BETHLEHEM DIARY

Living Under Siege and Occupation 2000-2002

Toine van Teeffelen

Bethlehem Diary Publication in the Culture and Palestine Series P.O.Box 681 Bethlehem Palestine via srael Tel. !"#$%$%$#&&'(' )ax !"#$%$%$##.#**& +mail, aei-.%ol.com Co.yri/ht Toine van Teeffelen $''$ Desi/ned and .rinted by 01 2 Bethlehem3Beit 4ala

BETHLEHEM DIARY
Living Under Siege and Occupation 2000-2002

Toine van Teeffelen

A !"O#LED$ME"T

This diary boo5 is in a sense a diary collection. These are not 6ust stories and reflections from myself and my family2 but also the stories of my Palestinian collea/ues and2 in many cases2 the Bethlehem community at lar/e. The diary is an hommage to the .ersistence of so many 7ho try to continue their daily life and 7or5 under the im.ossible circumstances of sie/e and occu.ation. 8any of the stories are from collea/ues at schools 7ho are teachers and headmasters. 7ish to than5 them all9 es.ecially )uad :iacaman and +lias 1bu 15leh2 7ith 7hom had the /ood fortune to closely and .rofessionally coo.erate at the )reres School until summer $''1 and also at the 1rab +ducational nstitute9 Susan 1tallah2 7hose sense of storytellin/ and humour as 7ell as her insi/hts from the teacher;s room at St 4ose.h School for :irls 7ere invaluable for the diary9 and smail 8u5bil2 the ever%<uiet and .atient headmaster from 1rroub refu/ee cam. 7ho /ave me his .ers.ective and stories of the 5ids 7hom he is /uidin/ in life. also than5 many other collea/ues 7ith 7hom shared insi/htful tal5s and 7or5sho.s, =arishma Budhdev from =enya % could discuss 7ith her so many first im.ressions of the be7ilderin/ events that surrounded us % and Sana;a 1bu :hosh2 Sa7san >ad7eh2 :iselle Salman2 1la;a O7eineh2 and others. There 7ere al7ays teachers and students 7illin/ to /ive their remar5s and stories of the day. had the .rivile/e to 7or5 to/ether 7ith these collea/ues on the base of .ro6ects and 7or5sho.s 7hich 7ere made .ossible throu/h the coo.eration2 encoura/ement and su..ort of different or/ani?ations, CO0D1 D @AetherlandsB2 the +uro%1rab Dialo/ue from Belo7 .ro6ect @ nterchurch Peace Council2 =C2 AetherlandsB2 Broederli65 Delen @Bel/iumB2 Pax Christi nternational @based in BrusselsB and Dnited Civilians for Peace @AetherlandsB. Several or/ani?ations and individuals hel.ed me to fore7ord the Diary @and its successor Eetter from Bethlehem2 7ritten to/ether 7ith Susan 1tallah and2 initially2 1la;a O7einehB throu/h their 7ebsites and e%mail lists. )irst of all should mention )r 0aed 1busahlia2 ex%Chancellor of the Eatin Patriarchate in 4erusalem2 no7 .arish .riest in Taybeh2 7ho al7ays includes the diary in his Olive Branch Ae7sletter and 7hose encoura/in/ 7ords and deeds hel.ed a /reat deal to sustain the overall 7ritin/ .rocess. 1lso the .eace movement or/ani?ations =C2 Pax Christi2 and 1)SC @Dnited StatesB as 7ell as the educational or/ani?ation 8D @AetherlandsB included the diary in their 7ebsites and re/ularly /ave su..ortive comments. The Stichtin/ Dialoo/ F)oundation Dialo/ueG and >aella )oundation in the Aetherlands 7ere so 5ind to ma5e the .roduction of this boo5 .ossible. 0am?i >odali of 01 did a /reat 6ob in the desi/n. )inally2 the diary boo5 is of course very much a reflection of my intimate life. 8y dear 7ife 8ary steadfastly faced the uncertain sea and navi/ated family life into the ri/ht direction. The boo5 could not have been 7ritten 7ithout her2 nor could my life have found its course. Des.ite the adverse circumstances2 7e /reatly en6oy our children 4ara2 7ho /ives her o7n uncensored vie7s of 7hat is ha..enin/ around her2 and ne7ly%born Tamer 7ho is /ivin/ us his first smiles. 8y family in la72 es.ecially 8ary;s sister 4anet and her mother2 have al7ays been there durin/ the moments of tension and shellin/ and

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hel.ed so much to 5ee. life /oin/ on. So did our family;s close friends and relatives2 here and abroad. Toine van Teeffelen Bethlehem2 $' 4uly $''$

%RE&A E This diary boo5 is uncommon because it is 7ritten by an outsider2 a Dutchman2 7ho is ho7ever also an insider as he lives and 7or5s in Bethlehem2 is married 7ith a Bethlehemite and has children /ro7in/ u. there. >e sho7s an observer;s eye but shares local life. Des.ite the author;s involvement in Palestinian life2 this diary cannot be sim.ly classified as H.ro%Palestinian;. The tone of the boo5 is first of all human. The observations of his 7ife and their youn/ dau/hter2 and the many anecdotes from the 7orld of teachers and educators2 are a reflection of life under tryin/ circumstances. The author has a s.ecial interest in community buildin/ and education. >e cites sources of the community herita/e of Bethlehem2 and sho7s the s.iritual resilience of .eo.le 7ho face extraordinary challen/es. Some cha.ters .rovide a lively .ortrait of the Bethlehem and Palestinian community as a 7hole2 its culture2 .ractices2 customs and rites. Caluable are the descri.tions of Christian%8oslem livin/ to/ether and its rich herita/e in Palestine. The author further chronicles acts of mutual su..ort and solidarity2 and details discussions of ho7 common .eo.le try to 5ee. u. their humanity and ho.e2 ho7 they discuss 7ays of dealin/ 7ith Hthe situation; and o.en u. 7indo7s to7ards the 7orld. One also feels the author;s commitment to an on/oin/ human dialo/ue bet7een Palestinians and sraelis. ndeed2 7ithout such a dialo/ue and solidarity across national borders no .eace 7ill .revail. The boo5 is a .lea for involvin/ the international .eace movement 7hose su..ort is no7 needed more than ever. 1t one .oint the boo5 describes a 7ish%ma5in/ cam.ai/n in 7hich hundreds of Pax Christi members emailed their 7ishes and .rayers to Bethlehem 7here they 7ere read durin/ a .rayer service and2 attached to balloons2 symbolically lifted into the air. The boo5 is a 7a5e u. call. The .resent circumstances under 7hich the Palestinian .eo.le live are intolerable from any .oint of vie7, le/al2 .olitical2 or human. The narratives of the boo5 are .art of 7hat has become a stream of information from Palestine cryin/ out for an international intervention based on a consistent commitment to 6ustice and .eace. The Palestinian youths to 7hich so many .a/es in the boo5 are devoted2 need ho.e and a concrete .ers.ective for livin/. The fact that the diary is situated in Bethlehem adds a uni<ue s.iritual element. n its lines2 7e read a belief in ne7 life for all those 7ho are sufferin/ no7. ! 8ichel Sabbah Eatin Patriarch of 4erusalem nternational President of Pax Christi 4erusalem2 4une $&th $''$

TABLE O& O"TE"TS 1c5no7led/ements Preface by 8/r 8ichel Sabbah Prolo/ue, 1 Christmas Eetter to 8y Dnborn Child December 1"2 1""# Bethlehem Diary Shoc5 October 16%$(2 $''' nternet October $(%('2 $''' +ncounters 7ith sraelis October (' I Aovember 62 $''' Traces of Ciolence Aovember 6%1(2 $''' Colla.se of Daily Eife Aovember 1(%$'2 $''' Carin/ and Community Aovember $'%$#2 $''' 1bou >annah Aovember $# I December &2 $''' 1 Tab :radually Closed Off December &I112 $''' )lyin/2 Sailin/ 17ay December 11%18 $''' Sufferin/ December 18%$*2 $''' Borders December $62 $''' I 4anuary 82 $''1 Ao +sca.e from Dncertainty

4anuary 8%1*2 $''1 O7nershi. 4anuary 1*%$$2 $''1 Stereoty.es 4anuary $$%$"2 $''1 >ouses 4anuary $" I )ebruary *2 $''1 0oads )ebruary *%1$2 $''1 Stiflin/ the Senses )ebruary 1$%1"2 $''1 Beit 4ala )ebruary 1"%$#2 $''1 Cate/ories )ebruary $6 I 8arch *2 $''1 =haltiolo/y 8arch *%1"2 $''1 Jith m.unity 8arch 1"%$62 $''1 Stories from Beit Sahour 8arch $6 I 1.ril $2 $''1 Jritin/ and 0eadin/ 1.ril $%"2 $''1 ma/es of the Eand 1.ril "%162 $''1 Precious 8oments 1.ril 16%$(2 $''1 0elief 1.ril $(%8ay 1&2 $''1 Aa<ba 8ay 1&%$12 $''1

Shelter 8ay $1%$82 $''1 0is5s 8ay $8 I 4une &2 $''1 Stories that Stic5 4une &I112 $''1 8ista5en dentities 4une 11I182 $''1 Timelessness 4uly $ %"2 $''1 H1??a cam. 4uly "%162 $''1 Occu.ation Diary & 1.ril % 6 4uly2 $''$ 1fter7ord 0eferences

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&or 'ara and Ta(er) and a** t+o,e %a*e,tinian -id, .+o p*a/ out,ide de,pite t+e cur0e.,

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%ROLO$UE1 A HRISTMAS LETTER TO MY U"BOR" HILD Some time a/o your mother2 7ho carries you in your belly2 had a fantasy. She thou/ht it 7ould be nice if there 7as a little .anel 7hich she could o.en to briefly loo5 at you2 to see 7hether everythin/ 7as fine2 7hat the color of your hair 7ould be. Then she 7ould be satisfied and 5ee. the door loc5ed until you 7ere born. t is no7 my 7ish to .ut a little Christmas card throu/h that o.enin/. JhyK Ei5e your mom2 to say hi2 and to tell you that you 7ill enter the 7orld in an uncommon .lace I Bethlehem I a little to7n 7ith a famous .ast and a com.licated .resent. 1 to7n conducive to dreams and 7ishes2 but also a to7n /ras.in/ to7ards the year $''' in a yet unborn country under/oin/ difficult labors. Jhat are my Christmas 7ishesK Be relieved2 don;t have bi/ 7ishes. don;t 7ish you to be a boy or a /irl. don;t 7ish you to be Dutch or Palestinian. don;t 7ish you to stay in Bethlehem or to live else7here. Aor do mind 7hether you 7ill love boo5s2 music or beautiful desi/ns. Lour mother and ho.e to follo7 =halil 4ibran 7ho tells .arents to treat their children in the follo7in/ 7ay, M:ive them your love but not your thou/hts.N But have a fe7 small 7ishes. ho.e you 7ill hear the many fairy tales and not 6ust stories from reality. 7ish that you 7ill lau/h and ex.erience the 7armth of Palestinian culture as 7ell as the nuchterheid FsobrietyG of Dutch culture. 7ish that you 7ill not be bothered by traffic2 soldiers and noise. 7ish that you 7ill have the chance of seein/ the beauty of nature rather than the u/liness of 7aste. 7ish that you 7ill not be closed u. by the closure and that you can /o in all directions to see Palestine2 >olland and the 7orld. I wish to see and hear you soon Lour father December 1"2 1""# 4ara F.ronounced as LaraG 7as born on December $12 1""# in the >oly )amily hos.ital in Bethlehem.

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BETHLEHEM DIARY

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S+oc23-24 Octo5er 2000 East ni/ht2 $$%$( October2 7e heard continuous shellin/ from sraeli helico.ter /unboats and a tan5 near the 1ida refu/ee cam.. The shellin/ 7as t7o 5ilometers a7ay but sounded close. The sraelis tar/et areas in Beit 4ala from 7hich Palestinians shoot at the 4erusalem settlement :ilo. The inhabitants of Beit 4ala must have stayed a7a5e the 7hole ni/ht. Our dau/hter of three2 4ara2 understood 7hat the heavy Hretetetet; sound 7as all about. +lectricity and li/ht fell out durin/ the ni/ht2 and she 7as scared. Je .ut on a fe7 candles. The desi/ner 7ith 7hom 7or52 and 7ho lives in Beit 4ala2 told next mornin/ that his family felt as if Mthey 7ould /o to Paradise.N 8ary2 my Palestinian 7ife2 heard at her 7or5 at Bethlehem Dniversity that the house of a lecturer from Beit 4ala /ot a full hit. 8y mother in la7 called to 7arn that 4ara should not /o to the 5inder/arten at the )reres School in Bethlehem. t is very disturbin/ to ima/ine ho7 afraid Palestinian children are2 says 8ary. 1lso amon/ those families 7ho live outside the shootin/ areas. Some families do not send their children to school2 and many classes are incom.lete. The )reres School;s .rinci.al )uad :iacaman is doin/ all he can to 5ee. the school runnin/ as if it is ordinary life. +ven 7hen the 8inistry of +ducation announces that there is no school2 he still .re.ares the hi/hest class for the matriculation exam. They cannot afford to loose lessons and therefore have to ma5e%u. in the 7ee5end. East 7ee52 there 7as a very loud ex.losion next to the school2 in the Bethlehem com.ound of the Palestinian 1uthority near 1rafat;s /uesthouse. )irst .eo.le thou/ht it 7as sraeli shellin/9 later on Palestinian .olicemen visited schools to say it 7as a /as ex.losion. The real story is un5no7n. School students at the )reres; floc5ed into the under/round school auditorium. Loun/ 5ids cried2 and .arents arrived in .anic. There 7ere similar scenes at other schools. Susan 1tallah2 +n/lish teacher and coordinator at St 4ose.h2 tells that .arents even entered classes to ta5e their children bac5 home. Such shoc5s 5ee. .eo.le out of their ordinary rhythm. The 7orries sho7 themselves in a loss of concentration at 7or52 lac5 of slee.2 headaches or .ressure on the breast2 loss of tem.er2 .eo.le not attendin/ meetin/s. myself found out that ta5in/ a day off2 readin/ a novel2 is the best cure to become <uiet. t is a challen/e to 5ee. doin/ one;s 7or52 im.rovisin/ but not concedin/ your ordinary life alto/ether. The .eo.le in do7nto7n Bethlehem are fortunate that they live outside the shootin/ areas. 1t least until no7. +lse7here the fear must be /reater. f you live close to a settlement2 or near an sraeli chec5.oint2 clashes may brea5 out any moment. This is even so in Beit Sahour to the east of Bethlehem @the location of the Biblical She.herds )ieldsB2 a traditionally .astoral and <uiet .lace2 7hich is ho7ever close to chec5.oints and to an sraeli military base. Durin/ the last t7o 7ee5s there 7as so much shootin/ on that to7n that some families 7ere forced to lie do7n on the /round for hours. The same a..lies for the area around 0achel;s Tomb at the entrance of Bethlehem2 a holy site 7hich is in the hands of the sraeli army and continuously stoned. The o7ners of the nearby Paradise >otel sho7 visitors the lar/e bullet holes there.

