November 2003: A Visit to Al Khalil
A Women and Life on Earth report from Hebron, from a member who volunteered
in 2002-2003 with organizations in Israel and Palestine dedicated to ending
the Israeli Occupation and working towards a just and viable solution to the
conflict through non-violent protest, media campaigns, and human rights advocacy.
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17 November: Part of my work in Israel and the Palestinian Territories
entails networking with other NGO's and grass-roots organizations, visiting
them at their home offices, and experiencing the situation they face "on
the ground". Through my work I had come into contact with a youth organization
in Al Khalil (Hebron in English) called the International Palestinian Youth
League. Their organization is instrumental in coordinating international volunteer
work camps in the Territories and in providing vocational training for Palestinian
youth. I am hoping that through them I can learn more about the unique and
volatile situation in the West Bank city of Al Khalil.
Jane*, a friend and
fellow activist, and I make it from Jerusalem to Al Khalil (approx. 35-40 km)
in just under an hour and a half, with only one side-of-the-road security stop
and no checkpoints. It takes one, short detour off the main highway and we are
in the city.
Al Khalil proper is
a patchwork of rolling hills and valleys dotted with three-story stone buildings.
It has a fairly modern appearance, full of small factories, workshops, and retail
stores. Despite being a industrialized city, it still has houses with modest-sized
gardens and vineyards with goats roaming the slopes of their land.
The sights and smells of Al Khalil are overwhelming. Hundreds of people stream along the streets and sidewalks, children coming home from school, women shopping, men transporting goods, friends calling out to one another, and taxi drivers honking to push through the late-afternoon muddle of traffic. Occasionally amidst the traffic we see older men riding their donkeys.
Nearing
the center, we see that the streets leading into the old city are blocked
off by chunks of concrete, which seem to cause most of the traffic chaos.
As we search for the entrance to the old city, we notice that passageways
filled with beautiful 800 year-old stone buildings have also been blocked
off and made into Israeli checkpoints. The Palestinian stores and homes around
these checkpoints are completely closed up and the streets are empty. We
decide to try and pass the checkpoint and after a brief security check we
are allowed through. The street on the other side is also void of all signs
of life and we soon see tell-tale signs that the formerly Palestinian controlled
streets had been expropriated by the Israeli settlement. What was until recently
part of the Palestinian old city of Al Khalil was now tagged with Israeli
flags and posters in Hebrew; the Star of David was spray-painted over a few
of the green iron doors.
A Brief History
of the Israeli Settlements in Al Khalil
Palestinian and
Jewish people have a long history of living together side by side in Al Khalil.
Today, the difference in their relationship to one another lies primarily
in the Israeli politics of using settlers and settlements for power and control.
Despite
it being illegal and in violation of international agreements, Israeli settlers
began the process of expropriating land in Al Khalil in 1968, one year after
Israel occupied the entire West Bank. Al Khalil was of particular interest
to many Zionist settlers as the Tomb of Abraham is located there.
In the city of Al
Khalil there are approximately 140,000 Palestinians and 450 Israeli settlers.
The city is divided into two parts: H1 is under the "control" of
the Palestinians and H2 is the Israeli controlled area. It is the only Palestinian
city in the West Bank were Israeli settlements have taken over land within
a Palestinian city, in effect forcing settlers and Palestinians to live in
direct proximity to one another.
The presence of
the settlers and the intense security around their settlements has significantly
impacted the economy in Al Khalil. Subject to the whims of random security
measures, the historically prosperous economy has been sharply reduced as
it is next to impossible to maintain businesses and the flow of goods into
the city under the curfews, lock-downs, security closures, and the spontaneous
checkpoints that have become common place in the Palestinian parts of the
city. These security measures, meant to keep the two peoples apart and safe,
have only led to a system of control and power for the settlers in Al Khalil.
For any "security reason", the entire city can be collectively punished
and forced to stay indoors, at times for 24 hours straight and for days on
end. The Israeli settlers, who exclusively use the elaborate system of Israeli-only
by-pass highways in and out of the city, have often expressed their preference
of enjoying Al Khalil during curfew while the city streets are free of its
Arab residents.
The
settlers, referring to "Hebron" as an Israeli city with a majority
of Arabs, have had a violent and brutal history with the Palestinian people
in the area. The most publicized attack occurred on February 25, 1994, when
a group of armed settlers led by an American immigrant, Benjamin Goldstein,
massacred more than 50 Palestinian men and boys and injured over 100 others
during their prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque. The massacre was met only with
international condemnation.
Although heated and often bloody clashes occur regularly, Ariel Sharon and
his government continue to openly encourage and give generous financial support
to Israeli settlement growth in Al Khalil.
18 November:
The Search for Handala
The
next day, Jubran*, a Palestinian volunteer with IPYL, offers us a tour of Al
Khalil in his beat-up BMW. There has been little tension in the city in the
past few weeks because of Ramadan, Jubran explains as we wind down steep passageways
into the old city. Even if it has been quiet, Jane and I can't help but notice
the young, heavily armed Israeli soldiers patrolling the streets of H1. But
our attention quickly drifts away from soldiers to our main goal for the day.
We are searching for the famous Handala, the icon of the Palestinian refugee's
struggle for human rights, dignity, and the right to live in their native land.
Handala is a figure of a refugee child, created by famed Palestinian cartoonist
Naji Al Ali, who stands with his back to people as a rejection of all imperialist
regimes. Handala was forced from his home in Palestine at the age of ten, the
same age his creator was forced to leave his village in 1948. The myth of Handala
says that he will always remain ten years old, refusing to grow older until
he is able to return to his home. "Handala" means bitterness in Arabic.
We start looking for
signs of the barefoot and tattered boy in Al Khalil's numerous jewelry and tourist
shops without success. Finally, in a gift shop, we spot three Muslim teenage
girls who have hand-carved wooden Handala key chains. Jubran asks one of the
girls where she bought it and she proudly replies, "Dura" the name
of her village. The shop keeper, realizing our interest, pulls out a black
tray with two small, silver Handala pendants. Holding the small figure in my
hand, it becomes clear why Handala is a source of pride and a symbol of solemn
resistance for many Palestinians. I stare at the simply drawn caricature, the
patchy hair, the small cartoon hands held behind his back, taking in the defiant
nature of its design. I wonder if this occupation will ever end, if the settlers
will ever leave, and if there will ever be a time when the Palestinian refugees
will be able to return home. Will Handala remain ten forever, watching the
destruction taking place on Palestinian land? With the teenage girls watching
and giggling shyly behind us, we purchase the pendants, wave goodbye and enter
again into the flurry of activity on the streets of Al Khalil.
Jubran tells us that
we should return to the IPYL office to collect our things and find transport
back to Jerusalem before the sun goes down and "Iftar" begins. Iftar
is the meal and prayer after the day's fast during Ramadan. On our way back,
I ask Jubran what he believes the future holds for Al Khalil. He becomes unusually
quiet and gestures to the four military compounds that sit, with obvious dominance,
overlooking the city and its residents. He stares off straight ahead and the
only reply he gives is, "These settlers, the Israeli military, they have
to go."
For more information
on the situation in Al Khalil (Hebron) look to the following web sites:
Temporary International
Presence in Hebron (TIPH)
http://www.tiph.org
The Christian
Peacemakers Team
http://www.cpt.org/hebron/hebron.php
For more information
on Handala:
http://www.handala.org
*Names have been changed