the forced evictions of sheikh jarrah

a palestinian woman outside her home which was overtaken by israeli settlers, sheikh jarrah, east jerusalem, the west bank, palestine

during my three months in the west bank, sheikh jarrah became a household name.  every friday, international volunteers would visit the east jerusalem neighborhood in solidarity with the displaced palestinian families living on the streets.  somewhere during my second month, just as i was preparing to visit sheikh jarrah, the idf and israeli police really cracked down; dozens of protestors — israeli, palestinian, and international — were detained.  rather than risk arrest, or worse, getting hit in the face with a tear gas canister a la tristan anderson, i decided to visit on a weekday when there wasn’t as much “fanfare” in the neighborhood.

this is my story from sheikh jarrah.

at first, i wasn’t sure if i’d arrived, because the street was so quiet.  but i was certain i was in the area.  up until then i’d been passing only palestinian businesses and arabic-speaking individuals.  but i was now standing in front of a house which was positively covered in israeli flags.  i felt the first twinges of disgust and fear grabbing at my stomach and behind my eyes.

i approached the lone man walking by and asked him where i could find sheikh jarrah.  “this is it,” he replied.  “but if you want to meet the families who are living in tents on the street, go down this hill and take a right.”  he smiled kindly and we parted ways.

as soon as i turned at the bottom of the hill, the fear and disgust levels began to rise within me like vomit up an esophagus.  the feelings were quickly followed by confusion, then rage.  the scene before me felt like a bad dream.  a large group of jewish men in hassidic  orthodox attire stood in front of a house which was covered in israeli flags and sporting a gigantic wooden menorah on the rooftop.  about five israeli soldiers stood with them.  across the street were a handful of internationals standing in front of a home where the front fence was covered in graffiti.  i approached them and said hello, then turned my attention to the home with the graffiti.  an elderly woman sat on a chair inside the gate with another man and woman.  i entered the gate and the man introduced himself to me.  “why didn’t you come sooner?” he asked me with sorrow in his eyes.  “you were in nablus for three months and you never came?  why?”  i didn’t know what to say.  i fumbled for excuses and finally just said “i’m sorry.”

settlers outside the al-kurd home, sheikh jarrah, east jerusalem

resident of sheikh jarrah neighborhood standing in front of a home overtaken by settlers, east jerusalem. i don't remember his name so if anybody knows please tell me!

many of the families of sheikh jarrah have been living there since 1956, as refugees from the 1948 al-naqba.  the original agreement was to build homes for 28 families with support from unrwa (united nations relief and works agency), the jordanian government, and the families.  they’ve officially owned the property and homes since 1959 because the agreement stated that after three years of residence, the transfer of ownership would be official.

unfortunately these palestinian families are becoming refugees once again in the name of judaism.  israeli settlers are systematically forcibly evicting the palestinian residents from their homes, leaving them without shelter or compensation.

one recent forced eviction occurred on august 2, 2009, and affected 53 palestinian refugees, including 20 children.  this was  following an israeli  court ruling.  the properties were handed over to a settler organization which plans to build a new settlement in the area, placing at least 24 other buildings and about 300 residents at risk of forced eviction.

the most recent eviction occurred in november of 2009 at the al-kurd home.  imm nabil al-kurd sat outside her home and served me tea, an elderly and fierce presence in the face of so much hatred.  i’d heard about her before, but for some reason i’d never imagined her to be an elder.

mrs. al-kurd sitting under a tarp as an evening chill settles over sheikh jarrah, east jerusalem, the west bank, palestine

considering other efforts to create settlements in all of sheikh jarrah, the total number of planned settlement units is over 540, which means an estimated 475 palestinians are at risk of forced eviction and homelessness.

between january and july of 2009, at least 194 people including 95 children were forcible displaced.  another 107 people including 46 children have been otherwise affected as a result of house demolitions ordered or carried out by the israeli authorities in east jerusalem.  there are currently at least 1,500 pending demolition orders in east jerusalem alone, potentially affecting several thousand palestinian residents.