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8any youths are incredibly shoc5ed by the violence. Some of them visit hos.itals and 7rite stories about 7hat they hear for the Palestinian youth .a.er The Youth Times. M>o7 can sraelis do this to us 7hile they .reach .eaceKN OOO 8any in the tourist industry lost 7or5. >otels and travel a/ents /ive staff an unlimited2 un.aid leave. Aext to 0achel;s Tomb is a ne7 ntercontinental five%star hotel2 em.ty. 1 cousin of 8ary 7or5s there9 it 7as su..osed to be to. season2 no7 she 6ust receives calls of cancellations. Jhen visit my travel a/ent I /uide the Palestinian areas for Dutch /rou.s % he says that he considers leavin/ for a holiday. >is main 7or5 durin/ the last 7ee5s 7as the evacuation of /rou.s of tourists from Bethlehem hotels. 1mericans and :ermans left first2 he says2 then the Dutch2 Bel/ians and other +uro.eans. Only the Polish and Phili..ines never leave or cancel. They are stubborn9 after they .ay2 they 7ant to come. OOO +very ni/ht 7e 7atch al%0u;a2 the HShe.herds )ields; TC station. Eocal TC stations are some7hat .rimitive9 they don;t have much money or facilities. >o7ever2 they brin/ out .eo.le;s voice. 1 7hole evenin/ lon/ a tal5in/ head a..ears in front of a tele.hone and in the com.any of /uests 7ho ans7ers <uestions from vie7ers. Durin/ the day the TC sho7s scenes of fi/htin/2 sometimes live. Subtitles sho7 u.dates of clashes and the number of in6ured and 5illed. +venin/ .ro/rams discuss the day;s events. :uests may include a 8oslem shei5h2 a .riest2 a .olitical .ersonality or a military commander. Callers say that a .oint of no return has been reached. There is no choice exce.t to continue fi/htin/. 1nd also, MJhere are the Christians2 7here is the CaticanKN Some local Christians are concerned that their involvement in the stru//le is of a lesser de/ree than durin/ the ntifadah Fu.risin/G of over ten years a/o. ndeed2 Christian youth do not .artici.ate in the .resent clashes. Several Christian but also some 8oslem families 7ho can afford to do so2 flee. On Sunday the 0oman%Catholic Patriarch 8ichel Sabbah a..eals to the Christians to stay involved but to follo7 Christian values. OOO feel there is a certain chan/e in the definition of the .olitical situation on the /round. n the .ast .eo.le considered clashes in the Jest Ban5 and :a?a an ex.ression of frustration because of the on/oin/ coloni?ation of the land, continued settlement buildin/2 blo7in/ u. of houses2 cuttin/ of olive trees2 mobility restrictions2 and so on. Ao7 .eo.le tend to redefine the situation as a lon/%term stru//le of liberation until occu.ation is ended. They calculate that 7hile Palestinians suffer more2 the fact that sraelis also suffer 7ill ultimately lead them to end the occu.ation. The .eace .rocess is dead indeed. Lasser 1rafat is much less on the screens of local TC than before. t is no7 mainly 8ar7an Bar/houti2 head of the Tanzim Fliterally Hor/ani?ation;2 referrin/ to the armed youth movement of )atah2 the main Palestinian

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.olitical streamin/ of 7hich Lasser 1rafat is the leaderG. Bar/houti sho7s himself an authoritative fi/ure2 althou/h he also re/ularly ex.resses his loyalty to 1rafat. There is an understandable yet dan/erous element of resentment amon/ .eo.le, MEet them feel 7hat 7e feel.N One leader of a youth A:O tells me, MThere is an unbelievable amount of hate to7ards each other.N The tone amon/ Palestinians is, 1s the situation 7as over the last decades2 to live in a ca/e2 to be al7ays de.endent on the sraelis for everythin/ % that;s unbearable2 that cannot /o on. OOO 1t my institute for community education in Bethlehem 7e tal5 about ho7 to .resent the voice of Palestinian youth. The TC ima/es of the u.risin/ /ive a very limited .icture. There should be more .ublic and media involvement of youth 7ho do not .artici.ate in the fi/htin/. They should re/ister and communicate the stories they ex.erience and hear. Je are /oin/ to set u. a /rou. in 7hich Palestinian youth from 1* years on reflect on 7hat they can do. +s.ecially /irls are forced to stay inside their homes after school9 they cannot ex.ress their emotions outside the family. Je tal5 about non%violent 7ays of .rotest actions 7hich do not carry the ris5 of bein/ claimed by one or another .olitical faction. 1nd 7hat does that mean, community education under the .resent circumstancesK

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Internet Octo5er 24-40) 2000 n the ni/ht from )riday to Saturday once a/ain Beit 4ala has been bombed. 8ary2 4ara and must have sle.t dee.ly but most of Beit 4ala2 Bethlehem and Beit Sahour 7ere terrified. Aext mornin/2 Beit 4ala students arrived 7ith .ale faces at the )reres School. They told stories of bullets brea5in/ into livin/ rooms or flyin/ over somebody;s head2 or of a roc5et that .enetrated a three%story house to end u. in the 5itchen. 8iraculously2 no .eo.le 7ere 5illed. There is no7 little ordinary life in Beit 4ala. 1 student said that he studied under his bed. One child refused to ta5e out his clothes and shoes 7hen /oin/ aslee.9 he did not 7ant to loose time in case of an emer/ency. Eocal TC mentioned that at the be/innin/ of last 7ee5 a /irl 7anted to return to her family house after it 7as bombed. Jhen as5ed 7hy2 she said that she 7anted to rescue her dolls from the fire. M don;t 7ant them to die.N Peo.le /o to the roof to 7atch bombin/s. n Dheisha refu/ee cam. south of Bethlehem some of the 7atchers 7ere in6ured by bullets. 8ary is an/ry. MThe sraelis /o to their bun5ers2 7e /o to the roofs.N t is not clear ho7 lon/ the bombin/ raids 7ill continue. They mi/ht become a 7ee5ly .henomenon. 1fter sraeli 7arnin/s2 the Palestinian 1uthority as5ed some families in houses not far from 0achel;s Tomb to leave. The inhabitants refused. >o7 can the city co.e 7ith all thisK n front of a TC camera2 Bethlehem;s munici.al secretary2 8ary;s uncle2 7onders ho7 .re.ared Bethlehem and the ad6acent to7ns really are 7hen co.in/ 7ith an emer/ency situation li5e this. They have to ta5e care of not 6ust the conse<uences of the bombin/s but also the loss of 6obs for those 7ho cannot /o to 4erusalem and srael2 or I in case they are still able to snea5 alon/ chec5.oints I 7ho found out that their 6obs 7ere ta5en over by other2 usually forei/n 7or5ers. Dnder the circumstances it is not a sur.rise that families are leavin/. Patriarch Sabbah2 7ho last 7ee5 visited Christian and 8oslem sites that 7ere bombed2 tells local TC about the .ain he observed on .eo.le;s faces. >e advises local Christians not to leave. Des.ite the difficulties2 Mtheir .lace is here.N OOO Daily life /oes on. Durin/ one evenin/ 8ary as5s me to brin/ dia.ers for 4ara. Shootin/ starts but soon subsides. /o out but there is a/ain shootin/ a fe7 hundred meters further do7n near Paradise >otel @no7 nic5named H>ell >otel;B. <uic5ly /o to my .arents%in% la7. Jhen .roudly return 7ith the dia.ers2 8ary is not im.ressed. Jith an invitin/ /esture % MCome my heroN % she .uts me at 7or52 cleanin/ the dishes. Other concerns 5ee. her busier. >er father has been in hos.ital for a fe7 days. >e is 8$ years old but still sells car accessories in a /ara/e o..osite 0achel;s Tomb. 1fter the closure of 4erusalem in the be/innin/ of the 1""'s he lost many customers. Ao7adays his 7or5 serves as much to 5ee. him in a daily routine as to /et a little income2 but he com.lains that 7al5in/ doesn;t /o as fast as before. 0ecently2 he 7as forced to stay home no7 0achel;s Tomb has become the scene of daily clashes.

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>is health is his 7orry. 1fter a cold his cou/h did not leave2 and he 7ent t7o days a/o to a .rivate hos.ital south of Bethlehem for observation. Lesterday2 the doctors /ave 8ary a sam.le of fluid from his lun/ to be examined at 8o5assed >os.ital in 4erusalem. :esturin/ to me2 the doctor said2 M>e is an ajnabi Fforei/nerG2 he can .ass the chec5.oint.N But 8ary thou/ht she should /o herself. Cisitin/ hos.itals I both sraeli and Palestinian I usually involves a lon/ search2 and am not able to read the 1rabic si/ns 7ell. 1s it turned out2 the soldiers let her .ass. 1t the chec5.oint2 she 7as ordered to /et out of the van. She 7as so an/ry that she could barely s.ea5. t 7as li5ely the .resence of t7o international TC cre7s that convinced the soldiers to 7ave her bac5 into the car. OOO 8y 7or5 at the 1rab +ducational nstitute in Bethlehem also moves on2 thou/h haltin/ly. One of the .ro6ects involves an exchan/e bet7een three Dutch schools and three Bethlehem schools called HSharin/ Stories;. The 16%1# year old students 7rite each other stories about Hsocial violence;. Ao lac5 of such stories no7. But the .roblem is to brin/ the students to the institute so that they can use the nternet. )or three 7ee5s no72 Su?y 1tallah tries to brin/ her St 4ose.h students. t has to be done on the free 7ee5end day2 the )riday2 as durin/ the 7ee5 students have to do their home7or5 and cannot come bac5 home late. Certainly no72 .arents 7ant them to return before dar5. But each )riday another incident ha..ens2 such as a demonstration2 7hich 5ee.s the students from comin/. One has to be careful on the streets. Su?y tells that her students 7arned her not to dress in a very Jestern manner9 other7ise .eo.le on 7ould thin5 she is a forei/ner or an sraeli2 and she 7ould face troubles. Ao7 she 7ears an ele/ant dress embroidered in a national%Palestinian style. This )riday it seems the students are able to come. To/ether 7ith =arishma Budhdev2 a =enyan from ndian ori/in 7ho 7or5s on various .ro6ects at the institute2 7e .re.are the lesson. But the email and nternet connection fail. t seems there are so many Palestinians usin/ the server to 7hom 7e are connected that the main com.uter cannot absorb all incomin/ information. Je s.eculate that there must be a hu/e increase in email exchan/es and nternet use these days. 8any Palestinians have friends and family all over the 7orld. 8ary and 2 too2 re/ularly receive emails from family members abroad 7ith ex.ressions of concern2 articles2 analyses or 6o5es. The /irls are 7aitin/ outside the classroom. Je .ray. 1fter a fe7 attem.ts2 there is no connection. They a/ain have come for nothin/. =arishma and Su?y2 still com.osed2 ex.lain the students 7hat ha..ened. The /irls do not loo5 too much affected and blo7 che7in/ /um. Su?y 7arns them that this is an +n/lish class and that they have to s.ea5 +n/lish. That remar5 usually 5ee.s them silent2 at least for a 7hile2 she ex.lains. The next class2 scheduled an hour later2 is cancelled but some /irls 7ho live in the villa/es cannot be reached in time. They had already left home early. Travelin/ from nearby villa/es to Bethlehem can no7 ta5e more than one and a half hour9 the students have to circumvent chec5.oints 7ithin the Jest Ban5 itself. OOO

