April 9, 2002
Dear Mum,
We are back at the YWCA in east Jerusalem after a
crazy ride out of Ramalah.
I rode on Ambulances all morning and afternoon picking people up who needed treatment and doing house calls etc. Riding in the semi-safe ambulance is a good way to see the destruction that has been done in the last few days. The roads are torn up with tank tracks and rubble, in some places the road is too narrow for the tank and so it woould just keep going and smash the buildings on either side. Any car in the street has been smashed by the tanks and many buildings are bombed out, including the Ramalah TV station. Snipers on the roofs shoot when ever they see someone onthe street. Today, while we were there two people were shot and killed, the first was a young woman, 28, mother of three who was in her house. The second was a young man, 23, mentally retarded who was on the street and the last time he was seen alive eleven soldiers were chasing him. Scott saw and photographed the bodies today. Seven more bodies were inthe morgue as well and a new mass grave will have to be dug. The other mass grave holds 29 people, including the 21 year old mother killed in her car last week, it is located inthe hospital parking lot.
I was able to talk to a few families when on the rounds. One old man had heart surgery on the day of the invasion and is now in his house with his wife and daughter. the Doctor comes around to change the bandage. the wife said the other day the army came to their house and went through all of their belongings, a regular occurance throughout Palestine, they said it was lucky they were there though, otherwise they would have shot down the door and smashed everything inside. Shelling was going on throughout last night. This was Ramalah's 12th day of curfew with only a few hours monday being allowed out.
As we were about to leave the hosppital today to come back here soldiers trooped down the street in front of the hospital gate and told us we couldn't leave for ten minutes. ten, twenty, half an hour, they finally gave us leave and we got into a VW van which was not an ambulance and sped down the empty road until we came to more soldiers and the driver had to get out and show them a pass that the first group had given us and we held up our passports. Then we drove to the check point which we walked across. The check point was in a refugee camp, it is unbelievable how many parallels thereare between this situation and nazi germany. the way the refugee camp looked was just on in a long list of comparisons. We may go to Bethlehem tomorrow. call us. --love grace
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April 10
Peace! Shalom! Salaam! We just returned to Jerusalem at 6:30 pm our time from Ramalah. Our time there was very eventful. We slept at the Sheik Zayed hospital in Ramalah. It's a modern hospital. Pairs of us got up for three hour shifts each to help watch the doors so soldiers do not enter the hospital which they tried to do last week when a number of Italian activists laid down on the floor and blocked them. We rt medication from the hospital for a sick relative. We walked back and then returned with the medicine. The streets are very dangerous because there are Israeli snipers on many of the tall buildings. Two members of our group accompanied ambulance drivers on numerous runs while we did this errand.
Later in the morning, we tried again to reach the relief office and by a very circuitous route which led us through the city center. Bullet shells ar and three others yesterday. The hospital had to dig a mass grave in its parking lot last week to bury 29 bodies. There were nine more bodies in the morgue today, all of them victims of Israeli gunfire. They will have to dig another mass grave soon. I photographed five corpses. One of them was that of Menel Sami Ibrahim. She was a 28 year old mother of three who was shot once through the heart while she was in her home with her children.
After a standoff, the soldiers allowed our driver to bring a van for us. On our way out of Ramalah, we were stopped by another patrol. Our driver was made to get out of the van and partially strip, but we were all allowed to go on. We had to pass through three more army checkpoints before arriving back at the YWCA in Jerusalem. We are exhausted, but making plans to leave first thing in the morning for Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and the Deheisheh Refugee camp. Kathy Kell
And from Audrey:
Here's Audrey's report at about 9am E.S.T. The previous story by her fellow member on the peace team was put out on the AP Wire. Please foward this to other appropriate sources.
April 11
We were driven to Bethlehem and when we arrived we could see that the destruction here by the Israeli Defense Forces was much more intense than where we had been previously.
The water lines were smashed and water was gushing into the steets, electrical lines were cut, cars were crushed flat by tanks and riddled with bullet holes, garbage was rotting in the streets, bullet casings everywhere. The infrastructure for the city was damaged heavily. The 24 hour curfew for Palestinians has been in effect for 13 days. They risk death if they venture out for food, water,medicine or to clean up the garbage. There is talk that the curfew may be lifted for a brief time tomorrow for people to get supplies.
Our group decided to challenge the curfew to document the situation and learn more of what was happening. We tried to walk from our hotel, the Star Hotel, to Manger Square, a few blocks away where the Church of the Nativity is located. As we walked, people would risk sticking their heads out their windows to say they were glad people were coming to try to help. We always wish they wouldn't take that chance. We know the families and priests inside the Church of the Nativity and the people living around manger square must be running out of food and water.
The members of our peace team walked wearing white medical shirts and the journalists were wearing helmets and bullet proof vests. The journalists asked us to walk in front as a shield from potential gunfire.
We were stopped 2 blocks from the church. Soldiers pointed their guns at us and asked us what we were doing. We said we were on vacation. Some of the soldiers were very tense, but one was willing to joke a little and asked if our next vacation was to Afghanistan. They demanded that we return to the hotel. We visited a church on the way back, but soldiers interupted us and demanded we return to the hotel.
We went back and regrouped and decided to try to walk to the Dheihshe Refugee Camp, about a 30 minute walk to the south. We wanted to document the conditions there and bring medicine that we knew was needed. There were 10 of us this time. Grace, Scott, Alexandra and I from our peace team plus some other internationals and journalists. We walked slowly and Grace and I, plus Alexandra from Sweden carried the white cloth with the Red Cross and Red Crescent symbols on them.
We passed the Palestinian Police Station, which was a 2-3 story building. It was completely crushed along with nearby homes, from what appeared to be bombs. The destruction seemed too great to have been caused by shells.
We walked until we saw the camp on the top of a hill. We had heard that people at the camp had a great spirit, had made a beautiful mural. We had met a man earlier who was out planting a tree with his young son. Trying to have hope, trying to carry on, even after all this. We wanted to meet the people there.
We could make out that the buildings were partially destroyed, rooftops missing, walls down. Then we suddenly heard sustained machine gun fire, for about 15 mintutes, coming from the camp. Then a very close warning shot from an Israeli sniper came our way. We put our hands in the air. Some of the journalists had started to run, but our training from experienced people had been to put your hands up and stay still so as to not frighten or agitate the soldiers. Those of us still waiting there kept our hands high and waited.
A tank and an Armoured Personnel Carrier came to about 20' from us, and the tank slowly pointed their gun barrell at us. After awhile, a soldier motioned for one of us to approach the APC and talk to him. Scott went up. The soldier asked what we were doing. Scott said we are bringing medicine and candy to the children in the refugee camp ahead. The soldier stuck his head back inside the armoured vehicle while Scott waited. The soldiers then demanded we return to the hotel. They said they would escort us to protect us from sniper fire (!). We said we did not want an escort, but the armoured vehicle followed.
On the return trip, 2 gunshots were fired at the group by Israeli snipers. The APC sped ahead and then waved to us to move foward.
The group then saw a Red Crescent/Red Cross ambulance with lights flashing heading out of Bethlehem toward the camp. The tank and APC blocked them, made all the Palestinians get out of the ambulance to question them, before letting them go on. We slowed our pace so that we could stay close by till the ambulance could pass.
Then again, closer to the hotel, we came upon another ambulance that was stopped on its way to the camp. We asked the Palestinian driver to please take our medicine and deliver it to the camp and also gave a financial donation to the hospital.
Tomorrow we plan to escort ambulances as needed and help deliver more medicine to those who need it and also bring UN relief supplies to the people seeking shelter in the Church of the Nativity.
Kathy Kelley and Jeff Guntzel of our delegation left for Jenin earlier today. They were able to get to the outskirts of the refugee camp there and are staying overnight there. They will try to get into Jenin tomorrow.
