Sylvia's Blog

30 July 2010

It's about 7.30am, Friday, 30 July, and I'm sending this from Jerusalem. We left Gaza yesterday morning, and made our way to Tel Aviv. It was far faster leaving Gaza than entering it, despite at the Eretz crossing each of our bags being individually searched at the Israeli side and one member of the group being questioned intensively about posters and grandparents' origins.

The trip has been full of scheduled meetings, but occasionally several of us have had the opportunity to make unscheduled side-trips and engage in informal conversations. Most interesting for me was being taken to see a tunnel from Gaza into Egypt through which bags of cement were being transported. Talk about hot, dirty, unsafe working conditions! While we were there, one worker was winched up. He'd stood on a four inch nail that had gone right through his foot. A red crescent ambulance arrived soon after and he was taken away, presumably to hospital to have it removed. While we were allowed to take photos, it was on the strict condition that no-one's face be shown.

The Gazan authorities say the rocket attacks, which have stopped, were the responsibility of the tunnel operators who are making a fortune from the siege and don't want it to end. Others say that Hamas also has an interest in ensuring the tunnels remain open, as they provide a lucrative revenue stream for the administration. Whatever the case, the rockets have stopped and the tunnels continue as an absolutely indispensable source of goods for Gaza, although in nothing like the quantities needed if Gaza is to have a long-term future.

I had an intriguing discussion with several government officials on their differences with Fatah, sharia law, and educational opportunities for women. The notion that one could have an ethical society based on secular principles is not one that they shared. They were insistent that sharia was an essentially tolerant system of beliefs that had been subject to self-interested distortions -- they were very explicit in their condemnation of Iran, amputations etc. I couldn't help thinking that the Christian religion had likewise been variously interpreted and used to justify practices (eg the Inquisition) that other Christians were only too keen to distance themselves from.

They said that they ran co-educational classes in their schools and had established seven universities, three of which were single-sex and four co-educational. It was a matter of individual choice as to which students attended. However, they seemed unenthusiastic about codifying women's rights in law and equally reluctant to concede that law should be subject to change to adapt to changing conditions.

We talked about numerous other things, including their attitutde to UNWRA, Fatah, and the effectiveness of more attempts to challenge the blockade by sea (interestingly, they could not agree among themselves as to whether this would be desirable), but in general it was a good-natured, fairly forthright exchange of views.

I can't, however, say the same of our meeting with Histadrut in Tel Aviv, where we were subject to an hour's harangue by its director of international relations. All of us wanted to discuss the political situation as well as Histadrut's attitude to Palestinian workers and their unions. No chance to get a word in. All of us were unanimous that the meeting was a disastrous PR exercise.

In contrast we then met with members of the Workers Advice Centre, which actively promotes the interests of both Palestinian and Israeli workers, particularly the unskilled. Histadrut is an umbrella organisation that collects the fees of members of individual unions and then distributes them to the union administrations. WAC said that this meant that members rarely had contact with Histadrut or unions and collective agreements were entered into without consultation with members.

In contrast, WAC's focus was on organising truck drivers, college lecturers on contract, and Arab women agricultural workers. Their resources are really stretched but  they had a vision of union activity that resonated with us.

I've not said anything yet about our meeting with the Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem. I'll try to do so soon. But for now I'm off to have some breakfast before going out to assist in a very token way in the rebuilding of Palestinian houses.

Cheers

Sylvia

28 July 2010

Hello eveyone

I'm sending this from the foyer of the Commodore Gaza Hotel at about 8. 30 am, Wednesday 28 July (it's getting hard to keep track of the days). 

Superficially, life appears to be relatively normal - it's the season for boisterous wedding parties, with men in the evening careering round on the backs of trucks, loudspeakers blaring music, drums beating, car horns punching out  relentlessly - a general cacophany of noise and boundless exuberance.