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Jhile su.ervisin/2 Su?y /ives me a letter 7ritten by one of her students, To Whom It May Concern M thin5 that 7e have reached a time in 7hich :od2 the creator of this 7orld2 is loo5in/ at us and cryin/. f 7e see the 7orld from outside2 7e reali?e that it is burnin/. am a Palestinian and ;m not tal5in/ for myself. am tal5in/ for every other Palestinian .erson2 man2 7oman2 boy and /irl. Jhat 7e are dealin/ 7ith is not ne7, 7e stayed fifty% t7o years under the occu.ation 7aitin/ for .eace. Je don;t 7ant anythin/ im.ossible. Je 6ust 7ant to live .eacefully li5e any other human bein/ in this 7orld. f 7e deal 7ith human bein/s2 thin/s 7ould have chan/ed earlier. But it is as if 7e are not dealin/ 7ith human bein/s. t is as if they don;t have feelin/s2 it is as if they 7ant us all to be dead. really don;t 7ant you to feel sorry for us2 7e don;t 7ant tears2 7e 7ant actions. >el. our hel.less .eo.le. Je cried enou/h and 7e suffered enou/h. srael is 5illin/ hundreds of children and youn/ teena/ers 7ith all the 7ea.ons it has2 and Palestinians are defendin/ their lands and bodies 7ith stones. Jhy can;t the 7orld 6ust sto. these crimesK blame the Dnited States for all these victims because they see the truth but their interests are more im.ortant than our lives. Don;t loo5 at us as Palestinians2 loo5 at us as human bein/s 7ho have ri/hts as anyone else. n the DS2 there are ri/hts even for animals. Jhen 8adeleine 1lbri/ht said that the 1rabs must end the violence2 7hich violence is she tal5in/ about2 for :od;s sa5eK The Palestinians must sto. the violence that the sraelis started. Jho has the 7ea.ons2 7ho 5ills the innocent .eo.leK Jhat is their faith2 their fear of :od2 their conscienceK don;t 7ant anythin/ from the 1mericans9 6ust 7ant them to 7a5e u.. Eet them for/et for a moment their interests2 and remember that there is :od and 6ustice in this 7orld. Jhen 8ohammed 1l%Dura 7as 5illed2 he shoo5 everyone;s feelin/s not because he 7as a child % many other children 7ere 5illed. t 7as the 7ay he 7as 5illed2 the 7ay he 7as screamin/2 tryin/ to hide his body from the bullets behind his father;s 7ea5 arm. Jhat dama/e 7ould he have done if he had stayed aliveK Jhat 7ere they thin5in/ 7hen they 5illed himK Je cried and cried 7ith his family and feel no7 that am the sister of all these children2 these innocent an/els. They should have lived the best life2 havin/ a .erfect education2 live li5e any other children in this 7orld2 .lay2 lau/h and en6oy. But 7here are they no72 under the /round2 dead. 1nd M7e have to sto. the violenceNP believe that even thou/h 7e are alone2 :od is al7ays 7ith us. So as5 everyone to 7a5e u.2 reali?e 7hat is really ha..enin/2 accordin/ to their conscience2 their faith. 1t last 7ant you to 5no7 the truth2 the real case of Palestine. Be sure that 7e Christians and 8oslems are one forever.N 8ary 8ohammed al%Dura Palestine October $*2 $'''

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Encounter, .it+ I,rae*i, Octo5er 40 6 "ove(5er 3) 2000 Jednesday 13112 a tri. to 0amallah. The collective taxi or service first sto.s at the 4erusalem chec5.oint 7here soldiers investi/ate the .assen/ers; .a.ers. T7o have to /et out and /o bac5 to Bethlehem. Their s.ecial .ermit 7as ex.ired. remember that at the be/innin/ of the closures .eo.le used to come sittin/ next to me and start a conversation in the ho.e that a sho7 of friendshi. 7ith a forei/ner 7ould hel. them .ass. mmediately after the chec5.oint2 another /rou. of soldiers ta5e a <uic5 loo5 inside and outside the vehicle in search of ex.losives. T7o hundred meters further do7n the car is sto..ed once a/ain2 this time by sraeli .olice. The .assen/ers si/h. Palestinians dread .olice chec5s since they usually ta5e lon/. 1ll the drivers; .a.ers are chec5ed2 and the seats and number of .assen/ers are counted 7ith care. The driver ar/ues that t7o youn/ children should not be counted as full .assen/ers. The re/isterin/ of the tic5et ta5es $' minutes. The .assen/ers im.atiently clic5 7ith their ton/ues and ma5e .hone calls to those 7aitin/ for them in 4erusalem. 1 baby starts cryin/. The driver is sto..ed a fourth time2 a/ain by .olice. 1fter he sho7s his tic5et as evidence that he and his car have been fully investi/ated2 he is allo7ed to continue. On the return tri.2 an sraeli soldier calls me and as5s 7hat do in Bethlehem. M t is dan/erous there.N 1fter my ex.lanation2 he 7aves me throu/h2 sayin/ 7ithout irony, M>ave a /ood time.N Besides the chec5.oint some t7enty 7or5ers sit on roc5s /uarded by soldiers. 1 familiar scene. They are 7or5ers 7ho snea5ed 7ithout .ermit into 4erusalem but 7ere cau/ht on their 7ay bac5. 1 taxi driver says that they have to sit for a fe7 hours in the dar52 as if they are nau/hty schoolboys. OOO 1t home2 8ary ex.lains that there 7as a/ain continuous shootin/ on Beit 4ala. She 6ust came home after meetin/ a doctor there 7ho is doin/ his 7or5 in 7hat has become a desolate area. Je close the shutters and 7atch a live .ro/ram on sraeli TC 7hich sho7s a re.orter busily tal5in/ next to a tan5 in :ilo2 the 4erusalem <uarter built u.on Beit 4ala lands 7hich is no7 under re/ular fire from Palestinian rifles. Shells are shot and seconds later 7e hear a loud ex.losion2 this time not a TC sound but a real one % the shells fallin/ do7n in Beit 4ala. 1ccordin/ to local TC2 the o7ner of a beautiful mansion on the ed/e of Beit 4ala /ot a fatal stro5e after 7atchin/ the bombin/ of his house on TC in South 1merica. That same broadcast 7as also 7atched by the stonecutter 7ho had he7n the stones of the house9 he had to cry uncontrollably. >ouses mean a lot to .eo.le here2 they are .art of their body and soul. To 7atch bombin/s is a stran/e ex.erience indeed. Durin/ the be/innin/ of the second :ulf 7ar a CAA 6ournalist com.ared the bombs on Ba/hdad 7ith a Christmas fire7or5. Eivin/ on the hi/hest floor of the )reres;2 =arishma2 too2 7atches this Mhorrible beauty.N Durin/ mornin/s she /ives +n/lish class to sixth /raders2 many of 7hom come from Beit 4ala and Beit Sahour2 the areas most affected. The students .lay that they are intervie7ed on CAA2 and 7rite do7n their stories of the .revious days. They cannot easily

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concentrate on anythin/ else. 1t least tal5in/ about Hthe situation; has a thera.eutic effect. One student 7rites, MJe 7ere sittin/ in my .arents; bedroom 7hen a bullet bro5e the 7indo7 and .assed over my mother;s head to settle in the 7all. Je 7ere all afraid but luc5ily nobody 7as hurt.N OOO Aext day2 meet a )ather 7ho teaches at Bethlehem Dniversity. Des.ite the evacuation order /iven to 1mericans2 the forei/n staff here 7ho are .rimarily 1merican De Ea Salle Brothers administerin/ the university2 decided to stay at the cam.us. The )ather tells ho7 that 7ee5 a bullet had entered the room of one of them. MThe hy.othesis is2N the )ather says2 Mthat the Brother 7atched 0achel;s Tomb throu/h his binoculars9 sraeli soldiers detected this2 and fired a 7arnin/ shot. sraeli shar.shooters have the e<ui.ment to tar/et very .recisely from a lon/ distance. )ortunately the Brother 7as out to ta5e a cu. of coffee.N 8y com.anion observes a chan/in/ mood amon/ Palestinian staff at the Dniversity2 a7ay from the .eace ne/otiations. This even ha..ens to those 7ho used to have moderate .olitical o.inions. Jhat es.ecially seems to inflame .eo.le;s attitudes is the hi/h .ercenta/e of youth 5illed by shots in the breasts or bet7een the eyes. This su//ests a .olicy of Hshootin/ to 5ill;. see the chan/e of mood also in my o7n environment. )uad :iacaman2 the nstitute;s and )reres School;s director2 also has moderate o.inions and is in fact involved in several exchan/es 7ith sraeli schools. 1ll are sus.ended no7. 1fter he evacuated his dau/hter from Beit Sahour t7o 7ee5s a/o I she lives in a shootin/ ?one I his family moc5ed him2 MSo2 7here are your sraeli friendsKN >is .resent .olicy is to only have .hone calls 7ith sraelis2 no meetin/s or 6oint activities. There is need for a .eriod of calm and mournin/ for the death2 he says. 1lso2 recent events lend .eace conce.ts li5e reconciliation and 6ustice a different meanin/. This needs time for reflection. Let he maintains Mstrate/icallyN committed to .eace dialo/ues. smail2 our collea/ue in >ebron2 7ho is a .eaceful and .atient man by nature2 is e<ually involved in dialo/uin/ 7ith sraelis. >is dau/hter studies in 8anhattan to/ether 7ith sraeli students on a HSeeds of Peace; .ro6ect that is .resently sus.ended. >is school in >ebron2 of 7hich he is the .rinci.al2 is out of bounds. >e si/ns u. at a local Dnited Aations office to receive his salary. >is school for children of refu/ees is located in >$2 the area in 7hich the fe7 hundred sraeli settlers of >ebron live. Since the be/innin/ of the hostilities tens of thousands of Palestinians livin/ there remain under curfe7 7hile the settlers freely tread the streets. 8ore than t7enty Palestinian schools in that area are closed2 includin/ smail;s. Some of them are used as army observation .oints and de.ots. On Saturday2 a Dutch ac<uaintance .asses by 7ho also is involved in sraeli%Palestinian exchan/es. The discourse on both sides is no7 so ne/ative that he does not even for7ard emails to the other side. nterestin/ly2 the 4ordanian mails directed to7ards the sraelis are shar.er in tone than the Palestinian mails. am not sur.rised. Palestinian life is so closely intert7ined 7ith sraeli life that /enerali?ations are sometimes difficult to maintain. OOO

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This 7ee5end 8ary had a contact 7ith an sraeli ac<uaintance livin/ in :ilo. She offered 8ary to drive her father from the Bethlehem chec5.oint to >adassah hos.ital in 4erusalem2 and to hel. translatin/ in case the doctor 7ould not s.ea5 +n/lish 7ell. OOO 4ara seems not very much affected by the shellin/. Durin/ the Jednesday and Thursday ni/hts2 7e to/ether sin/ Dutch children son/s as if to silence the blo7s outside. On Sunday2 she .lays and lau/hs in front of the family /arden des.ite the sirens and shootin/s at 0achel;s Tomb. 1t one .oint she .ic5s u. little .ebbles2 /oes to the ed/e of the street and thro7s the .ebbles at a .assin/ demonstration of Palestinian school children. 8ary lau/hs, MShe ta5es it over from TC but does not understand 7hat ha..ens.N OOO visit the Church of Aativity 7hich is stran/ely em.ty and silent. Silence in .laces that used to be full of murmurin/2 and loud ban/s at moments 7hen it should be silent. East 7ee5 our nei/hbor told a story about a collea/ue of her 7ho lives in Beit 4ala. This collea/ue as5ed .ermission to slee. at 7or5 in 4erusalem. MSo2 did he slee. 7ellKN MAo2 he could not slee.2 it 7as much too silent.N

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Trace, o0 7io*ence "ove(5er 3-24) 2000 Tuesday a Dutch tourist /rou. visits Bethlehem. 7as .reviously informed that the tour leaders 7anted the /rou. to become familiar 7ith Mthe Palestinian side of the story.N The /uide of the /rou.2 a Dutch s.ea5in/ sraeli2 7as not ha..y 7ith the visit but succumbed to the /rou.;s demand. Je converse by mobile 7here to meet. This is a com.licated issue since sraeli soldiers no7 tend to forbid tourist /rou.s to come into Bethlehem. Dsin/ a detour the /rou. succeeds in enterin/ throu/h the bac5side of Beit 4ala. Aear the chec5.oint they leave the sraeli bus and move into a Palestinian bus. The sraeli /uide stays behind2 she is formally not allo7ed to enter the Palestinian 1reas2 and is concerned that the Palestinian tourist .olice at the Church of Aativity may reco/ni?e her. She ur/es to 5ee. the visit short2 but the tour leaders 7his.er that it doesn;t matter 7hen 7e are bac5 late. )irst 7e /o to a souvenir sho. on the 7ay to the Church. The o7ner had ur/ed us to come early since the sho. is located o..osite 0achel;s Tomb 7here later in the mornin/ stone%thro7in/ incidents may occur. The tourists ta5e .ictures of the stones on the street2 silent traces of the clashes from .revious days. MJhy don;t they remove them2N as5s one. Others lau/h at her. The souvenir sho. o7ner tells that 7e are the first /rou. since six 7ee5s. Dnli5e other sho.s2 he did not dismiss his em.loyees or send them on an un.aid leave. To my sur.rise2 the /rou. buys some considerable .ieces of olive 7ood .roducts. The Dutch are locally 5no7n to be Mstin/yN tourists. 1fter a tour throu/h the Church of Aativity 7e loo5 for a <uiet .lace to discuss the .olitical and social situation in Bethlehem. Je decide to sit do7n in the /rottos of the >oly nnocents and St 4erome under the main Church. These areas are usually cro7ded but the Church is no7 em.ty and silent. tell about life in Bethlehem. The tourists as5 <uestions2 amon/ other thin/s2 about 1rafat;s Mdouble s.ea5N, M1lmost all in the /rou. are of the o.inion that 1rafat says in .rivate somethin/ different from 7hat he says in .ublic.N ans7er that this is .robably the case 7ith most .olitical leaders2 includin/ Bara5. n a tense .olitical and military situation in 7hich leaders have to be accountable to different constituencies and face different .ressures2 they usually s.ea5 7ith different voices. The .eo.le nod. Other <uestions follo7, MJhy don;t Palestinian .arents care for their 5ids /oin/ out on the streetK 8y ans7er, Parents care a /reat deal for their 5ids9 they are 7orried about them but cannot control them. Several as5, MJhat can 7e doKN ans7er that settin/ u. /rassroots contacts 7ith Palestinian schools and 5ids 7ould be a /ood idea. Palestinian students are often <uite isolated and lon/ for more contacts 7ith .eo.le abroad. t /ives them a chance to tell their stories and to ma5e the Palestinian ima/e more human. The /rou. leaves to7n. Drivin/ throu/h Beit 4ala2 one of the tour leaders ta5es the mi5e and tells the /rou. that 7hile the Dutch usually avoid .laces of unrest2 this /rou. 7anted to face reality and 7ent to the .laces that 7ere shelled. +nthusiastically the /rou. says /oodbye. That same day the sraeli /uide 7ill lead them to Lad Cashem2 the sraeli >olocaust memorial2 and after that to the beach resort Aetanya. To/ether 7ith .resent% day Bethlehem2 a remar5able combination of visits indeed.

