Middle East Trip 2003: Syria | Lebanon | Jordan | Palestine The Palestinian-Israeli conflict Travelogue
The conflict between Israel and Palestine
The days that we spent in Israel and the Occupied Territories allowed us to be witnesses of exception of the conflict that divides the Palestine (Arab and Christian) and Israeli (Jewish) communities. We never thought that what we would see in this country would leave a so deep track in our minds. What follows is the visual story of what we saw and we felt, that tries to show the suffering of a nation and the dignity of citizens who having almost nothing, still have a lot to teach to us.
Jordan-Israel border and Jericho checkpoint
The border of King Hussein Bridge (for the Jordans) or Allenby (for Israelis). The complications to enter the country through this place are great, and it's evident the difference of treatment between tourists or diplomatics, and Palestinian refugees trying to return to their homeland. For us it took more than 5 hours to fulfill all the registries and proceedings of security. Others, including women with children and ill people, did not have as much luck.
Once we left Allenby, we went to the historic city of Jericho with our new friend, Rouhi, a palestinian-american guy we met in the bus from Jordan. There we could feel the palestinian hospitality. In the way out of Jericho to Jerusalem, we saw our first checkpoint. First interrogation by a very young israeli soldier. He remarked to us that as foreigners we were authorized to leave Jericho, but not to return.
In the 20 minutes of delay, we could verify the system that the israelies use to assure that the checkpoint is the only road possible for wehicles: they draw up a ditch with excavators around all the locality. Sometimes, the people have to walk tens of miles between mountains and cross ditches like this to arrive at their work places.
The Jericho checkpoint is watched over by a threatening machine-gun position.
Refugee camps and jewish settlements
One of the refugee camps surrounding East Jerusalem. This one lodges the families who were expelled from the Old City of Jerusalem to build the esplanade of the Wailing Wall.
Located less than 100 meters from the previous refugee camp, this illegal israeli settlement has all the commodities, including private parkings, current water, even waterpools.
You can feel the contrast between the houses of the nearby refugee camp and the modern ones with air-condition systems.
The settlements have enough space for gardens sidewalks, something unthinkable in the palestinian guettos.
Qalandia checkpoint
In the Qalandia checkpoint, shared taxis waits for passengers that have to go to Jerusalem. The unexpected station of taxis becomes a continuous mire during the months of winter.
The shared taxis or 'sheruts' waits for passengers, that have to cross the checkpoint on foot.
Qalandia checkpoint. It divides the areas of Jerusalem and Ramalla. The checkpoint opening hours are uncertain and it's very usual to remain closed during days.
Every day, thousands of palestinians cross Qalandia checkpoint, having to suffer delays of several hours, as well as interrogations and all kind of humilliations.
The access of vehicles through the checkpoint is limited to special permissions. The ambulances of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (equivalent to the International Red Cross) are retained during hours, registering numerous deaths of patients in the long queues.
The concrete blocks and the soldiers block the highway in Qalandia, while few Palestinians patiently wait for their turn under the glance of young israeli soldiers. The routine of checkpoints has severely affected the daily life of the palestinian people. This system of harassment began in year 1994.
In the other side of the checkpoint, again, taxis and 'sheruts' waits for passengers. Most of the trips of just a few kilometers in the West Bank means 3 or 4 vehicle changes. In the picture you can see serveral college kids in thier way to school. In the afternoons, when they finish classes, these kids carry out little incidents with the israeli army and tanks, mostly stone throwing protests.
The "security wall" that Israel is building around the Occupied Territories
This it is the security wall the israelies are constructing around the West Bank, and that in many cases enters several dozens kilometers into the Palestinian territories with the excuse to protect the railroads that communicate the israelies settlements between them. The Palestinians cannot use these highways.
In some places, like this one, the wall is 3 meters high. In other places, it reaches 8 meters high and or it's a simple electrified wire fence. Completely cutting Palestinian communities, it's expected that the consequences of this 'wall of security' will be still more devastating that checkpoints. Just for the curiosity, to avoid the environmental impact, they are decorating the wall with natural scenes in the visible part from the israeli highways.
The blocked streets of Abu Dis
In the district of Abu Dis, less than 300 meters of Olives Mount, in East Jerusalem, the streets have been blocked by concrete walls that force the population to jump daily to try to continue with their normal life.
The access is dificult, but far better than to cross the 30 kilometers that this wall forces to suffer to the people of Abu Dis.
Women of all ages and young students seem to be the most affected by the barbarism of this wall without any sense.
The blockade in Abu Dis extends several streets and forces the population to wait the departure of the israeli army vehicles to climb up the concrete blocks.