Everyday reality for the people of Gaza, however, is very different. It's an ancient, vibrant city withering under the blockade. Because raw materials for manufacture are banned, as is the export of goods, the economy is barely holding together. Eighty per cent of the population are dependent upon food aid, of a total population of 1.5 million, 750,000 are children, and one million are refugees.  In effect, there are no jobs, no economy, and little chance of education.

But, as everyone keeps telling us, what people need are not hand-outs but a lifting of the blockade to allow reconstruction of homes, remediation of land, access to raw meterials, and projects that will assist the long-term survival of the Strip. The aquifers have been contaminated, 90 per cent of water is undrinkable, 8 million litres of raw sewage is pumped every day into the Mediterranean because parts and equipment to repair the sewage treatment plant cannot be brought in.

As John Ging, the UN representative in Gaza, said last night, it's a crisis of dignity, people are alive but have no life. What they do have is a stoic resilience in the face of a first world economy being reduced to third world status. The UN can't even obtain the materials to repair the damage to its compound that occurred during the Israeli bombardment.

Clearly, the Israeli objective in Gaza, as it is on the West Bank, is to make life so intolerable and economically unviable as to force Palestinians to vacate their homelands. The blockade is, of course, a total violation of international law, being a collective sanction/punishment imposed on the civilian population.

Hamas's control of Gaza appears to be generally supported by the population - it provides welfare assistance, repairs roads, and maintains order. It has forbidden the firing of rockets and reputedly punishes anyone who attempts to do so. The Palestinian Authority has cancelled local elections on the West Bank because (as it has admitted, so I'm told) Hamas would win overwhelmingly.

Regardless of the local political divisions, the Occupation is universally hated and its ending is seen as a 'sine qua non' to any long-term solution to the areas' problems.  

We're about to leave to inspect several aid projects, and internet facilities are not always available, but I'll try to send more when I'm able.

Cheers

Sylvia

26 July 2010

A few hasty words before leaving for Gaza. Although we've 'officially' been

given permission, there's no certainty that we (or some of us) will actually

be allowed in. It's often at the whim of a young 18-year-old who's doing

her/his compulsory military service.

Yesterday, at Hebron, it was somewhat unnerving to pass through a turnstile

while a young soldier lounged a metre or so away pointing a rifle directly

at you. It's not entirely fanciful to see boredom getting the better of

them.

Hebron was very interesting. The mosque contains Abraham's tomb and is very

important to Muslims and has in the last 20 years been divided into two

sections (70% allocated to Jews, 30% to Islam). Jews enter their area very

freely, but going to the Islamic portion means passing through several sets

of turnstiles, searching of bags, and lots of scrutiny. Josh was carrying an

FSU green and yellow banner in his backpack but was obliged to surrender it

to soldiers before being allowed to enter. They obviously feared the union

slogan was potentially highly subversive. The intense security arrangements

are justified by a massacre committed in the 1980s(?) by an Israeli who

opened fire inside the Mosque which was crowded with people at Friday

prayers. Nevertheless, all the security measures are directed at the

Palestinian community rather than the Israeli.

The mosque is in the centre of the old city, surrounded by alley ways and

shops. The area used to contain the vegetable market and the bus depot. The

Israelis' forcing these activities to move elsewhere has meant that much of

the life and business activity of the old city has gone, and most shops

remain closed. Those businesses that do remain are subject to constant

harrassment by Israeli settlers, some of whom have moved into buildings

overlooking the alley ways. They used to hurl rocks down on to people below,

but, since overhead netting was put in place, rocks and larger objects hae

been replaced with sand, urine and faeces. The objective is once again to

dispossess Palestinians not only of their land and houses, but of their

religious heritage.

Of course, Israeli military posts and cameras are everywhere.

I'll send more as soon as I can.

Cheers

Sylvia

Friday, 23 July

Am writing this at 8am, Friday, 23 July. I'm in a hotel in Jerusalem, immediately outside the walls of the old city, near the Damascus Gate.

Getting into Israel

It's common knowledge that the Israelis make it as difficult as possible for Palestinians to enter and leave the Occupied Territories, so if our experience is anything to go by, it must be a nightmarish time for them.

