Hello Loyal Readers ... and others as the case may be,
I had not decided if I would continue to blog or not ... but this is just too interesting to ignore. I felt I had to spread the word. Yesterday, as I was driving to a Michigan Peace Team meeting of all places, I heard on NPR - "Settlers attack Israeli Army". Settler attacks are fairly common in the West Bank. They attack Palestinians and their property frequently. They also attack internationals who happen to get the way. Such events have become so common that they are hardly even newsworthy any more. Consequences for the settlers are minimal if anything occurs at all. For example: The United Nations reports, "...of 97 complaints about settler attacks against Palestinian trees, followed up by the Israeli NGO Yesh Din, none (zero) has so far led to the indictment of a suspect." BUT ATTACKING THE ARMY !! This should be interesting.
Some info for those who are new readers: Settlers are Israeli citizens who live in settlements or outposts - all inside Palestine. Settlements are considered illegal by international law but the State of Israel disagrees and continues to encourages settlement growth. Outposts are similar except they have not been authorized by the State of Israel and are considered illegal by the State of Israel. Sometimes the Israeli army is sent to eradicate outposts.
More info: Settlers who are upset with some government decision or action will often react by attacking Palestinians, or their olive trees, or their home or cars, or maybe their Mosque. Such is called Price Tag. In short the price for the Israeli government's "sins" is Palestinian suffering. Settlers seldom have consequences for Price Tagging. BUT to PRICE TAG their own ARMY .... whoa !
So there is a significant outpost that has been scheduled for elimination. That appears to be the motivation for this attack, this Price Tag, on the Army. Some Israeli officials are a bit upset.
"Yaakov Peri, formerly head of the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet, ...claims Jewish extremists now pose a greater threat to Israeli security than terrorism." That is a strong statement. You can read more about it and the attack at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/13/israeli-military-attack-jewish-extremists
Palestinians who runs afoul of Israeli positions can be detained for long periods of time without charges. It is a classic case of a dual standard. Palestinians get severe punishment without trial; Israelis and internationals are generally treated by a more responsible standards. So I was a bit surprised to read: "After two days of settler violence that shocked much of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamine Netanyahu announced Wednesday that some radical Israelis would be treated the same way as suspected Palestinian militants — detained for long periods without charge and tried in military courts." OK I sometimes read alternative news sources but that quote is from the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/world/middleeast/netanyahu-sets-new-curbs-on-violent-settlers-in-israel.html
Google "Settler Attack Israeli Army" if you want to read more.
I guess that is enough for now ... interesting stuff ... the potential Israeli political ramifications for example ... but enough for now ... with peace, Fred
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Last Days of My Trip
I wanted to give you an idea of my activities after leaving the MPT house in Huwwara. We traveled south by group taxi to Ramallah. From Ramallah to Bethlehem is a pretty short trip through Jerusalem but we took the long route for two reasons. First and foremost was my need to avoid checkpoints that screen passports and the big one between Ramallah and Jerusalem is a bugger. Secondly was our desire to experience what the average Palestinian has to experience. Most do not have the proper documentation to go to Jerusalem and must take a longer and more costly trip down the mountain toward Jericho and back up to Bethlehem.
In Bethlehem we tried to contact George, a long standing friend of MPT. One of his coworkers helped us find a nice guest house for the night and took us to a small night club. We had a good sandwich, talked with him, and watched a lightning storm blast through the area. In the morning George met with us and explained his work and other aspects of the occupation. We then tried to make contact with Mazin, another MPT friend; he was unavailable; we learned later that he was on his way to participate in the Palestinian Freedom Rider event on Tuesday, Nov. 15. The event was modeled after the American civil rights Freedom Riders of the 1960s. The event got some media attention. Google it if you are interested. He was arrested, his second arrest in one week. 1st for taking pictures at a demonstration – he was shortly released - 2nd for boarding a settler’s only bus. The gall of the man; I don’t think he even shuffled his way to a back seat. It appears that he will stand trial for this but I heard the charge might be “the unlawful entry of Jerusalem”.
