October 2006

Thousands of Palestinians were detained at Qalandiya checkpoint yesterday as they tried to reach Al-Aqsa mosque to pray. Yesterday was the final Friday of Ramadan and an estimated 500 000 muslims were expected to attempt to gather in Jerusalem. At Qalandiya checkpoint, the main crossing between Jerusalem and the rest of occupied Palestine, many Palestinans were turned away or faced long delays.

Tuesday, 17 October At 12.35pm two soldiers asked a HRW sitting opposite checkpoint 56 to not watch the soldiers at the checkpoint and to move up the hill away from the checkpoint. The HRW refused to do this and the soldiers then rather strangely asked the HRW to move over to the other side of the road.

I visited Al Jifflik, a Palestinian town in the Jordan Valley last week in the hope of making connections between grassroots groups in the valley and in Brighton. Al Jifflik is in the Israeli controlled area of the valley although it is part of occupied Palestine. The residents leased land from the Jordanian state before 1967 but have no ownership.

Olive harvesting will begin in Hebron after Eid. Palestinians will face restrictions on access to their land and harassment from Israeli colonists from nearby settlements. Palestinians have been harassed in previous years by Israeli colonists while trying to harvest their olives. However this year Internationals and Palestinians plan to cooperate to facilitate Palestinian access to their lands.