The session has started. Please submit your questions.
Our two guests will unfortunately not be able to participate with us in the dialogue. Our guest Tommy Nielsen has had his passport confiscated and expelled from the territories.
Answer
Joining us in their stead will be Paul and Mike.
Paul: I am American, and I have a Ph.D. from George Town University in Liguistics. Masters Degree is from American University in Cairo. I was Fulbright lecturer in Lebanon for two years. I was a leader of a team of environmental scientists for ten years in Saudi Arabia.
First time in Palestine in 1965, and this is my 8th time in Palestine. I was one of 7 wounded in April 1st in Beit Jala by Israeli bullits. My country is leading the inustice here in Palestine, and most of the Americans don't know that. So I have an obligation because I know the truth. So I have to report it. We participate in non-violant resistance with Palestininans.
Mike: 20 years old, from Switzerland. I am a student at University of Zurich in Sociology, Social Psycology, and Political Science. It is my third time in Palestine now. My first time was last summer. I felt a strong need to see what really is going on in Palestine, because I am not convinced of what the mass media are writing about regarding the Palestinian issue. After the first visit I felt a responsibility to return and participate with ISM (International Solidarity Movement).
Name
John
- Canada
Profession
student
Question
have you had any problems with the soldiers in Nablus when they attacked the Old City?
Answer
I can say, yesterday morning at 9:00 o'clock I went to a family where the father and 3 of his children were deaf. The soldiers have been there for a day and a half, and broke and damaged everthing in the house. The most important thing is that they took the hearing aids of the father and the children and crushed them with their boots. Also they broke into a cabinet where they stole all the savings (in cash and gold) of the whole family.
I found the soldiers in another house, after they left this house, and I told them: we wanted to talk to the family, and they refused. I said I want to talk to them, and they told us to get out. They don't want us to see what they are doing.
I got shot at several times when I was witnessing the Shabab defending themselves with stones against the occupiers, and finally in the afternoon when I was in the clinic of Union Of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, the soldiers threathened to blow up some walls in order to enter the clinic. It seems to me that Israeli soldiers don't know how to use the doors. When we called several human rights orgnizations, they contacted DCO Nablus (Destrict Commandor Office). It seems that they could stop the soldiers destroying a part of the clinic. But the soldiers came back twice this evening while we were protecting the clinic, but they were pretty too friendly in a rediculous way. As we tried to deliver medicine at night we had some problems with tanks, but at least they did not shoot at us, and told us to move backwards.
The destruction we finally discovered in many houses last night was just horrible and disgusting.
Name
Jamal
- France
Profession
Question
Is there a special kind of action that you take to keep the international community informed of what is going on with the world now turning attention only to the war on Iraq? Don't you think that this gives Israel the opportunity to commit yet further atrocities against the Palestinian people?
Answer
Paul: We give interviews in various media, TV, online, radio, and newspapers. We write a lot, and the best place to find our reports is at www.palsolidarity.org. As for the war with Iraq, of course, there is concern for the people in Iraq, but many people don't understand what can happen in Palestine while the world is watching Iraq. Actually many writers in Israel itself talk about "population transfer." And Sharon talks about finishing the job that was begun in 1948.
That is an important reason why we are here now, because we do not want to repeat the situation of Jenin last April when no one from outside was there to witness what was happening. We want to be sure that in every place in Palestine, someone is there to observe what happens under the dangerous conditions of war in Iraq.
Mike: In my eyes preparation for the transfer has already begun. The situation in the villages was, in my eyes, never as bad as it is now. We have many villages surrounding Nablus, like Salem, Azmoot, Direl Hatab, or Aseera, which are completely cut off from Nablus. The Israeli occupation forces are trying to make life in villages as bad as possible in order to make the people leave the villages and move to the cities or the refugee camps. The war in Iraq is actually the reason why I come back right at this moment.
Name
Najma
- United States
Profession
student
Question
How can we as Americans, can Help the people of Palestine, even though I know that america is using our taxes and giving the State of ISreal. SO is there any specific thing that we as americans can do to help the people of Palestine?
Answer
Paul: In my opinion, the problem of Palestine will be solved in the USA, and not in Palestine or Israel. This is because the problem is fueled by American money and arms. Without arms and money to Israel the problem will be solved very quickly. So if the problem will be solved in the US why am I in Palestine? It's because my voice in the US is louder if I speak from Palestiine.
If you want to help, the most powerful thing that you can do is to come here and witness and resist and report. But if you want to find other ways, you can help by spreading the word. You can invite us to speak when we return to your city. You can organize a group or join a group in your city. You can write to your government representative, or write to your newspaper. You can donate money to the International Solidarity Movement or any organization. You can subscribe to the ISM list server and make emergency calls to Israeli and American representative when we need help.
Name
Jala
-
Profession
writer
Question
With the recent bus bombing that just took place, do you see your life endangered with expected Israeli escalation? What are you going to do about it? Does yoru approach vary under different conflict situations?
Answer
Paul: Of course when there is a bombing or other incident, life becomes more dangerous for Palestinians, and it makes our job more difficult. However, it also makes our job more important, because this is exactly when the military and settlers are most likely to commit actions which are against international law, as described by the Geneva Conventions.