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The following is from Jeff Guntzel of Voices in the Wilderness before he and Kathy Kelly left Grace, Audrey and Scott to travel to Jenin.
Today the 5 are reuniting on the Israeli side of Jenin at a massive peace rally organized by peace organizations in Israel. Grace, Audrey and Scott are problably travelling to Jenin from East Jerusalem in Women in Black buses. The groups responsible for the call to rally had gathered several days ago near the Ramallah checkpoint, demanding that food and medicine be allowed in to the refugee camp there. Although some were beaten and the group was tear-gassed, eventually their demands were met.
The Jenin rally has the same goals: food, water and medicine must be allowed into Jenin. Many people here have heard the allegations of massacre and torture there.
Coincidentally when I was on the phone with Grace the other day I said that we had heard on Amy Goodman that the Israeli army was censoring all news media...and the phone went dead. I'm assuming that was merely coincidence.
Grace and Audrey stressed on that call that they have not seen any Palestinians with weapons of any kind. The journalists staying in the Star of Bethlehem believed that the Palestinians holed up in the Church of the Nativity had long run out of ammunition as well. If you go to imc-ithaca.nyfss.org and download winamp (follow the directions there) you can hear a taped conversation with Audrey and Grace.
love Linda
this from Jeff, April 10, 2002
We left for Ramallah yesterday morning. In order to enter the city, our little group had to avoid the Israeli checkpoint by walking (and sometimes running) through the brush just south of the checkpoint. Once we were safely inside the military zone, a taxi driver with whom we had made advance arrangements drove us about a mile into Ramallah and stopped. He would not go any further for fear of Israeli snipers who were situated in many of the city's tall build the hill and several more soldiers appeared some of them taking aim and some motioning us to come closer. We all held our passports up to let them know there were internationals in the car.
Israeli troops had been harassing, arresting, and even shooting ambulance drivers since the start of the invasion. We had no idea what to expect. When we got to the soldiers at the bottom of the hill we stopped again. Eight M-16s and a tank were aimed at us. The so here," he replied solemnly, looking off into the distance, "but there are also terrorists. You cannot drive to the hospital," said the soldier.
"Then we will walk," replied Greg, another member of our group, who then began walking towards the tank and APC that partially blocked our path.
"Stop! You cannot walk either," demanded the soldier, who then paused and looked around. Directly in front of us was a soldier on one knee, holding each of us briefly in his [...] We have more in common than you have with Sharon, or than I have with Arafat, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, I agree."
"So let us go to the hospital," Kathy responded. Silence. Then the soldier spoke again, "You know, it is not just the Palestinians who are suffering."
"We want a just peace for both sides," we responded, "We want an end to *all* of the violence."
"It is too late," insisted the soldier, "there can be no peace now."
"It is difficult to [...] Both were aiming at us. We stopped. A soldier yelled something. Adam yelled out, "I'm sorry I can't hear you." One of the soldiers fired. "I hear your bullets," Adam replied, "We're going to deliver food, we are all foreigners." We waited. There were shots in the distance. The soldiers ahead of us seemed to be engaged in some sort of operation that drew them out of the APC. They were moving around. We were a distraction. We bega he rest of the neighborhood) and were pleased to see that the soldiers had moved on. We decided to again attempt making our way to the UPMRC offices.
Just as we were getting ready to walk on, a man approached us to ask if we could get an ambulance to take his feverish son to the hospital. We decided to escort the boy to the hospital since it was so close. While we were regrouping in the parking lot, two ambulances sped into the driveway. Inside one was the bo Two young men in fatigues with a lazy grip on their M-16s. Clearly bored out of their minds and blasting Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff," They made us open our bags and barely even looked into them. Soon we were on our way.
At the UPRMC offices, workers took us on a tour of the damaged building. Two family apartments were heavily hit with damage to the ceilings, walls and floors, which were covered with debris and broken glass. The clinic's reception room and ex nbsp; A third body was delivered to the morgue while we were out. It was the body of Mahmoud Farid Bawatma, who had been dead 7-15 days, his body only recently discovered. He was shot, but the details of his death are unclear except that the bullet had entered through his buttocks and exited through his head. The morgue was full again and the doctors were talking about a second mass grave.
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April 11, 2002 from Scott Schaeffer-Duffy in Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM- At 10 am today, six internationals (three Americans, Audrey Stewart & Grace Ritter of Ithaca NY, and Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester, MA, along with Alexandra Iriate of Sweden, and Dennis Dyhr-Hansen and Niels Salling of Denmark) entered Bethlehem through Beit Jala. Upon arrival at the Star Hotel, six blocks from the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square, they joined Palestinian television crewmen and a reporter from the BBC in an attempt to walk to Manger Square. Along Pope Paul VI
Although the journalists were clad in bullet proof vests and helmets, they asked the internationals, clad only in street clothes with white medical shirts, to walk before them as a shield from potential Israeli gunfire. Two blocks from Manger Square, a squad of six Israeli soldiers refused to allow the group to proceed. One soldier announced, "This is a closed military area. You are not allowed to be here." On their way back to the hotel, the internationals visited Rev. Mitri Raheb, the pastor of Bethle
A United Nations truck arrived at the hotel and the internationals helped unload over three hundred parcels of food relief supplies. They stood shoulder to shoulder with blue helmeted UN workers from Japan and Germany. Gunfire erupted while the truck was being unloaded and an Israeli official ordered the truck to leave immediately, but the driver insisted that they needed on 20 minutes more to finish. By passing the heavy bags and boxes hand-to-hand in a human chain, the job was completed quickly.
At 1 pm, the group of six internationals began a walk to Deheishe Refugee Camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem. This camp is situated on a steep hill along a main thoroughfare, Hebron Road. The six were joined by several others including two Belgian journalists. Ritter, Stewart, and Iriate carried a banner displaying the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems on a white background. The group hoped to deliver medicine for Deheishe's clinic, as well as candy for children in the camp. They also hoped to photogra
The group walked slowly down Paul VI street to Hebron Road. A half mile along, they photographed the bombed-out ruins of the Palestinian police station, municipal jail, court, and Red Crescent Medical station. They continued until they came within sight of the hill where Deheishe is located. At this time, they heard prolonged bursts of heavy caliber automatic gunfire which appeared to be aimed at the camp. The internationals halted to assess the situation and a single shot was fired in their direction.
Five minutes later, two gunshots were fired at the group on a rooftop between them and the hotel. The APC rushed ahead to an area protected by a rocky outcrop and then waved the internationals to continue down the middle of the street.
A Red Crescent/Red Cross ambulance with its light flashing came quickly up the street heading in the direction of Deheishe. The Israeli tank and APC blocked its path and forced the ambulance crew to leave the vehicle while it was searched and they were questioned. The internationals stayed on hand until it was clear that the ambulance crew was safe.
En route to the hotel, the internationals encountered another ambulance which stopped and it's driver agreed to deliver the group's medicine and a financial donation to the hospital.
The group is remaining in Bethlehem tonight, and hopes to join other internationals tomorrow in an effort to deliver the UN relief supplies to the Church of the Nativity.
Two other members of the American delegation (Kathy Kelly and Jeff Guntzel of Chicago attempted to enter Jenin today. They were unsuccessful but did reach the outskirts of the besieged camp where they are spending the night. They hope to find a way to enter Jenin tomorrow.
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April 12,2002
Scott wrote this today from Jerusalem, mostly about their day in Bethlehem. Grace, Audrey and Scott have formed a working group with a woman from Sweden and two men from Denmark.
They plan on travelling to the Israeli side of Jenin on Saturday morning to join various peace groups from around Israel.
JERUSALEM- The members of the Catholic Worker Peace Team (Audrey Stewart & Grace Ritter of Ithaca, NY and Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Worcester, MA) along with three other international activists, Alexandra Iriarte of Sweden and Dennis Dyhr-Hansen and Niels Salling of Denmark returned to Jerusalem today after two eventful days in Israeli-occupied Bethlehem.