We had a nice visit with John Gore. Many of you know John from the 2006 Kinawind staff. He is working as a missionary in Bethlehem. Gaby and I then went to Jerusalem. The main route between Jerusalem and Bethlehem requires all vehicles to stop and empty, everyone passes through the screening (you can’t be too careful if security is your goal) and then everyone finds new transportation on the other side of the wall. OR you can (as we did) take a different bus on a different route through a different gate and there is very little checking at all. Two soldiers simply walked through our bus and visually looked at our passports…no scanning of passports…no metal detectors…no search of bodies or luggage (in fact my pack was in the outside luggage area). Gee wiz – a would be terrorist would have to be pretty stupid to go through the main gate. And we would have to be pretty stupid to buy the argument that security is the main reason for all of the check point hassles. Wait a minute - did I say hassle? Gee maybe there is something to that. You be the judge. If you decide that indeed hassling the population is a goal of many of these procedures, you will be in agreement with the Palestinian adult population and the vast majority of internationals who have come over to take a serious first hand look at the situation.
The story follows: The addition is the block structure on the left and now houses settlers. The family walks through the tent and into their home which is straight back and out of sight.
This house in Sheikh Jarrah(East Jerusalem) has an addition that was built without the proper permit – a common occurrence in some parts of Palestine where permits are almost never issued. So rather that demolish the addition or the whole house as is sometimes done; the Palestinian family is still living in the old house and Israeli settlers have moved into the small addition. The Israelis are young men. They seem to hang out there at night more than actually live there. Internationals are trying to have a presence there every night to minimize problems and help the Palestinian family to feel secure. Reports say that the settlers have played loud music at night, sworn and used vulgar language, thrown water/urine/feces/vomit/bleach at the internationals. It was relatively calm during our shift. It was also very cold and uncomfortable. There were four of us. I think I was the only one who got much sleep – maybe 5 hours. My thanks to two young activists from Sweden who laid their sleeping bag over me.
We moved south to Hebron the following day. Hebron has urban settlers. Settlements are right on top of Palestinian quarters. The consequences of this arrangement are mind boggling. If you really want to have any level of understanding, you must travel there sometime. CPT, Christian Peacemaker Team, is a great organization. For a very reasonable fee we got a safe place to stay, meals, and great fellowship and a chance to work with them. In the morning we went on check point watch with them. I took some pictures and continued to do so when a most uncooperative soldier told me not to. (Note: Soldiers do not have authority over internationals and taking pictures is the norm.) The police arrived. (They do have authority over internationals.) I managed to get the SD card out but was seen as I handed it to Gaby. Apparently, I could have been detained, etc. but another group of observers, TIPH, arrived. Temporary International Presence in Hebron, is a select group of observers and was put in place as a result of the Oslo Accord. They observe and report but do not intervene as MPT and other activists do. Israelis want TIPH to report kindly about them. Their arrival on the scene apparently encouraged a police commander to get out of his vehicle and take over the situation. I got my camera back and took the opportunity to leave. The CPT staffer said the policeman and soldier looked furious at being overruled by the boss.
We no sooner cleared that incident when a call came about a home demolition. We called a cab and off we went. The demolition was over by the time we arrived. It is hard to imagine having 5-10 minutes to clear out of your home and then watching a bulldozer knock it down with most of your possessions still in it. Alright I’m sure this will get written up in many ways. This is what I heard. They had a previous building demolished at this site a few years back, they had gotten notice that their new home would also be demolished. Maybe they had removed a bunch of their stuff. Even with those variations on the story, it is an awful thing to live through. I cannot begin to imagine the stress they endure. And this is just one story of the thousands of homes that have been eliminated by Caterpillars. Little wonder that Caterpillar is on the list for the Boycott Israel campaign. We then hopped into a “cab” of sorts and got a ride over to At Tuwani. If you scroll down in my blogs, I am sure you will find a piece on this little village where kids on their way to school were threatened and had stones thrown at them. Finally, the CPT moved in to accompany the children to and from school. Day #1 went fine. Day #2 found the entire group being attacked; the kids ran and two CPTers needed medical attention. I think they were both Americans. Now apparently a couple of adult Americans are worth a lot more than a bunch of little kids – at least in somebody’s eyes. Because that is what it took to get action. The military has been accompanying the kids ever since. And even that can be problematic at times. So internationals (for many years CPT and now Operation Dove) live in the village and watch the military watch the kids. Attacks still happen but not as often or as severe. Sometimes the military will even intervene, sometimes. We had a nice visit and watched the kids walk home with the Israeli army following in a jeep.
An Israeli military vehicle escorts Palestinian children to and from school daily. That is an Israeli settlement on the hill. An Israeli outpost is off to the right in the trees. The children walk on a narrow route between the two daily. I have a hard time understanding a rationale that tolerates attacks on little kids as they walk to school.
