What It's Like Living Under Curfew in Bethlehem

DIARIES


Curfew tensions in Bethlehem
Toine van Teeffelen, writing from Bethlehem
30 November 2002

The problem with
curfews is not just
that you can't leave
your house but also
that you don't know
how long they last.
Early this week the
foreign press
announced that the
Bethlehem curfew
would stay until
December 30 but
yesterday local TV
said that it might be
till December 10. "So
it's after the Moslem
Eid al-Fitr and before
Christmas," Mary
comments, "They
want to drive a wedge
between the Moslems
and the Christians."

The real lifting of the curfew, as well as the shopping hours, are usually
announced at only the last moment, and only then people start planning.
After Wednesday night opening hours were announced for Thursday
afternoon. Immediately the head of the local branch of the Ministry of
Education called all school students to go to school during those opening
hours. Next day morning, in a routine play with people's nerves, the army
called off what they earlier had announced to be the opening hours,
apparently because they did not want to have young people gathering at
schools. Then at one o'clock the same opening hours were announced
once again but of course too late for organizing the school lessons.
Psychological warfare.

Anyway, tells Fuad, many parents do not want to have their children going
to school under these circumstances. He too wants to continue the
institute's work as much as possible during the limited time available by
doing remedial teaching for students and visiting the families who have been
hard hit, including those whose house has been demolished, or a son
arrested. Father Louis, too, is making such visits in the community.

The economy is going from bad to worse. Shopkeepers see that they might
be unable to sell their Eid al-Fitr and Christmas wares. One shopkeeper
tells Mary that she should not be afraid for a curfew during Christmas. For
sure the feast will be celebrated, and therefore she should see and buy his
decorations. But Mary observes that shopkeepers increasingly play with
the prices. The number of robberies increases as well.

The shop for mobile telephones of Fuad's son in law was robbed for over
10,000 dollars during the first day of the curfew when people were yet
unprepared to arrange their shops while rushing home. Elias sometimes
tresspasses the curfew to check whether nothing happened to the
computers at the institute. His son, who studies in the northern West
Bank, has run out of money and Elias looks for special ways to bring him
money since the banks are closed.

Obviously, the political situation, the fact that youth don't have much to do
and are closed up (imagine the many big families who can't leave their
small rooms), the poverty, and a host of other factors add to the enormous
pressure which presently falls upon the community relations. While walking
up into the main Madbasseh street, Mary saw a toshe (quarrel) at a falafel
place; about nothing she later heard, but the atmosphere and people's
faces were so threatening that she decided not to do shopping and return
home. The tension is also palpable in the refugee camps which are
crowded and bear a large share of the arrests. Opposite my house I
observe, through the window of the room where I am working on the
computer, the youth of 'Azza camp throwing stones at passing tanks from
the top of their crowded apartment buildings. The tanks or jeeps sometimes
stop, soldiers come out to shoot in the air, then go back in their vehicles,
and continue their way. Afterwards the youth come out again.

Day in day out doing nothing else than throwing stones at one another or at
tanks must no doubt affect them psychologically. At one point a group of
youngsters entered our courtyard and somebody threw the plants from our
veranda on the ground. I heard one boy shouting adjnabi (foreigner) while
another, as I could see while peeping out of the window, imitated shooting a
machine gun. I phoned Mary who came and immediately went into the
camp to speak with the sheikh who often helps her carrying her shopping
bags home. On her way the kids threw pebbles at her (Jara later
commented: "Why didn't they throw them at the Israelis?") They called her
masikhiyeh, ("Christian"). Mary told them that we had respected each
other for two years and that we wanted to continue to keep the relationship
like that.

Later, when I myself received some pebbles while walking to my family in
law, I approached the kids and started talking with them. Yes, they wouldn't
do it again. Hundred meters down they put on small fires and even took old
stones out of the street walls to create obstacles for the passing army
jeeps. Also windows at the end of the street were broken; the distinction
between resistance and vandalism barely existent. It is obvious that with
each new long curfew such behaviour will increase. I wonder whether it is
the army's aim to head for a community breakdown, which is not
unthinkable.

I decide to make plans to have more contacts with the camp and see
whether we can involve them in one of the institute's projects. When I tell
this to a friend, he says "Typical you, thinking that projects solve anything."

* * *

I am glad to hear the neighbouring cock crying. During long moments of the
day a complete and unnatural silence reigns. The muezzin echoes sound
louder than normal. As always during curfews you have to discipline
yourself in a daily rhythm because otherwise you loose your idea of time,
the hour, the day. Mary sometimes tresspasses the curfew to get out or to
have the feeling of getting out. She is only afraid for tanks, not for military
jeeps, she says.

Two days ago she happened to walk along a tank at the university hill
which stopped an ambulance car. Fortunately the soldiers let Mary, her
mother and Jara pass by undisturbed. In such circumstances Mary always
immediately tells Jara that she shouldn't be afraid. She was "a little" afraid,
Jara said afterwards but it otherwise didn't seem to bother her. Tamer also
wants to go out, he moves or removes everything nearby when seeing the
sun rays through the door window. Mary walks with him in the garden. His
laugh sounds like "gh...gh", as Ernie's in Sesame Street, a laugh which is
very dear to us.

* * *

At our family in law we decorate the Christmas tree, to the great
excitement of both Tamer and Jara. Jara wants to hear at least three long
fairy tales a day and preferably act them out as well, she the princess and I
all the other roles. During the first five days of the curfew, just before going
asleep, and after many treasure hunts, dangers and weddings, she was
used to ask Mary "Bukra fi madrase?" (Is there school tomorrow?),
breaking my heart each time. Then she resigned, stopped asking, which
gas been even more painful.

Staying the night at my mother's in law I hear the peaceful, regular sighs of
Tamer, Jara and Mary around me, and also the soft winter rain outside. I
stare at the ceiling. When, and what, will be the end of all this?


Toine van Teeffelen, a Dutch national married to a Palestinian, is project
manager at the Arab Educational Institute, and the local coordinator of the
United Civilians for Peace, a Dutch initiative to send civilian monitors to
the West Bank and Gaza Strip.