The group began their day by organizing humanitarian supplies delivered the day before by the United Nations. Palestinian peace activists asked the group if its members would be willing to try and deliver as much of this aid as possible to families in the area of the Nativity Church. Some of those families have not had access to any food for twelve days. Because an Israeli curfew was still in force, the heavy bags of rice, flour, sugar, beans, and milk powder could only be transported by foot
The storage area to which the internationals helped unload the food on the previous day used to be used as a two car garage for the large Palestinian family which lives above it. The father of that family pointed out to the internationals that two upstairs rooms were completely destroyed. He showed us the place on the side of the building where Israeli tanks from the nearby Jewish settlement of Gilo had struck. He showed the remains of the shells to the group. Amid unrecogni
At about 10 am, the group slung as many bags of food as they could carry over their shoulders and began walking from the Star Hotel towards Manger Square. At a safe distance behind them, more than ten television and print journalists followed. Each of the journalists were clad in flack jackets and helmets.
the internationals walked down the deserted and winding streets of the Old City while sporadic gunfire could be heard in the distance, as well as the sound of Israeli tanks and Armoured Personel Carriers on patrol. The group passed through Madabash square without incident. They passed under and arch into an especially damaged area where they had been instructed to give food to each family. At first, no Palestinians were visible and then some parents peered out of windows in sheltered a
They resolved to walk back and return with another delivery. On their way through the narrow street, they encountered an Israeli patrol. One of the soldiers trained his rifle on them, while the officer shouted that they must stop. The media scurried to positions behind the soldiers and began taking photographs and film footage. The group explained to the soldiers that they had been distributing food to families and would like to continue doing so. The officer said, "We all
The internationals hurried to the storage area and, along with four other internationals from Britain, Switzerland, and Belgium, carried a larger store of goods back to Madabasah square. The soldiers halted them there and refused to allow them to proceed. After some negotiation, they agreed to allow the internationals to deliver the food at 2 pm when the curfew would be lifted for two hours. (This suspension of the curfew would not include the neighborhood near the Church of the Nativity whe
About 1 pm a convoy of three International Red Cross jeeps appeared in the square with a small delivery of food. They were stopped by the soldiers. Their vehicles were searched and they began negotiating permission as well. In the end, the soldiers concluded that only one group could proceed. Citing the danger of walking, the soldiers chose the Red Cross. The international then loaded their supplies into the jeeps.
Just as the curfew was lifted at 2 pm, a shots rang out. Reports reached the internationals that an elderly man from Beit Sahour had been killed.
During the lifting of curfew, the internationals arranged to meet a Palestinian driver to take them to Jerusalem. This driver is an Israeli citizen with and Israeli press card which allows him to pass into the occupied territories through a checkpoint in Beit Jala. In spite of his credentials, the group was detained for almost an hour at the two checkpoints on the way to Jerusalem.
Two other members of the group, Kathy Kelly and Jeff Guntzel of Chicago, have been in touch with the others by cell phone from a village outside Jenin where they spent last night. Kelly and Guntzel reported that they had interviewed numerous obviously wounded refugees from Jenin who claimed that the Israeli army had massacred an enormous number of people there. Minutes after their call, CNN reported that the Israeli military confirmed that "hundreds of Palestinians" had been k
The internationals in Jerusalem and those outside Jenin plan to reunite tomorrow at 11 am in the northern Israeli town of Meggido. Busloads of Israeli, Palestinian, and international peace activist from Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and elsewhere are converging in Meggido. They are bringing food and water which they hope to deliver to the people inside Jenin. The activists plan to walk to the Israeli army checkpoint outside of Jenin and attempt to pass into the city.
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April 13, 2002 (Linda Holzbaur)
hello everyone. this information is from a phone conversation we had with Grace today at about noon our time. Grace has not been able to get to a computer - thus my retelling of the tale. I know that first person is much more effective.
Early this morning, Grace, Audrey and the others left East Jerusalem for Jenin. They travelled on the Israeli roads from Jerusalem, through the West Bank and to the edge of Jenin. Grace estimated that the crowd was at least 2000 people, Israeli peace activists, Arab-Israelis, internationals. There were 34 trucks loaded with food and medical items which the protesters wanted admitted into the refugee camp in Palestinian Jenin. (If you look at a map you will see that Jenin is on the border of Palesti
A week ago, some of the same protesters were beaten and tear gassed near Ramallah, demanding that trucks be allowed in. Today there was no violence against the protesters and 30 of the trucks were allowed into Jenin. After the rally, our group went into the Palestinian area where they are staying in a very small town near Jenin.
Grace and Audrey spoke there with some Palestinians who had fled Jenin. The devastation in the town is desperate. At least one family of 25 is alive under the rubble of their house but cannot get out. (They had a cell phone and called a friend; during the conversation, the phone died.) There is a belief that many people are trapped in rubble.
The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) have arrested many people in Jenin. A father and his 13 year old son told Grace and Audrey that they had been arrested by the IDF and were used as human shields: they were tied together and forced to walk in front of a tank which was making its way into the camp. Some soldiers used the shoulders of these two to lean their machine guns on while they shot at people or buildings. Other men were also used as human shields for vehicles and soldiers.
Those leaving Jenin have said that there are many dead. The stories released by IDF speak of militant Palestinians using their own people as shields and hurling the dead out of windows at passing soldiers; those stories are FALSE. It is an understatement to say that people are despondent over the fate of their loved ones in Jenin.
There is suspicion about whether the bombing in Jerusalem yesterday was really a suicide bomber; it seems too coincidental to people there that Powell was in a helicopter watching while it happened and then used the bombing to postpone his meeting with Arafat. They had not heard that the bomber was a 17 year old girl from Jenin. We mourn the deaths of all people, Israelis, Palestinians, the soldiers as well.
The group will discuss tonight where they will go tomorrow.
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Sunday April 14
We [Linda & Ken] just heard from Grace. After the successful Jenin peace rally, Grace and Audrey went to a very small village on the Palestinian side near Jenin called Tie-bay (I have no idea how to spell this; pronounce it phonetically) where they spent the night. Jeff and Kathy rejoined the group at the rally. Early today they decided to attempt to reach Jenin where there has been an urgent call for internationals and observers. The army is still prohibiting people from entering the Jenin refugee cam
After several mishaps such as Scott and Jeff being arrested by checkpoint police - don't worry, they were finally released (you can hear all about it on Ithaca indymedia when I get the tape to them) the group arrived at the last checkpoint outside of Jenin. The officer there forbid them to enter but when he left his post, another soldier told them that if they were determined to enter Jenin they could walk through the fields surrounding the town. In all they walked 17 km to get to Jenin, suffering
They are now in a school in the town of Jenin (not the refugee camp) where there are about 800 people who fled the refugee camp. One American they have met there has been able to get into the camp; she has seen bodies being loaded into trucks by soldiers and also burnt bodies. She is attempting to get internationals onto ambulances so that the ambulances can get into the camp. There are estimates that about 1000 people are still alive in the camp.
In the school they have met an 18 day old baby, born the day of the invasion of Jenin; lots of children were playing in the background while I spoke to Grace. The school regained its electricity about 4 hours ago. There is one doctor seeing the people there.
Tomorrow the group will try to get into the camp to see and document conditions there and then Grace and Scott will leave. They will attempt to reach Jerusalem (to settle up the bill at the YWCA and retrieve their belongings) and then get back to Tel Aviv for a 5 am flight out on Tuesday morning. Kathy and Jeff had planned all along to stay for 3 weeks and now Audrey has decided to postpone her flight back. Lisa Guido of Ithaca is planning on joining Audrey, hopefully by Tuesday, to continue the ithaca to continue the Ithaca witness in Palestine."
Ithaca Journal story
Jenin: The Camp That Became a Slaughterhouse
See also jerusalem.indymedia.org
Scott just called me from Jenin. He, his group, both Kathys and Jeff are fine.
