late last night as I walked home, and I thought, "The military is probably out doing its raids." The dogs usually only bark like that when the military is working late at night.
I crossed over to Jerusalem this evening to spend a few days here, as I have a three day weekend due to a holiday. A young Palestinian (maybe 18) asked me to watch him go through the checkpoint, as he had been getting hassled there. They actually stopped the turn-style, though, after he crossed through so that I couldn't monitor the situation. But, I found him on the other side, so I was happy he made it through. The military at the checkpoints now tries to separate the internationals from the Palestinians by pausing the turn-styles while they "deal" with the Palestinians separately.
We have had no water in Azza camp for several days, so I went to Aida camp the other day to take a shower, only to find out they were out of water too. One Palestinian said about the water situation: "We have plenty of water here in Bethlehem. The city has vast aquifers under ground, but the Israelis have built the settlements and the Wall in such a way that they steal all our water, give us a little back, and cut off our water all the time." He pointed out that the Israeli settlements that you can see from my house, just one hill over, have no water tanks on top of their houses because they always receive water. But, the Palestinians (especially in the refugee camps) all have water tanks on their roofs for emergency rations for when Israel cuts their water. Often, even those tanks run out of water.
One of the reasons I've come to Jerusalem is to steal back a little of that stolen water to take a shower (I can't justify using the precious little Palestinian water when they're running off of a very limited source of water from their water tanks). I will likely travel back to Bethlehem tomorrow to participate in a protest that occurs every Fri. near Bethlehem.
The father of my house said the other day, "All my life now is for my sons." He spends all his time trying to help his sons build houses so that they can marry and settle down. In many ways, he's making huge sacrifices for them. He has already married off all his daughters, but for the sons, they have to have a lot of money and a house to "buy" their bride.
I want to make a few comments about the gender dynamics I've seen so far. I will probably have more to say about this later, but this has been on my mind the last several days. The boy in the house from whom I'm renting a room in his apartment, he said to me the other day that the woman's place is in the home. We argued a little about that, and he said that a woman didn't have to stay in the home if she didn't marry, but once she marries, her duty is to make food, clean the house, etc., while the man's duty is to work, provide income, etc.
I don't necessarily see this setup as oppressive, as long as both sexes have the freedom to break out of the societal norms if they so wish. I see these expectations as making requirements of both sexes (i.e., men are expected to "buy" their bride and women are expected to remain in the home). There are good aspects of the gender separations here; for example, separation means that there is more comradery between the same sexes. Men can have very in-depth, meaningful relationships with other men without sexual implications, as can women with women.
I see the roles the genders play here as contracts the genders have between one another (i.e., I'll clean the house if you'll work). But, problems arise (in my mind) when the contracts are rigid and forced on people. My friend I had the conversation with said, A woman can work outside the house if her husband gives her permission to. I would rather say, People can adjust the societal expectations if they can come to a mutual agreement. The problem, to me, is that men here seem to have the final say in what the woman does. Even in the home, where the woman is supposed to rule (while the man rules the workplace), the man has the final say in what goes on there.
For these reasons, I see men here as having much more power than women. There are places where men have a lot expected of them, but they are given the ultimate trump card in this society.
Women also seem to do a lot of work in the home, while the men do little. Part of the problem may be that it is difficult for men to find work; but in the absence of work, I don't see the men pitching in more at home. It's difficult for me when the mother insists on doing all my dishes, all the cooking, cleaning, etc., but I've given up trying to help in some of these areas, as it has become clear that I would offend if I insisted on cleaning my dishes, for example. So, I look for acceptable ways to pitch in.
This also ties into another power dynamic I've noticed that I'll try to comment on briefly for now. I've noticed a very top-down model of power/work here. The people at the top tell the people below them what to do, while those with the power actually do very little work. Maybe this power dynamic is left-overs from a sort of monarchical system, but I see it as breeding corruption at higher levels (i.e., gov.'t), as those in power don't seem to be held accountable (instead, the powerful are obeyed with respect and not questioned).
Early this morning (May Day), Israeli forces raided Azza camp (where I live) and kidnapped one person. I knew nothing of the incident until I read the news today, and I was actually the first one to inform my house family here of the event. They shrugged and said, "This happens here all the time. We don't care what the Israelis do." However, they said they did know the man the military abducted and that this is not the first time the military has taken him. See www.imemc.org/article/54575 for more info.