We shuttled back to Hebron and visited the NGO where Gaby is now working. On Friday, Nov. 18, we traveled back to Bethlehem and participated in a demonstration at Al Walaja. It was a long walking tour and ended with a face off with the army but with talking, lots of mutual picture taking and NO TEAR GAS … so much nicer. We finally made contact with Mazin, the above mentioned friend who had been arrested twice. Sometime after dark Gaby and I said our goodbyes and MPT’s fall team thus ended. She traveled back to Hebron. I spent Friday and Saturday nights with John Gore. He and I traveled to Jerusalem to attend services (in English) at the East Jerusalem Baptist Church. Pastor Alex Awad and I are now working together to identify a Palestinian Christian to work at Kinawind next summer. John and I then parted ways – He back to Bethlehem and I to Tel Aviv and finally late Monday night to the airport. I got home Tuesday night, tired but happy to see family again. If this type of travel experience interests you, please let me know or contact MPT directly. Our MPT blog will soon have more details on some of the above mentioned situtations.
Follow those stories and the stories of future teams at http://www.mptinpalestine.blogspot.com/ Peace, Fred
In Bethlehem we tried to contact George, a long standing friend of MPT. One of his coworkers helped us find a nice guest house for the night and took us to a small night club. We had a good sandwich, talked with him, and watched a lightning storm blast through the area. In the morning George met with us and explained his work and other aspects of the occupation. We then tried to make contact with Mazin, another MPT friend; he was unavailable; we learned later that he was on his way to participate in the Palestinian Freedom Rider event on Tuesday, Nov. 15. The event was modeled after the American civil rights Freedom Riders of the 1960s. The event got some media attention. Google it if you are interested. He was arrested, his second arrest in one week. 1st for taking pictures at a demonstration – he was shortly released - 2nd for boarding a settler’s only bus. The gall of the man; I don’t think he even shuffled his way to a back seat. It appears that he will stand trial for this but I heard the charge might be “the unlawful entry of Jerusalem”.
We had a nice visit with John Gore. Many of you know John from the 2006 Kinawind staff. He is working as a missionary in Bethlehem. Gaby and I then went to Jerusalem. The main route between Jerusalem and Bethlehem requires all vehicles to stop and empty, everyone passes through the screening (you can’t be too careful if security is your goal) and then everyone finds new transportation on the other side of the wall. OR you can (as we did) take a different bus on a different route through a different gate and there is very little checking at all. Two soldiers simply walked through our bus and visually looked at our passports…no scanning of passports…no metal detectors…no search of bodies or luggage (in fact my pack was in the outside luggage area). Gee wiz – a would be terrorist would have to be pretty stupid to go through the main gate. And we would have to be pretty stupid to buy the argument that security is the main reason for all of the check point hassles. Wait a minute - did I say hassle? Gee maybe there is something to that. You be the judge. If you decide that indeed hassling the population is a goal of many of these procedures, you will be in agreement with the Palestinian adult population and the vast majority of internationals who have come over to take a serious first hand look at the situation.
The story follows: The addition is the block structure on the left and now houses settlers. The family walks through the tent and into their home which is straight back and out of sight.
This house in Sheikh Jarrah(East Jerusalem) has an addition that was built without the proper permit – a common occurrence in some parts of Palestine where permits are almost never issued. So rather that demolish the addition or the whole house as is sometimes done; the Palestinian family is still living in the old house and Israeli settlers have moved into the small addition. The Israelis are young men. They seem to hang out there at night more than actually live there. Internationals are trying to have a presence there every night to minimize problems and help the Palestinian family to feel secure. Reports say that the settlers have played loud music at night, sworn and used vulgar language, thrown water/urine/feces/vomit/bleach at the internationals. It was relatively calm during our shift. It was also very cold and uncomfortable. There were four of us. I think I was the only one who got much sleep – maybe 5 hours. My thanks to two young activists from Sweden who laid their sleeping bag over me.
