Blogging Archive

This week UK Customs and Excise have at last taken the first step in challenging the Israeli's illegal settlements by (a) recognising that they are mislabelling their produce to avoid paying tax to any European countries they export to and (b) proposing that the EU act to stop this practice. The news reports in the UK and Israeli press have spoken about illegal Israeli settlements, but have failed to explain the impact that these settlements have on the everyday lives of Palestinians and their hopes of establishing a viable state.

Those of you who have been following the work of the Brighton Tubas group for a while might remember a place called Al Mazra’a Al Qibliya. The people there are living under constant threat from the growing settlement Talmon B, which surrounds, and eats into, the village land.

Makhool is situated just higher in the Valley than Al Hadidiya and like them their land is also surrounded by Israeli Military bases and very close to this small community is a training ground and firing range. The road, just 100m away from the homes, is Israeli controlled and busy with settler and military traffic. As a community who rely on grazing sheep, they face many problems from Israeli’s if their sheep wander onto the nearby road. ‘It causes us problems’, said Josef, who explained ‘if they are on the road, they are taken’.

Abu Sakker's family home in Al hadidiya 27 Oct 08For the last six years the people of Al Hadidiya have faced constant intimidation and threats from the IDF to leave their homes and farmland in the Jordan Valley. They have had homes demolished, farm machinery confiscated and to date have demolition orders on all of their remaining homes and animal shelters. There are eight families left living in tents with no water or electricity.

On Thursday 23rd of October we travelled to Nablus to meet a prisoner Said Lataba who had spent 31 years in prison, the longest time any Palestinian had spent imprisoned to date. He was released just last month at the beginning of his 32nd year in prison. He welcomed us into his home as he prepared for his wedding celebrations to take place the following day. He told us that his wife to be is also an ex prisoner.

There are numerous ways in which the Israeli's justify their brutal occupation and treatment of the Palestinians. On a short visit to Atoof we were introduced to a few. The village is overlooked by the settlement of Ro’i and closed off by a deep ditch. It was dug five years ago in preparation for the Apartheid wall, which snakes illegally through the West Bank, to reach there. Since then the villagers have had their movements restricted and their every step observed.

Farming in Al Farisiya: In Al Farisiya there are 20 families. Five of them grow vegetable crops and corn. Demolition orders have been issued on all of their homes.Sitting under a tree outside Jassir's house, after a day of travelling in the Jordan Valley, my surroundings felt calm and peaceful. In reality Jassir knows that any day the Israeli Army could turn up and destroy his family home. It would not be the first time he would have to live through such an experience.

As you cross Al Hamra checkpoint heading for the Jordan Valley you come to a barren area of land with a few demolished buildings and homes made of wood, tin and plastic. Harrab, Suileman, their families, and all the other families of Hamra are surviving under extreme pressure from the Israeli administration that wants to annex the land and ethnically cleanse the area of Palestinians. The first building we came to was a water well and pump that had been destroyed in 1982.

On Wednesday 22nd Oct the delegation had its first encounter with the Israeli Offence Force (IOF) on the edge of a village called Atoof in the north of the Jordan Valley. We were stopped, detained and told that we had entered ‘forbidden’ land. The soldiers asked us our reasons for being there, told us our Palestinian friends were ‘dangerous’ and that it was merely their duty to protect us.

Today I spoke to Mohammed, an ambulance driver and medical attendant, at his home about some of his experiences whilst on emergency duties for the Red Crescent Society Ambulance in the Tubas region. He spoke frankly to me about the difficulties he faces daily at the hands of the soldiers at checkpoints and in the region where Israeli soldiers' presence is frequent.