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OOO The other day )uad introduced a meetin/ by sayin/2 in a business%li5e manner, MEet;s finish <uic5ly2 before the bombin/ starts.N >e lau/hed immediately after7ards2 reali?in/ ho7 absurd the announcement must have sounded. Peo.le live on the ed/e and have their ears 7ide o.en to detect sounds of shouts2 shots and sirens. Conversations are interru.ted, MDo you hear that soundKN Je discuss the latest ne7s. The day before a local )atah leader2 >oussein 1bayat2 7as 5illed in a helico.ter attac5 in Beit Sahour. T7o 7omen2 bystanders2 7ere also 5illed. Su?y tells ho7 students .anic5ed 7hen the radio ne7s came throu/h. 1 collea/ue too5 her out of the class to inform her and immediately the students started to shout2 MJhat ha..enedKN The school had made the arran/ement that in case of emer/encies the older students 7ould /o to the youn/er ones to calm them. Su?y .ointed out that those res.onsible for calmin/ do7n others2 should be calm themselves. That messa/e 7or5ed. Jhen the ne7s became .ublic2 some students turned out to 5no7 the 7omen 7ho 7ere 5illed. One 7oman 7as in fact a relative of a student. Eater that day2 read the sraeli .a.er Haaretz about the incident. 1 s.o5es.erson of the sraeli army said that the attac5 7as done M.rofessionallyN from the MtacticalN .oint of vie7. 1t most2 there 7as a Mstrate/ic mista5eN in timin/2 as the attac5 ha..ened at a moment 7hen 1rafat 7as in Jashin/ton to meet Clinton. That had /iven 1rafat a di.lomatic ed/e. 1s for the 7omen bystanders2 their death 7as Munavoidable.N OOO Su?y tells about an 11%year old /irl at her school 7hose house in Beit Sahour has been lar/ely destroyed. n front of the local Bethlehem TC2 the /irl .ointed to the many bullet holes under the staircase. MJe 7ere ha..y that 7e did not hide there2 as others do.N 1s5ed about her o.inion of the sraelis2 she said, MThe sraelis are a cruel .eo.le but as5 :od to for/ive them2 since they are human bein/s.N The intervie7er didn;t 5no7 7hat to say. Su?y and Sa7san exclaim that they are .roud to be former students of St 4ose.h. Su?y decides to as5 for the videota.e 7ith the intervie7 and to later on discuss it 7ith her older students. >o7ever2 she suddenly reali?es that the video room is no7 transformed into a )irst 1id room. OOO Daily life is full of 7hat is eu.hemistically called Mthe violence.N The violence has not only .hysical effects but also enters youn/ .eo.le;s minds and feelin/s. Students ma5e a /ame out of 7ho is able to collect the hi/hest number of bullets in the streets and the /ardens. =arishma tells about another 7ar /ame, M1t brea5 time these 5ids a/ed about "31' years2 instead of .layin/ football and thin/s2 no7 .lay sraeli soldiers and Palestinian martyrsQ They act it all outQ t;s <uite entertainin/ actually I 7atch from my balcony I until you thin5 7hat ma5es them do it. They /ather in a bi/ /rou.2 maybe (' to (* 5ids2 and .ic5 u. one 5id 7ho .lays the dead martyr and then yell Allahu A bar F:od is /reatG and chant some .hrases that are normal durin/ marches for martyrsQ and they /o about the 7hole school shoutin/ li5e thisPN

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7onder if the boys; sturdiness 6ust serves to su..ress their fears and frustrations. There are so many cases of 5ids of that a/e 7ho no7 do it in their .ants. Su?y tells that the other day she 7as standin/ nearby a five%year old /irl 7ho 7atched an sraeli helico.ter flyin/ over to7n. The child2 from Palestinian and Bul/arian .arents2 softly san/ an im.rovised son/2 MTayyala! tayyalaN @tayyara is .lane2 but she cannot .ronounce the Hr; 7ellB2 M.lease dro. your bombs and 7ill 5no7 7hat to do 7ith you.N 8y o7n 4ara of almost three2 other7ise a..arently not affected and usually lau/hin/ all the time2 .uts a .lastic ba/ around her head li5e the hooded )atah youn/sters on .arade. She says2 M am a /un2N and imitates the sound of shots. OOO The 7eather is at its best. nsofar as .ossible2 .eo.le try to collect the olive harvest. The olive tree is the Hsacred tree; here2 a symbol of life. These days2 settlers have started shootin/ into the olive fields near Beit 4ala. t is not anymore safe to .ic5 the olives there. Ei5e others2 8ary /ives a bottle of olive oil to the .riests in the Church of Aativity2 and .rays for her family. MAever2 never did thin5 that once 7ould consider leavin/2N she says.

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o**ap,e o0 Dai*/ Li0e "ove(5er 24-20) 2000 Durin/ a late mana/ement meetin/ at the )reres School the li/ht falls out because of an electricity cut. Je tal5 for almost an hour in the dar5. The school lac5s a /enerator. Parents are unable to .ay fees and the administration 7as forced to save on e<ui.ment. There are different reasons for the fre<uent electricity cuts, The local su..lier may have been hit by a roc5et or the electricity com.any has to conduct re.air 7or5s. The cuts add to the re/ular colla.se of daily life routines. +ach time 7hen com.uters or other essential machinery don;t 7or52 .eo.le need to .ause and thin5 7hat to do next. Travelin/ re<uires im.rovisation or is im.ossible. call >elen Shehadeh2 a director of a school for the blind in Beit 4ala. >erself blind2 she 7as invited to /o to 8elbourne in 1ustralia for an international conference of the Jorld Blind Dnion. >o7ever2 since Tel 1viv air.ort is .resently closed for Palestinians from the occu.ied territories2 she had to /o to 1mman2 a 6ourney 7hich due to all the chan/es of taxi and the hills that have to be climbed over is no7 too difficult for her. 8any of her school children live in villa/es and are unable to attend school. 1t least she mana/es to reassure those 7ho are .resent. The secretary at the educational institute2 Shireen2 tells that her mother .resently slee.s at a friend;s home in Beit Safafa2 an 1rab villa/e that 7as included in the 4erusalem munici.al boundaries after the 7ar of 1"6#. Aormally she travels each day from her home in Bethlehem to her 7or5 as a cleaner at the >ebre7 Dniversity in 4erusalem but travelin/ to 4erusalem has no7 become too difficult. Shireen ho.es that her mother can at least come over for the 7ee5end. myself ex.erience the .roblems of travelin/ too. Jhile the 6ourney bet7een Bethlehem and 4erusalem is some seven 5ilometers2 the taxi ta5es a detour of .robably four times that distance2 movin/ into roc5y and un5no7n .aths. +ach time 7hen he sees another car2 the driver as5s2 M s there army hereKN >e is <uite nervous and 7ants to return2 but the .assen/ers I almost all elderly 8oslem believers 7ho 7ish to .ray in 4erusalem I encoura/e and advise him. The extra .ay hel.s too. 1fter arrival in 4erusalem do an errand for the family2 and buy medicines in the Jestern .art of the city. The sraeli .harmacist is hel.ful9 it is /ood to feel that there are at least some friendly sraelis. Bac5 in Bethlehem2 meet my collea/ues 7ho have their o7n road stories to tell. smail 8u5bil2 the school .rinci.al2 came that mornin/ 7ith only ten students from 1rroub refu/ee cam. near >ebron. East evenin/ a youth 7as 5illed in a nei/hborin/ villa/e2 and the resultin/ tensions led some .arents to 5ee. their 5ids at home. Drivin/ in his car2 the youth2 7ho 7anted to enter the villa/e2 became tra..ed bet7een demonstrators and soldiers. >e did not obey the soldiers; command to /et out of the car and in reaction he 7as2 it seems 7antonly2 shot in the head. smail .resently 7or5s not in his o7n school2 7hich is located in a >ebron area under continuous curfe72 but in a Dnited Aations school in a villa/e outside the to7n. 1lthou/h the school is 6ust a fe7 5ilometers far2 it ta5es him more than 12* hour to reach it. Jithout a car himself2 he ta5es collective taxis that are ho7ever not allo7ed to .ass the several chec5.oints on the 7ay. +ach time he /ets out2 he sho7s his DA .ass to the

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soldiers and 7al5s throu/h the chec5.oint to ta5e another taxi a hundred meters further a7ay. 1 considerable number of the 1rroub inhabitants2 es.ecially the builders 7ho used to 7or5 in srael2 are .resently 7ithout 7or5. smail estimates the unem.loyment rate in the cam. at ('R. Those 7ho still have 7or5 are .rimarily staff of the Dnited Aations 0elief and Jor5 1/ency2 the DA or/ani?ation that 7or5s amon/ Palestinian refu/ees. 8any are teachers. They /ather early in the mornin/ near the cam.;s entrance2 uncertain 7hether they 7ill reach their 7or5 in time or indeed at all. )rom his #'' students only $'' can ma5e it to the ne7 school location. One of his students2 ei/ht years old2 lost his 7ay a fe7 days a/o. Dnintentionally he entered a >ebron area 7hich 7as under curfe7. >e 7as forced by soldiers to lie do7n on the street2 and 7as s.at and 5ic5ed. +s.ecially the 6ourney bac5 home is difficult for students and teachers. Dsually tensions increase later durin/ the day2 and soldiers may announce the closure of an area. On Tuesday it ha..ened that the tires of about (' taxis 7ere shot near the cam.;s entrance2 and the car 5eys confiscated. n a similar story2 told by my nei/hbour2 it ha..ened that an ac<uaintance of her2 a truc5 driver2 7as sto..ed and2 after not sho7in/ the ri/ht .a.ers2 7as confronted 7ith the choice to either drive his truc5 a/ainst a 7all or to have all his tires shot. Since his tires 7ere very ex.ensive2 he chose to dama/e the truc5;s foreside. 1fter doin/ this2 the soldiers shot his tires. OOO )or some days Sa7san >ad7eh2 the com.uter teacher at Talitha =umi in Beit 4ala2 7as unable to come to the institute. She 5ne7 >arry )ischer 7ell2 the :erman .hysiothera.ist livin/ in Beit 4ala 7ho 7as 5illed by a roc5et on Jednesday ni/ht 7hile tryin/ to hel. and rescue a nei/hbour. Before leavin/ home2 )ischer told his Palestinian 7ife that he2 as a :erman2 7ould not run a ris5 7hen hel.in/ others. Sa7san tells that the local community loved him and a..reciated his 7or5. She herself teaches his son and dau/hter2 both M.eaceful and moderate youth.N The doctor;s house has al7ays been a .lace for hos.itality2 also durin/ the first ntifadah 7hen Beit 4ala 7as2 unli5e no72 a 5ind of Hsafe haven;. Durin/ that same ni/ht of heavy shellin/ @7hich 7ent on till four o;cloc5 in the mornin/B2 Sa7san;s house 7as dama/ed by a roc5et 7hich hori?ontally fle7 over the roof of the house brea5in/ the solar heatin/ and 7ater tan5s. t too5 her a day to collect the debris and find her concentration a/ain. Durin/ ni/hts she stays 7ith her mother in bed2 readin/ the Bible for her. Over t7o hundred houses in Beit 4ala have been seriously dama/ed2 a fe7 of them com.letely destroyed. The Aativity >otel in Beit 4ala has o.ened its doors for inhabitants 7ho cannot or do not 7ant to stay anymore at home. OOO am called by the Dutch 0e.resentative Office for the Palestinian Territories 7ho announce that they 7ill or/ani?e their re/ular St Aicholas .arty. cannot 7ithhold a lau/h2 but the s.o5es7oman ex.lains that such a .arty 7ould be very hel.ful for the

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children. 1fter thin5in/ it over have to a/ree. Ao7 4ara and sin/ St Aicholas son/s every evenin/. Aothin/ is so hel.ful to release tension as sin/in/. 1ll the time 7onder ho7 4ara is feelin/ these days. So many .arents are 7orried about their children. 1 fe7 days a/o sraeli air.lanes bro5e the sound barrier above Bethlehem and the loud ban/s scared the 5ids. Jhile 7e 7ere .layin/2 4ara too 7as scared. Should 7e /o inside the houseK decided to continue .layin/ as if the noise 7as only a nuisance. n fact2 4ara sho7s more H.olitical; understandin/ than thou/ht 7as .ossible at her a/e. She li5es to imitate and 7hen listenin/ to the BBC ne7s2 she ta5es her little chair and comes sittin/ next to me. She dra7s a serious face and 7atches the radio. as5 her, MDo you 5no7 ClintonKN MLes.N MDo you 5no7 1rafatKN MLes2 and also 5no7 =offi 1nan.N MDo you 5no7 Bara5KN MAo2N she says2 M>e is mish mniih Fnot /oodG.N 8ary lau/hs. Someho7 have the feelin/ that 4ara transfers the moral schemes she learns from fairy tales to the reality around her. OOO On Saturday2 Bethlehem is suddenly full of sho..in/ .eo.le. t is a sur.rise to see .eo.le lau/hin/ and relaxin/. 0amadan is comin/ soon. There is ne7s that confrontations may subside2 at least for the moment. Jho doesn;t 7ant thatK But later on2 7e hear about an attac5 on an sraeli school bus in :a?a2 7ith t7o .assen/ers 5illed. Jill there be any let% u. durin/ the 7ee5s leadin/ to ChristmasK