Mike: I had several situations like the one today, and usually you can see how the behavior of the soldiers, for example at the check points, changes abruptly after bombings. That means for us that we have to be more prepared for any situation that might occur and that we have to be more careful in the next hours, or like today, in the night. But still there is no guarantee for our safety.
Name
Ahmad
- Egypt
Profession
student
Question
How did the homeless families cope with the temperature in the past days? Could you please give us a brief description of how they went on their daily lives, and where they were staying?
Answer
Mike: In winter, families in poor neighborhoods usually spend a lot of time in one room. They need many blankets and sometimes there are not enough heaters. At the moment many people suffer from illness, some of them are people from ISM. So after the last two days many people have holes in their walls, or don't have any windows in their houses any more. Last week we had the same situation, then people in the Old City, for example, began to repair what was broken and destroyed, but since Israeli occupation forces came back, many of those rebuilt homes are damaged again. The housing conditions are terrible.
Paul: I can add that Palestinian society does not permit people to be on the street. No matter how little one family has, they will always share it with someone who has less. So the families who have no place to live will be invited by others, which means that the hardship is distributed.
Name
Hoda
-
Profession
student
Question
What do you think of the human shields from the UK that withdrew from Iraq? Would you do the same if the situation went worse?
Answer
Paul: I have to say that when things get worse here usually our numbers increase. We are here because of the problems, so we will be here no matter what happens. If the Iraq war happens and things get very bad here, our tactics change and probably we will do less resistance and more reporting. So that the world would know what is happening. But in any case we will be here.
Mike: I want to emphasize that many of our friends will come back if the situation here is turning much worse. In the end it's an idividual decision whether to stay here or to go back home. For sure I will not follow any order by any government to leave. I think many of us feel and know that our presence here is much more needed in case of increased violence, and I am sure that this will motivate the work of many of our friends. I think it is also very important to state that we also have many Palestinian friends and that we are emotionally attached to many people here, and that we will just not be able to leave them alone.
Name
Ed
- Canada
Profession
Question
How active are the resistance movements in Nablus? Is there presence over there the main justification used by the Israeli forces for the tearing down of homes? Or were they random?
Answer
Paul: The reason given by the Israeli government is always security. The forth most powerful military in the world appears to be terrified that a frew fighters with pistols and plastic explosives consititute a mortal danger to the existence of Israel. They always use this excuse, but if the danger subsides then they will assassinate one or more important figures in order to provoke a reaction from the Palestinian resistance.
Why? What is the purpose? Sharon needs the conflict in order to avoid talking about peace, and in order to continue his policy of ethnic cleansing. It is rediculous to say the the Israelis are in danger from the Palestinians. It is the defenseless Palestinians who are in danger of being eliminated from the land on which they lived for more than a thousand years.
Mike: The israeli army calls what it was doing in the last days "root cleaning." The roots don't lie in the Old City of Nablus. I am living in Switzerland, the Romans were in Switzerland 2000 years ago. The Italians nowadays don't come back and make me leave the place where I live, and accuse me of being a terrorist. There is no reason to search and destroy over 250 households during last week's operation, and there is no reason to destroy them again in the past two days. I visited dozens of houses that were occupied in the Old City today, especially in the Yasmia quarter, and what I saw was more than digusting. There is no legitimacy to destroy children's bedrooms, to explode bombs inside houses, to destroy even the toys of the children. What about taking the hearing aid from deaf children, and crushing it with their boots? What about not just turning everything up-side-down, but destroying even frames of the beds, mirrors in bathrooms? What about spraying walls with Stars of David, or with writing in Hebrow letters, saying "This is our house"?
What about defecating and urinating on the carpets in a mosque and on a Quran and in the loudspeaker in a mosque? An in many many houses and government buildings all over Palestine in the last fifteen years?
Name
ali
-
Profession
JOURNALIST
Question
can the human shields from all over the world really stop the war? does the american government really cares about that matter
Answer
Mike: If you resist, you might lose. If you don't resist you have already lost.
Name
Aisha
- Palestine
Profession
Question
Was the last Israeli incursion the most dangerous on the historical stucture of the city ? What can be done about it?
Answer
Paul: The worst period was April 2002, when the city was attacked with missiles from F16 aircraft, which destroyed entire sections of the city. However, the destruction continues, so that more and more of the historical heritage of the ancient city is disappearing.
Name
J
-
Profession
Question
What is the situation like exactly over there, on the ground? What are the things that you do, as peace activists, to help the families on the ground?
Answer
Mike: The army left the Old City during the last night, it seems. Activists from all over the world try to support the inhabitants of the occupied houses by delivering food and medicine beside health workers. They tried to get media attention to what is going on. They supported medical staff in the case of injuries by surving as human shields during the rescue. They were sometimes able to interfere if soldiers wanted to damage anything and they succeeded in uncovering hidden military presence in occupied or empty houses.
Paul: We never know what type of cruelty may be imposed at what time and where. Yesterday, one family was made to stand in the street facing the wall from 4:00 am until 8:00 pm without food or water, and without permission to go to the toilet. One of these people was a mother with an infant who had to hold the child in her arms all this time.
Today, the new cruelty was to prevent men from returning to their homes in the town of Bait Foreek. The reason given by the soldiers: "It is for us to decide when they can return."