We moved south to Hebron the following day. Hebron has urban settlers. Settlements are right on top of Palestinian quarters. The consequences of this arrangement are mind boggling. If you really want to have any level of understanding, you must travel there sometime. CPT, Christian Peacemaker Team, is a great organization. For a very reasonable fee we got a safe place to stay, meals, and great fellowship and a chance to work with them. In the morning we went on check point watch with them. I took some pictures and continued to do so when a most uncooperative soldier told me not to. (Note: Soldiers do not have authority over internationals and taking pictures is the norm.) The police arrived. (They do have authority over internationals.) I managed to get the SD card out but was seen as I handed it to Gaby. Apparently, I could have been detained, etc. but another group of observers, TIPH, arrived. Temporary International Presence in Hebron, is a select group of observers and was put in place as a result of the Oslo Accord. They observe and report but do not intervene as MPT and other activists do. Israelis want TIPH to report kindly about them. Their arrival on the scene apparently encouraged a police commander to get out of his vehicle and take over the situation. I got my camera back and took the opportunity to leave. The CPT staffer said the policeman and soldier looked furious at being overruled by the boss.
We no sooner cleared that incident when a call came about a home demolition. We called a cab and off we went. The demolition was over by the time we arrived. It is hard to imagine having 5-10 minutes to clear out of your home and then watching a bulldozer knock it down with most of your possessions still in it. Alright I’m sure this will get written up in many ways. This is what I heard. They had a previous building demolished at this site a few years back, they had gotten notice that their new home would also be demolished. Maybe they had removed a bunch of their stuff. Even with those variations on the story, it is an awful thing to live through. I cannot begin to imagine the stress they endure. And this is just one story of the thousands of homes that have been eliminated by Caterpillars. Little wonder that Caterpillar is on the list for the Boycott Israel campaign. We then hopped into a “cab” of sorts and got a ride over to At Tuwani. If you scroll down in my blogs, I am sure you will find a piece on this little village where kids on their way to school were threatened and had stones thrown at them. Finally, the CPT moved in to accompany the children to and from school. Day #1 went fine. Day #2 found the entire group being attacked; the kids ran and two CPTers needed medical attention. I think they were both Americans. Now apparently a couple of adult Americans are worth a lot more than a bunch of little kids – at least in somebody’s eyes. Because that is what it took to get action. The military has been accompanying the kids ever since. And even that can be problematic at times. So internationals (for many years CPT and now Operation Dove) live in the village and watch the military watch the kids. Attacks still happen but not as often or as severe. Sometimes the military will even intervene, sometimes. We had a nice visit and watched the kids walk home with the Israeli army following in a jeep.
An Israeli military vehicle escorts Palestinian children to and from school daily. That is an Israeli settlement on the hill. An Israeli outpost is off to the right in the trees. The children walk on a narrow route between the two daily. I have a hard time understanding a rationale that tolerates attacks on little kids as they walk to school.
We shuttled back to Hebron and visited the NGO where Gaby is now working. On Friday, Nov. 18, we traveled back to Bethlehem and participated in a demonstration at Al Walaja. It was a long walking tour and ended with a face off with the army but with talking, lots of mutual picture taking and NO TEAR GAS … so much nicer. We finally made contact with Mazin, the above mentioned friend who had been arrested twice. Sometime after dark Gaby and I said our goodbyes and MPT’s fall team thus ended. She traveled back to Hebron. I spent Friday and Saturday nights with John Gore. He and I traveled to Jerusalem to attend services (in English) at the East Jerusalem Baptist Church. Pastor Alex Awad and I are now working together to identify a Palestinian Christian to work at Kinawind next summer. John and I then parted ways – He back to Bethlehem and I to Tel Aviv and finally late Monday night to the airport. I got home Tuesday night, tired but happy to see family again. If this type of travel experience interests you, please let me know or contact MPT directly. Our MPT blog will soon have more details on some of the above mentioned situtations.
Follow those stories and the stories of future teams at http://www.mptinpalestine.blogspot.com/ Peace, Fred
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Back Home
Greetings to all of you have chosen to follow this blog. I thought I would give you a quick update of my time since leaving Huwwara. Gaby and I traveled to Bethlehem, met with some MPT friends there to learn more about the struggle, spent the night at a nice Guest House and got prepared for our night in a tent. East Jerusalem is slowly being taken over by the Israelis. One Palestinian home is actually divided - Palestinians living in part of it and Israeli settlers living in an addition. Long story. We will blog more detail on the team blog soon. We spent the night in a "tent" with two young men from Sweden. The continual presence of internationals in this tent allows the Palestinian family to rest and not worry all night. It is hard to imagine living like this ... with hostile forces living in part of your home. The Israeli settlers have made loud noises, turned up the music at late hours, thrown water, bleach, urine, feces, and vomit at the internationals. Both sides have cameras mounted to gather evidence should the police need to be involved. Our night on watch was rather tame ... just some goofy comments for the settlers. They all appear to be young men who hang out there rather than really live there. It was a cold miserable night.
