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There is more than HamasThursday 19 Dec 2002
author: Just a girl
I wonder how many times you. Yakov, have been in the Westbank or Gaza. I know Sara has been here often and her stories - not only this one - confirm and explain what I see here everyday.
For example. This morning I came from Birzeit to Ramallah, passing Surda checkpoint, supposedly there to protect Israel from terrorists moving about. But at the moment it is basically a series of road blocks that prevent cars and taxis from passing between the two places directly. To say this is protection of Israel makes no sense: there is no id-checking or nothing. There is just the humiliation of hundreds of students, teachers and workers having to walk 15 minutes in the cold cold winter, across muddy rubble and past a group of 3 soldier kids who playing their gun, pointing it at someone as unexpectedly as possible.
Or take two-three weeks ago when curfew was declared in Ramallah for four days. Without reason, without a search for wanted people, without a suicide attack to 'justify' collective punishment. There were no tanks, just jeeps cruising the streets telling people that although they had been able to move inside Ramallah freely for three weeks during Ramadan, occupation is the natural state they live in. I did go out with a friend and we got stopped by Border Police. When he interrogated us, he asked my companion, whose Palestinian: "Why are you out in curfew, you think you are free?!". And then he kept us waiting for more than half an hour. Why, because we are terrorists?! A simple check of our jackets and id-numbers would have been enough. No, it's about humiliation as even a Military soldier from Tel Aviv came to explain to us.
Palestinian kids do not get taught hatred in school. They get taughts maths, biology and english. They don't _need_ to be taught hatred: the occupation and its soldiers tanks apcs jeeps checkpoints roadblocks land confiscation are enough.
The greater greater greater majority of Palestinians want this situation to end. And most of them are willing to give up so many rightful claims (rightful by international law and moral standards) that they sometimes make me feel ashamed in their place. But it is impossible to continue living like this, in constant humiliation, insecurity and overall fear.
Palestinians are not stupid. The greater greater greater majority of them know that bombings in Israel is not going to get them a stable life without humiliation or fear, even if the hatred the occupation causes them to feel might make them understand very well why people blow themselves up. So Yakov, come as an individualto the Westbank, as still some Israeli's do, and talk to Palestinians to see what it actually going on before you start telling their story for them.