'Azzun, Habla, Wed 11.8.10, Afternoon

Share:
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email
Place: 
Observers: 
Sarah F., Tammie C.
Aug-11-2010
|
Afternoon

Natanya translating.
One of the goals of this shift was to visit villages and speak to people whom Tammie knows.
We went to Haris and from there through the hills to Jit for a short visit and then to Deir Sharaf
and Izbit Tabib and ended at Habla.                                                                                                                
After a long interval of a year because of health reasons I had not visited the West Bank but in spite of that the relationship was so strong that hardly a day went by without a telephone conversation and efforts to help.

15.00 Haris. We visited the D. family and there was great rejoicing. We sat with all the family (the same day Ramadan had begun) and of course we refused all the offers to drink something. The situation there is rather tense as from time to time young people are arrested because of throwing stones  and devil’s dance of being charged and so on and so on goes on with the occupation. There is no way of making a living and in short  it is bad. We were told that there is discrimination amongst those who get  permits to build ( of course they are the same as most of those living in area C) . Some get the permits, others are refused. By the way the father of the family who has long been in contact with me told me that when the young people are questioned they were asked if they know “Tammie”. Really funny.

15.45 We went from Haris in the direction of Emmanuel and Jinsafut. The hills next to Kedumim were empty of the youth who sit there from time to time.
We went on to Jit . The roads are almost empty of cars (maybe because of the holiday).
Some settlers’ cars passed us at a low flying pace. We decided to visit G. at Dir Sharaf. We went through what had once been the Barrels' checkpoint and which now stands empty. There was great rejoicing at meeting G.  and we left Dir Sharaf at 16.50.

17.25 We went through Azzun which is closed in by barbed wire but the entrance is open and as in other places it was quiet. Probably the holiday and the heat.We went into Izbit Tabib after we had phoned M. He is a resident of the village and had phoned from time to time. Sometimes to tell us of injustices, sometimes to ask for help. Sometimes just to talk.
That too is important. There are only a few houses in the small village and lo and bhold just the day before M. had been informed that the small frame of the building which he has been building for four years so as to add on to his house has “won” a demolition  order. But not only he, also another 10 houses and also the school. What can one say and what can one speak? We sat in his company with his mother and a neighour, refused the drink that was brought and discussed the problems of this sad village.

18.00 We came to the Habla checkpoint just at the time of the passage. Slowly slowly the agricultural workers went through with “only” the ID being checked and people then sent on their way.  
.