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aring and o((unit/ "ove(5er 20-28) 2000 The mother of a friend and nei/hbor of ours died. On 8onday 7e attend the first memorial service at the 1rmenian section of the Church of Aativity. The attendants2 some of 7hom hold a candle2 stand in a circle around the bier. The 1rmenian .riests 7ear their remar5able trian/ular hats2 sha.ed in the form of a church2 as if they are 7al5in/ churches. 1fter7ards 8ary2 her family and .ay condolences at our friend;s home. 8en and 7omen /o into se.arate rooms. The silence is intensely social9 the .eo.le are close to each other. The only tal5 is about ho7 to arran/e .ermits to attend the funeral next day in the 1rmenian <uarter in 4erusalem. Aext day2 7e hear that the sraeli Civil 1dministration /ave .ermits for 6ust t7o cars. Only the closest family could /o. 1 fe7 days later 7e visit the second memorial service follo7ed a/ain by a visit to the family house. Blac5 coffee and s7eet bread are .resented2 the local custom. Ao7 .eo.le tal5 more and also lau/h. feel that the t7o condolence meetin/s mar5 different sta/es of a meanin/ful Hrite de .assa/e;. The first meetin/ ex.ressed the 6oint commemoration of loss2 the second sho7s the family and surroundin/ community comin/ to life a/ain. )or the .ast several months our friend had ta5en a leave from her 7or5 as a counselor at St 4ose.h;s School in 4erusalem in order to ta5e care of her mother. She es.ecially had to console her durin/ the fearful moments of shellin/. Ei5e our friend2 there are many 7omen in the Palestinian community ta5in/ care of their .arents. Jith almost no services for the elderly available2 and often 7ithout .ro.er insurance and medical care2 it is usually the dau/hters livin/ close 7ho ta5e res.onsibility. 8ary and her sister 4anet .resently ta5e care of their father 7ho is 7ea5ened by a serious infection. Sa7san consoles her mother 7ho is afraid of the shellin/2 7hile Su?y2 7hose mother is .resently in the DS2 ta5es care of friends and does various errands for a medical or/ani?ation in Bethlehem. Due to the de.arture of youn/ men to countries abroad2 there are more 7omen than men in Bethlehem2 and more elder .eo.le than youth. OOO On Thursday2 )riday and Saturday2 the students from Bethlehem and >ebron come to the com.uter lab of the institute to share their stories 7ith Dutch students. have the im.ression that the visit to the institute has become somethin/ s.ecial for many of the 5ids2 not 6ust because of the access to the com.uters and the nternet but also because of the o..ortunity to leave home. The /irls of St 4ose.h .ut on ma5e%u.. Some boys of the )reres School sit outside the com.uter class for more than an hour2 7aitin/ till the /irls come out of the room. The /irls are of the same a/e but thin5 that the boys are far less mature and they 7al5 out as if they don;t notice anyone. 1fter7ards the boys loo5 out from the 7indo7s and try to catch the /irls; attention. Both don;t have social evenin/s. Sana;a 1bu :hosh2 a .rinci.al of a Dnited Aations School in the villa/e of Battir2 south%7est of Bethlehem2 calls. try to involve a class of her school in an exchan/e .ro/ram 7ith Bel/ian schools. She li5es the idea but the .roblem is that the /irls cannot come from the villa/e to Bethlehem. They have to cross Hroad 6'; 7hich has become a

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by.ass road for settlers 7ho travel from 4erusalem in the direction of >ebron. Because Palestinian cars are not allo7ed to drive alon/ some 12* 5m of that road2 students and teachers have to 7al5 there. This can be dan/erous because of shootin/s. The dan/er and inconvenience .revent some of her teachers 7ho live outside the villa/e to come to 7or5. +ven if they can2 they mi/ht not be allo7ed to cross the chec5.oint on their 7ay bac5 home. Je discuss 7hether it is .ossible that she 7ould arran/e havin/ a com.uter 7ith nternet at her school so that the /irls do not need to come 7ee5ly to the institute. OOO Ei5e Sana;a;s school2 many schools face o.erational difficulties. 1l%=hader2 a villa/e bet7een Bethlehem and Battir2 is es.ecially affected. The villa/e itself is in area 12 that is2 under full Palestinian control. >o7ever2 its four schools are located in area C2 7hich is under the control of the sraeli army. 1ccordin/ to the sraeli ne7s.a.er Haaretz this 7ee52 the local military commander determined that Palestinian youth /atherin/ in the school courtyard had thro7n /as canisters at the military. >e ordered the schools2 7ith to/ether more than $2''' students2 to be closed for at least a month. n res.onse2 the school .rinci.al did an investi/ation and concluded that the canisters 7ere thro7n not from the school courtyard but from a nei/hbourin/ s.orts field2 and that this 7as done by youth from other areas. The students no7 study on the floor of the local mos<ue or in a villa/e house. The older students2 7ho have to 7or5 for their final exams2 /o to schools in other villa/es 7here they ta5e a second shift in the late afternoon after the re/ular students have finished studies. Some of the teachers 7ho come from other areas have decided to stay overni/ht in those villa/es. 1t dar52 .eo.le don;t travel. OOO 5no7 1l%=hader 7ell because used to /o there to accom.any school class excursions. 1l%=hader means Mthe :reen OneN and re.resents a holy .erson in slam2 described in the =oran @The Cave, 18,6'B as the some7hat mystical advisor of 8usa F8osesG. )or the Christians2 1l%=hader is St :eor/e. 1ccordin/ to local le/end he 7as .ut in .rison in the villa/e. Eater on2 the Crusaders too5 the le/end of St :eor/e to the Jest2 7here he became the .atron saint of +n/land. n the center of the 8oslem villa/e is a :ree5 Orthodox Church in 7hich a lone .riest serves a church community 7hich mainly consists of .il/rims % Christians but also 8oslems. The church .rides an iron chain 7hich believers .ut around the nec5 in order to be .rotected by the saint. On the saint;s day @8ay *36B .il/rims come to /ive sacrifices or to ba.ti?e their child. Palestinian fol5lore contains a 7ealth of stories about the healin/ .ro.erties of the saint2 and2 7hen as5ed2 the villa/ers 7ill tell you 7onder stories attributed to the saint;s intercession. Traditionally2 St :eor/e brin/s rain to the .easants by runnin/ on his thunderous horse over the clouds. Ei5e a 5ni/htly .rince he .rovides .rotection. Durin/ last s.rin/ /uided a Dutch /rou. to the .lace. The /rou. leader2 a reverend2 7as some7hat dismissive about the Msu.erstitionN of the villa/ers. ex.ressed my belief that the saint lent a sacred meanin/ to community life.

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OOO Ao7 the inhabitants of 1l%=hader need .rotection more than ever. This 7ee52 the Lamama hos.ital close to the villa/e @8ary;s father 7as there a month a/oB 7as shot at the moment that some youth2 in6ured from .revious shootin/s2 7ere treated in the emer/ency room. The room had to be evacuated immediately. n another incident close to the villa/e2 a Palestinian taxi 7as sto..ed9 the soldiers ordered all .assen/ers to leave the car % not throu/h the doors but the 7indo7sP The taxi driver had to assist the .eo.le2 7ho 7ere not youn/2 in 7ri//lin/ themselves out and after7ards brin/in/ them in the same 7ay. )rom a sho.5ee.er close to the 1l%>usseini hos.ital in Beit 4ala Su?y heard an even more bi?arre story. 1fter a family car 7as sto..ed2 a/ain near 1l%=hader2 a father and three sons 7ere ordered to come out2 cree. on their arms and le/s2 and bar5 li5e do/s. The middle son refused2 and 7as hit so violently that he after7ards had to be treated in the hos.ital from 7here the sho.5ee.er heard the story. smail2 the school .rinci.al from >ebron2 ex.lained that there is method in this madness. To as5 the father to do such thin/s in front of his children is very humiliatin/2 es.ecially in 1rab society 7here the father;s honour is central to family and community life. 8oreover2 in slam the do/ is considered an unclean animal2 and to demand imitatin/ a do/ is an extreme form of humiliation. 1fter7ards2 Su?y as5ed her 11th /raders 7hat they 7ould do 7hen as5ed to bar5 li5e do/s. The students told they 7ould not com.ly2 never. M1nd 7hat if your father 7as threatened by a /un2 7ould you com.ly or notKN n that case2 most of the /irls ac5no7led/ed that they 7ould com.ly % 7hat can you doK Su?y li5es to challen/e her students 7ith such Hmoral dilemmas;. Both at the )reres and St 4ose.h teachers used to as5 students 7hat they 7ould do if they 7ere in the desert and encounter settlers 7ho had lost their 7ay and lac5ed 7ater. 1 modern a..lication of the :ood Samaritan .arable. 1t the )reres2 one boy in an auditorium 7ith some *'' students said that he 7ould not /ive 7ater since the settler 7as his enemy. 1lmost everybody else ob6ected2 sayin/ that this 7as a/ainst the .rinci.les of Christianity and slam2 and that of course one should /ive 7ater to 7homever 7as in need. @0i/ht no72 am not so sure about their o.inions on the matterB. One clever student develo.ed a .olitical com.romise2 sayin/2 MO=2 7ould /ive 7ater2 but or/ani?e a .ress conference after7ards.N 1t St 4ose.h;s2 Su?y as5ed her students to thin5 about a reversal of the situation. Jhat 7ould the students thin5 the settlers 7ould do 7hen the Palestinians 7ere 7ithout 7aterK 1s it turned out2 the students did not trust the settlers as much as they trusted themselves. The .resent%day moral dilemmas are not hy.othetical2 and underline the vulnerability of .eo.le in everyday life. Confrontin/ her students 7ith the story about the family forced to imitate do/s2 Su?y said that one /irl started to cry uncontrollably. She 7as related to the 1bayat family2 the local )atah leader 7ho 7as assassinated in a helico.ter attac5 t7o 7ee5s a/o. The /irl is 5no7n for her harsh o.inions and feelin/s of reven/e2 to the .oint that her father re/ularly tells her, MChoose your 7ords2 lady.N >er o.inions seem to su..ress a basic fear and sadness. OOO

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These 7ee5s see2 and hear about many .eo.le cryin/. Jith my Jestern%Dutch bac5/round2 sometimes tend to become im.atient 7ith intense ex.ressions of /rievance. But 8ary .oints out the obvious2 that at many moments cryin/ is the best thin/ you can do. t;s not 6ust to release tensions9 it is also a 7ay of sho7in/ that you are to/ether and care about each other. Su?y tells that one of her students intervie7ed her /randfather for an oral history research. >e s.o5e about the Palestinian rebellion in 1"(6 durin/ the time of the British 8andate. >is memories resonated so much 7ith the .resent%day ex.eriences of the /irl that she started to cry and said that it 7as only no7 that she too5 seriously all those family stories from before. Ei5e silence2 cryin/ can be an intensely social act2 here brid/in/ the /a. bet7een /enerations. OOO Comin/ to /ri.s 7ith an im.ossible reality creates uncommon habits. One of them is this fascination 7ith violence 7hich in the be/innin/ found stran/e to the .oint of some7hat distasteful. Ao7 thin5 that the hunt for 5no7led/e about bullets and roc5ets /ives .eo.le an almost ma/ical feelin/ of controllin/ 7hat cannot be controlled. Peo.le /o and 7atch the Hfire7or5;2 and become instant ex.erts in all 5inds of bullets @exce.t 8ary and B. =arishma has set u. a Hbullet .ro6ect; in 7hich students search for different ty.es of bullets and document them on di/ital video. Su?y tells that one of her forei/n students in an afternoon class that she /ives at Cremisan2 a seminary run by the Salesians2 as5ed her to collect bullets for a rosary he made. lau/h2 but Su?y says that he 7as <uite serious. )or the talian student2 .rayin/ for .eace /ained in ur/ency 7hen done 7ith a rosary of bullets. Su?y;s /irls no7 collect do?ens of bullets for 7hat may 7ell become a series of rosaries 7ith beads of very uneven si?e. Je also discuss that stran/e lon/in/ some .eo.le have for the sound of bombin/s2 as if the bombin/s are someho7 .art of normal life. /uess that .eo.le are so 6um.y inside that it feels almost uncomfortable 7hen the outside 7orld is <uiet. OOO The 7ee5 ends 7ith the 7eddin/ of the son of )uad2 Teddy. >e is the coordinator of .re% school education at the )reres. 1.art from the families2 the teachers and many students are .resent at St Catherine;s Church9 .erha.s some *'' .eo.le in total2 all 7ell dressed. The atmos.here is /ay. n front of the altar2 the /room is thro7n three times into the air 7hile 7omen ma5e the ululu trills. 1fter7ards2 in the courtyard around St 4erome;s scul.ture2 .eo.le;s social tal5 stri5es a .leasant echo li5e the ex.ectant 7his.erin/ in a music hall before the start of a .erformance. t is the first time since the be/innin/ of the ne7 ntifadah that see .eo.le 7ith sunny faces. 8ary says that a 7eddin/ li5e this is no7 one of the fe7 o..ortunities to /o out and /et social. Jhen 7e discuss this2 a friend of ours tells about her need these days to have fun. Somebody told her that it 7as no7 not a..ro.riate to /o out2 as all .eo.le around are so de.ressed. She instinctively ans7ered2 M don;t care2 li5e to /o out2 7ant to /o to the mall2 and dance.N 4ara2 7ho is .resent durin/ the conversation2 a/rees, MLes2 7ant to dance too.N

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This mornin/ 4ara tells that she is Cinderella2 and as5 her MSo2 7ho is your .rinceKN MLes2 7here is my .rinceKN and she loo5s around2 searchin/ in vain.