They spent last night (Saturday) in Taibe, a town near Jenin, after the peace march dispersed. Today they walked to Jenin, over mountains and trying to circumvent army checkpoints. At some point Scott and Jeff were arrested and taken to the Meggido police (familiar to anyone who was in the 1994 peace march). The women sat where they were and refused to move. The police did not have women officers to deal with them, so after checking the guys' passports, they let them go. They asked about Scott's changed appearence and he told the police, that he shaved off his beard because he was afraid that he'd look like Sheikh Yassin to them, and they shared a laugh.
When they guys got back to where the women were, the soldiers gave them water, bread and sunscreen, telling them to be careful. They walked in a different direction and met another checkpost, this time with a general in attendance. They had a philosophical debate and finally a major told them that if they walked 100 meters in another direction, they would eventually reach Jenin. They did so, and reached the city after walking through onion fields.
Arriving this evening, they were received delightfully by the local people. Right now they are staying in an elementary school that is serving as a makeshift refugee camp for women, children and elderly people who have fled from Jenin (and right now cannot get back because of the curfew, and have no homes to get back to...). Scott said that they had for dinner the provisions that we sent in yesterday, and that people were getting the food that we sent in! That was extremely good news, moreover, since he said that we pack great provisions!
On the way into Jenin, they saw evidence from the massive arrests that had taken place - piles of blindfolds and handcuffs on the ground. Those men who have been released are in a separate "refugee camp" in a school in the village Salem, outside Jenin, unable to get home, with no news of their families. These men were shown on Israeli television this evening, almost insane with worry. They are given hot meals by a relief agency, but they eat standing up, not being able to relax enough to sit down for a meal. The rest of the time they sit in the yard, sleep and pace. An Israeli organization is now collecting calling cards to enable them to phone their families. The problem is, that in many cases, phones are disconnected and families are scattered.
Finally, Scott said that some of the group would stay in Jenin for two days and then will try to leave (not a simple matter) and the rest would try to stay for two days after that. He sent his love to family, friends and supporters.
Best regards, Rayna
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Monday, April 15, 2002
Contact: Lisa Guido, 277-8962 until Tuesday night April 16. After Wednesday April 17: Jessica Stewart 645-0657 or Linda Holzbaur or Grace Ritter 277-6300
As reports from International Observers reveal the horror of the current Middle East war, another Ithacan travels to the Occupied Territories to help protect Palestinian civilians from Israeli military aggression. Lisa Guido, a member of the Ithaca Catholic Worker, will be flying to Palestine on Wednesday, April 17 to join hundreds of other international observers in the Occupied Territories. Her goal is to work with Israeli, Palestinian and international peace activists, including over 600 Israel
Ithacans Grace Ritter and Audrey Stewart are presently in the Occupied Territories and are reporting home daily about their observances and experiences; an article about them appeared in the Ithaca Journal today. Their reports have overwhelmingly revealed the suffering of innocent people in this conflict. Inspired by their witness, Lisa is traveling to continue to inform the world about the conditions in the Occupied Territories, feeling strongly that the International Observers offer one of the few pro
Ritter, Stewart and Lisa are dedicated to challenging the Israeli military occupation of the Occupied Territories by using the nonviolent direct action methods of Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and other strategists of human rights campaigns. International observers such as Ritter, Stewart, and Guido are acting at great personal risk. Ritter's and Stewart's reports include instances of being held at gunpoint numerous times, guns fired over their heads, and threats of arrest while trying to make their
Generous donations from the local community made Ritter's and Stewart's travel possible and in part is allowing Lisa to travel to Palestine. We gratefully accept additional donations to help further this effort towards peace in the Middle East. Donations may be sent to Ithaca Catholic Worker, PO Box 293, Ithaca NY 14851
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4/15: I am forwarding an email from Lisa Guido which describes a conversation she had on the phone with Audrey this morning. Also I'd like to invite people to a dish-to-pass send off for Lisa tomorrow Tuesday April 16, 7 pm at our house, 249 Coddington Road. (just beyond the IC Coddington Road entrance.) You can call me at 277-6300 if you have any questions.
Audrey said this morning that they had seen mass graves of people just carried in. 10 bodies were carried in that had been taken out of houses and they were buried immediately. accusations in the ny times that the bodies are being thrown out for display by palestinians when they see reporters seem false. the peace team has had to search for the sites of burial. graves are not in the middle of the camp. Audrey then photographed 7 more bodies that were brough
Some palestinians were running as we spoke toward a demolished house with reports that they found a woman still alive under the rubble. tanks have crushed some ambulances. our group has only seen 1 ambulance so far that is running, trying to assist people. today many are digging to try to find those still alive and bodies of dead people. it's risky in the rubble due to possible collapse of the damaged buildings. they've seen close calls, people trying
There are kids in the camp too. Many of the kids have figured out how to sneak into the camp back to their demolished homes from the gym in Jenin where some refugees are staying now. Some people may try to keep living in the the shells of buildings because there is no other choice. when the peace team say they are entering out of concern for women and children and old people who may need assistance, the soldiers often say, "there were no women and children in the camp
they also had to get through numerous checkpoints and patrols with soldiers saying "are you going to make us use force? " and they responded "we won't make you" and walked through the checkpoint. soldiers have threatened to shoot them a number of times and they keep slowly walking. sometimes a warning shot or harrassment shot comes. their conversations with the soldiers often show signs of hope....many surprises in conversations showing the human side of the soldiers.
the two following links are stories which support Audrey's stories in Jenin camp. In fact, the second story may be about Audrey's and Grace's group because Grace told me that they were the only internationals staying in the school with the 800 refugees. story #1 story #2
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Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness travels with the Ithacans.
When we arrived in Taybeh, soldiers turned us back at the checkpoint. We quickly spotted a taxi driver who drove us to a hilltop and then asked us with a kindly smile, "Can you run?" Grabbing our gear, we scrambled out of his car and began sprinting down the mountainside, across fields strewn with rocks. 30 minutes later, relieved, exhausted, filthy, and grateful for cell phone contact, we connected with three residents of Taybeh who awaited us with a car at the foot of the mountainside..
Our hosts took us to a school in Taybeh which was one of several centers set up in villages surrounding Jenin to house and feed to refugees from Jenin. The men and boys we met there were "twice refugees," all from families that had earlier settled in the Jenin refugee camp. They had been captured by Israeli soldiers during the first days of the attack on Jenin, but were among the fortunate ones who were released. We recorded some of their testimony that night and then returned to our host family's home.
Meeting with about a dozen internationals who had been there for several days, we were assured that it was impossible to enter the city of Jenin, much less get into the refugee camp. They had tried to head toward Jenin through the mountains, but there were too many soldiers deployed in the area for this strategy to work.. They told of journalists who had been turned back roughly at the checkpoint. Several journalists were arrested. One reporter's passport was ripped up.
There was nothing to do but wait, it seemed, and to use our time to document stories of refugees who had reached Taybeh and the surrounding villages. In Rumani, Kamal Abu Mohammed was the first of five men to tell us his story. He is of German nationality. His brothers are in Germany, and the mother of his children is German. At half past five in the morning, on Saturday April 6, the Israeli army entered his house. "I am peaceful" he said. "There are 13 people in my family. Israeli soldiers broke the windows and entered my house. The soldiers phoned the helicopters and the helicopters attacked the house from four sides. The soldiers around the house started shooting and there was a fire on the second floor."
He understands Hebrew. When an Israeli soldier saw his UN ID card he accused Kamal of being a terrorist under UN cover. The soldier then laughed and mocked Kofi Annan, saying "tell him to come here because I want him to sit with me."
After ten minutes, soldiers allowed him to take his children out of the house. When he tried to step out of the door, holding his two children, the soldiers started shooting. "They ordered me to put my children on the ground. Next they made me take off my clothes. They handcuffed me, blindfolded me." Kamal showed us his wrists, covered with purple and red bruises from the tight plastic handcuffs that bound him for several days.
