THE HANDSTAND

MAY 2003

kloie from Nablus

      Hello, I don't want to bother you all but here is my day in Nablus today. I hope I will not have to write such a long email to you again.

      I am continuing my focus on trying to portray peace in the Occupied Territories.  I have been filming the recovery of Mohammed Agouri a 18 year old boy who tried to fight back by climbing on a tank and was shot by Israeli soldiers.  He was shot in the back, the bullet travelled up through his lungs and chest.  When I first met Mohammed he was in Intensive Care and could hardly breath.  5 days later he was transfered to recovery. I went back today 1 week later to film him leaving the hospital and going home. This is a chance for peace at least in Palestinian terms.

      This morning when I went to see him I noticed a man crying, nothing unusual in most hospitals, it was 9am and chances are someone is  dying or seriously ill in a hospital.  I climbed the stairs and found Mohammed smiling because his family was taking him home and he survived.  When I was filming the family leaving the hospital someone called me over to the man who was still crying.  They told me there was another Shahid (martyr to the Israeli occupation).  I was shy to film this man crying, but did so, then asked who died.  They told me a youth from Asoura village, his name Fadi Alewani. 

Fadi was my student. He was in his 4th year of Journalism at An-Najah University.  He was a star student, he was always on time to  class came to every class and had great ideas for the Film Project I am doing at the University.  We discussed many times how we can show the determination of the Palestinians to achieve peace.  For him it was just being able to go to University and get his Bachelor and maybe a masters in Journalism.  His project was to film the students getting that education and show the western people that we do have Universities in Occupied Palestine and we do study and we do have PHD teachers teaching.  I thought this a great project, and the last time I saw him was on Wednesday when he came to my English conversation class to ask student who speak English to be interviewed for his documentary.

      He died trying to come to the University.  He heard the tanks coming and ran to cross the road before the tanks and the soldiers inside could jump out and prevent him from going to University.  He fell, struck his head and had internal bleeding.  The mountains they cross everyday are dangerous. It is a cat and mouse game, especially the weekend when the soldiers know the students are going and coming from University or school. 

The last email I sent you all was about trying to get to a village, we were prevented for 3 days.  This young man made it to his village and his family but did not make it back to University.  He was buried today.  It was awful, bringing the body back to the village and having to pass the checkpoint he had been unable cross that morning.  The look of the soldiers as we carried his body to his village.

        There is another strange thing.  3 weeks ago I went with Fadi to the exact spot he was murdered at, in this spot he told me how happy he is when he doesnt see any tanks and can go to his home and University without passing by or being interrogated by the Israeli soldiers.  He said this because just 2 hours later when we tried to pass at this checkpoint the soldiers took our ID's called up to where ever it is they call, then told us we were not allowed to pass.  We could see his home from this spot.  His mother in fact saw us from her window trying to come to see her.  We did take another longer route and got there.  I filmed this all.  And the wonderful greeting his family gave us when we arrived.  So much food, oh my goodness!  IT was when we were going back to University that we tried the first way (the one denied us), the tank was gone.  I asked Fadi how do you feel.  I expected him to say angry or upset, but instead he said I feel Happy.  I said you feel happy. are you crazy after what we have just been through.  He said yes happy because now there is no tank and we can cross.

        This is the daily life of any student or person who studies or works in Nablus but lives 2-10 kilometers away.  What do the Israelis think they are doing?  Really?  what?

        I am now in Ramallah, just 5 kilometers away from Jerusalem, I am as yet unable to see any Israelis.  Inshallah tomorrow I will be able to compose myself enough to see them?  The checkpoint we had to cross to get here was awful.  The soldiers beating a Palestian youth of 16, why because he helped my friend and I carry our bags, yes just that, and that only. Meanwhile there were about 50 men returning from their jobs in agriculture or whatever waiting to be allowed to cross to Nablus  and       go home for the night.  The soldiers insulted and provoked us, one saying see this gun (an M16 or something) this is my baby, and I have the power to use it when I want.  Can you imagine?

        I am hoping Ven Robina will come to Nablus, because I for one need some enlightened teaching.  I will not let the Israelis take my humanity away and I will pray that they will be able to overcome their fear of others.  Fear does some horrible things to people.         I am very tired and exhausted but I will not give up and I will try as hard as I can to keep compassion central to my being.         May you all sleep well tonight, may you all be safe, may you all appreciate the precious human rebirth you have been reborn into. And may you
all be tolerant of other peoples culture and way of life.       I miss you all       I love you ,  kloie
   - AN INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY REPORT
Artist of Kafr Qasem Abdel Tamam

..ENVIRONMENT CONCERNS IN PALESTINE
by John Reese

The Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) is not only making war on the people of Palestine, but it is also making war on the environment.  The IOF is using the environment as a weapon to drive Palestinians from land that has been theirs for thousands of years.  Industries, colonies and the IOF dump their waste on it, destroy trees that are hundreds of years old, deplete and pollute the water, and destroy the natural flora and fauna of Palestine.

            The environmental destruction caused both directly and indirectly by the Israeli occupation of Palestine is severe.  Groundwater is being withdrawn faster than it can be replenished.  Drinking water is contaminated due to broken pipelines which results in drinking water mixing with sewage.  Over 250,000 olive trees and other fruit trees have been destroyed in the last 2 years.  In some areas air pollution has become a problem due to the burning of garbage.  This is all in addition to the environmental destruction that wars and their industries bring – from uranium poisoning by the use of depleted uranium shells to land and property laid waste by fire, bombings and the machines of war.

            During the thirty-five years of occupation, Israeli authorities have neglected to consider the management, transfer, or disposal of solid waste within the occupied territories.  As a consequence, Israeli settlements and military camps dump solid waste in the occupied territories without regard to the environmental impacts.  Settlements annually discharge 224 thousand tons of waste within Palestine often polluting villages, streams and the fields of Palestinian farms.  As a result this land is rendered unfit for either agricultural or domestic uses.  The Israeli authorities also prevent municipalities from transporting solid waste to dumping sites outside city and village boundaries.  Many Palestinian villages and cities have no other choice but to resort to using alternative dumping sites in urban areas where there is no monitoring for the health and safety of the environment.

            The building of the Apartheid Wall intensifies these problems in the surrounding areas and poses immediate and long-term destruction and degradation to the Palestinian environment and natural resources.  The impact on water supplies of the areas around the Apartheid Wall are of serious concern.  In villages around Qalqiliya and Tulkarem 30 agricultural wells will be lost in the first phase of the Apartheid Wall.  These groundwater wells are located in the Western Groundwater Basin and were drilled prior to 1967.  As a result, Palestinians will lose nearly 18% of their share of the Western Groundwater Basin.

            The uprooting of trees is also an environmental concern.  The first phase of the Apartheid Wall will place between 160,000-180,000 dunums (39,500-44,500 acres) on the Israeli side of the Apartheid Wall.  Construction of the Apartheid Wall will uproot and shave tens of thousands of trees.  Trees play a major role in preserving the environment and ecological balance of the area.  The various kinds of trees, most notably the olive tree, are also a basic part of the Palestinian landscape, culture and heritage.