Posts
Vacations in Gaza
August 20, 2002
Hi everyone,
I am starting this week off rested, refreshed, and ready to get back into work in Hebron. You might say I had a lovely time with a lovely group of people, a much-needed respite from the rigors of daily CPT life this summer.
Where, you might ask, was I?
I was asked by a friend who works for Global Exchange to accompany their latest 'reality tour' group to Gaza this past weekend. Global Exchange does a lot of neat things, you should check out their website, when I scrape the money together I should just tell you now my plans are to go on their trips to Cuba and Iran. Although first I am being tempted by the upcoming CPT delegation to Iraq with Voices in the Wilderness. (Let me put in a plug for it now....any takers? You could also be going to beautiful Vieques, Puerto Rico...check the website.) And no paramilitary white settlers to kick you around in any of these places, either.
Anyway. Always, people have told me how desperate the situation in Gaza is. I could see that easily driving around: large swaths of Palestinian farmland are bulldozed clear to allow expansion of the settlements, cutting clear across to the sea. Very few houses are completed, most are seemingly fragile creations of cheap concrete block and cement. Those of you who went with me to Honduras in college know exactly what I mean. Gaza City looks like Tegucigalpa in every way I can think of right now.
But the land is also beautiful, and nobody ever told me that. I fell in love with the place immediately. I would be happy to work there someday. There is a distinctive architecture to the place, which I didn't think to photograph, but when a house is actually completed, they are painted with exquisite detail in Mediterranean colors. Each house is made as unique as the materials allow. The feel of the place is very fluid—by that I mean you feel as if you're floating between the horrors and the beauty. Life is intense and lazy at the same time.
We visited a Palestinian home next to the Kfar Darom settlement in Deir al-Balah. The family there has soldiers on the roof because it's a tall house, the back side is shot up enough to look like Swiss cheese. That's better than the neighbors' houses, which are crumbling and falling over from repeated shellings. The soldiers come into their home at least two nights per week and lock them into one room overnight, often without access to the bathroom. Sometimes they come during the day and lock them into the kitchen. There are eleven family members living in the house. Have you ever had eleven people milling around in your kitchen? All day? On a regular basis?
The house is three stories tall, but they are only allowed to use the first floor. Within the first floor, they can only safely use the kitchen, bathroom, and parlor-which they sleep in whether they're locked in or not. The other rooms will be shot into if they are in there.
Despite this, the family is not vengeful or bitter. Often these days you see people masking their bitterness, but here it seemed to me there was nothing to cover. They invite the settler children daily to visit their home and play with their own children (No takers just yet). They also welcome in a steady stream of journalists and visitors to share their story. They were incredibly articulate in doing so, too. Probably the result of too much practice. The daughter had near-perfect scores on her college entrance exam, and spoke perfect English, but due to the closure and the economic situation, there will be no college for her.
We stayed in a hotel near the coast in Gaza City, dined in a fantastic fish restaurant, and had dessert at a beautiful restored Palestinian mansion on the coast. Our guide was one of the architects. His class re-designed the building. Looking up at the stars and feeling the breeze, it was difficult to believe this was one of the saddest places on earth. It was hard to believe within this tiny strip of land that this place existed alongside everything else we'd seen all day.
I learned quickly that the people in Gaza feel forgotten. After that, they feel underestimated. It seemed as though our hosts and every organization we visited there wanted to prove to us that people in Gaza have desperate circumstances, but are doing beautiful things with the little that they have. They are trying to show their ability to govern themselves under independence, which they never had even under Oslo. I visited an orphanage with meticulously tended gardens, a state-of-the-art deaf school with dynamic programs. The variety of cultural programs and development also are amazing. I think the people are trying to rid themselves of the image of being violent uncivilized religious fanatics. I also think that when the Occupation is over, the tourists will flock in.
We also visited the site of the apartment bombing which killed nine children. Gaza City has one of the tightest population densities in the world. I was suprised that there was as little damage as there was actually, but not suprised at the death toll. It is like the destruction of suicide bomber's families' homes. If the bomber lived in an apartment building with a bunch of other renters, ten families are displaced rather than one. I heard and read a lot of reports about the Hamas leader (Shehadeh) being morally irresponsible for 'surrounding' himself with children. And I thought to myself when seeing the destruction, even Sharon has the right to live with his family. What if someone came and bombed his home? What if bombs started dropping in the crowded slums of south Tel Aviv, targeting the houses of every soldier who killed a Palestinian? Or if the Palestinian resistance began dynamiting their homes? What if? Would it seem more repugnant than it already is?
