2/28: Brian Avery in court, Wall demonstrations and Interview: Life in Hebron

1. Demonstration against the Wall in Beit Surik tomorrow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2005

Local residents from Beit Surik village in Northwest Jerusalem will be
joined by Israeli and international activists Tuesday in a march to
the construction site of the Wall where they will hold a
demonstration. The march will leave the centre of Beit Surik at 7.30am.

In a spontaneous demonstration today in response to the renewal of
construction in the area, six people including the mayor of Beit
Surik, Mohamed Kondil, were arrested. They are currently being held at
the Givaat Zeev police station.

During today's demonstration, the Israeli border police threw stones
at the demonstrators and undercover agents arrested people from the
crowd (footage available upon request).

For more information: 054 6327736
ISM: 052 3634725

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2. Brian Avery's Day in Israel's Supreme Court
by Lisa

On 5 April 2003, in the West Bank city of Jenin, Israeli troops fired
at Brian Avery and another ISM volunteer from an armored personnel
carrier (APC). They were standing still, wearing bright red medic
vests with their hands over their heads, when soldiers opened fire
without any warning shots. At the time of the shooting, ISM reported
that, "When the first armored personnel carrier was 50 meters from
them it fired a burst of machine gun fire (an estimated 15 rounds) at
the ground in front of them so that they were sprayed by a shower of
broken bullets and stones. Tobias, Brian's companion, leapt aside. He
had fled about three steps when he looked back to see Brian lying face
down on the road in a pool of blood."

Almost two years later, Brian has returned to Israel to demand a
criminal investigation be opened into the shooting, after an internal
military inquiry found that the incident in which Brian was shot,
never occurred. Brian suffered serious damage to the entire left side
of his face, jaw, mouth, teeth, nose, and eyes. He has undergone more
than six reconstructive surgeries totaling over $1,000,000 in medical
expenses.

More than 25 journalists and over 30 activists and friends came to the
Israeli Supreme Court today for the hearing.

While awaiting Brian's trial we sat patiently through a number of
hearings. We all got a little worried when the Judge asked one of the
attorneys, "Sir, do you think you are in a forum to discuss justice?
This is a court." Nonetheless Brian's case was one where justice could
not be avoided.

In his opening statements, Brian's attorney, Michael Sfard explained
why Brian was requesting a criminal investigation into the shooting.
Sfard stated that the internal inquiry by the Israeli military
concluded that the incident in which Brian was shot never occurred and
therefore the military determined that an investigation was unnecessary.

To read full article see
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3646.shtml

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3. Interview: Palestinian Life in Occupied Hebron
An interview with Zleikha Muhtaseb
Hebron, Palestine

Interviewed by Aaron Lakoff

Hebron is a troubled city in the southern part of the West Bank of
Palestine. It is unique from other Palestinian towns because it has
five Israeli settlements which sit right in the middle of the city.

These settlements, created from buildings where Palestinians have been
violently evicted, are illegal under international law. The army
maintains a constant presence in the city, and often turns a blind eye
to crimes committed by fundamentalist Jewish settlers. As a result of
the 1997 Hebron Accords (part of the Oslo process), Hebron was divided
into two areas. H1 is Palestinian-controlled, and H2 (consisting of
the old city and all the settlements) is Israeli-controlled.

Zleikha Muhtaseb is a resident of the old city of Hebron. She is a
community activist, an educator, and a friend to many in the area. A
few years ago, she founded the Ibrahimi Center for Social Development.
Here she talks about life for Palestinians living in H2, the effects
of the occupation on local women, and her work with children in the
community center.

Aaron: You live in the Israeli controlled area of Hebron, what we call
H2. Can you describe what life is like in general for Palestinians
living in this part of Hebron?

Zleikha: Life here is really difficult because we have lots of
checkpoints. Outside my house there is a big gate which is usually
closed whenever the Israelis want, or when there is a curfew. Even
when there is no curfew, but when there is a Jewish holiday, the
Palestinians who live in this area outside the gate are locked in.
This is one of the difficulties.

The children can't go to school when there is a curfew on our street.
People can't go to work when the gate is closed. At night, the gate
usually closes at 8:30pm. If we are outside our homes when the gate is
closed, we don't have any choice but to go from the neighbors' houses
across the roofs, which is very dangerous. This is the only option
that we have.

A: Whenever there is a Jewish holiday they keep the Palestinians
locked indoors?

Z: Not all the people, but all the Palestinians who live on Shuhada
Street (the main settler street in Hebron) or in the Ibrahimi mosque area.

A: How does this affect people, emotionally and psychologically?

Z: It affects us a lot. It's so hard to deal with the discrimination.
When I look at the other people and see that they are free to move and
free to go everywhere, when I go to the roof and look at the settlers
celebrating their feasts or holidays, and we are locked in, I feel so
depressed about that. Maybe I can control myself, but not everybody
can control themselves.

Israel talks about the Palestinians being terrorists. This kind of
thing, keeping us locked in our homes, creates a lot of anger inside.
Not everybody can control their anger. This is how people sometimes
decide to take revenge or do bad things against the Israelis.

