Visit to villages Haris, Kifl Haris, A 'Dik Wed. 25.05.11 morning

Translator:  Charles K.

09:45  Haris  The village is quiet.  A taxi driver said that yesterday (24.5.11, the day Netanyahu addressed the US Congress) many soldiers were deployed throughout the area and set up many flying checkpoints.

A man who approached us said that a number of years ago he’d been imprisoned and when he was released the Shin Bet had forbidden him to enter Israel for five years.  That period had ended long ago but his requests to work in Israel are still denied.  We referred him to Sylvia, of course, without making any promises.

10:00  Kifl Haris  As always, we stopped at A.’s shop.  In answer to our question he said that business was very slow this month because people hadn’t been paid on time by the Palestinian Authority after Israel failed to transfer the promised funds.

10:45  A 'Dik village  A group of women awaited us at the Women’s Activity Center.  The sixteen women were eager and ready to begin; some worked with Dalia on “bodyawareness”,while Dvorka taught others Hebrew.  Then the two groups switched.  We agreed that at the next meeting, at the end of the group activities, one of the women will begin teaching us Arabic.

This time we felt the group was particularly enthusiastic, perhaps also because we promised to take them and the children to a day at the beach at the end of next month.

Before we arrived at the Center we were met by one of the activists who’s long been in contact with Dalia G., and asked us to work with an additional large group of women who aren’t connected to the Women’s Center…

We promised to meet with him next week.