As soon as the army vehicle disappears, people rush to the wall and proceed to climb it. People aid each other to carry the shopping basket, the school bag, etc.
Every while, the israeli army appears in the walls of Abu Dis, and through the speakers of theirs vehicles try to threaten the persons who are climbing the blocks. Sometimes they launch of gases and covered rubber bullets. The main goal is to bother and to humiliate to the civil population, as they dissapear after some minutes of harassment, allowing that sad spectacle to continue.
When the police vehicles appear, people patiently waits in both sides of the wall their opportunity to cross.
Hundreds of students must face every day the wall of shame of Abu East Dis. The wall does not add anything about security, since it is absolutely permeable, and its only purpose is to harass and humiliate the community that undergoes it.
There are frequent falls and scratches with the barbed wire that surrounds the wall.
A little kid looks through the concrete blocks. In one of them you can read 'Ghetto Abu Dis'. It always surprise m the innocence with which the Palestinian children face this type of situations.
In most cases, living in what for any western would be an unbearable tension, the Palestinians didn't lose the sense of humor.
The skills of young kids of Abu Dis helps them to cross the wall, even with their bicycles. After a few seconds, one volunteer approached them and helped to bring the bicycles through the top of the wall. Note the graffitti in the wall of a David Cross, with a swastika inside.
The streets of the orthodox-jewish neighborhood of Beit Yisrael
Close to the Damascus Gate, in Jerusalem, in the israeli district of Bet Yisrael a poster warns about the rules about the clothes a women who cross the neighborhood should wear. Literally it says: To women and girls who pass through our neighborhood, we beg you with all our hearts, please, do not pass through our neighborhood in immodest clothes. Modest clothes include: closed blouse, with long sleeves, long skirt, no trousers, no tight-fitting clothes. Please do not disturb the sanctity of our neighborhood, and our way of life as jews committed to G-d and his Torah.
Visit to Betlehem and the Dheisheh refugee camp
From the Bethlehem checkpoint the close israeli settlement of Har Homa can be seen. The dolly reveals the continuous expansion. The refugee camps do not have that option. The ecological lisraeli laws forbidds any type of extension due to the declaration of the lands as protected green areas.The israeli settlers easily obtain the change of the status to edificable, obtained after forced confiscation to the Palestinian farmers.
Bethlehem Checkpoint. The people who do not have a valid permit to cross it, have to choose to border it through the near fields. The army guys at the position, sometimes let pass without giving too much importance to the subject, but other times, they persecute and stop to whom it tries to do it. We witnessed a tremendous reprimand through the speakersto a old man that tried to cross through the fields in a donkey. After being threatened, the man decided to give up and to try it by another way.
Once the surveillance area is surrounded, we accessed to a long corridor where very young soldiers kept people waiting until they allowed them go near the soldiers to show them the identification cards.
The pass of buses is restricted. For this reason, the very few tourists who go to Bethlehem have to obtain another way of transport up to the centre of the city and the Church of Nativity
In the refugee camp of Dheisheh, the graffitis praise to the local martyrs are mixed with pictures of Che Guevara
In the camp of Dheisheh we visited Karama (www.karama.org), an enthusiastic organization dedicated to help children and women of the area, victims of the violence and represion environment present in the region
Destroyed houses by israelies bulldozers during their continuous incursions are quickly rebuild by the palestine refugees, not always in the best conditions. Water distribution in this refugee camps is very deficient, and the most of the times, it is done with hoses from one house to other and the use of metalic deposits in the roofs
The children of Dheisheh are really incredible. They were happy to appears in the photos and that we learned them to manage the photo camera. We surprised with their good education and respect they shown us. Without doubts to know them was one of the best moments of the trip.