A: The old city of Hebron is a place that's changed a lot throughout
the years. Now when you walk through the old city, a lot of the shops
are closed. Can you talk about the old city and how it was ten years
ago compared to how it is today?

Z: When I was young I used to walk in the old city late at night – 10
or 11 o'clock – and it was safe, because the shops used to stay open
until 8 or 9 o'clock. After that, there used to be still some movement
in the streets. But now, from 3:00pm onwards, the streets are nearly
empty. This is a big difference. Ten years ago, the situation was a
little bit better because many shops used to be open, but now the
shops are closed. Some of them are closed according to military order.

One time I was walking inside the old city and there was a group of
soldiers asking people to close their shops. I stopped and talked to
the soldiers, asking why they were doing this. They asked me, "Who are
you?"

I said, "I'm a human rights observer. I work with CPT (Christian
Peacemakers Team). I want to find out why you are asking people to
close their shops."

The soldiers replied, "Because they're very close to the Avraham Avinu
settlement."

This is not an excuse to destroy peoples' lives for the security of a
group of settlers. And these shops are so far away from the
settlement. For myself, I couldn't find any other reason why they
would ask people to close their shops.

A: The settlements in the old city are being used as an excuse to
punish a lot of the Palestinian shopkeepers in the area. There's
frequently a military presence in the old city. Can you talk about
what the army does here?

Z: The army in the old city does patrols, and they're in the streets
24 hours. Whenever they walk around, they stop people. They sometimes
stop people for an hour or more. And it's not only stopping them.
Sometimes they harass or beat people, they make them raise their hands
and turn their faces to the walls. This kind of punishment is very bad
for the people because it's an insult to ask a man who is 45 or 50
years old to just turn his face to the wall. The soldier is usually 20
or 25 years old. It's a big insult for someone.

They don't only do this to men, but to women as well. Many times they
stop women in the streets, check them, and ask them to stand by the
walls for a long time. Stopping women is a huge insult – for the
society, for the women, for everybody.

A: Can you talk more about how the occupation in Hebron affects women
as well?

Z: The occupation affects everybody. But for women, when they are
stopped in the streets, it means that the women will be less likely to
come out into the streets. Not only women, but their family members
will be less likely to leave.

Another thing, the army will often break into Palestinian houses for
"security reasons". This word I hate very much; security. This is
the excuse the army uses to provoke people, to insult them, to harass
them. For example, yesterday the army went into my brother's house in
the afternoon. They searched the entire house, turned it into a wreck,
and why? Because it was Friday afternoon, and Shabbat was approaching.
My brother's house is very close to the street that the settlers use
when they go to the synagogue.

A: Yesterday was the anniversary of the massacre in the Ibrahimi mosque.*

Can you talk about what this day means for you?

Z: It means a lot for me. I was inside the mosque when it happened. I
will never forget it. When I walk in the streets, I imagine the bodies
of the people as if it happened yesterday. It's now 11 years, but for
me, it's 11 hours.

It's very difficult for me. Maybe for people who did not see what
happened, they remember it, but it doesn't mean a lot for them. But
for me, it's hard to see the bodies, to see the blood, to see the
people being killed. They were shouting and screaming for help, but
nobody came to help. The army did not allow the ambulances to come to
get the bodies or the injured. For an hour, the ambulances were not
allowed to approach the area. The army was also shooting at people. It
wasn't just Goldstein, as they said. It was the army too.

When I walk in the streets and see the army, I feel a lot of anger
inside. It's the army who represents the government that shot my
people. Two of my relatives were shot dead inside the mosque that day.
One of them was a very close friend of mine. I will never, ever
forget that, and I will never forgive what happened.

(Long sigh…the interview pauses for about one minute as Zleikha
composes herself)

A: In a way, what happened in the Ibrahimi mosque is still part of the
public consciousness here in Hebron. Since then, the Israelis have
divided the mosque and made half of the building a synagogue. What
does that mean for you?

Z: It means a lot of frustration, a lot of hopelessness of having
peace in the area.

A: Do you see any chance for the situation improving for Palestinians
in Hebron?

Z: It will improve if the settlers are controlled. It will improve if
the streets are open, if the Palestinians are allowed to go onto
Shuhada Street, if the Palestinians are able to travel from H1 to H2
freely, if the market is open again, if the gates are removed, if all
this closure is lifted, then there will be a chance for a big change.

We the Palestinians are willing to live in peace. You will notice that
part of the old city is like a city of ghosts – it's totally empty.
And the reason, as they say, is for the security of both sides, the
Palestinians and the Israelis. If it's for our security, why are we
not allowed to use the same streets as the settlers?

As I said, this word they use, "security" – they use it for their own
interests. They use it for the division of the city and for
discrimination between the two peoples. Why did the Jews live in
Hebron before 1948 as part of the community like everyone else? This
is the big question. Sometimes the Israelis say the Palestinians in
Hebron killed the Jews.* We did not kill the Jews, we protected them!
There are very good relations still between the Palestinians and the
Jews who used to live here pre-1948.