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A5ou Hanna+ "ove(5er 28 6 Dece(5er 9) 2000 )riday ni/ht 8ary;s father2 1bou >annah2 .assed a7ay. )or a fe7 7ee5s he 7as seriously ill2 but 7e ex.ected that his sic5bed 7ould last for at least some months more. Dnder the circumstances2 all 7ere relieved he did not suffer. The next day2 8ary;s brother >annah @1bou >annah means the father of >annah2 or 4ohnB2 and her sisters Aorma and 0ita2 7ho are married 7ith .artners from various .arts of the 7orld2 come over from Paris 7here they live. 1fter the shoc5 of 1bou >annah;s death2 the reunification of the family is the next intensely emotional moment. 1ll cry u.on arrival. t is sad for a family to meet at a moment of loss. The follo7in/ days the burial and mournin/ are arran/ed accordin/ to custom. )or three days2 visitors .ass by the house. One room is reserved for the men and another for the 7omen. Durin/ the burial day2 one of the nei/hbours offers his house for hostin/ the male section of the family. en<uire 7hy this is so. t concerns a .ractically motivated2 community%buildin/ .ractice shared by almost all Christian denominations and also by 8oslems. The mournin/ family should be relieved from the household duties. Jhile 7aitin/ before /oin/ to church2 7e drin5 stron/ blac5 coffee 7ithout su/ar. This is in fact an effective non%alcoholic drin5 for fi/htin/ a de.ressive mood. 1t lunchtime2 iddreh is served2 a meal customary durin/ the mournin/ .eriod 7hich consists of s.iced rice and chic5en or lamb meat. Durin/ the brief mass in St Catherine;s Church2 the Catholic .art of the Church of Aativity2 the coffin lies o.en. The closest family 5iss 1bou >annah;s forehead to say fare7ell. 8any .eo.le attend the mass2 includin/ 8ary;s collea/ues and all the Brothers of Bethlehem Dniversity. 1fter7ards the men carry the o.en coffin to the cemetery 7here the male attendants .ay condolences to the nearest male family. The next days many hundreds of .eo.le .ass by2 includin/ members of the lar/er hamula Fextended familyG. Cousins and an uncle of 8ary 7ho 7or5s at Bethlehem munici.ality2 as 7ell as their ac<uaintances and .rofessional contacts2 .ay a visit. The visitors stay for about half an hour2 leavin/ 7hen a next round of visitors arrive. Aever in my life shoo5 so many hands. Some of the older .eo.le obviously /ained ex.erience in <uic5ly sha5in/ hands. The youn/er ones .ass by to fill and remove small coffee cu.s in the Bedouin fashion2 7hich they too do 7ith a certain rhythm and s5ill. The tal5 is lively. t is clear that those 7ith authority /ain the attention of all. 1 souvenir sho. o7ner 7ho is also member of the munici.ality council tells about his travelin/ difficulties des.ite havin/ three .ass.orts. The visitors also discuss the heavy shootin/ in Bethlehem on 8onday mornin/ bet7een Palestinians and sraeli soldiers. The day before2 soldiers and settlers had in6ured more than t7enty Palestinians in a villa/e to the south of Bethlehem2 and /unmen a..arently too5 reven/e by startin/ to shoot at 0achel;s Tomb2 the traditional flash.oint. )or our family from Paris2 it 7as their Hba.tism; into the sounds of shootin/ and shellin/. This time it came dan/erously close9 the shootin/ even entered our street. The 7ater tan5s of our o..osite nei/hbours 7ere shot. OOO

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Jhile tal5in/ 7ith the visitors try to reconstruct 1bou >annah;s life. >is real name is 1bdallah 8orcos. H1bdallah; means Hservant of :od; 7hile H8orcos; derives from St 8ar52 the :os.el 7riter. The family traces its distant ori/ins bac5 to Lemen2 7here 1rab tribes 7ere ba.ti?ed by St 8ar5;s follo7ers 7ho traveled from 1lexandria in +/y.t south7ards to the 1rabian Peninsula. 1bou >annah 7as born in 1"1# 6ust a fe7 days after the Balfour Declaration 7as issued. n that declaration2 the then British 8inister of )orei/n 1ffairs .romised the 4e7s a homeland in Palestine under the condition that the ri/hts of 7hat 7ere eu.hemistically called the Mnon%4e7ishN citi?ens 7ould not be infrin/ed. 1bou >annah;s life thus s.anned the 7hole conflict in Palestine2 the end of 7hich he did not live lon/ enou/h to 7itness. >e 7as born not in Palestine but Chile. Durin/ the second half of the 1"th century2 many Christian Bethlehemites ac<uired a 7or5in/ 5no7led/e of lan/ua/es and made international contacts throu/h the Christian missionary schools and institutions then established in 4erusalem and Bethlehem. The ma5in/ of >oly Eand .roducts flourished2 es.ecially olive 7ood scul.tures and mother%of%.earl .roducts. Some of the more adventurous businessmen started to establish ex.ort mar5ets in the Catholic Eatin% 1merican countries2 and2 7hen successful2 emi/rated to those .laces. They sometimes did so under the .ressure of the deterioratin/ circumstances in Palestine before and durin/ the )irst Jorld Jar 7hen youn/ .eo.le tried to esca.e recruitment into the Tur5ish army. Durin/ his first years 1bou >annah /re7 u. in Santia/o de Chile. The youn/ 5id 7as brou/ht bac5 to Palestine by his mother and uncle2 7hile his father2 for business .ur.oses2 stayed in Chile 7here he died shortly after7ards. Durin/ the 1"('s 1bou >annah married 7ith +mily Salman @a name derived from HSuleiman; or HSolomon;B. They en6oyed their honeymoon in 4ericho2 a 7inter resort 7here .eo.le used to 7atch horse races. >e 7as fortunate enou/h to find 7or5 in a cafetaria of the British army at a /arrison in southern 4erusalem. There he ac<uired his life%lon/ admiration for British or/ani?ation and disci.line. The British time 7as com.arably favorable from an economic .oint of vie72 es.ecially durin/ the 1"&'s9 yet it 7as .olitically very instable because of the continuous disturbances bet7een 1rabs and immi/ratin/ 4e7s. 1fter 1"&82 the 4ordanian time 7as mar5ed by the o..osite characteristics9 it 7as .olitically stable but economically difficult. n that .eriod2 travelin/ 7as easy. Jhile the inhabitants of the Jest Ban5 no7 have difficulty to leave their to7n or villa/e2 1bou >annah and his 7ife used to /o freely to Damascus and Beirut to buy fashionable clothes in 6ust one day. )or Palestinian youth no72 Damascus and Beirut are li/ht years a7ay2 cities only familiar from TC. 1bou >annah first 7or5ed in a Bethlehem /rocery and later in his sho. for car s.are .arts. Shortly after the 1"6# 7ar2 his son >annah left for )rance. 1fter he established himself there2 Aorma and 0ita follo7ed. Ei5e so many other Bethlehemite families2 the family lives 7ith one le/ in the +ast2 and 7ith another in the Jest. Aot only .hysically2 but also mentally. see in the many family discussions an +ast%Jest dialo/ue /oin/ on. Perha.s it is no chance that so many Christian Palestinians 7or5 in communicative .rofessions. >annah is director of the 1rabic section of 0adio 8onte Carlo in Paris2 a ma6or radio station in the 8iddle +ast

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7hich is valued for its ob6ective re.ortin/. 1mon/ other thin/s2 Aorma is a film director 7hose film The "eiled Ho#e about Palestinian 7omen still circulates at film festivals. 0ita used to 7or5 as an 1rabic%)rench teacher2 7hile 8ary is librarian and curator of Bethlehem Dniversity;s ne7 herita/e center 7hich caters for university students and2 in the future2 for school children as 7ell as tourists. OOO +mi/ratin/ or not has al7ays been an issue for Bethlehemites and for Christian Palestinians in .articular. Jith so many contacts abroad2 emi/ration is a real o.tion. The .olitical and economic sta/nation brin/s youn/ .eo.le to the brin5 of des.air2 and many of them loo5 for the ri/ht o..ortunity to leave. Ao7adays2 the disastrous circumstances in Palestine affect .eo.le;s morale. East 7ee5 7e heard of a Palestinian family 7ho left their house in Beit 4ala for another house in the same environment. 1fter shellin/ came close2 they moved to 0amallah 7here their ne7 house 7as dama/ed by shootin/. Ao7 they live in Canada. )uad remar5s that it is at .resent com.aratively easy for Palestinian Christians to /et a visa to the Dnited States and es.ecially Canada. >e as5s, s this done out of solidarity or is it a tactic to /et Palestinians out of the countryK Our nei/hbour2 7ho 7or5s at a +uro.ean consulate2 tells ho7 her +uro.ean collea/ues encoura/e her to leave. She res.onded that if at one .oint in her life she 7ould decide to leave Palestine2 she 7ould 7ant to do that out of her o7n free 7ill and not as a refu/ee. She as5ed her em.loyer to do more to sto. srael from ma5in/ Palestine an unsafe .lace. )orei/ners2 too2 are canvassin/ their o.tions. This Sunday =arishma 6oined in a demonstration of forei/n 7omen to sho7 solidarity 7ith Palestinians. Durin/ the .ast 7ee5s2 forei/n embassies and consulates contacted their nationals 7ith the sole .ur.ose of arran/in/ their evacuation. Both in 0amallah2 4erusalem and Bethlehem ex.atriates no7 demand a more su..ortive stand of the consulates and embassies to7ards their nationals2 7ho indeed are2 or can be2 Hmonitors; and can thus fulfill a useful role that is in fact demanded by the international community. OOO )ortunately2 4ara is not at all concerned about the bombin/s. She finds seein/ so many visitors at my family in la7 fascinatin/ and runs from one .erson to the other. She /ives a sin/in/ .erformance in 1rabic min/led 7ith some Dutch 7ords. The mourners are cheered u.. This mornin/ she .ic5ed u. her .lay mobile .hone2 .ushed a number2 and called sido F/rand.aG 7ho is travelin/ ma$ %Issa2 7ith 4esus. M&ye sido'( she finished /ayly. 1t that moment once more felt ha..y that durin/ the last fe7 years of his life 1bou >annah en6oyed the com.any of at least one of his /randchildren.

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A Ta5 $radua**/ *o,ed O00 Dece(5er 9 6 22) 2000 used to thin5 that livin/ in the Mlittle to7n of BethlehemN .rovided a symbolic shield a/ainst the shootin/s and bombin/s2 a shield 7hich the .eo.le of the lesser%5no7n to7ns of Beit 4ala and Beit Sahour lac5ed. Let2 these 7ee5s bullets came every7here in Bethlehem. Our nei/hbours2 7ho live five meters behind our house2 /ot them in their 5itchen 7hich is located on an u..er floor and therefore ex.osed to shootin/s from 0achel;s Tomb. Je ourselves2 livin/ on the first floor2 6ust stayed outside the fire ran/e. That may have been our luc52 but 7ho 5no7sK Jhile am 7ritin/2 there is a/ain heavy fire close by. OOO )indin/ shelter2 or or/ani?in/ a shelter in case of emer/ency2 is a to.ic discussed every7here. 8ary tells that Bethlehem Dniversity has issued instructions ho7 to act in case of bombin/s or shellin/. 8any .eo.le have moved to houses located in other2 safer areas. 1 .hoto/ra.her 7hom 5no7 slee.s to/ether 7ith his family in his one%room small 7or5sho.. )rom the roofs alon/ the >ebron%4erusalem road near his house2 Tanzim F)atah youthG are shootin/ at 0achel;s Tomb % a lar/ely ineffective sho7 of force since the sraelis stay 7ell .rotected behind 7alls. Other7ise2 daily life is /overned by the total bloc5ade im.osed by the sraeli /overnment on the Jest Ban5 and :a?a. 1s a result2 the economy is at a standstill. Peo.le;s income is at an all%time lo7. Standin/ in front of his house2 our friend;s father2 7ho .erforms medical tests2 ex.lains that .eo.le no7 save u.on every bud/et item2 even on re/ular blood examinations. 8ary;s uncle2 the munici.al secretary of Bethlehem2 did not receive his latest salary. >e thin5s it is <uite .ossible that essential munici.al services2 such as the collection of /arba/e2 cannot be .aid in the near future. 8y family in la7 decides not to have the customary meal on the &'th%day after 1bu >annah;s decease but to /ive the money that is saved instead to the needy. The other day see a tour o.erator in 4erusalem <uietly readin/ the mornin/ .a.er. >e says that for many tour /rou.s even +ast%4erusalem is off bounds. The o7ner of the :rand >otel in Bethlehem tells that he may /o to Tunisia for ta5in/ a s.ecial tourism course. MThe best 7hat one can do is /oin/ to >olland2 for anybodyPN he tells me. Our institute does not .rovide its re/ular lan/ua/e courses anymore since .eo.le cannot .ay the fees. 8ary2 7ho ta5es care of the boo5 ac<uisition at the Dniversity2 sho7s me a .a.er from the boo5 im.orter sayin/ that all the boo5s that arrive in srael 7ith destination Bethlehem are 5e.t at a de.ot in Tel 1viv. Aor is boo5 trans.ort .ossible across the 1llenby Brid/e bet7een 4ordan and the Jest Ban5. 1mon/ the fe7 7ho still have 7or5 is 0am?i2 the desi/ner. t is the season for calendars and a/endas. Time /oes on. OOO