We felt bad for the conditions of life of this children and their families. Even so, they keep the hope to return to the land they were expeled
Yasser, worker for the organization Karama (www.karama.org), came with us during our visit to the refugee camp and shown us the evolution from the old camp with tents installed by United Nations in the end of 60's to the detached houses and the growth of these houses-rooms to became the shanty town that it's now
The affection and the good humor, as well as its education, is the norm in the Palestinian children. It's admirable to observe the importance that palestians grant to the education and school refered to their children. Several lawyers and doctors have been born in these street. Several lawyers and doctors have been born in these streets
Go out Bethlehem, again the waiting in the ckeckpoint. It entailed a half hour waiting until the israeli soldier decided to allow to the congregated crowd to pass one by one
Surda Checkpoint (roadblock)
Surda checkpoint, in the north of Ramallah. Best defined like 'blocked road', as now there aren't israeli soldiers in the surrounders. The target of this point is to cut the road with big concrete blocks, so that, the cars can't drive on this road. The habit way in this situations is tl leave the car, pass by walkand take another car in the other part of the road
In Surda, it's a doubled 'blocking'. It have about 500 meters of slope between two 'blockings' when only is possible to go walking. There are carts thrown by animals to be used by disabled people and cartloads
Red Moon Crescent (Palestine equivalent to Red Cross) have installed a little tent for first aids in the 'blocking' area in order to take care of emergencies. It's important to remember that this road connects Ramallah with a lot of villages where ambulances, food truck,etc can't access. Everything must to pass by walk through this deplorable precipice
In the othe side of the road, there is a multitude of taxis and sheruts (shared taxis) waiting for the people who are arriving
According to many, the blockade of the Surda road is due to the intention to difficult the access of the students from Ramallah to the <A HREF='http://www.birzeit.edu'> Birzeit University </A>. It's obvious the interest of the palestinian in the care and improve of their education, something of which they feel fairly proud. This graffiti in the Surda road demands the right of education and the end of the ocuppation. The University of Birzeit is accomplishing a <A HREF='http://right2edu.birzeit.edu/checkpointbackground.htm'>awareness campaing</A> about the checkpoints and the problems to pass through it by students and teachers
Visit to the "Mukataa", headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah
Status of destruction of the Headquarters of the Palestine Authority in Ramallah. The israeli army destroyed with tanks and bulldozers lmost all the complex two years ago.
The destruction of the Headquarters of the National Palestine Authority in Ramallah. The picture says that the words can't
This corridor connects the new building that was constructed to lodge the administrative offices for the public (document emission, etc)
The destruction of the building damaged the rooms where lived some members of the government with their families. It is necessary to remember that Arafat, and part of their team, have been more than 3 years shut in in this building, like in a prison. It limits the possibilities of Palestinian lider to participate in international events, etc.
Status of the building after the demolition by the israeli soldiers
The new wing of the Mukaat'a. Prefabricated large cabins still lodge a part of the offices
These are the depressive means of the Palestine Authority
Pictures of the Mukaat'a destruction
From outside of the complex, it's possible to see the marks of the balls of the guns in the building where Yasser Arafat lives. Also, we saw the water deposits within they fight against the provision cuts
Posters of support to palestinian leader are hang in the facades of the Mukata'a
Our friend Rouhi, managed to access inside the complex of the Mukata'a
In the security standpoint of the Mukatta'a. After a revision of our backpacks, they asked us to take a photo with flash to check if our cameras were real cameras. This was that the camera saw
Rouhi explained us details of the daily life in Mukatta'a. In this area, is where Yasser Arafat congregates to the press for his comunications
More posters of the palestinian leader and a huge poster with hands tracks covers the inner facade
The gate of the Mukatta'a where Yasser Arafat uses to make his press release
Near the gate is possible to see the damages of a missile in the inside of the building
Also we could see the status in which the official cars have been after a bombing ant the actions of the tanks on it
Status of the inside of the Mukatta'a after the impacts of the israelies missiles. During our visit, at the request of the members of the palestinian police we avoided to take photos to people, because they fear to be victims of the 'selective murders' with which israeli soldiers punish to activists and Palestinian leaders. Palestinian don't have army nor military structures.
Last view of the inside of the Mukatta'a. The palestinian president couldn't meet with us because he was very busy. During our visit happened a suicide attack in Haifa, in what 19 people were killed inside the restaurant Maxim's. Hours later, in this place, the palestinian Authority disapprovaled the attack.
Allenby Checkpoint, near the Jordan border
We had problems to go out Israel. Probably due to the Haifa attack the day before o perhaps the proximity of Yom Kipur, they decide surprisely to close the borders with Jordan in Allenby (King Hussein for jordanians), only after working for an hou this day.<BR>The explanation we had from a israeli soldier , aiming us with a machine gun, was that the border was closed and it don't be open before 2 or 3 days and he didn't know what was the situation in others frontiers. His screams saying 'Go back, go back, now' made we return and we succeded in go out through the border 100 kilometers in the north (Sheik Hussein), taking many risks to find the border close. <BR> In Jordan, we heard that due to Yom Kipur day, israelies decided close all the borders (including the international airport Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv) during the 3 next days. Also, the TV programmes were canceled and establish the curfew in the occuppied territories to permit the jews to assist to pray in sinagoges and Wailing Wall. In this environment, Israel attacked with a missile an presumed terrorists training camp near Damascus in Syria. It was a relief to escape of this situation, althoght we can't be more happy of our experience during the last 6 days.
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