We moved on to Hebron the next day and spent two nights with CPT - Christian Peacemaker Team. We had a little confrontation with the police while watching a checkpoint one morning, observed the clean up operation after a home demolition, and saw Palestinian children walking home with Israeli military escort in At Tawani. ....more details on the team blog.
We traveled to the Bethlehem area; took part in a demonstration at Al Walaja - they are a lot more fun without the tear gas; met with some leaders of the struggle; and ended team time. Gaby moved back to Hebron to work with an NGO teaching English.
I spent two nights with John Gore, a 2006 Kinawind staffer who is now a UM missionary in Bethlehem. We attended church services in the East Jerusalem Baptist Church. Pastor Alex Awad and I are working together in hopes of bringing a Palestinian Christian to Kinawind next summer.
After the hassle I received while entering Israel, I anticipated difficulty in the exiting process. I had none - walked right through. I don't understand how they determine who to search and question. They were pulling many aside....but missed me.
I have been home for a week. Jet lag hit me hard but I seem to be back to normal now. My photos are all in the mail somewhere. Carrying them out could create problems at the airport so most folks mail them. When they arrive, I will have a few worthy of sharing.
Peace to all, Fred
We moved on to Hebron the next day and spent two nights with CPT - Christian Peacemaker Team. We had a little confrontation with the police while watching a checkpoint one morning, observed the clean up operation after a home demolition, and saw Palestinian children walking home with Israeli military escort in At Tawani. ....more details on the team blog.
We traveled to the Bethlehem area; took part in a demonstration at Al Walaja - they are a lot more fun without the tear gas; met with some leaders of the struggle; and ended team time. Gaby moved back to Hebron to work with an NGO teaching English.
I spent two nights with John Gore, a 2006 Kinawind staffer who is now a UM missionary in Bethlehem. We attended church services in the East Jerusalem Baptist Church. Pastor Alex Awad and I are working together in hopes of bringing a Palestinian Christian to Kinawind next summer.
After the hassle I received while entering Israel, I anticipated difficulty in the exiting process. I had none - walked right through. I don't understand how they determine who to search and question. They were pulling many aside....but missed me.
I have been home for a week. Jet lag hit me hard but I seem to be back to normal now. My photos are all in the mail somewhere. Carrying them out could create problems at the airport so most folks mail them. When they arrive, I will have a few worthy of sharing.
Peace to all, Fred
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Building Bridges
Folks sometimes ask me and sometimes I wonder myself, "Why do I do this?" The answer involves my understanding of faith, my desire to help others, my love of adventure and ...... well like most decisions, this one is impacted by many factors. The following song has been a favorite for years and speaks to the question.
Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ6Zat_BiAk if you are interested in hearing it song.
Building Bridges
There are bridges, bridges in the sky
And they are shining in the sun
They are stone and steel and wood and wire
And they can change two things to one
They are languages and letters
They are poetry and awe
They are love and understanding
And they are better than a wall
Now there are canyons, there are canyons
They are yawning in the night
They are rank and bitter anger
They are all devoid of light
They are fear and blind suspicion
They are apathy and pride
They are dark and so foreboding
And they are, oh, so very wide.
So let us build a bridge of music
Let us cross it with a song
Let us span another canyon
Let us right another wrong
Oh, and if someone should ask us
Where we're off and bound today
We will tell them "Building Bridges!"
And be off and on our way.
7:45 AM, 11/13/11
Huwwara, Palestine
Peace, Fred
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Price of Gas
Just had to share this item. Says I, "Sami, how much does gas cost here?" Sami is our taxi driver friend who drove cab for many years in NY city. "About 7 skekels" I roughed in the math and said, "That is over $7 per gallon." "Yes", smiles Sami. "But Americans complain about $4 per gallon." "I know", says he, "I could make much money if gas $4 here." I confirmed those figures at the pump and online. And the driving here is anything but fuel efficient with poor road conditions, speed bumps, crowded towns, and pedestrians everywhere; their MPGs must be lower than the American norm.