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Jithin the family 7e discuss the sie/e of the Palestinian areas. t is someho7 very disconcertin/ to 5no7 that in every facet of life you are com.letely de.endent u.on others 7ho .rimarily 7ish to control you. 1s a tab 7hich can be /radually closed off2 the closure or sie/e is an instrument 7hich can be used minimally2 7ith .eo.le 7aved throu/h at chec5.oints9 or almost maximally2 as no72 or 7ith every ima/inable shade in bet7een2 such as 7hen .eo.le /et .ermission to be in 4erusalem for this or that hour. The sie/e in 7hich the Palestinians live is not li5e the classic 0oman army sie/e2 a sim.le total closure 7ith nothin/ /oin/ in or out. The tab is allo7ed to dri.2 but s.arin/ly. 1 fe7 7ee5s a/o sraeli ne7s.a.er re.orts 7rote that fuel 7as not allo7ed to come in2 but that electricity2 7ater2 food and medicines 7ere. 1s if favours 7ere /ranted. Lesterday2 Haaretz mentioned that settlers .leaded 7ith the sraeli /overnment to 7ithdra7 licenses issued to Palestinians 7ho o7n .rivate cars in the occu.ied territories. su..ose that a devious mind could easily come u. 7ith many other2 more or less subtle but no less inhuman means of H.ressurin/;. The 5no7led/e that some .eo.le are .onderin/ the .ros and cons of electricity or 7ater cuts in Palestinian houses is unsettlin/. The .roblems of the sie/e are not 6ust economical. Aorma2 8ary;s sister2 mentions that most .eo.le in Bethlehem no7 stay inside their houses2 and that the traditional .ractice of visitin/ each other2 under normal conditions very common amon/ Palestinians2 is no7 on the decline. Peo.le are not used to read boo5s or .ractice a hobby. 8any sit at home doin/ nothin/. +<ually seriously2 .eo.le seem to lac5 orientation and leadershi. at the social level. Durin/ the mournin/ .eriod for my father in la72 visitors com.lained about the disor/ani?ed behaviour of Tanzim 7ho ex.ose the .eo.le to shootin/s by hidin/ amon/ the .o.ulation. Peo.le com.lain about the mutually contradictin/ statements of the national leadershi. and the lac5 of clarity about the direction in 7hich the 1l%1<sa ntifadah is headin/. t is /enerally felt that it is not .ossible to sim.ly /o bac5 to the status )uo ante2 because then all the sacrifices and deaths 7ould have been for nothin/. >o7ever2 at the same time .eo.le do not see li/ht at the end of the .olitical tunnel in front of them. Dnsur.risin/ly2 there is an u.sur/e of interest in astrolo/y2 7ith some .ractitioners indicatin/ on 7hich day there 7ill be a MdisasterN or 7hich month 7ill be relatively <uiet. But many .eo.le2 es.ecially youth2 sim.ly avoid tal5in/ .olitics @MEet;s not tal5 about Hthe situation;2 .leaseB or s.eculate about .olitical cons.iracies or the comin/ of a ma/ical solution as a result of a sudden .eace deal. Or one chooses for the uncomfortable certainty that Mthin/s al7ays /o 7orse for the Palestinians.N 8y o7n .ersistent insecurity 7hich share 7ith =arishma at the institute is the ex.iration of 7or5 .ermits. These days2 start eatin/ more chocolates and drin5in/ more coffee. The annual calendar of exams2 festivities and celebrations is the only source of orientation and reassurance. Palestinian youth are no7 7or5in/ hard on their December exams2 exce.t at some .rivate schools such as Talitha =umi in Beit 4ala2 7here the administration as5ed teachers to only conduct exams durin/ classes. Dnder .resent conditions final exams 7ould not yield a valid outcome since many students in Beit 4ala are unable to concentrate 7ell. OOO

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1t home2 7e celebrate a belated Saint Aicholas evenin/ 7ith 4ara after the three%day mournin/ .eriod for my father in la7 finished. 4ara turns out to be afraid of my .lastic St Aicholas mas5. On the street she is no7 sin/in/ Dutch St Aicholas son/s. Passers by loo5 .er.lexed. 1nd2 of course2 Christmas is comin/. Aormally it 7ould have been on the mind of everyone here2 es.ecially durin/ this 4ubilee year. The Bethlehem munici.ality announced the cancellation of all exce.t the most basic and sober celebrations. There 7as a su//estion to decorate the Christmas tree on 8an/er S<uare not 7ith Christmas balls but bullets. >o7ever2 that 7as not felt to be in harmony 7ith .eo.le;s ex.ectations of the feast. n search of an alternative Christmas event2 our institute has ta5en the initiative to as5 the international Pax Christi movement to send .eace .rayers to Bethlehem by email. 1 symbolic 7ay of overcomin/ the sie/e and o.enin/ a s.iritual bond across borders and chec5.oints. The international secretariat in Brussels no7 actively a..eals to all members 7orld7ide. On )riday December $$2 the )reres School 7ill host a >oly 8ass in the .resence of Patriarch 8ichel Sabbah2 7ho is international .resident of Pax Christi. Durin/ the 8ass some of the .rayers 7ill be .ronounced by Palestinian students in different lan/ua/es. 1fter7ards2 the .artici.ants 7ill 6oin the I*tar2 the 8oslem meal that brea5s the fast durin/ 0amadan days. The )reres School occasionally or/ani?es such a meal to foster the school community bond. Christian and 8oslem families share the food to/ether. n fact2 some 8oslem food customs have been ado.ted by Christian families. 1t my family in la7 7e .resently eat the ataye* 7hich is ty.ical for 0amadan meals, delicious .anca5es filled 7ith cheese or 7alnuts. OOO On Sunday 6oin a demonstration in Bethlehem or/ani?ed by the churches. Jith more than 1*'' youn/ and old .eo.le around2 the marchers sho7 solidarity 7ith those 7hose houses in Beit 4ala and Beit Sahour 7ere dama/ed or destroyed. The demonstration follo7s a route alon/ the different churches in do7nto7n Bethlehem. They toll the bells 7hen the marchers .ass by. Eater on tell Shireen2 7hose mother is Syriac2 that found the bells of the Syriac Church on 8adbasseh Street the most beautiful. The ni/ht is litted 7ith torches. t is a .leasure to 7al5 alon/ the little streets and staircases that are normally so em.ty. 1t 8an/er S<uare 7e 7ait until the .rayers of the nearby 8os<ue of Omar have sto..ed. Placards carried in front of the demonstration call for M4ustice for the Eand of Peace2N and for MThe Ei/ht of 0i/ht2 not the )ire of 8i/ht.N One of the or/ani?ers of the demonstration is 8itri 0aheb2 reverend at the local Eutheran Church and one of the initiators of a HPalestinian Theolo/y of Eiberation;. Once he 7rote in his boo5 M am a Palestinian ChristianN that durin/ the first ntifada it ha..ened that the follo7in/ sentence 7as s.ray%.ainted on the 7all of the Eutheran School in Bethlehem, M+xcuse us2 dear Christ2 unfortunately 7e cannot celebrate your birthday this year2 for 7e are an occu.ied .eo.le 7hose children are denied lifePN The slo/an seems to a..ly today as 7ell. 0aheb tells about the difficulty of or/ani?in/ the demonstration since .eo.le no7 tend not to leave their homes durin/ the ni/ht. 1lso2 many feel that demonstratin/ does not ma5e any difference.

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The celebration is em.hatically Christian%8oslem2 7ith re.resentatives of the Aational slamic +mer/ency Committee announcin/ their su..ort. 1mon/ the s.ea5ers is the blind Shei5h )arar6eh2 a re/ular /uest at local TC .ro/rams. >e lost his $1%year son durin/ disturbances a fe7 7ee5s a/o. Ao7 he sin/s a hauntin/ .rayer from the Suran Sura MThe Ei/ht.N 1nother s.ea5er tells that the demonstration is intended to Mbrea5 the silence2 so that the li/ht of the resurrection of 4esus can shine a/ain in 4erusalem.N The Choir of the Eutheran Church sin/s an ada.ted version of MThe Eittle To7n of Bethlehem2N re.hrased to ex.ress .resent%day sufferin/ and the need for ho.e. 8ean7hile2 little children be/ the demonstrators to buy che7in/ /um. see no7 more of them than usual. The meetin/ ends in .ourin/ rain. OOO 4ara feels some7hat lost no7 1bou >annah .assed a7ay. Dsually 7hen she leaves the livin/ room of my family in la72 she /ives a 5iss to everybody. This time she 5isses the air at the .lace 7here 1bou >annah used to sit2 sayin/, M+ido2 sido2 7ant to cry because you don;t hear me. am an/ry at you that you are travelin/ so far a7ay.N

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&*/ing) Sai*ing A.a/ 22-2: Dece(5er 2000 On 8onday2 a nei/hbour and close friend 6oins dinner. Je eat delicious food2 mahshi % stuffed /ra.e leaves and cour/ettes. There is a .leasant and intimate feelin/ of to/etherness even thou/h 1bou >annah is not .resent anymore. Our nei/hbour 7as in Eondon for a 7ee5end vacation. She s.ontaneously decided to leave the suffocatin/ atmos.here of Bethlehem. The 6ourney did not live u. to her ex.ectations2 ho7ever. 1lmost everythin/ 7ent 7ron/, hours 7aitin/ at the air.ort2 no /ood room available in the hotel2 .roblems 7ith the heatin/ system in the room2 and so on. 1t the air.ort2 the security interro/ation 7as /ruelin/. She traveled 7ith an sraeli com.any2 in 7hich case security chec5s are stricter. Our nei/hbour is not the ty.e of .erson to accommodate to any 5ind of <uestion or order. Thus2 she did not shy a7ay from .ointin/ out the absurdity of a <uestion li5e, M1re you sure that your family did not accom.any you to the air.ortKN @MThey cannot s7allo7 the thou/ht that an 1rab /irl travels inde.endently in her o7n car.NB Jhen she 7as ordered to .ut off her shoes2 she told her interro/ator2 Mafter you.N )inally2 a su.erior arrived 7ho 6ud/ed the interro/ation to be lon/ enou/h. She told him that she 7ould never fly an sraeli aircraft anymore. MLou;re ri/ht2N the su.erior said2 Myou;d better not do that.N @>annah2 8ary;s brother2 comments that he once 7as /iven similar adviceB. Our nei/hbour adds that 7ithout her +uro.ean .ass.ort she 7ould not dare to stri5e the assertive tone she usually ado.ts durin/ encounters 7ith security at the air.ort or 7ith soldiers at chec5.oints. 1fter the 6ourney2 a 4e7ish collea/ue in the 4erusalem consulate 7here our nei/hbour 7or5s embraced her after she recounted the sad holiday ex.erience and the situation in Palestine 7hich had .rom.ted her to /o out. Jith the best of intentions2 her collea/ue thou/ht to illustrate the traumati?in/ effects of 7ar by recountin/ the ex.eriences of her 4e7ish family abroad some of 7hom still suffer slee.less ni/hts due to memories of the Second Jorld Jar. Our nei/hbour felt uncomfortable 7ith the remar5. She ex.lains that 7hen she hears about the Second Jorld Jar2 she does not feel free to s.ea5 about Palestinian sufferin/ because 4e7ish sufferin/ al7ays a..ears lar/er. OOO On )riday2 meet smail at the )reres School. To/ether 7ith his students2 he left early at 6,(' from 1rroub cam. near >ebron to arrive shortly after 8,'' in Bethlehem2 a 6ourney of normally half an hour. Aear the entrance to Bethlehem2 sraeli soldiers sto..ed a taxi and cut its tires 7ith a s.ecial 5ind of 5nife. smail says that at chec5.oints taxis should drive slo7ly and not stand still so as to avoid settlers or soldiers cuttin/ tires. On his 7ay to school last 7ee52 he and his collea/ues 7ere forced to stay for more than t7o hours at a chec5.oint. Aormally2 the soldiers allo7 DA0J1 em.loyees to cross the chec5.oint but this time the sho7in/ of the little blue DA0J1 .ass elicited 6ust an obscene /esture. To/ether 7ith some of his students from the cam.2 smail is invited to attend the meetin/ for Pax Christi next 7ee5. Since the meetin/ is in the late afternoon2 he 7ill be unable to return to >ebron. >e 7ill therefore stay at the )reres hostel on to. of the