If you read the team updates, you know about the shooting incident in Rafah. Not much more I can say about that here. I'm going to offer to take special-interest delegations to Gaza if I'm on site when the group comes. One person on our previous delegation called us 'negligent' in not taking every delegation there. I can understand where she's coming from. It is logistically difficult enough not to do so, though. And in some ways, if you don't know what you're looking at, you don't understand what you're seeing.
I ended the weekend strangely enough sipping overpriced beers in the American Colony Hotel garden and cheering the evening with 'Next year in Teheran,' for our two Iranian exiles in the group. Already I've been asked to help lead the next tour. I hope that I do.
Looking forward to coming home next week. Or at least back to the States. I still feel good, and that I'm doing good work. I'm glad we do three-year terms, because after one year I finally feel like I'm a 'good' CPTer. Would hate to have the term half over already.
I suppose the flow of this email fits the flow of life I've described in Gaza. Time to end for now.
Talk to you all soon.
Le Anne
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Wednesday, July 31, 2002
Taking it in the Nose for Peace
Taking it in the Nose for Peace
July 31, 2002
Hi everyone,
I know some of you aren't on the Hebron news list, so I'll attach my latest contribution to peace at the end of this email. For those of you who are already aware of my rough day yesterday, thanks for the get-well notes. I am recovering nicely, though yesterday my head weighed about 300lbs and I was feeling pretty sluggish. Today, the bridge of my nose has a light blue mark and hurts pretty good, my chin is pretty tender, and I discovered three new bruises when I changed clothes last night. Between the shoulder blades, and the small of my back are a little out of whack, but I'll manage. My sardonic sense of humor has returned after a day of quiet yesterday. I guess in CPT you can't ever say, 'you should see the other guy...' I was thankful, however, that 'ultrareligious' Jewish women don't hit the gym; rather, they hit like girls. And that the one who was kicking me in the back of the head was wearing Teva sandals. The whole time I was thinking, so this is a settler beating, huh? Not as painful as I imagined, but boy is she trying hard. Hope they don't get the camera. Since I did manage to keep the camera, which doesn't happen often in settler attacks, and our team has a history of losing equipment, I plan to get a photo of myself with said camera and bruises and send it to CPT's insurance guy. With a letter reading "CPTer sacrifices body to protect equipment, prevent rising premiums"
For two brief moments, I thought that everyone had gone inside and left me out there to get whacked around, then I realized they were still in hiding from the settlers going after them. But once I yelled good and loud they figured it out. (I am happy to report I do not yell like a girl).
I did end up at the hospital yesterday, but for nothing related to the assault. Instead, I finally went to check out my ankle which has been messed up for the last ten days. I really did a number on it Sunday during the settler riot when I did a dead run across the old city. Afterwards was feeling pretty nauseous. Well, no hairline fracture as was a possibility, but a torn ligament. I've got a funny piece of elastic that is really too warm to wear this time of year and fortunately no advice I can't follow like, keep off that for a few days and be sure to use ice (ha!)
That's enough for now. It is so hot out here, I am glad we do not have a thermometer. Usually the air is so dry and breezy I don't notice the heat. Not this week. Ugh. Stay in touch...
Le Anne
For Immediate Release
CPTers ATTACKED BY RAMPAGING SETTLER WOMEN
By Jerry Levin
HEBRON, WEST BANK--Several young Israeli settler women and youths invaded
Hebron's Old Market area twice Tuesday, July 30, assaulting Palestinian shopkeepers and members of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT), who were trying to intervene and document the incident.
The first disturbance began at about 9:15 in the morning below the CPT apartment. Four settler boys started throwing stones and rocks over the barricade separating the Palestinian market from Shuhada Street. CPTers phoned the police and alerted soldier stationed on a roof across the street to the attack.
As CPTers Jerry Levin, LeAnne Clausen, and Janet Shoemaker reached the street to investigate, two young settler women came through the barricade and began throwing stones at an elderly Palestinian man nearby. Clausen left the doorway to protect the man from the settlers.