Saturday AM Thoughts
I am getting lazy with picture placement - it is a pain. #1 Main St Kafr Qaddum - Friday after prayers - tear gas in the air. #2 left overs from the tires set on fire last week #3 Ecumenical Accompaniment - World Council of Churches - it is nice to see an obvious Christian presence though they always stay in the background out of harm's way.
Good morning family and friends,
It is early on Saturday morning in Palestine. The sun is up in the wee hours here; we must be nearer to the eastern edge of the time zone as the sun rises and sets much earlier than in Michigan. We are being tourists today as we accepted the invitation of an American Palestinian to travel to Jenin. Jenin is in the northern part of the West Bank. I'm guessing it is about 30-35 miles from here. We have had a house guest recently. He is an activist from Kansas. He has worked with us for a number of days and sleeping over is easier and less costly than traveling back to his home base. He will go with us Jenin also. Meeting and working with activists from all over is one of the truly enjoyable parts of this work. Yesterday I spoke with a young man from MA; he was arrested within the hour and is now sitting in an Israeli jail somewhere. Word is he is charged with throwing stones (an unlikely activity for a peace activist) and is refusing to give his name - he did not have his passport on him.)
Time is short for us in Huwwara - just two more nights. We then travel to Jerusalem and Hebron for a number of activites before the team time ends. We find ourselves reflecting often on the experience. Gaby said yesterday something like, "We are just really getting into it. I feel sorry for you that you have to leave." She is staying with an NGO. I don't feel quite that way. I do feel more at home here than ever before but am ready to rejoin my family and life back home.
Recent activities since my last blog include picking olives just a few miles NE of here - right on the edge of a military camp. Soldiers passing by and stopping frequently. Finally they told us we had to leave. Such things seem very arbitrary. The farmer said he had permission but did not have a paper to show them. Previous soldiers who stopped and talked just left with no problem. But now they want us gone. Some Israeli activists happened by and called for assistance. Shortly the District Commander showed up took charge, knew how to talk with a pleasant look on his face and his weapon hung on his back rather than pointing near you, and said "You may pick today and tomorrow and plow the day after." And why should a farmer even need to ask to work his own land?
We were back at the demonstration at Kafr Qaddum yesterday. Plenty of tear gas and sound bombs, not a pleasant day. The villagers had a big meal for organizers and activists after the main event ended. It was strange to witness this festive meal knowing that one of our own was in custody. But then I tried to put myself in the Palestinian shoes. There was Wael who spent a year in prison since my last visit here in 2009 and Abed who says calmly, "I have been in prison for six years.......only." Like it is not much compared to others. So from that perspective - an international arrested is not a big deal. He will spend a few days and be released or deported - nothing like the consequences a Palestinian would suffer.
I need to get busy with other agenda items. I am not certain what access I will have to the internet or opportunities to blog once we store the MPT computers and leave the house. I will end this 2011 blogging exercise at some point in time ..... to be continued.
More news of our activities will continue to appear on our team blog www.mptinpalestine.blogspot.com
PEACE, Fred
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Unique Planting of Olive Trees
Today was a change of pace. I met up with a group of Americans to plant olive trees. They are on a trip sponsored by Rabbis for Human Rights, an organization we work with from time to time. Most of them are Jewish, most are Zionists but all are very concerned about the Palestinians and injustices of the occupation. It was an encouraging morning until the discussion turned to the political realities in Israel and the USA. Those realities make positive change very difficult said one elderly gentlemen who really seemed to enjoy educating me.
I did take some time off from talking to get into the real action. We planted about 150 trees and had a box lunch from the hotel. There was not one for me but three of four ladies insisted that I take a part of theirs. As is usually the case in Palestine there was a lot more food than any of us needed. They left in a big bus and one of the Israeli rabbis drove me to the bus stop at the main road. All the writing was in Hebrew. There was another one about a quarter of a mile north but there were soldiers checking cars. And there were soldiers checking cars on the side road near me. Not wanting to move nearer to the military, I stayed put. But the Palestinian services, i.e. group taxis, just kept blowing by me even though I could see empty seat. My assumption: They thought I was a Jew. Finally one stopped but only went to the next major junction. At least at that location I could have walked the 2-3 km home. But a car stopped (I was not hitching). He was Jewish, waved me in, and started asking a bunch of questions. I felt like I was back at the airport. I think he knew I was an activist and the conversation quickly ended. He dropped me in Huwwara and all was well. A unique day; by the way in Arabic Fred is often pronounced freed - which means unique.
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