Immatin, Nabi Elias,

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Observers: 
Dafna A., Nurit P., Nirit H., Orlie, Saraleh and Dvorka (reporting), Nadim(driving) Translator: Charles K.
Nov-27-2013
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Morning

09:50  Nabi Elias.  We dropped off Dafna and Sarah for activities with the women.  Here’s their report:

We met the group of women from Nabi Elias to continue knitting winter socks.  Seven women came and a young man who’d participated last time.  He was a little late but caught up quickly, immediately grabbed a pair of knitting needles and wool and got busy.  One of the women showed us a skirt and poncho she’d knitted for her daughter; another brought a beaded cellphone case.  We continued knitting cheerfully, with the dictionary’s help.

We created a vocabulary list of relevant words with the women’s active participation, each of them contributing explanations and translations (pantomime also helped us communicate).  

10:20  Imatin.  Women were already waiting in the club, which adjoins a kindergarten.  More women arrived.  Nurit continued with Hebrew lessons – basic conversation, including introducing oneself, the family and review of vocabulary. Orlie and Nirit enjoyed observing the class and also walked around outside to become familiar with the village and to photograph.  At around noon, when the minibus with the schoolchildren arrived, they spoke to them, laughed together and took many photos.

 

The women arrived with notebooks this time also, ready for serious learning.  They asked to change the day of class because there’s a Koran class Wednesday afternoon and it’s too much for them.  Nurit will try to accommodate them.

 

10:40  At the same time, we toured the area.  A number of men sit outside their shops in Qadum village, on the road up to the area of the demonstrations.  We drove to the top of the main hill on the smoke-blackened road and looked at Kedumim.  I wonder what the residents of Kedumim whose homes are near Qadum are thinking and feeling when they look right at the village houses and the blackened road.

 

We continued to Far’ata.  It’s part of the Imatin municipality today, north of Imatin, closer to Havvat Gil’ad.  Nadim introduced us to M., whose home is on the road that formerly led to Nablus and now leads to Havvat Gil’ad.  M. showed us the area and told us about the experiences of those who live on the border of the village, near Gil’ad's ranch.  The settlers have been harassing them for a long time.  They come at night, 3-4 times a week, on dune buggies, cut down trees, burn trees and cars (the attached photo shows his Mercedes that was set on fire last week).  In their last “visit” a few days ago, the hoodlums came at 2:30 in the morning to M’s land near his house and burned olive trees.  He called the army at the Kedumim DCO; the soldiers came and even saw the rioters running away but didn’t try to catch them.  When M. asked why they don’t chase them, they said they’re not sure that they’re settlers, “and maybe they’re really Arabs?”  M. said that if they’d been Arabs they wouldn’t have fled toward Gil’ads' ranch, but that didn’t help… 

 

M. installed cameras on the wall around his house as protection.  The film of that evening shows the arsonists who burned the car in action.  When he showed it to the soldiers they said that since their faces were covered it’s impossible to be sure who they are.  I wonder whether they’d be able to identify them if they suspected they were Palestinians… Meanwhile, the soldiers took the video, which they promised to examine and return.  Before the settlers fled they managed to draw a bright blue Star of David on the wall around our friend’s home.

 

M. pointed out at a distance the signs of the fire the settlers lit on the slope of the hill near Gil’ads' ranch and the new road recently paved north and west of the settlement – he said its purpose was to enlarge its area, thereby stealing more of his olive trees.

 

We asked what happened during the olive harvest.  He said they’d received a permit to pick in this part of the village for two days only.  We asked how they managed to finish in such a short time; he answered with a sad laugh that the settlers stole more than half the crop in any case, so there wasn’t a lot left for him to pick.

 

At 13:00, after everyone met up, we crossed through Habla gate.  It opened on time; a few vehicles and pedestrians went through.