A settler woman demanded Levin's camera and tried to grab it. Levin, who was blocking entry to the building, passed the camera to Shoemaker who was standing inside behind him. When the settler women noticed Clausen photographing them trying to get past Levin, one moved towards her, trying to grab the camera. Clausen, trying to shield the camera with her body, was knocked down by one of the women who then bent her fingers back and struck her repeatedly with her fists. Meanwhile, a second woman hit her with stones, and a third began kicking her in the back of the head. Levin, trying to block the settlers' blows, got down and covered Clausen with his body to protect her and the camera.
Three IDF soldiers came through the barricade. The settler boys stopped throwing stones, but a woman standing no more than three feet away from Clausen threw a chunk of asphalt in her face.
The women then began moving further into the market. A few minutes later a patrol of about ten Israeli soldiers entered the market through the barricade, and gently escorted the women out of the area.
At 12:45 pm, the young settler women again charged through the barricade and attacked the poultry store next to the CPT apartment, taunting and hitting the owner, his sons, and breaking several dozen eggs. Still screaming they stormed further into the market area.
Calls for help from CPT brought an Israeli Police van. Once again the policemen stood watching from the safety of Shuhada Street. After several minutes, a contingent of about ten soldiers arrived, headed into the market and a few minutes later escorted the settler women out. The soldiers made no attempt to restrain or arrest any of them.
Palestinian shopkeepers expressed their anger to CPTers about the indifference of the police and the soldiers' solicitous treatment of the settler women. One angry elderly Palestinian man, yelled at the soldiers. "Our God is watching this. And he will not let this happen." An IDF soldier hearing him stopped, turned, and said very slowly, "He is our God. And he has saved us."
July 31, 2002
Hi everyone,
I know some of you aren't on the Hebron news list, so I'll attach my latest contribution to peace at the end of this email. For those of you who are already aware of my rough day yesterday, thanks for the get-well notes. I am recovering nicely, though yesterday my head weighed about 300lbs and I was feeling pretty sluggish. Today, the bridge of my nose has a light blue mark and hurts pretty good, my chin is pretty tender, and I discovered three new bruises when I changed clothes last night. Between the shoulder blades, and the small of my back are a little out of whack, but I'll manage. My sardonic sense of humor has returned after a day of quiet yesterday. I guess in CPT you can't ever say, 'you should see the other guy...' I was thankful, however, that 'ultrareligious' Jewish women don't hit the gym; rather, they hit like girls. And that the one who was kicking me in the back of the head was wearing Teva sandals. The whole time I was thinking, so this is a settler beating, huh? Not as painful as I imagined, but boy is she trying hard. Hope they don't get the camera. Since I did manage to keep the camera, which doesn't happen often in settler attacks, and our team has a history of losing equipment, I plan to get a photo of myself with said camera and bruises and send it to CPT's insurance guy. With a letter reading "CPTer sacrifices body to protect equipment, prevent rising premiums"
For two brief moments, I thought that everyone had gone inside and left me out there to get whacked around, then I realized they were still in hiding from the settlers going after them. But once I yelled good and loud they figured it out. (I am happy to report I do not yell like a girl).
I did end up at the hospital yesterday, but for nothing related to the assault. Instead, I finally went to check out my ankle which has been messed up for the last ten days. I really did a number on it Sunday during the settler riot when I did a dead run across the old city. Afterwards was feeling pretty nauseous. Well, no hairline fracture as was a possibility, but a torn ligament. I've got a funny piece of elastic that is really too warm to wear this time of year and fortunately no advice I can't follow like, keep off that for a few days and be sure to use ice (ha!)
That's enough for now. It is so hot out here, I am glad we do not have a thermometer. Usually the air is so dry and breezy I don't notice the heat. Not this week. Ugh. Stay in touch...
Le Anne
For Immediate Release
CPTers ATTACKED BY RAMPAGING SETTLER WOMEN
By Jerry Levin
HEBRON, WEST BANK--Several young Israeli settler women and youths invaded
Hebron's Old Market area twice Tuesday, July 30, assaulting Palestinian shopkeepers and members of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT), who were trying to intervene and document the incident.
The first disturbance began at about 9:15 in the morning below the CPT apartment. Four settler boys started throwing stones and rocks over the barricade separating the Palestinian market from Shuhada Street. CPTers phoned the police and alerted soldier stationed on a roof across the street to the attack.
As CPTers Jerry Levin, LeAnne Clausen, and Janet Shoemaker reached the street to investigate, two young settler women came through the barricade and began throwing stones at an elderly Palestinian man nearby. Clausen left the doorway to protect the man from the settlers.