The soldiers tied him together with his thirteen year old son, and used them as human shields in order to enter further into the camp.
They moved from one place to another, stepping on bodies and corpses
After what seemed like two hours, they went to a three story house where 13 people were gathered. Among them were his five brothers and three cousins. The soldiers told him to sit down in the dark room. He was still tied to his son. From outside somebody shot at an Israeli soldier. In Hebrew, one soldier told another, "kill each one every five minutes and throw them outside in front of the fighters. Let's start with the boy."
Kamal heard shooting. He thought it was his child, but the soldiers didn't kill the child. Instead they hit him. Then they took his second son, leaving 11 people in the house. That evening, they led them to another place where they used Kamal and his son as human shields, one for each window at the front of the house. In order not to be killed by snipers, the soldiers used his shoulder as a gunrest. (Kamal showed us his swollen shoulder. )
When they used him as a human shield, the fighters stopped shooting
They stayed in the situation for about an hour and a half
After that they were tied by their hands and legs. The soldiers ordered them to sleep on the broken glass. The son was weeping because the handcuffs were so tight. Kamal asked that the soldiers kill his son rather than keep him in this situation
In the morning they led them away again, bound and handcuffed. All the people in the house were arranged like class rows. As they walked, each had a soldier at his side. Soldiers used the rows of Palestinians as human shields. Again, they stepped over corpses and animals.
They led them to a far place. They didn't know exactly where because their eyes were covered. They slept there, on the ground, until 11:00 at night when soldiers put them in Armoured Personnel Carriers. Kamal asked them to tell him where his son was, but they didn't answer.
"We spent four days naked without food and water, in cold weather." Soldiers wouldn't unbind them to relieve themselves, so they were forced to foul themselves with urine and defecation.
The soldiers said they were going to take them to Sbubatown.
Then the soldiers entered the bus and threatened to kill all 38 people on the bus. From conversations he overheard, Kamal wasn't sure whether or not they would be executed. Eventually, soldiers phographed them and then brought them inside the square for a second interrogation. At 9:30 they ordered them to again board the bus. This time, they detained his younger brother. "They were negotiating our executions until 3:00 in the morning, " said Kamal. He heard a soldier say, 'We have to kill them because if they go back to their camp they will start shooting again.' Another said, 'They must die here.'"
Kamal says he saw children who were killed, their bodies left in the street. He assured us that there are children who know nothing about where to find their families.
Finally, the soldiers warned them that they are not allowed to go to the camp until three days after hearing that the Israeli soldiers have withdrawn from the camp. Upon release, Kamal walked to Rumani, where villagers gave him clothes, water, food and shelter.
"My son," he said, "is in a bad shape psychologically, his nerves -collapsed."
He has been in Rumani for five days and still knows nothing about the fate of his wife and the other ten children. He knows that five of his cousins are dead. He has three brothers.
We also heard the testimony of Rami Abu Ghalioun, age 18. He was sitting in his home when he saw an Apache attacking his house. "It threw phosphorous material that hit my leg, so that the Apache can see me wherever I go. It's like a dye."
His leg was also injured by shrapnel. Rami and his family members sat in a corner of their house for 40 minutes. "The Apache helicopter attacked us with another rocket. A woman was hiding with us. She lost her leg. The young men and the woman decided to surrender. When they came out, they saw the army execute Jamal Sabakh. He was a deaf young man who could not hear their orders. "Jamal carried a bookbag on his shoulder. The soldiers told him to put it down . He is deaf and didn't hear. Then the soldier s ordered them to take off their clothes and take off their trousers. Their hands were tied and they were left there for an hour. They were then told to go toward the mosque where the army awaited them with tanks and loaded them into armoured personnel carriers.
In the afternoon they took the fighters from the camp who were captive and they told Rami's group, "You are going to leave, you are going to Assadi forest." They covered their eyes, they took them to the Salem checkpoint on the second day.
At Salem they kept them for four days under the sun, without water. "All the time, tortured us and tormented us." When it was his turn to be interrogated by the Shin Bet, they started hitting him. "They ordered me to tell them who are the fighters inside the camp."
The next morning, Scott, Grace, and Audrey rejoined us. We recorded more testimony from refugees in Rumani and Taybeh.
The following morning, after seeing footage of refrigerated containers apparently holding corpses outside the Salem checkpoint, we decided to attempt to reach Jenin and, if stopped, at least assert that as citizens of the country responsible for contributing millions of dollars to Israel's military, we should at least be allowed to verify whether US tax dollars were used to kill civilians, and that we could begin to do this by documenting what was inside the containers alleged to contain corpses of people killed in Jenin.
Carrying a white flag, we entered the Salem check point, Several soldiers said we did not need to carry a white flag, that no one was going to hurt us.
Brief exchanges with soldiers at the checkpoint were the first of many such encounters throughout a long day's journey into Jenin. We did a U-turn, left the checkpoint, and headed along Route 66 toward Jenin. We were soon stopped by soldiers who ordered us to turn back and called Israeli police when we refused. In retrospect, we're amazed that we reached Jenin later that day. We were steadfast in refusing to turn back. Jeff and Scott were arrested and taken back to the checkpoint.
When Audrey, Grace and I sat down on the roadside, soldiers and police faced a dilemma inasmuch as the rules required them to summon a woman police officer to remove us. Eventually, a soldier named Offel pulled out water and bread from his jeep, handed it to "the three nice girls," warned of the dangers ahead and drove off. "Really, I prefer your way to our way," he said, "but believe me we have no choice at this point." Later, Offel caught up with us on a return trip and gave us a packet of handi-wipes. "You'll need these," he said.
Upon release, Scott and Jeff headed toward the mountaintop, scanned the hills below, and decided on a route which would lead them down one mountain side, up another and then down to the foothills of Rumani where they guessed that they could make their way to Route 66. Through cell phone contact, the group stayed in touch. Audrey described experiences of "the three nice girls," and observed that while she'd been arrested several times, in the U.S., for sitting down when police refused to let a group proceed, this was the first time she'd ever seen nonviolence work.
Jeff and Scott scored a brief taxi ride. After walking a short distance in one direction, they intuitively felt they were headed the wrong way and headed toward a home they'd just passed. There they met a civil engineer who drew them a map (complete with tank locations), showed them the best route, gave them water, and guided them back to the road.
At about 3:30 p.m., we reunited and quickened our pace in hopes of reaching Jenin before nightfall. Soldiers stopped us at regular intervals. "What? What are you doing here? Where are you going? It's very dangerous. You should go back." We persisted. At one point, a soldier named Yahrive assured us that his patrol was the final one to stop us. Rounding a bend we saw a huge encampment filled with soldiers, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and tents. By this time, we were seasoned in dialogues with soldiers. We exchanged the predictable lines. Soldiers said they'd be responsible for us. We said we felt responsible to learn what was happening inside Jenin. We agreed it was risky for all involved, but we disagreed about whether or not they had a choice. Scott appealed to religious beliefs. I suggested that it was in the soldier's best interests to let unarmed pacifists go forward as a demonstration that nonviolent methods could make a positive difference for all. Jeff asked the soldiers who they had more in common with, us or Ariel Sharon? A commander was called. He reiterated that there was no possibility for us to go forward. We agreed together that we should just walk on. At that point, one soldier said, "Look, why don't you just go back 100 meters and walk through those fields?"
"Sounds good. So long!" We followed his advice and soon were plowing through onion fields, then wheat fields, tripping over string, stumbling over ridges, but confident that we'd reach Jenin before the sun went down. Jeff spotted three children playing in the distance. "That's where we should go," he said. "Children aren't out playing in front of snipers."