I personally have many Jewish friends who do not want to take my land,
who do not want to take my home, who do not come and say, "Well, you
live here today, but tomorrow we will take your home."

A: Right now, Abu Mazen is in the process of negotiating with Ariel
Sharon, and we hear lots of talk about the army withdrawing from many
cities in the West Bank. Do you see the same deal being reached for
Hebron? What do you think of these peace talks right now?

Z: I don't agree much with these peace talks. When we want to talk
about peace, what kind of peace is that? To have a piece of the West
Bank here, a piece of the West Bank there? If you travel around the
WB, you will see how it is divided – this street is for the settlers,
that land is for a settlement, this area is closed for Palestinians,
etc. So if you want to talk about peace, a real peace, there should
be freedom for traveling, for working, and for living. There must be
a freedom to be in the streets without all these punishments against
the Palestinians.

A: Can you tell me about the community center you run in Hebron?

Z: My work started at home, before I started the center. Because of
the curfew, I used to collect the children who were not allowed to go
to school, and bring them up on my roof. This would be for them to
come together, to play, and to have a safe place. There would always
be someone who was guiding them, observing them, and protecting them
from the soldiers.

The soldiers used to even come to the roofs and stop the children,
ordering them to go home. So when I used to bring them together, it
was for relief meetings. When the children talk together about the
situation, it's a big relief for them. When they draw what they feel,
it's a relief. When they play together, it helps them. This is how
the center started. We also started with some psychological support
programs in the homes. We moved to this center where I have it now,
and the idea is to provide development for the society through
education. I do a lot of work with children – this is the target
group. The center is now called the Ibrahimi Center for Social
Development. For the children, I concentrate on the psychological
support because they have suffered a lot from the occupation.
Especially during this Intifada, there was a lot of shooting and
shelling from the army, and many children were scared.

I remember one time, one of my nephews got close to me when there was
a lot of shooting and asked, "Are they going to kill us?" I said "no,
you're here." I did not want to make him afraid because he was also
watching TV and watching people being killed, so he thought maybe he
would be killed too.

I concentrate on this kind of psychological relief because once the
children have good mental health, they can be leaders without
problems, and they can play without problems. In this way, we can
reduce the violent effects for children.

And when the children are relieved, the families are relieved, because
they will not fight amongst each other at home. The mothers will be
relieved as well. I've done lots of psych-support for them also.

A: What are the effects you seen these programs take on individuals?

Z: I like this name Mohammed, because many children named Mohammed
used to come to my center. One of them was a troublemaker. Many people
advised me not to accept him in the center. Because he is a
troublemaker, he would affect the other children. But I insisted on
taking him. The only way for me was to get him involved in all the
activities in the center and making him responsible for some of the
activities in a leadership role. This way he was able to overcome all
the stress inside of him. He became kind of quiet, and I reduced a lot
of his violence. Instead of beating other children up, he started to
help solve problems amongst them.

I remember another child who was 5-years-old. She didn't want to talk
to anybody. All the time, she used to come to the center and play, but
without talking the whole time. Many times when I spoke with her, she
would respond only with gestures. One time I had a celebration, and I
wanted to make a change for the children. I wanted to concentrate on
this girl, so I brought her other brothers and sisters to the
celebration. I wanted to get her involved in one of the activities.

After that, she changed. Whenever I began to ask things, she would
raise her hand and answer. She began speaking normally to everyone. I
was so glad that she changed.

A: What is your hope for the future generations of Hebron?

Z: I hope that all the children, no matter who they are, get together
to play, to learn, and to meet with each other as friends and as human
beings – not as enemies. I hope that all the children will be safe.
Sometimes I feel so sorry for the Jewish children in the old city
because when I see how they live inside the settlements, it's so bad.
They live behind barbed wire with the army protecting them. This
isn't a normal childhood. The Palestinian children do not have the
army protecting them when they go to school or when they walk in the
street. I think with all the stress that our children have, they are
still have more freedom than the settler children.

*On February 25, 1994, Baruch Goldstein, an American-Israeli settler,
walked into the Ibrahimi mosque with a machine gun and opened fire on
a large group of Muslim worshippers. 30 were killed, and many more
were injured. Goldstein himself also died in the exchange of fire.

*Before 1948, there was a sizeable Jewish community that lived side by
side with the Muslims in the old city. In 1929, in response to rumors
coming from Jerusalem that Zionist Jews were planning to build there
own state in Palestine, a group of Muslims rioted and killed
approximately 80 Jews in Hebron. Many Muslims were shocked by this
violence, and there are numerous stories of Palestinians taking mercy
on the Jews and hiding them in their houses during the massacre. To
this day, the old Jewish community of Hebron maintains a good
relationship with the Palestinians and denounces the new settlements.

(Aaron Lakoff is a member of the International Solidarity Movement,
and a journalist with CKUT community radio in Montreal. He is
currently traveling and working throughout Palestine. To view his
previous writing and photos, visit http://aaron.resist.ca. He can be
reached at aaroninpalesine [at] hotmail.com)