8am - left our hotel in Amman and travelled by bus to the King Hussein Bridge transfer point. Passed through the Jordan Valley, though the Jordan River is a trickle, mostly running through canals. The Valley is Jordan's foodbowl, and irrigation is used for bananas, dates, corn, etc. The country is very arid and rocky and gives the impression of being predominantly a sun-bleached beige colour.

9am - arrived at King Hussein Bridge. Queued for about an hour to have our passports checked for departure and then waited for the bus to arrive to take us to the Israeli passport control. The Israelis control the number and frequency of buses. Suffice to say, we waited until 12.30 for ours. The weather was very hot and humid.

Once over the bridge, we stopped at an Israeli check point where everyone had to get out while a soldier checked the inside of the coach. We then drove on for several hundred metres, passing on the way about 15 buses full of Palestinians. 'Foreigners', ie non-Palestinians, are given priority, and some of the buses we saw could have been waiting since the day before.

1.15pm - arrived at the checkpoint, but again had to wait within the bus ffor 15 minutes before we could alight. Massive numbers of people, some coming from Mecca and completing their pilgramage by journeying to Jerusalem.

1-30pm-3.30pm - Off the bus, queued to have our passports checked and luggage x-rayed.

3.30pm - Our group was asked to sit to one side while we awaited questioning because we had said that the purpose of our visit was to inspect Australian aid projects on the West Bank.

5pm - After three more checks and questioning of individual members of the tour, we finally collected our luggage and exited the terminal. Outside in very hot sun, we had to wait another hour for our bus to arrive, because the Israelis were refusing to permit buses and cars to enter the area.

7pm - Arrived at our hotel.

The eleven hours it took us to get here is, I gather, something of a record, but probably nothing to complain about compared to what Palestinians go through.

Needless to say, most Europeans fly into Tel Aviv and have no appreciation of what the land crossings are like. I'm told the border crossing from Egypt is even worse.

Thursday, 22 July

Went to Ramallah and had an up-close-and-personal experience of the apartheid wall. In built-up areas, it's a massive concrete construction, but elsewhere consists of electrified wire fencing and razor wire, and is subject to constant monitoring. It does not respect the 1967 Green Line (in one place we saw it intruded some 12 km into Palestinian territory).

We met with representatives of a council of 7 villages, one of which was separated from the other six by the wall - no one could enter it without permission, a school constructed some five years before could not be completed because the Israelis would not give permission. Children attending school and those working beyond the village had to pass through a check point and were often subject to great delays - an overwhelming sense that life is subject to the capricious whims of the Israelis. Of course, the object was to persuade the villages that they should leave permanently and thus allow their homes and land to be acquired by settlers. Elsewhere, we saw whole fields of olive trees that had been cut to the ground, thereby depriving their owners of their major source of income. The Israelis have not allowed the Palestinians to dig a new well since 1967, and they control all the key water sources and acquifers.

All the settlements are illegal and contrary to the Geneva Convention - but some are absolutely huge, while others are outposts, preparing the way for subsequent intruders. The Government subsidises the settlers - most of whom cannot afford to live elsewhere. .

I did ask one couple I met what they thought of the Intifada. There was no simple answer. Obviously they suffered as a result of Israeli reprisals which affected their ability to support their families, but nevertheless they wanted peace and a just outcome. Two of their five children were at university but even after graduation their job prospects were poor - university graduates have the highest unemployment rate, can't work in Israel, cannot leave the country (because they're stateless), and often work in areas for which they are grossly over-qualified.

There's lot more to tell, but I want to race off to the Mount of Olives before we depart for Bethlehem.

Cheers

Sylvia

Tuesday 20th July

I am writing in this Amman, capital of Jordan, at about 9.15 on Tuesday

night at an internet cafe run by a former Jordanian resident of

Parramatta.

Beirut

Arrived in Beirut on Sunday after a relaively uneventful flight.