When we reached the street where the children were playing, we began asking if there were any hotels open. Adilah understood our broken Arabic and led us to the school where she and her family are among 800 refugees from Jenin camp sharing space in chaotic halls and rooms of a four-story building. We ducked out of the bedlam into Dr.Jamil's crowded but relatively orderly office.
He was glad to see us. He told us that his life had completely changed in the last six days. He is a general practitioner but also a public health administrator. He and a local dentist have worked night and day, aided by a sturdy crew of young Palestinian Medical Relief Committee volunteers, to coordinate distribution of food, water, medicine, and blankets, to run a 24 hour clinic, to organize clean-up, and to preserve some semblance of order in the center.
Thawra, a relief worker in her mid-twenties, entered with an 18 day old baby in her arms. Thawra's name means "revolution" in Arabic. Like most of the young women we met, she wears a hijab and blue jeans. But she stood out, we agreed, as one of the most capable and courageous of the volunteer leaders.
She quickly explained to us, in broken English, that baby Ziad was born the first night of the attack, that his father had seen him for exactly one minute. The father had then left the hospital and was immediately captured by the Israeli soldiers. Audrey cradled baby Ziad while we pieced together more of Dr. Jamil's story. He emphasized that the city had gone for 18 days without electricity, that this center was one of the few places, tonight, where electricity worked. He described the main health problems of people coming to the clinic: lowered immunities, gastroenteritis, respiratory diseases. Jeff and I exchanged grimaces, reminded of what Iraqi doctors have recited to us during the past seven years of Voices in the Wilderness delegation work in Iraq.
Dr. Jamil's eyes widened as he said, "I am asked again and again, how many have died. I try my best to tell what I know, but the truth is no one knows. It will take time." He shrugged, but it is not the gesture of someone who is giving up. Rather, he seems to be calculating, with relative calm, what the best next steps are. "He's the man," said Jeff. We agreed that we wanted to rely on his advice and help.
A woman we met in Ramallah, Chivvas, bursts into the clinic with two young women. "I stole them," she said. "Stole them! And now it's too late for them to go home. They've hardly ever left their families, but they helped me distribute some food and find out where the refugees are." Chivvas, age 57, is slight, sturdy, fearless and fun. Palestinians dubbed her "Chips," and drew plenty of fortitude from her determined accompaniment.
She assured us that we'd be able to enter the camp, but saed we may have to be patient at first.
The next morning, wanting to assure that Scott and Grace would be able to both make their return flight to the U.S. and bring with them eyewitness reports from inside the camp, we headed off, with our white flag, to enter the camp.
--Testimony from what the team has seen and heard inside the camp has already been posted on www.electronicintifada.net
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Some of you may have seen the Journal article on Grace and Audrey. The director of Cornell's Hillel was asked his opinion on their description of Jenin and he said "I'll believe it when I hear an objective viewpoint." Here's one from the UN. Objective enough? UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
First of all, a huge thank you to all at home who helped to get us here. As the misinformation keeps spinning around about the upcoming "withdrawal" from some of the beseiged Palestinian cities and towns, its clear that the presence of international solidarity people is useful.
Today, I got a ride to Bethlehem with an octagenarian grandma named Jean from Maryland. Our Palestinian taxi driver didn't have a pass to get through the first military checkpoint to Bethlehem, so he took us around to a spot in neighboring Beit Jala where we got out and walked over a small hill and got into the car of another driver who took us down the steep windy roads to the Beit Jala Hospital. He was arrested and detained for 2 hours yesterday for driving his taxi there, but he has 5 children to feed and no other way to earn money, so he is eager to take us, even though the curfew is still in effect in Beit Jala and Bethlehem.
We ask the director at the hospital if they need anyone today to accompany ambulances to bring medical assistance to people, but he said it wasn't needed today. There was nothing to deliver today. Some supplies are hopefully coming in the next day or 2 he said.
We decided to try to continue down the road toward nativity square in Bethlehem. The only sounds in town are occasional gunfire & tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APC's)zooming around the deserted streets. We pause a few times walking up the hill for Jean to catch her breath. We reach a number of journalists clad in bullet-proof vests and helmets. We say we want to try to get as close as possible to the Church of the Nativity to see the destruction in the area and document what's currently happening. One says he'd like to join us. Just then, 3 Palestinian women walk nervously down the street with a young child who looks very sick and weak. One reporter speaks arabic and translates for us that they need to go to the hospital. They ask if Jean and I would escort them. So we return back down the hill to the hospital, with the women taking turns carrying the girl. They nervously eye the footsoldiers in the distance on some sidestreets, and they know Israeli Defense Forces snipers are watching us from rooftops. We hope for the best. A woman was shot just hanging out her clothes in Bethlehem recently.
After their safe arrival at the hospital, we return up the hill and encounter 2 more women with a small boy. They gesture us quickly to a side street and with their hands ask us for some food. We give them what we have in their bag and they eat right away, smile and move rapidly go a gated place that says "Chilren's home" and disappear behind the metal doors. It is rumoured they have bread in there.
We decide then to try to get to the Bethlehem Star Hotel,further up the road, which was partially taken over by the Israeli Defense Forces a earlier this week. Four APC's and foot soldiers guard the front and demand our passports and press passes to enter. We have no press cards,but say we are with Independent Media Center and want to stay at the Hotel. No, they say, only journalists can stay here, and only people that have been staying here before. After some talking we are permitted to go into the lobby,"but no further" where some Israeli soldiers guard the elevators & many international press people congregate. A Bethlehem Indy Media person, Georgina explains that the soldiers have taken over the 5th floor of the hotel. They claim it is a "security point", but its clear that the 5th floor has the clearest view of Nativity Square in town, and they are denying the press access to this spot. On the night the floor was taken over, there was some shooting by the soldiers at Nativity Square.
Georgina suggests we walk another few minutes past the hotel and talk with the Christian Brothers who are stuck inside Bethlehem University. They teach at the school and are also afraid to come out during curfew. A workman sees us approach the locked gate. He too has been stuck inside the university since the seige started in early April. The brothers show us the damage done by shells and missiles to their library and a pedestrian bridge. They show us 2 missiles they recovered at the school, including one that says "Made at Borg Warner".(Ithacans will note we have a Borg Warner in town).
They also tell of a night earlier this month when soldiers scaled their gates with grappling hooks at 2:45 am, shot at the brother answering the inside door, and took over the university for a few days. We see the bullets and bullet holes from around their front door and inside walls. The brothers were shocked that we were able to get to the university. They fear they would be shot if venturing outside their gate. We hear some shots just before we leave.
We walk back to the Star Hotel, photographing a pharmacy that had a family home above it. Two large missile holes had penetrated the walls. Near it is a crushed, burned car.
In front of the hotel,the soldiers say "How did you
get here?"
"We walked down the road."
"Impossible",they say.
"We did", we say.
Strangely, they let us in to the hotel lobby, where we
find a ride back to Jerusalem with a reporter.
Granny Jean,as she enjoys being called, smiles and elbows me in the ribs in the van home as the soldiers check everyone's passport but hers at the checkpoints during our ride home. "Old people are invisible, huh".