A settler woman demanded Levin's camera and tried to grab it. Levin, who was blocking entry to the building, passed the camera to Shoemaker who was standing inside behind him. When the settler women noticed Clausen photographing them trying to get past Levin, one moved towards her, trying to grab the camera. Clausen, trying to shield the camera with her body, was knocked down by one of the women who then bent her fingers back and struck her repeatedly with her fists. Meanwhile, a second woman hit her with stones, and a third began kicking her in the back of the head. Levin, trying to block the settlers' blows, got down and covered Clausen with his body to protect her and the camera.
Three IDF soldiers came through the barricade. The settler boys stopped throwing stones, but a woman standing no more than three feet away from Clausen threw a chunk of asphalt in her face.
The women then began moving further into the market. A few minutes later a patrol of about ten Israeli soldiers entered the market through the barricade, and gently escorted the women out of the area.
At 12:45 pm, the young settler women again charged through the barricade and attacked the poultry store next to the CPT apartment, taunting and hitting the owner, his sons, and breaking several dozen eggs. Still screaming they stormed further into the market area.
Calls for help from CPT brought an Israeli Police van. Once again the policemen stood watching from the safety of Shuhada Street. After several minutes, a contingent of about ten soldiers arrived, headed into the market and a few minutes later escorted the settler women out. The soldiers made no attempt to restrain or arrest any of them.
Palestinian shopkeepers expressed their anger to CPTers about the indifference of the police and the soldiers' solicitous treatment of the settler women. One angry elderly Palestinian man, yelled at the soldiers. "Our God is watching this. And he will not let this happen." An IDF soldier hearing him stopped, turned, and said very slowly, "He is our God. And he has saved us."
Thursday, July 25, 2002
A Few Thoughts on Dysentery
A Few Thoughts on Dysentery
July 25, 2002
Hi everyone,
I just realized I will be home again in just over a month, (September 11, to be exact) and need to get my speaking calendar figured out. I plan to return here around the weekend of October 12th. I'll try to start clustering talks in nearby towns together, if those of you wanting me to come could please let me know soon. I know already I'll probably want to head down towards Wartburg after October 1st. I'll send out a preliminary schedule as soon as I can!
Well, it has been a busy week or so. I always forget when I've written last. I will start writing now and stop when the mosquitos methodically gnaw my toes off, as they usually do this time of night. It doesn't matter that I've applied a cocktail of three different repellents; these guys are mutants. I read in the paper yesterday that Beer Sheva is getting cases of mosquito-transmitted West Nile Virus. Ha, ha, that's really not so far from here. So we've been watching each other for signs of delirium. How does one tell around here, I say.
I say all this because the past three days I've suffered from a nasty stomach bug. As soon as I caught it, I thought about the friend I met earlier on the street in Jerusalem, who shook my hand and then later said, "You know, after being in Gaza I've been nasty sick. The doctor diagnosed me with dysentery." As I lay in agony, I thought, "Gee, thanks for shaking my hand." Probably by the time he'd mentioned it I'd already rubbed my eye or something. Fortunately, after some panicked phone calls (hey, just what is dysentery anyway?) someone on our team was able to tell me that in Arabic, dysentery is used to describe all manner of nasty stomach bugs. So anyway. Whatever it is, it is gripping all of Palestine, local and foreigner alike, and has for some months now. Bleh. The upside to being ill is that it got me off my ankle which I did something dumb to and wasn't slowing down to give it a rest. I'm back on patrol today, though.
Previous to the sick days, I spent a couple days walking out to the Baqaa Valley near a settlement where a number of families have been suffering from a settler militia which refers to itself as "Settler Security." I find that about as apt a description of what they do as "Israeli Defense Forces" around here. The families call it a 'gang,' which I don't find too far off the mark myself. They run around in jeans, flak jackets and sport Uzis. You call them what you like. Anyway. They've been suffering from these guys for the past year, more so in the past couple weeks, as has just about every Palestinian landowner located near a settlement. The militia all over the Hebron district (county) as well as the settlements in the city have been trying to expand their territory rapidly. This area I went to is one we don't usually cover, but I imagine we'll be spending lots of time out there pretty soon. I'm now working on a special report to release later this week and the team is trying to figure out what else we can do to stop the expansions. Stay tuned...
