Commenter Profile

Total number of comments: 10 (since 2010-02-21 22:44:46)

AngelaJerusalem

Israeli fulltime peace activist.

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• Where is the Bedouin Intifada?
  • AngelaJerusalem February 15, 2012 at 1:15 pm

    @Homingpigeon, to respond to your question: I asked a friend who knows Zbeidat well and this is her response:

    "The village of Zbeidat, located in the Jericho governate, is surrounded by three settlements, one of them an "illegal" settlement, and Road 90. Most of their land has been confiscated by the settlements. So they work as manual labourers for the settlers. That is to say, the women work for the settlers, long days of 12 hours for a very low salary, some women told me that they get only 70 shekels ($20) a day, and no health care or other social benefits.

    Many donors have been active in the village, for example they have been given a water pump to get clean water, but the Israeli authorities do not give them permits to use the waterpump, so people (mostly children) suffer a lot from diseases to do with unhealthy water.

    Because Road 90 is also a settler road, every night from 6 pm until 6 am there is a curfew. The people are not allowed to use this road between those hours. This is one of the most shocking things. If you have to give birth, or have a heart attack between 6 pm and 6 am then you cannot leave the village to go to the hospital. If you enter the road, they shoot at you. One woman told me that her little son was running away from her on the road, she ran after him and there was a shot. The road is only a few metres away from the first houses of the village. There is no health care in the village. The people tried to have a clinic or something like first aid, but the Israeli authorities do not give them any permit.

    The village is filthy, no waste collection, the houses are horrible, no permits for renewing them, a high percentage of the men are unemployed, due to the confiscation of most of their land.

    The closest hospital is Jericho, and as stated, there is nothing that even looks like health care in the village.

    My impression was that the older people are very conservative, they are hard to work with, but the younger people really do want a change. We met some very clever girls, many have an education, but for them it is hard to find a job, as they are not allowed to find a job somewhere else. The boys are leaving the village to find work elsewhere.

    Their situation is rather desperate, and I still feel a lot of regret that we couldn't work in this village.

    In the Palestinian community, the village is known as "collaborating" with the occupier. And in a way this is true, but this goes for the elderly, they felt that they didn't have a choice than to co-operate with Israel, but the youth has a different behaviour, they see now that they don't get anything, and are willing to resist.

    I remember that I asked them about arrests. They told me that every week a couple of times the army invades the village and arrests some boys. They release two and the next night three more are arrested.

    Zbeidat village has a special place in my heart, but I felt that we let them down. And that frustrates me a lot. Because their situation is really desperate, and yes, there are some donors who give them some support, but it is only for a water-pump or for a school. But what can they do with it as Israel doesn't give them permits to build this.

    They are overflowed by house demolition orders, like everywhere else. Horrible situation."

  • AngelaJerusalem February 11, 2012 at 7:11 pm with 3 replies

    Many Bedouin may have once served willingly and voluntarily in the IDF as trackers, but that is now increasingly waning and soldiers even take care to take their military uniforms off before returning to their unrecognised villages in the Negev (sometimes to find bulldozers demolishing their homes - as in the case of a friend of mine).

    In the case of the Jahalin Bedouin, all refugees in the OPT, their mukhtar refused in 1951 to sign off his men to military service in the IDF. For this, five Jahalin were killed, 15 large tents burned down and many flocks confiscated by the military authorities then holding all the Negev under military rule (with no education as part of THAT deal, for many years and no freedom of movement either).

    The Jahalin fled to what was then Jordanian controlled Palestinian territory. As refugees they have no land title in the OPT, since their land deeds are all in the Negev (Tel Arad area). Needless to say, in this lamentation, they cannot return as they are not citizens. Similarly, many of the Gazan population are also Bedouin refugees who chose to flee there in '48 or early fifties. Others fled to Sinai, or Jordan. The Jahalin are now in the process of fighting the inexorable next round of ethnic cleansing/forced transfer/grave breaches of the Geneva Convention (possibly qualifying as war crimes bearing personal responsibility by every clerk, officer, general or other operative involved). Israel covets its neighbours shacks and the land on which they sit (E-1).