----------------------------------------------------
Head of Ramallah IDF Command: 011-972-2-29970461 Mobile: 011-972-54-240-303
Civil Administration Legal Advisor1s Office
(in charge of approving all house demolition,
administrative detentions, land confiscations,
expansion and construction of settlements,
freedom of movement-permits)
Tel: 011-972-2-977711 or 99777071
Fax: 011-972-2-9977326
PO Box 10482 Beit El West Bank
Officer in charge of denying Palestinians freedom
of movement:
Tel: 011-972-2-9977076 (Asaf), 7060, 7078
Office in charge of issuing house demolition
orders:
Ask for Yossie: 011-972-2-9977051
Fax: 011-972-2-9977344
Office in charge of denying Palestinians permits
and expanding Jewish settlements:
Tel: 011-972-2-9977398
State Attorney's Office, Ministry of Justice (represents the Israeli government, army, security services in court and justifies the use of torture, house demolitions, assassinations, denial of lawyer1s visits to Palestinian prisoners: Fax: 011-972-2-6466-655
State Attorney who represented the Israeli
government and defended the use of torture
in the Israeli Supreme Court:
Shai Nitzan: Tel: 011-972-2-6466595
State Attorneys who justify denying lawyer's the
right to visit Palestinian prisoners:
Yochi Genossen: 011-972-2-6466584
Aner Helman: 011-972-2-6466472
Military Court in Beit El, which prosecutes hundreds
of Palestinians each month for "violations"
against the Israeli military occupation, and also
detains Palestinians under interrogation:
Beit El (Ramallah and Northern West Bank) Military
Court
Fax: 011-972-2-9970641
Tel: 011-972-2-9970117
Aduraim (Bethlehem and Southern West Bank) Military
Court
Fax: 011-972-2-9970429
Erez (Gaza) Military Court
Fax: 011-972-2-9904568
Tel: 011-972-8-9904556
Megiddo Military Court
All administrative detention
cases detention without charges
see for example
Fax: 011-972-4-6092140
Tel: 011-972-4-6092816
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Published on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 by www.commondreams.org
by Kathy Kelly, Jeff Guntzel, Jerry Zawada and Audrey Stewart
Dear Soldiers,
We've met with many of you in recent days, sometimes at gunpoint, sometimes in more relaxed settings when your guns weren't aimed at us. Some of you, trained as snipers, have chosen to shoot over our heads.
We think many of you join us in desiring to inflame passions for justice and peace rather than passions for hatred and war.
Many of you have told us that you don't want to carry and use weapons, that you have no choice, that you are only doing your job, that you are only following orders. As we left the Jenin Camp, one of you called out, "It's very comfortable for you to judge us from New York City." We don't want to be the judges, but yes, there will be a judgment from Jenin, from Nuremberg.
Others of you have said that you must follow orders to kill and destroy because it is the only way to protect your country.
But the brutality of the devastation wreaked upon Jenin and other West Bank cities will never ease the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
We ask you please to consider Colin Powell's statement made on September 11 after the second suicide attack on the World Trade Center. He said, "The people who perpetrated this barbarous act think that by killing people and destroying buildings you can achieve a political goal." And then he said, "They are always wrong." All who support or enact violent means, whether random or systematic, whether as leaders or followers, need to look into the mirror which is held up to us in that statement.
Presidents Sharon, Arafat, and Bush, along with Mr. Powell, share the attitude that it is they and their emissaries who alone can resolve the conflict by sitting down at negotiating tables. Certainly negotiation and dialogue are preferable to brute force as means to at least temporarily enforce a ceasefire and reinstate a peace process. But when we who are ordinary people emphasize negotiations by people in power, we disempower ourselves. The leadership on all sides has been empowered and enriched, but it is also exhausted and overstretched. The leaders are not up to the potential of their own people.
So we are asking you not to follow those who would lead you toward more killing and more destruction. We're asking you to find kindred spirits within your ranks and beyond who will lead in new directions, unarmed and reliant on focused nonviolent efforts to achieve peace.
Sincerely,
Kathy Kelly
Father Jerry Zawada
Jeff Guntzel
Audrey Stewart
Lisa Guido
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I have been here in Jenin since the morning of the April 22nd. About 5 other international solidarity movement people have stayed in the home of a resident of Jenin City, and we spend most of our days in the Jenin Refugee Camp, which is surrounded by the city. It is a place of strength and pride, even as some of its people are living in the shells of their bombed out homes. Gaping holes in buildings reveal couches and kitchens that people still use because there is no other choice. For the people whose homes have not been reduced to rubble, they try to salvage. They risk hitting mines left in their homes by Israeli soldiers while they try to clean up.
The curfew has been lifted for a few days now and the people here try to dig out their dead and their belongings, with so little help. The tanks and soldiers are gone from the camp and city now, but they still surround the city and Palestinians that live here in Jenin can still not exit the city and go to their jobs if they work outside Jenin. Many shops here are still closed. A couple more re-open every day, but people have hardly any money here to buy the food, etc.
i will be giving a first aid training for people to use for mine, bomb and bullet injuries. it was very surprising to learn that most local and international people don't know the basics (elevate wounded limbs, lie a person down with legs elevated and cover with blanket for shock, use direct pressure on wounds, tournequet points, arterial pressure points to press on with your fingers etc. 3 more people were injured last night digging in the rubble to get into their house in camp. 1 was killed but maybe 2 survived. For big bombs and mines, the first aid can't help. but for "smaller" survivable injuries, the first aid can help. Chivas and Brian said that when people get injured, they just call for an ambulance. People don't know that it helps to do the above mentioned stuff, and sometimes keep the person sitting up or even walking. So, our hope is to offer a class to the internationals that come (Chivas thinks that anyone coming to Palestine should be trained), and to offer to do the classes with translation for the Palestinian Medical Relief Workers if they want it. As always, it is tricky to figure out if people here want the training. So, we will not force it, but see if giving some classes to the internationals creates some interest. It doesnt hurt anyone to have the training.
It is clear that there must be many unexploded bombs, missiles and bombs here. The Israeli's left bombs in people's homes, even under garbage. One woman in Jenin camp tried cleaning up a pile of garbage left behind in her home when Isreali soldiers occupied it for a few days, and blew up because of a bomb stashed under it. A young man in camp today showed me wrappers from Israeil food that soldiers left in their camps. As the massive rubble continues to get dug through, unexploded bombs and decomposing bodies will continue to be found. The camp looks different every day from the rubble getting moved. But it can't really be moved out yet. There are no dump trucks. There are only 3 bulldozers.
There was only one small search and rescue team of less than five people, and they went home after 2 days because of fatigue. Isreal today has said it will not let a UN fact finding team in. We see people here with blue UN vests looking around camp, but all they are doing is documenting which houses were destroyed. Why haven't they also sent bomb experts and deminers. It appears some people tried to send out some unexploded bombs and mines 2 days ago, and Israel refused to let them be disposed of. Where are the Palestinians to keep them here?
There are NO bomb experts here from the UN or from International Red Cross, or from anywhere as far as we have heard! This is outrageous! Nor any experts in how to demolish or reconstruct the houses that have so much damage. There are still occasional explosions heard, with injuries and death every day. There are earthquake conditions and so little help! Colin Powell was said to have brokered the "withdrawal" by Sharon from Jenin and Nablus, but the cities are still completely surrounded by the massive military force. We saw the massive numbers of tanks and IDF camps outside Jenin on our way here. The people here know the force can return in a moments notice. F-16 bomber planes flew around menacingly yesterday, at least 5 were spotted flying over all of Jenin City, including the camp. Helicopters are also seen flying overhead sometimes. For some children, some of the only "english" words they know are "apache helicopter". Children have showed me their bullet wounds.
There are now fewer reporters here. Many grassroots activists have come and continue to come to help document the conditions here and the terror the people here feel. The people here are thankful this is happening. But the people also need medical and construction experts and equipment desperately. Its incredible to see how the people here try to do what they can, some digging with their hands for their clothes, kitchen utensils.
Many city leaders here have encouraged internationals to still come here to see, hear and smell the result of the army invasion and massacre here. We hope little by little to spread the word about the gracious hospitality we have received here even under these horrific times of hardship for people.
We hope to share that this so-called camp full of terrorists is at least half full of small children, who are victims of terror, not terrorists. And so many innocent women and men. And all the people we have met are willing to give the visitors here a try. The IDF tries to tell us how dangerous it is for us to be here, and we have been treated so well. People in Jenin have taken us in their home, insist to carry our backpacks, offer us cups of tea and coffee, even when they haven't been able to work for so long because of the checkpoints and curfews imposed by occupation.
sorry if there is some repetition with this email. Its dusty and hot. One internet cafe here in Jenin City just reopened yesterday, so its very crowded. I am the only woman here in the cafe and that draws alot of attention. And as a foreigner, I am asked many questions frequently about my intention here. So, I have to be very diligent to consistently get out why I am here and state clearly that I support the Palestinian people and an end to the occupation and that i will work on that when i bring these stories of horror,survival,persistence,strength and resilience home.
