[Peace-discuss] update from palestine

[rohloff]

More from Flo the ISM worker currently facing deportation:

**okay for publication**

6/21/03
greetings all. once again i apologize for my lack in correspondance.
i try to keep on top of it, but day after day seems to slip by with
hours of meetings and daily work, and i tend to let sleep prevail
over staying in touch. i am doing well though and give thanks for all
the emails i recieve from the states. my legal situation is still in
limbo. i am letting my lawyer and the interior ministry work it out
while i focus on the work i came here to do.
i am in the west bank city of tulkarm, where i spent the majority of
my time last august and september. currrently we are focusing on
creating a program for internationals who will arrive in a few weeks
time to plug into into.  our summer work is focused on the new
wall/fence that the israeli government is building within the west
bank.  if this new structure is completed, 58% of the west bank will
end up outside of the wall, esentially becoming israel. the 95,000
palestinians on the land claimed by israel will not be offered
citizenship or be afforded basic human rights.  the portion of the
wall that has been completed is within the green line, snaking along
its course to ensure that most access to water and rich agricultural
land will end up on the israeli side.  this structure, comprised in
the urban areas as a 25 foot high concrete wall with sniper towers,
and in the rural as an electrified fence with razor wire and trenches
running alongside, has already resulted in the loss of thousands of
acres of farmland.  the farmers that depend on this land for their
livlihood have lost access and therefore their ability to provide
income for their families. most of the major cities that lie directly
inside the wall will eventually be completley surrounded by the wall,
with only one entrance in or out. already some cities, such as
qalquilya are in this situation, existing in a literal bottleneck.
during all of this talk surrounding yet another round of peacetalks,
this wall seems to be progressing without a single outcry.  the new
palestinian state that george bush so fondly speaks of, will in
essencce be a non-contiguous island in the middle of the west bank.
i have heard people from the states compare this new tactic to a home
security device in a bad neighborhood.  being here on the ground
though and witnessing with my own eyes this amazing feat of human
absurdity makes me feel quite different.  the israeli government is
proceeding in building the largest prison the world has ever seen.
the word ghetto comes to mind, but i think with such allusions to
germany, the reality of this particular situation becomes lost.
although i think that suicide bombing on the part of palestinian
fringe groups is not a fruitful tactic of resistance, i do not accept
that as a justification for this wall. i do not accept that as a
reason why the entire civilian population of palestine is being
condemed.  i do not accept the answer of "security" as appropiate to
justify every misdeed done by the israeli government.  stealing more
and more land, destroying livlihoods and collectivly punishing an
entire people does not move to solve a "security" problem.  in my
eyes, it only creates one.
i realize that any statement or argument i make can be torn apart by
those who disagree with me, but i know what i have seen and learned,
and it is hard for me to any longer accept the propoghanda.  over and
over people try to minimilize my words and actions as naive and
escapades.  if that is where people want to end their critique of
this situation, i suppose that i cannot force them to push further. i
only give thanks for the motivation and heart i have been blessed
with in this life.  being raised jewish, i have come to realize that
the education i recieved lacked a great deal. thankfully i am not
satisfied with what was handed to me and have probed farther. i think
those that cannot see beyond the information that the israeli
government puts out are failing to see the bigger picture.
it is a neverending argument. i know for myself though that it is of
utmost importance to at least learn of both sides before i decide.
during this trip, i have spent much time on both sides of the green
line, speaking with everyone from politicians, peaceniks, cabdrivers
and all inbetween.  i fail to see that this issue is a level playing
field though. i do realize that the israeli population lives in a
valid fear, but i have come to learn that this fear is propogated by
their own government. the israeli knesset is by no means innocent in
their dealing with creating peace.  if we can not all learn first
hand on the ground, i think it is high time we at least begin to
expand our critiques and search for our own educations.

my love to you all--flo