    As to education: quick note. Without electricity and with lesser funding to their schools, those in the unrecognised villages (and even those in the shantytowns called Recognised Town[ships]) do not score as high as other Israelis, and therefore many are forced to seek university education abroad. It has nothing to do with intelligence, but everything to do with racist, discriminatory funding. For more details, go to Dukium's excellent website and read their shadow reports to CERD, for example. link to dukium.org
    Or to Adalah.org

• Netanyahu has nothing to worry about
  • AngelaJerusalem May 22, 2011 at 12:03 am

    Two pennorth, especially as to Werdine's terminology, although I don't have time to read his incredibly loquacious diatribes.

    Hamas' Rantisi, before he was assassinated "extrajudicially" [illegally under any law, not least IHL] by an IDF helicopter death squad, told Chris Hedges that Hamas took up the strategy of fighting back with suicide bombers only after Baruch Goldstein's massacre in Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs/ Ibrahimi Mosque, when 29 Moslems [try to count those sheep falling asleep...] were slaughtered while at prayer during Ramadan. Hundreds were injured and Hebron Palestinians put under curfew for many years in reverse revenge. But of course the Rightwing and its apologists never take responsibility for the maniacs (genocidal pyromaniacs or otherwise) among their settler friends. So much tidier that THEY are the genocidal. We're far too nice. Too normal. Too much like you and me. Heck, we even speak English normally and have white skin.

    Would I put my future in the hands of Meshal? As opposed to what? The likes of Crazy Lieberman and Lying Bibi, Lying Livni, Lying Barak? [Deja vu here, the same arguments once in S Africa as to the risks of political take over by the ANC, when the Afrikaner government was so corrupt even its followers were finally shocked by Muldergate and Rhoodie...] Or as opposed to imperialist colonialists who slaughter first ask questions later, with those warning shots at the head (Cast Lead, the Mavi Marmara or other recent incursions and attacks)? Of arrogant politicians who with impunity continue committing crimes against humanity, not least the crime of war on war, instead of fighting for peace? The suicidal nature of our current leadership is really scary for those of us who have to think of continuing to live in Israel-Palestine. The future in the hands of Yvet and Bibi and Barak is a bleak epic of lemminglike proportions interspersed with silly hope. These are men who can't make peace (Obama's assessment spot on there). Which means they espouse killing as the option of choice. And traumatise a nation, willy nilly, by that mad choice. Or, to quote Paul Oestreicher at this WCC peace convocation: "Unless we learn to resolve our conflicts .. without militarised violence, our children's children may no longer have a future. Love of those who threaten us, care for the welfare of those whom we fear, is not only a sign of spiritual maturity, but also of worldly wisdom. It is enlightened self-interest. [..] If my potential enemy has no reason to fear me, I am safer too." And yet the Werdine's would continue to sacrifice we Israelis to a non-future, just so that he can prove himself right.

• Goldstone op-ed praises Israeli investigation of Gaza war crimes, but UN committee paints a different picture
  • AngelaJerusalem April 2, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    link to bit.ly
    - Netanyahu is now making major political capital out of Goldstone's op-ed -- misinterpreting it completely, IMHO. (And this spin now becomes the received wisdom...) He demands the UN retract the Goldstone Report, even though Goldstone himself hasn't outright contradicted its findings or suggested a full inquiry by Israel into the allegations isn't still outstanding.

    Thanks, Adam, for a great analysis. Here's hoping the ICC is eventually the forum for justice before any Cast Lead 2 or Mavi Marmara 2. Or Intifada 3. Or... or... or.... [sigh]

• The IDF kills 1 Palestinian civilian every 2 days, on average, with impunity
  • AngelaJerusalem October 15, 2010 at 7:38 pm

    Thanks, Philip. Really important to see past the Israeli official narrative that always frames with a security framing. Whereas once you turn that around - even just for the heck of it or intellectual curiosity and search for truth - and see it as via Occupation and its policies (such as the IDF almost daily killings innocent civilians), then a whole bunch of stuff becomes more accessible and focused. Settlers are not out there for security reasons, half a million of them. 24,000 homes have not been demolished since 1967 because of illegal building. Half the Bedouin in the Negev aren't illegally on their own land. It's all about displacement, landgrab, colonialism, discrimination, racism and all those other isms and ations. And the world is beginning to get it, as Israel slides down its self-willed slippery slope of assisted suicidal fascism. What comes next? Probably more violence until Obama or the international community begin to do more than pay lip service to 67 borders. Until then, almost daily deaths, forced displacement, and insecurity for all. But hey, that way we can still cling together as a nation of victims with carte blanche. Seeking: Visionary leadership for a nation gone wrong, not yet over various major traumas... Apply to The God.