I'm writing this quickly to get the word out! There are many who hope to be involved in some direct nonviolent action soon once we are out of Jenin.
my plan is to stay here in Jenin as long as i'm useful, doing first aide training and playing with the children of the camp. There is no longer the need at this time in Jenin for human shield work as previous, but maybe still in Bethlehem, Ramallah or Gaza. I'm ready to do that as needed. I was involved in some of that previously in Bethlehem. The need can arise quickly, and it is heartening for the people here to see more international activists become willing and able to do this quickly. It is very welcomed and appreciated here. Many Palestinians ask also,"why did it have to get THIS bad before more people came. And still it isn't nearly enough!
Clean drinking water is a big problem in Jenin camp right now. Sewage is running raw downhill in some areas of the camp. The sewage structures have been damaged, and sewage and decomposing bodies still under rubble are contaminating the drinking water. Tractors pull water containers up slowly through the narrow labrynthine streets of camp, but it is not enough.
The school where 800 refugees were staying last week now has had no food since yesterday. Supposedly a shipment is coming from Catholic Relief Services tomorrow afternoon. Children are afraid to go to school and be very far from their parents. When we offered some crayons and paper to some children to play with, the first things they drew were tanks. They are interested in learning english, and we practice each other's languages together.
Some homes are still currently collapsing, presenting yet another danger to residents and relief workers in camp. The relief workers need more training and supplies to be able to do their jobs. So many workers feel helpless.
I hope Audrey gave you the report of how we were able to assist the 6 international people, including 2 americans and 2 british, and 1 australian (and one ?) into the Arafat compound on sunday 4/21 as human shields. Not because we wanted to assist armed resistance or because we believe in all of Arafat's ideas and actions, but because we are trying to show support for the Palestinian people. Also, it is believed that we may possibly be deterring a violent confrontation and a bloodbath if we have internationals inside the compound. Prior to this action, we had heard that the Israeli Defense Forces were planning to storm the compound.
Well, so long for now! Hello and thank you to all
friends there who have supported this delegation. I am
separated from Audrey, Kathy and Jeff now and with
another group because they are flying home very soon.
I will stay till April 30. I'm looking foward to
hearing about the actions and Puppets in Washington.
Hope it went ok!
Love,
Lisa
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Here's one of the first emails from Lisa in Palestine (4/22/02). I'll be updating the list with more news.
Hi Linda and everyone, First of all, a huge thank you to all at home who helped to get us here. As the misinformation keeps spinning around about the upcoming "withdrawal" from some of the beseiged Palestinian cities and towns, its clear that the presence of international solidarity people is useful.
Today, I got a ride to Bethlehem with an octagenarian grandma named Jean from Maryland. Our Palestinian taxi driver didn't have a pass to get through the first military checkpoint to Bethlehem, so he took us around to a spot in neighboring Beit Jala where we got out and walked over a small hill and got into the car of another driver who took us down the steep windy roads to the Beit Jala Hospital. He was arrested and detained for 2 hours yesterday for driving his taxi there, but he has 5 children to feed and no other way to earn money, so he is eager to take us, even though the curfew is still in effect in Beit Jala and Bethlehem.
We ask the director at the hospital if they need anyone today to accompany ambulances to bring medical assistance to people, but he said it wasn't needed today. There was nothing to deliver today. Some supplies are hopefully coming in the next day or 2 he said.
We decided to try to continue down the road toward nativity square in Bethlehem. The only sounds in town are occasional gunfire & tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APC's)zooming around the deserted streets. We pause a few times walking up the hill for Jean to catch her breath. We reach a number of journalists clad in bullet-proof vests and helmets. We say we want to try to get as close as possible to the Church of the Nativity to see the destruction in the area and document what's currently happening. One says he'd like to join us. Just then, 3 Palestinian women walk nervously down the street with a young child who looks very sick and weak. One reporter speaks arabic and translates for us that they need to go to the hospital. They ask if Jean and I would escort them. So we return back down the hill to the hospital, with the women taking turns carrying the girl. They nervously eye the footsoldiers in the distance on some sidestreets, and they know Israeli Defense Forces snipers are watching us from rooftops. We hope for the best. A woman was shot just hanging out her clothes in Bethlehem recently. After their safe arrival at the hospital, we return up the hill and encounter 2 more women with a small boy. They gesture us quickly to a side street and with their hands ask us for some food. We give them what we have in their bag and they eat right away, smile and move rapidly go a gated place that says "Chilren's home" and disappear behind the metal doors. It is rumoured they have bread in there.
We decide then to try to get to the Bethlehem Star Hotel,further up the road, which was partially taken over by the Israeli Defense Forces a earlier this week. Four APC's and foot soldiers guard the front and demand our passports and press passes to enter. We have no press cards, but say we are with Independent Media Center and want to stay at the Hotel. No, they say, only journalists can stay here, and only people that have been staying here before. After some talking we are permitted to go into the lobby, "but no further" where some Israeli soldiers guard the elevators & many international press people congregate. A Bethlehem Indy Media person, Georgina explains that the soldiers have taken over the 5th floor of the hotel. They claim it is a "security point", but its clear that the 5th floor has the clearest view of Nativity Square in town, and they are denying the press access to this spot.
On the night the floor was taken over, there was some shooting by the soldiers at Nativity Square. Georgina suggests we walk another few minutes past the hotel and talk with the Christian Brothers who are stuck inside Bethlehem University. They teach at the school and are also afraid to come out during curfew. A workman sees us approach the locked gate. He too has been stuck inside the university since the seige started in early April. The brothers show us the damage done by shells and missiles to their library and a pedestrian bridge. They show us 2 missiles they recovered at the school, including one that says "Made at Borg Warner".(Ithacans will note we have a Borg Warner in town). They also tell of a night earlier this month when soldiers scaled their gates with grappling hooks at 2:45 am, shot at the brother answering the inside door, and took over the university for a few days. We see the bullets and bullet holes from around their front door and inside walls.
The brothers were shocked that we were able to get to the university. They fear they would be shot if venturing outside their gate. We hear some shots just before we leave. We walk back to the Star Hotel, photographing a pharmacy that had a family home above it. Two large missile holes had penetrated the walls. Near it is a crushed, burned car. In front of the hotel,the soldiers say "How did you get here?" "We walked down the road." "Impossible",they say. "We did", we say. Strangely, they let us in to the hotel lobby, where we find a ride back to Jerusalem with a reporter. Granny Jean,as she enjoys being called, smiles and elbows me in the ribs in the van home as the soldiers check everyone's passport but hers at the checkpoints during our ride home. "Old people are invisible, huh".
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I talked with Lisa today (4/28/02) and got a quick report of what she's seeing in Jenin. Conditions seem pretty much the same as they were when we left. She has been working with the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees to give first aid trainings. So far, they've given two trainings, which went very well. Two young boys at the training told her of watching a young friend die of injuries from a mine explosion. They both felt that he could have been saved if they known basic first aid.
Bodies are still being uncovered. Today workers discovered a body after a cat was seen emerging from the rubble with human flesh in its mouth. Sewage is still running through the streets and there are still areas of the camp that smell terrible. The stench is probably a combination of sewage and rotting corpses. There are rumors about cholera, but nothing confirmed.
The clean up effort is still proceeding slowly, with the same three bulldozers working at rubble removal. There continue to be explosions of mines several times daily. Most of the camp still does not have electricity and water and food are still in short supply, especially for people higher up in the camp.
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What Really Happened When Israeli Forces Invaded Jenin? The Independent U.K.