>Forward from mart. > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: November 20, 2000 3:03 PM >Subject: [gangbox] Fwd: EYEWITNESS HEBRON : LIFE UNDER CURFEW > > EYEWITNESS HEBRON - MER Exclusive: > > HEBRON: LIFE UNDER CURFEW > By Mowafa Househ* > > The situation in Hebron today is the result > of an agreement between the Netanyahu > government, the Arafat Authority and the U.S. > For background information see: > http://www.MiddleEast.Org/hebron.htm > > Hebron, the place where Abraham was laid to rest, a city that is holy to > Muslims, Jews and Christians, a place where on the surface it appears to >be > calm, but in reality a volcano lurks underneath it awaiting to erupt. This > > is the Hebron I experienced, a Hebron where everyone is both physically >and > emotionally suffering from the nightly Israeli bombardments and the > continuous Israeli curfews. > > I traveled to Hebron, on November 12, 2000, to visit my cousin who had >been > living there for some years now. I took a Taxi from Jerusalem and > anticipated that I would arrive in Hebron in time for lunch. However, we > were unable to travel through the Beit Jala route because the Israelis >were > bombarding it; and therefore, we had to take an alternative route, which >was > dangerous and much more time consuming. > > Nevertheless, I safely arrived to the Palestinian Authority controlled >area > of Hebron, and asked the driver to drop me off at my cousin's home. My > cousin and her husband were angry with me because of my tardiness, but I > explained to them what had happened. We ate and chatted for a bit, it was > late in the afternoon and I wanted to rest after a long day of travel. > > It was at night when I jerked myself out of bed because of strange sounds >I > heard outside the bedroom window. I thought it was the sound of thunder, >but > I couldn't hear any rain drops. I opened the window and I could hear the > terrifying noise, which I later found out, was the sound of Israeli tank > shells. BOOF! And then the echo repeated itself 5 or 6 times before >landing > on its target. The sound was close, too close to believe and too close to > bear. I heard the sound a few more times and when it stopped I went back >to > sleep. > > In the Afternoon, the following day, as I was watching CNN world news, I > heard voices emanating from loud speakers and people shouting on the > streets. Curious, I took to the street and saw a few hundred doctors and > nurses in demonstration against Israeli atrocities committed against the > Palestinian people. I joined them as we walked towards Bab-Alzawya, which >is > next to what separates Israeli and Palestinian Hebron. On the way, I > overheard one frustrated journalist looking for a person who could speak > English. I stopped and decided to offer my help. Brian, a Canadian > Photographer, accompanied Virginia, the Irish freelance Journalist. They > asked me to explain to them what was being said and what were the >objectives > of the march. I answered them to the best of my knowledge. They were >pleased > and asked me if I could aid them as a translator to an interview they >wanted > to do with an Arab family living under Israeli curfew for the past 50 >days- > I agreed. > > Um Ashraf Al-Natche, was the ladies name, she sat along side another >family > and her children and we all sat in a living room that was as large as a >home > corridor. She was a large lady, 38 years of age, and you could see the > effects of years living in such wretched conditions had finally taken >their > toll on her. We asked Um-Ashraf and her family about life under these > extreme conditions and about the effects it was having on her family. > > "Once or twice a week, the Israelis using their loud speakers let us know > that the curfew would be lifted from 8:00 am up to 1:00pm. After this > announcement they either mock or curse at us." Um-Ashraf continued, >"Anyone > found after 1:00 p.m. would be beaten or arrested. We sometimes take the > risk to purchase medicine or milk for the children. I never send my son, I > > go by myself because I know that if the soldiers catch my son that they > would do horrible things to him. My son, my only son, Ashraf has been > arrested many times, and he has been beaten, imprisoned and humiliated by > both the settlers and the soldiers. He's my only son, if anything happens >to > him the family will have no other means to survive" you could feel the > frustration as her voice hardened and became louder. > > We turned to Ahsraf, 22 years of age, and asked him how he has been coping > > under the horrible conditions. "I'm married and I have a little boy. I >can't > work, and I can't buy medicine for my child. I feel helpless because I >have > to support two families. But we are getting used to these conditions, this > > is not the first time that this happens, it happened during the first > intifada, but this time the rules are much more strict and the soldiers >and > the settlers are much more violent. A year and a half ago, I was beaten >and > imprisoned for three months and no one knew where I was, my family found >out > three months later. The soldiers and settlers beat, tortured and >humiliated > me. Before they took me prison, I remember, they blind folded me, tied me >up > and placed me in the middle of the Israeli settlers. I was tied down, and > everyone who walked by me would curse at me and then either kick me, slap >me > or spit at me. They would feed me food that was repulsive. Sometimes I >would > watch the settlers as they fed their dogs in pretty glass plates with good > > food. They played with the dog and nurtured it as I sat there watching. I > would at times wish if I were that dog. But what can we do, we have >adapted > to this way of life." > > Um-Ashraf Interceded, " He is my only son, in any other country the only >son > is treated well because he is the only provider of the family. But not >here, > not here, we have no money; the supplies (canned food and dried >vegetables) > are diminishing. There are some good people who sometimes put meat and > vegetables in front of the house. But we can't live like this forever! > Medicine for the children, like this child here who has problems urinating > > and this other child that has chest problems, we have no money to treat > them, it costs a full days wages for us to treat only one of them." > > "What do you believe the solution is?" we asked Um-Ahraf. "The only > solution, is Jihad (a holy war), this is the only way that we will be able > > to change the situation. We tried peace, and non-violence but look what it > > has brought us. It has only brought more sorrow and more regret. Jihad is > the only solution-the final solution." She said. > > Ashraf then took us for a tour on the roof, he told us how they had to >place > cement around the water tanks to protect the tanks from Israeli bullets. > There was a metal cage, a meter or two in height around the rooftop >designed > to protect the children who played on there. The children, as we were up >on > the roof, played soccer with potatoes and onions as soldiers were firing >at > Palestinian rock throwers down below. We then thanked Ashraf and the > families that hosted us and offered us to stay a while longer to join them > > for lunch, but we had to leave. > > This is the Hebron I experienced, and my whole ordeal lasted a few days. I > > could not imagine myself living like that for years without the abatement >of > the ruthless methods used by the Israelis to suppress the Palestinians and > > submit them to their own will. How could anyone live like that, or how >could > anyone imagine living like that. Maybe Um-Ashraf is right, "Jihad could be > > the only solution- the final solution." > > * The author can be contacted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ----------------- > > > GAZA STRIP TOTALLY RUNS OUT OF FUELS > By SAUD ABU RAMADAN > > GAZA, Nov. 19 (UPI) - A member of the Palestinian Petroleum Corporation > announced Sunday that most of the Gaza Strip's gas stations have run out >of > fuel because of the Israeli siege. > > Louai Arandas told reporters that normal activities in the Gaza Strip > would stop within the next few days if Israel kept closing the borders of > the Palestinian territories. > > "The crisis of fuel shortages ... increased in the last couple of weeks > when Israel, without any warning, blocked fuel tankers from entering into > Gaza," Arandas said. "This will have a negative impact on the >population." > > He said that the last fuel vehicle arrived on the Gaza border on Friday, > but was turned back by the Israeli military. > > More than 1 million people live in the Gaza Strip. Arandas said about >100 > tons of gas is consumed in the area every. > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