Sunday in Beirut bears relatively little relation to Monday in Beirut,

when the traffic is chaotic: cars park wherever they can, one-way

streets are two-way, and pedestrians cross at their own risk, though

cars seem miraculously able to stop when they absolutely must. The

extraordinary thing is how it all manages to work without police,

lights, or rules - other than a general understanding that it's best

to avoid a collision if one can.The weather is very hot and sultry.

The city itself is somewhat down at heel and a bit seedy - though I

did see one poster urging people to save

Beirut's heritage. I haven't had much of a chance to go sightseeing,

so I should reserve judgement.

Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp

The main focus has been the visit on Monday to the Burj al-Barajneh

refugee camp, about 10 minutes drive from the centre of the city. It

occupies 1 sq km and is home to 22,000 refugees. (Australia balks at

taking 20,000!) If it weren't for the multitude of electrical wires

and rubber water pipes festooning the streets just above head height,

you'd swear you were back in a medieval city - a myriad of unmade,

muddy, steep paths about 1.5 - 2 metres wide criss-crossing crazily.

Because the Lebanese Government refuses to concede the semi-permanent

status of the camp, it won't supply electricity or running water - so

electrocution from faulty, illegal connections is a constant danger.

After living initially in tents, people constructed single storey

houses on fairly flimsy foundations, to which have been added over

time a further three or four floors. To provide extra space, the upper

storeys jut out over the streets below, creating a dingy maze of

narrow pathways. Drinking water has to be bought from tankers and

often carried up 4 or 5 floors.

The camp, which was established in 1948 as a temporary camp for

Palestinians displaced by the Israeli occupation of their lands, sits

above wells containing very salty water which is used for washing and

domestic cleaning. Water is piped from the wells into tanks on

rooftops. When the tanks overflow, the water falls through the power

lines and onto the streets, creating an obstacle course of mud,

uncollected rubbish, and potholes.

The original refugees fled their homes, believing that they would be

able to return within a fortnight and thus brought very little with

them other than their front door keys. Sixty-two years later, many of

the occupants of the camp have known no existence other than that in

the camp. The Lebanese Government denies Palestinians any civil rights

- they can't access health or education services, are forbidden to

work in some 70 occupations, and are not permitted to own houses in

Lebanon. The Government has recently placed a ban on bringing building

materials into the camp, so the work that was available in the camp

itself (building, tiling, painting etc) has now dried up.

Families (often of 6-12 members) live in sparsely furnished two rooms

plus kitchen and bathroom. The electiricity supply usually fails for 3

or 4 hours each day, so it's impossible to refrigerate food. There is

no outdoor area in which kids can play and very little inside, so they

rely heavily on television. The largest open space in the camp is

called Piccadilly Square and is about 5m x 6m at most. The average

family income is $200 per month, but beef costs $20 a kilo. Women and

children suffer from anaemia, and the poor quality of the food

available to most people means that diabetes, high blood pressure and

other chronic diseases are very common, yet there's virtually no

access to health care that they can afford. It's no wonder that so

many people succumb to hopelessness and depression.

The bulk of the people in the camp come from six villages, and we met

with representatives of the village committees. They were anxious to

make it clear that they want to retain their Palestinian nationality

and not become Lebanese citizens. But they do want access to jobs,

education, and health care. Most of all, they want recognition of

their right to return to Palestine.

Amman

We left Beirut this morning for Amman and, after a meeting with the

representative of the International Trade Union Confederation, of

which Sharan Burrow has been recently elected as president, had a

brief visit to Roman ruins on one of Amman's seven hills and its

archaeological museum. I would have liked to stay longer, especially

as it had remnants of the dead sea scrolls on display, but being a

tourist doesn't play much of a part on this tour at least. It's hot

here, but much more bearable than Beirut because it's a dry heat.

Jerusalem

Tomorrow morning we leave Amman for Jerusalem. It's unclear how long

it will take to negotiate the crossing into Israel via the Allenby

Bridge. I hope to spend tomorrow night walking through the Old City.

Cheers

Sylvia