Team life has been gritty lately. I mean that in the most literal way. The team decided while I was in Jerusalem that we needed to save water during this shortage season by cleaning less. A thick layer of scum has now descended upon most surfaces. Slimy dishes are taking over our counter space faster than the settler activity I just mentioned. Let's not even discuss the squat toilet. Overall I am not amused. My teammie Greg was grouchy all day yesterday too, and when I finally made him tell me what it was, he said "team's too big and everything's filthy." Team size has been a bit frustrating too. I like a team that's large enough nobody gets overburdened, but small enough so everyone still knows what's going on and everybody knows who left their dishes in the sink and sneaked away.
I've been reading The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris and have found the comparison between monastic community life and CPT community life ironic and amusing. Mainly because she paints such a realistic view of monastic community. It has really helped me feel out, now that I'm finding myself a 'senior' member of the team, how to keep community glued together. Basically: worship together, constantly forgive, stay flexible, and communicate. I'll probably pontificate on that further in future emails. For now, I'll go catch up on those dishes.
In Peace,
Le Anne
July 25, 2002
Hi everyone,
I just realized I will be home again in just over a month, (September 11, to be exact) and need to get my speaking calendar figured out. I plan to return here around the weekend of October 12th. I'll try to start clustering talks in nearby towns together, if those of you wanting me to come could please let me know soon. I know already I'll probably want to head down towards Wartburg after October 1st. I'll send out a preliminary schedule as soon as I can!
Well, it has been a busy week or so. I always forget when I've written last. I will start writing now and stop when the mosquitos methodically gnaw my toes off, as they usually do this time of night. It doesn't matter that I've applied a cocktail of three different repellents; these guys are mutants. I read in the paper yesterday that Beer Sheva is getting cases of mosquito-transmitted West Nile Virus. Ha, ha, that's really not so far from here. So we've been watching each other for signs of delirium. How does one tell around here, I say.
I say all this because the past three days I've suffered from a nasty stomach bug. As soon as I caught it, I thought about the friend I met earlier on the street in Jerusalem, who shook my hand and then later said, "You know, after being in Gaza I've been nasty sick. The doctor diagnosed me with dysentery." As I lay in agony, I thought, "Gee, thanks for shaking my hand." Probably by the time he'd mentioned it I'd already rubbed my eye or something. Fortunately, after some panicked phone calls (hey, just what is dysentery anyway?) someone on our team was able to tell me that in Arabic, dysentery is used to describe all manner of nasty stomach bugs. So anyway. Whatever it is, it is gripping all of Palestine, local and foreigner alike, and has for some months now. Bleh. The upside to being ill is that it got me off my ankle which I did something dumb to and wasn't slowing down to give it a rest. I'm back on patrol today, though.
Previous to the sick days, I spent a couple days walking out to the Baqaa Valley near a settlement where a number of families have been suffering from a settler militia which refers to itself as "Settler Security." I find that about as apt a description of what they do as "Israeli Defense Forces" around here. The families call it a 'gang,' which I don't find too far off the mark myself. They run around in jeans, flak jackets and sport Uzis. You call them what you like. Anyway. They've been suffering from these guys for the past year, more so in the past couple weeks, as has just about every Palestinian landowner located near a settlement. The militia all over the Hebron district (county) as well as the settlements in the city have been trying to expand their territory rapidly. This area I went to is one we don't usually cover, but I imagine we'll be spending lots of time out there pretty soon. I'm now working on a special report to release later this week and the team is trying to figure out what else we can do to stop the expansions. Stay tuned...
Team life has been gritty lately. I mean that in the most literal way. The team decided while I was in Jerusalem that we needed to save water during this shortage season by cleaning less. A thick layer of scum has now descended upon most surfaces. Slimy dishes are taking over our counter space faster than the settler activity I just mentioned. Let's not even discuss the squat toilet. Overall I am not amused. My teammie Greg was grouchy all day yesterday too, and when I finally made him tell me what it was, he said "team's too big and everything's filthy." Team size has been a bit frustrating too. I like a team that's large enough nobody gets overburdened, but small enough so everyone still knows what's going on and everybody knows who left their dishes in the sink and sneaked away.
I've been reading The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris and have found the comparison between monastic community life and CPT community life ironic and amusing. Mainly because she paints such a realistic view of monastic community. It has really helped me feel out, now that I'm finding myself a 'senior' member of the team, how to keep community glued together. Basically: worship together, constantly forgive, stay flexible, and communicate. I'll probably pontificate on that further in future emails. For now, I'll go catch up on those dishes.
In Peace,
Le Anne
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