In addition to all the horrific events occurring in Gaza right now, including more killings of civilians there by the Israeli military, the violence continues in the West Bank too. One website (http://www.imemc.org/article/54577) claims that the military abducted five children in Jenin last night too. Indeed, the abductions, and, in general, harassing of Palestinians seems to be increasing, if anything.
I heard all the dogs barking late last night as I walked home, and I thought, "The military is probably out doing its raids." The dogs usually only bark like that when the military is working late at night.
I crossed over to Jerusalem this evening to spend a few days here, as I have a three day weekend due to a holiday. A young Palestinian (maybe 18) asked me to watch him go through the checkpoint, as he had been getting hassled there. They actually stopped the turn-style, though, after he crossed through so that I couldn't monitor the situation. But, I found him on the other side, so I was happy he made it through. The military at the checkpoints now tries to separate the internationals from the Palestinians by pausing the turn-styles while they "deal" with the Palestinians separately.
We have had no water in Azza camp for several days, so I went to Aida camp the other day to take a shower, only to find out they were out of water too. One Palestinian said about the water situation: "We have plenty of water here in Bethlehem. The city has vast aquifers under ground, but the Israelis have built the settlements and the Wall in such a way that they steal all our water, give us a little back, and cut off our water all the time." He pointed out that the Israeli settlements that you can see from my house, just one hill over, have no water tanks on top of their houses because they always receive water. But, the Palestinians (especially in the refugee camps) all have water tanks on their roofs for emergency rations for when Israel cuts their water. Often, even those tanks run out of water.
One of the reasons I've come to Jerusalem is to steal back a little of that stolen water to take a shower (I can't justify using the precious little Palestinian water when they're running off of a very limited source of water from their water tanks). I will likely travel back to Bethlehem tomorrow to participate in a protest that occurs every Fri. near Bethlehem.
The father of my house said the other day, "All my life now is for my sons." He spends all his time trying to help his sons build houses so that they can marry and settle down. In many ways, he's making huge sacrifices for them. He has already married off all his daughters, but for the sons, they have to have a lot of money and a house to "buy" their bride.
I want to make a few comments about the gender dynamics I've seen so far. I will probably have more to say about this later, but this has been on my mind the last several days. The boy in the house from whom I'm renting a room in his apartment, he said to me the other day that the woman's place is in the home. We argued a little about that, and he said that a woman didn't have to stay in the home if she didn't marry, but once she marries, her duty is to make food, clean the house, etc., while the man's duty is to work, provide income, etc.
I don't necessarily see this setup as oppressive, as long as both sexes have the freedom to break out of the societal norms if they so wish. I see these expectations as making requirements of both sexes (i.e., men are expected to "buy" their bride and women are expected to remain in the home). There are good aspects of the gender separations here; for example, separation means that there is more comradery between the same sexes. Men can have very in-depth, meaningful relationships with other men without sexual implications, as can women with women.
I see the roles the genders play here as contracts the genders have between one another (i.e., I'll clean the house if you'll work). But, problems arise (in my mind) when the contracts are rigid and forced on people. My friend I had the conversation with said, A woman can work outside the house if her husband gives her permission to. I would rather say, People can adjust the societal expectations if they can come to a mutual agreement. The problem, to me, is that men here seem to have the final say in what the woman does. Even in the home, where the woman is supposed to rule (while the man rules the workplace), the man has the final say in what goes on there.
For these reasons, I see men here as having much more power than women. There are places where men have a lot expected of them, but they are given the ultimate trump card in this society.
Women also seem to do a lot of work in the home, while the men do little. Part of the problem may be that it is difficult for men to find work; but in the absence of work, I don't see the men pitching in more at home. It's difficult for me when the mother insists on doing all my dishes, all the cooking, cleaning, etc., but I've given up trying to help in some of these areas, as it has become clear that I would offend if I insisted on cleaning my dishes, for example. So, I look for acceptable ways to pitch in.
This also ties into another power dynamic I've noticed that I'll try to comment on briefly for now. I've noticed a very top-down model of power/work here. The people at the top tell the people below them what to do, while those with the power actually do very little work. Maybe this power dynamic is left-overs from a sort of monarchical system, but I see it as breeding corruption at higher levels (i.e., gov.'t), as those in power don't seem to be held accountable (instead, the powerful are obeyed with respect and not questioned).