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from The San Francisco Examiner page one, Wed., 4-17-02 http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.shield.0417w NEWS Human shields ponder fate By Alex Brown Of The Examiner Staff Of all the inner doubts, fears and questions faced by the 11 Bay Area human shield volunteers currently en route to the West Bank, one in particular blindsided Alison Weir at 3 a.m. Tuesday -- How do you pack for a war zone? With less than 10 hours remaining until her Tel Aviv, Israel-bound flight departed from San Francisco International Airport, Weir momentarily set aside the safety concerns and troubling thoughts to begin the somber task of packing for the three-week venture. "I guess it's not the most obvious thing that would hit you," said Weir, a Marin-based human rights activist. "But everything really hit me when I started to get my bags ready." Seven other Bay Area activists joined Weir at SFO on Tuesday -- two had already left Monday, and another will depart Thursday -- making up the first such U.S.-based civilian mission to the region. Some, like Los Angeles-based Frank Sosa, were sad. Others, like Marin resident Gary Crane, were exhilarated by the prospect of flying to Palestinian civilian sites and acting as human shields. "I'm not a religious person -- this is an act of conscience for me," Sosa said. "I'm trying to go in with an open mind, but when I think about some of the things I might face, it's a little depressing." Others such as Crane were angry with Israel's armed stance in occupying the West Bank. "I'm outraged and ashamed as a Jew, knowing what my people are doing ..." he said. "I'm exhilarated, angry and happy at the same time to be going. I'm excited to be a part of history." The group's demographic composition was as varied as their feelings. Nine hail from San Francisco, San Jose or Marin, while Michael Campos-Quinn -- the 18-year-old student who arrived at Tel Aviv Airport on Tuesday -- and Sosa, are from Berkeley and Los Angeles respectively. Four members were happy to speak publicly prior to leaving. The remainder, however, requested anonymity, fearing Israeli customs officers or soldiers might deny them entry into Palestinian territories if the nature of their mission was uncovered. "It shows that there's people from many different parts of our society who oppose the treatment of Palestinian civilians," said human shield coordinator Iman Farajallah, who heads the Grassroots Protection Program and the Imannetwork.org. "We have two Jewish people in the group, too. I think everyone's a little nervous about what's going to happen over the next few weeks." Once in the Mideast, the local human shield volunteers will be placed in the hands of the International Protection Force for the Palestinian People -- an organization already well entrenched in the region. From there, each person will be allocated a family to "shield," most likely from the war-torn towns of Ramallah, Nablus and Bethlehem. "I don't know exactly what we'll be assigned to do, but I'm certainly not going all that way to sit on the sidelines," Weir said. "When you're going to a place like that, there's always the chance of danger." Farajallah, meanwhile, waits anxiously by the phone at her Bay Area bunker. Sometime this morning she will hear whether the eight volunteers have successfully gained entry to Tel Aviv, and will begin to coordinate their transportation, accommodation and assignments. Of greater concern, though, is the well-being of her West Bank-based cousin and nephew -- both missing and, she presumes, on the run. "It's a worrying time," she said. Since Palestinian fighters stepped up suicide bombing campaigns and Israeli troops stormed townships and refugee camps, public opinion has been polarized. And while many may not agree with the politics behind the Bay Area human shield mission, the strength of the group's convictions is tough to question. "I've never been to the region, but I feel it's the right thing to do," Sosa said, just before he stepped past the security checkpoint at SFO. "Still, 90 percent of the people I know think I'm crazy." __________________________________________ E-mail Alex Brown at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ===== Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace. Weekly peace walks around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Starts & ends at the colonnade between Grand & Lakeshore Avenues, 3 P.M., every Sunday. Info: (510)763-8712, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or http://www.webwm.com/LMNOP __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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