efforts to expand and connect israeli settlements in the west bank near west jerusalem threaten to isolate and fragment palestinian neighborhoods, cutting them off from the remainder of the west bank, while further weakening the social and economic links between the north and south regions of the west bank.  the west bank is already extremely fragmented when one considers illegal israeli settlements and outposts, military training areas, checkpoints, roadblocks, settler roads, and areas a, b, and c as delineated by the oslo accords.  please cut and paste this link to download and view detailed maps of the west bank which was once comparable to swiss cheese but is now so fragmented i call it a piece of ragged flesh.  nice imagery, huh?  the link is:  http://www.ochaopt.org/?module=displaysection&section_id=96&format=html

(for some reason i’m not able to insert links at the moment, but hope to do so soon.)

from what the kind palestinian residents of sheikh jarrah shared with me, it seems that young boy settlers regularly make lewd gestures and call the women names.  last week there was a nighttime confrontation with an armed settler; cut and paste this link to view footage:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_noYAfW7dm4

while i sat with the palestinians outside of their home, the settlers complained that we were blocking the entrance to ‘their’ house.  one woman turned her back and raised her shoe to a settler trying to take pictures of us in an act of defiance. umm nabil al qurd turned her back to the cameras. 10-15 settlers came walking through the gate with armed soldiers, and taunts were exchanged all around.

sources:  http://www.ccdprj.ps/new/etemplate.php?id=52

the separation wall

two boys in front of the wall at qalandia checkpoint, palestinian side, the west bank, palestine

i plan on publishing two more articles about palestine on this blog…so stay tuned!  let it be known for now, however, that i am loving mysore.  my camera is broken but i’m taking the steps to get it fixed…in the meantime i hope you’ll continue to enjoy my stories and photos from palestine.

i made it to mysore!

after a total of over 30 hours of traveling, i arrived in mysore, india, early this morning.

first impressions:  this place is peaceful and beautiful.

second impression:  it’s nice to be in a country that’s not occupied.  i marveled at the ease with which the road led to mysore; no checkpoints!

i still have several stories from palestine to write though, as well as pictures to post.  unfortunately i witnessed some atrocious behavior on the part of israeli settlers in east jerusalem before i left on monday night.   that and other stories are still on the way. 

for now i’m going to register at yoga school and confirm my flat agreement…not to mention get some food and rest. 

for peace, justice and equality — k.

 

kunafe, bliss

there are many reasons i love palestine.  at the top of the list are the people i’ve met.  but coming in for a close second is kunafe, also known as one of the best desserts on the planet.

it’s made of flour, sugar, oil, sheep’s (or sheep’s and goat’s) cheese, more sugar, and pistachios. one afternoon i was fortunate enough to see how it’s made.  special thanks to my amazing english student fadi, for inviting us to his home for a delicious lunch and showing us how kunafe is made.

spread oil with red dye over a round pan and then sprinkle the flour (semolina?) over the oil, as fadi is doing in this photo.

spread sheep cheese or a mixture of sheep and goat cheese over the flour layer.

rotate the pan over medium heat for about ten minutes, until the cheese is melted and the bottom is baked through, like this person is doing.

cover the kunafe with a similar pan and flip it over to reaveal the crispy flipside! yumyum.

yum...kunafe....

before sprinkling chopped pistachios on top like this person is doing, pour syrup made from sugar and water over the top.

and finally…EAT!

i’m in the zone

it might be a few days before i can post again…i am thinking of you all and look forward to writing again soon!

here’s a photo i made on our way to visit jacob’s well near balata.

a man in nablus, the west bank, palestine

hammama mia!

in the middle of the old city in nablus there is an old turkish bathhouse, also known as the hammam.  yesterday after i finished teaching, it was time to give myself a little treat.  tuesdays and sundays are the only days the bathhouse is open for women (although in the evenings of those days it changes so it’s just for men), so i headed over there for the second and last time.

the steam room seemed to be functioning at its full capacity; the door to the room was open and hot vapor was literally pouring out, filling the whole hammam with white swirling mist.  after talking with a few curious bathers (i still stand out in a hammam), i decided to test the waters.  i trepidatiously entered the steam room and breathed.

later as i lay on the warm stone floor and gazed at the tiny, stained-glass covered holes in the ceiling, steam illuminating the beams of light entering the space, i marveled at the beauty and age of the place.

i highly recommend the turkish bath experience to anyone who has a chance to do so!