• In grief-stricken Silwan--contempt for politicians, and talk of a third intifadah
  • AngelaJerusalem September 22, 2010 at 5:28 pm with 1 replies

    Kathleen, I've had the pleasure of knowing Jawad for many years and he is exactly as you suggest - a wonderful, reflective, highly articulate yet seriously discouraged Palestinian man. I can name many others with whom we Israeli peace activists have regular contact, who also fit that description. It's incredibly frustrating for activists on both sides that the international community knows full well what is happening and yet no pressure is being brought (to my knowledge) to stop such incidents occurring. Incidentally, I took Jawad Siyam, Nasser a-Ghawi and Sharihan Hanoun of East Jerusalem, and Suhail Khalilieh from Bethlehem's ARIJ think-tank, in November last year to The Hill, to the J Street Conference and to the UN in New York. We gave 40 congressional briefings and 20 UN Security Council member states' briefings. Did any evicted family gain re-entry? No. Has Silwan settler violence stopped? No. Has Bethlehem regained its water or farmland or had its closure ended? You gotta be joking. And did any of the congregation of the Upper West Side's Beit Yeshurun Synagogue to whom we spoke - the first time they'd ever met or heard from Palestinians of East Jerusalem - did any of them DO anything after hearing of the trials and tribulations that contribute to Israeli insecurity? Oh full marks for guessing the answer...!!

• Busloads of civilians cheer as Israelis uproot Bedouin village of 200
  • AngelaJerusalem July 28, 2010 at 7:55 am

    Antidote: I imagine this was reporting by phone or at least obviously after the events. Pretty clear from reporting the journalists weren't there at the time it happened. But yes, it does call into question this article's headline.
    On TV last night on all three Israeli Hebrew channels was footage of the Israeli activists being arrested, manhandled and generally demonstrating against the demolitions -- Ezra Nawi is a friend of mine and he was clearly in the TV footage and (as posted) I've since spoken with him. No IDF soldiers by the way - it was ordinary (as Haaretz reports) Israeli blue police -- including many riot police (Yassams) and probably Green Patrol which is specifically for the Negev. By the way, the Islamic Movement isn't the only body rebuilding -- ICAHD will be helping, as will Ta'ayush ("co-existence") plus various Negev solidarity groups. The people of Arakib are having a meeting later today to discuss it all.

  • AngelaJerusalem July 28, 2010 at 5:20 am with 2 replies

    Antidote. I don't have an answer but can speculate that CNN had someone on the phone who said "supporters" and they mistranslated that as supporters of the demolition, as opposed to activists wanting to help the Bedouin.

  • AngelaJerusalem July 28, 2010 at 4:07 am with 1 replies

    Just spoke with Ezra Nawi who was there and he says there were no cheering supporters of the demolition. We all got the message it was going to happen the evening before, so there was a presence of Israeli leftists down there overnight to try to protect the people. The authorities came at 5.30 a.m.
    It was on Israeli Channel 10, Channel 2 and Channel 1 main news and I certainly didn't see any busload of supporters of the authorities...
    On Saturday we are all going down there to rebuild.

  • AngelaJerusalem July 27, 2010 at 1:24 pm

    "so the homeless Bedouins can wander about the desert" ... HomeSapiens, I'm not sure if you know there's nowhere now for Bedouin to wander. It's all illegal, or military, or built up, or Jews only.. not only in the Negev but also 60% of the West Bank ("Area C") where Bedouin are refugees and now no longer able to take their goats out to pasture due to all the apartheid settler-only roads, the Wall, settlements, military stuff, firing ranges, nature reserves, etc. Recently Israel demolished a whole village in the Jordan Valley which Oxfam had been supporting with humanitarian supplies, thereby destroying thousands of euros of infrastructure, etc. Israel has literally grabbed all the land and all rights to it. No Bedouin anywhere from the Jordan to the Med can legally farm or own livestock. They are a non-people. If ONLY they could simply up sticks and go nomad...

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