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school. Travelin/ bet7een Bethlehem and >ebron is no7 dan/erous after four o;cloc5. smail2 7ith his usual <uiet lau/h, MLou can ex.ect anythin/2 /as canisters2 shootin/ in the air2 lon/ 7aitin/ times.N smail tells more disturbin/ ne7s. One of his students2 8urad2 7as arrested late last ni/ht. The student is involved in the .ro6ect 7ith the Dutch schools and also in a story% tellin/ .erformance 7hich 7ill ta5e .lace after the Pax Christi 8ass on )riday. 1t $(,'' some t7enty youth from 1rroub cam. 7ere .ic5ed u. from their homes by sraeli soldiers accom.anied by mas5ed informers. 1..arently2 those arrested 7ere involved in stone%thro7in/. The ex.ectation is that 8urad and the others 7ill stay in .rison 7ithout indictment or trial for a .eriod of three to six months. 1ccordin/ to .revalent .ractice2 they 7ill be initially allo7ed to ma5e tele.hone calls to their family 6ust once a 7ee5. They 7ill also not be .ermitted to receive family members or a la7yer. Such initial .eriods in 7hich .risoners stay isolated from the surroundin/ 7orld are used for interro/ation. =arishma says that smail told her that he is concerned that the boy may tal5 about the .ro6ect and smail;s role therein2 and that soldiers mi/ht summon him too. =arishma adds that she first considered that thou/ht some7hat far%fetched2 but after hearin/ the boys; accounts she reali?ed that smail;s concern is realistic. The boys from 1rroub tell her all 5inds of stories about the intensely intimidatin/ atmos.here in the cam. 7hich is located in 1rea C and is thus under direct sraeli occu.ation. )or instance2 7hen durin/ another ni/ht;s search soldiers could not find a youth 7hom they sus.ected2 they beat u. his .arents and created a mess in the room. =arishma no7 encoura/es the team to 7hich 8urad belon/s to 7rite do7n his story and communicate it to the Dutch .artner team. Perha.s a 5ind of cam.ai/n 7ould be a..ro.riate too2 she says2 but as an educational institute 7e must be very cautious 7ith initiatin/ 7hat can be understood as H.olitical; actions. OOO 1t the )reres School2 7e rehearse the cultural .erformance 7hich 7ill follo7 the )riday mass. )uad and smail are busy directin/ the story%tellin/ .art. 1 teacher at the )reres; 7ho is also an author of children;s boo5s2 Dana2 7rote a story about im.risonment and reli/ious values. East 7ee52 8urad 7as as5ed to ty.e that story for the others in his cam. to read. The tale is about a 8oslem and Christian family 7hose 5ids are friends. Both are at the same time in .rison. The main theme of the story is ho7 circumstances chan/e the meanin/ of Christmas and the ,id al-.itr2 the festive occasion after 0amadan. The teachers decide to lend the story a .ositive turn2 a symbolic /esture to7ards 8urad. The t7o friends are sho7n to be released and 7elcomed by their families. 1fter7ards2 a son/ is .erformed by all the .artici.atin/ students in 7hich Palestinian unity across reli/ious borders is celebrated. The sin/ers 6oin hands and2 instructed by )uad2 sin/ louder at moments 7hen 8oslem%Christian solidarity is .roclaimed. The son/2 a recent +/y.tian one devoted to Palestinian victims of the ntifadah2 em.hasi?es values of .eace and humanity for all .eo.le. Durin/ the storytellin/2 one of the .artici.atin/ students comes for7ard2 and says indi/nantly, MThis .art should be chan/edPN The story contains a sentence 7hich says that sraeli shootin/s and shellin/ follo7 Palestinian stone thro7in/. The student ob6ects

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that it loo5s as if the stone thro7in/ comes first2 and the shootin/s are 6ust a res.onse. Jhat;s the .roblem2 others say2 stone thro7in/ and shootin/s are clearly incom.arable in their effects. The student, MBut the stone thro7in/ has a reason2 tooPN Someone su//ests, MThe occu.ation.N MAo2 that is too /eneral. 1t 1l%=hader2 soldiers forced a boy and a /irl to 5iss each other in .ublic I that;s 7hy the boys there started thro7in/ stones.N 1nd the students chan/e the scri.t once a/ain. =issin/ each other in .ublic is for Palestinians a very embarrassin/ deed to .erform or 7itness. OOO meet :iselle2 a teacher at the )reres 7ho is involved in the .re.arations for the Pax Christi mass and the cultural meetin/ after7ards. She sits on the ed/e of the chair and tal5s <uic5ly2 clearly under .ressure. have the chance to 5no7 her a bit better. She lives in Beit 4ala and .reviously tau/ht +n/lish at the >o.e )lo7ers School there2 a small .rivate school 7ell 5no7n for its coo.eration in sraeli%Palestinian .eace .ro/rams in 7hich she .artici.ated too. She tells that her father2 7ho o7ns a stone%cuttin/ industry2 is .resently 7ithout 7or5. @Beit 4ala is 5no7n for its stone industry. t is said that the ori/inal .illars of the Church of the Aativity 7ere made in its <uarriesB. >er father does not dare to as5 his drivers to brin/ stones from the >ebron area 7here they are <uarried. The vans cannot .ass the chec5.oint near Bethlehem. There are mounds throu/h 7hich only smaller cars can .ass. 1t the same time2 the by.ass roads used by settlers are too dan/erous for Palestinian truc5s. Jithout 7or52 her father stays at home. 1 fe7 7ee5s a/o2 he used to /o out to .lay cards 7ith his friends. >o7ever2 after the 7indo7s of the house 7here they 7ere .layin/ 7ere shot2 he did not 7ant to leave his o7n house anymore. :iselle;s youn/ .arents2 both in their forties2 do not see a future in Palestine and are in the last sta/e of arran/in/ their visa to the Dnited States. She is <uite u.set about their decision. Does she 7ant to leave2 tooK Ao2 she 7ants to stay for her 6ob and is also committed to build the country2 if that 7ill ever be .ossible. But it 7ill be very difficult for her and her .arents to live a.art. t;s not easy2 life here2 she re.eats a fe7 times. >er sister of ten sometimes slee.s on the floor2 out of fear. Durin/ these cold 7inter ni/hts the family re/ularly 5ee. the 7indo7s o.en to avoid their brea5in/ durin/ the thunderous shellin/. T7o months a/o2 :iselle had an afternoon 6ob as a secretary in a restaurant in Beit Sahour but the restaurants have sto..ed functionin/. Ao7 she is hoo5ed on the com.uter in an nternet cafT. These days see more .eo.le bein/ Hhoo5ed on; somethin/2 7hether chocolate2 the sound of bombin/s2 or lon/ tele.hone calls. OOO Durin/ one evenin/ of heavy shootin/ softly sin/ Dutch children;s son/s 7ith 4ara. have even .ic5ed u. an old hobby2 .layin/ the /uitar. =ee.in/ 4ara relaxed is in the front of our minds. see 0am?i2 the desi/ner2 tal5in/ 7ith a local radio station. >e be/s the station not to .lay .olitical son/s2 but only Christmas son/s2 the 7hole dayP >e lives in Beit 4ala and one of his children2 of the same a/e as 4ara2 is so afraid that she al7ays /rabs her .arents; le/s. >e considers /oin/ to a child .sychiatrist.

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4ara tal5s all the time about travelin/. Perha.s due to the .resence of 8ary;s family from Paris2 she announces her interest to /o to Paris2 to >olland2 to the Dead Sea2 to the s7immin/ .ool in 4erusalem2 and to the ?oo. 8ary2 half%6o5in/ly2 says that the many boo5s 7e read to her only serve to release her ima/es of freedom I and 7hat about 7hen 7e cannot fulfill her dreams9 she 7ill 5noc5 our headsP >o7 im.ossible is a situation in 7hich one almost 7ishes to limit a child;s ima/ination so as to save her frustrations after7ards. On Saturday 4ara /oes to the Church of Aativity and .rays there for the first time MOur )ather.N She devotes it to tete2 the Palestinian /randma in Bethlehem2 and oma2 the Dutch /randma livin/ in 0otterdam. Sunday 7e celebrate her birthday. decide to /o 7ith her to the ?oo in 4erusalem. The ?oo is in fact located in occu.ied territory2 yet it is beautifully desi/ned2 7ith all the animals 4ara observes in the boo5s2 7hile the 7eather is summer%li5e. The administration of the ?oo raises funds by advertisin/ that it brin/s to/ether all different 5inds of .eo.le, forei/ners and sraelis2 orthodox 4e7s and secular 4e7s2 and 4e7s and 1rabs. ndeed it is true9 there is no other .lace here 7here you see so many different .eo.le2 exce.t .erha.s for sraeli hos.itals. Jith my Dutch .ass.ort2 don;t have a .roblem in travelin/ to the ?oo. 8ary tells 4ara that she cannot 6oin. M/eish la FJhy notG2N 4ara as5s. MBecause of the sraelis.N M/eish @JhyBKN M don;t 5no7.N MSo /o 7ith daddy to the ?oo2 and you /o to the church and .ray.N OOO 8ary has her birthday on 8onday but she does not 7ant .resents. MOnly a 5iss.N n the mornin/ choose a card for her 7ith a .icture featurin/ an idyllic scene 7ith a little boat on the still river of 4ordan2 and 7rite, MEet;s ta5e a slo7 boat to China.N

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Su00ering Dece(5er 2:-2;) 2000 On 8onday accom.any a Dutch TC cre7 7ho is on a visit to Bethlehem. They ma5e a .ortrait of a youn/ Palestinian 7oman2 Suha2 7ho to/ether 7ith other Palestinian youth had visited >olland as .art of an exchan/e .ro/ram. n advance of her arrival the cre7 .lan to shoot scenes of Bethlehem. They as5 me ho7 they can catch the atmos.here of a besie/ed to7n9 .erha.s by filmin/ an em.ty sho..in/ streetK tell that the main street is still <uite normal and busy2 as many .eo.le are buyin/ .resents for Christmas and the ,id al-.itr. Bethlehem is desolated .rimarily at ni/ht durin/ 7hich most of the shootin/ and shellin/ ta5e .lace. Je decide to visit the Church of Aativity. One of the cre7 remar5s that the em.ty church2 7ithout tourists2 creates a very authentic ex.erience2 remindin/ one of the silence of the ni/ht 7hen 4esus 7as born. On the 7ay2 one of the 6ournalists tells that Suha 7as remar5ably able to relate to her Dutch audience. +ven thou/h she 7as daily 7orried about the shootin/s close to her family house2 located near 0achel;s Tomb2 she 7as careful not to become Mtoo emotionalN in her .resentations and she did her best to understand ho7 others 7ould react u.on her 7ords. On her o7n initiative2 she visited the 1nne )ran5 >ouse in 1msterdam. She detected many resemblances bet7een 1nne )ran5;s ex.erience durin/ 7artime 1msterdam2 and her o7n. The 6ournalist says that unli5e Suha2 another member of the youth /rou. became emotional durin/ .resentations in front of Dutch school students. >e tal5ed so intensely about violence2 o..ression and sufferin/ that his listeners came almost to thin5 of him as a Mfanatic Palestinian.N 1s a result2 they ado.ted a certain distance. OOO Jhile 7al5in/ bac5 home reflect u.on all the stron/ly loaded .ictures of confrontation and violence you see here in the street2 at school and in the media. Sho. 7indo7s dis.lay lar/e .osters de.ictin/ heavily armed Palestinian men defendin/ the 8oslem and Christian >oly Places in 4erusalem. 8any ne7 calendars sho7 dama/ed houses or .hotos of youn/ martyrs2 such as the 1*%year old )aris Odeh from :a?a. This boy from a cram.ed refu/ee cam. 7ith a bent for ris5%ta5in/ 7as al7ays in the forefront of stone% thro7in/ demonstrations. >is .arents 7ere terribly 7orried2 continuously in search for him2 .unishin/ him 7hen he had ex.osed himself to dan/er. >o7ever2 7hen his cousin Shadi lost his life in a confrontation 7ith sraeli soldiers2 )aris decided to become a martyr himself. Ten days before he 7as 5illed2 he 7as ca.tured in a stunnin/ .hoto/ra.h in 7hich he2 a thin underfed boy2 raises his hand holdin/ a stone in front of a hu/e sraeli tan5 6ust some ten meters a7ay. Ei5e 8ohammed al%Dura2 he has become a Hmedia hero; % to the cha/rin of his mother. 0eadin/ the story in the 1rabic .ress2 Shireen ex.resses her be7ilderment, MJhat2 in heaven;s sa5e2 /oes on in the heads of these little boysKN OOO ma/es of sufferin/ and stru//le every7here. The 7alls of Bethlehem are full of .ictures of those 5illed durin/ clashes or assassinations. n a taxi2 a 7oman sho7s me a .icture of

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a family member 7ho became a martyr. visit t7o exhibitions of children;s arts in Bethlehem com.lete 7ith .ictures of tan5s2 helico.ter /unboats2 5nives and machine /uns2 shootin/ soldiers and little stone%thro7in/ children. n one ima/e2 t7o soldiers2 7ell .rotected behind heavy fortifications2 direct their /uns at a child. The ca.tion reads, MJe are threatened. Eet;s shoot at that little child.N 1 dis.lay of .lastic lo/o materials made by children of *%6 years includes .recisely made models of dama/ed houses. am relieved to see some ha..y dra7in/s in 7hich the sun shines and children 6ust .lay. 1t the institute2 one of the student youth /rou.s comes to/ether to discuss their u.comin/ P0 activities. 4ust sho7in/ violence is not enou/h2 ventures one. Jhen .eo.le abroad hear about a bomb in 1l%=hader2 it is meanin/less to them. a/ree2 and say that it 7ould ma5e a difference 7hen one 7ould 5no7 that 1l%=hader is the same as St :eor/e2 of dra/on%5illin/ fame2 and that the story of St :eor/e 7as ado.ted by the Crusaders2 and that in this 7ay St :eor/e became the .atron saint of +n/land. MJhat you have to do in order to ma5e a story meanin/ful is to ma5e it someho7 familiar to others2 so that they can connect to it2N concludes one. The youth consider develo.in/ an on%line course on Palestine. OOO The other day2 /o and visit the office of PL1E101 in 1l%0am. The li/ht2 .layful sound of the name MPL1E101N stands for a rather 7ei/hty name 7hich have learned to master only lately, MPalestinian Louth 1ssociation for Eeadershi. and 0i/hts 1ctivation.N ts .rimary activity is the .ublication of The Youth Times2 an 1rabic%+n/lish .a.er for Palestinian teena/ers. >ania Bitar is the easily lau/hin/ but committed director 7ho to/ether 7ith her staff 7or5s from early mornin/ till late ni/ht to create o..ortunities for Palestinian youth. Je have a discussion 7ith a visitor2 a Tunesian .sychiatrist%educator from the Bronx2 Ae7 Lor52 7ho says, MToday 7e live in a media 7orld. t is extremely im.ortant not to isolate oneself from the 7orld. Palestinians and Palestinian youth should study the ima/es others have of them. 0ecently2 a Palestinian leader a..eared in front of 1merican TC and told the intervie7er that he should as5 more .olite <uestions or better shut u.. That may loo5 robust to7ards a home .ublic but in the eyes of the rest of the 7orld2 it is very .oor behaviour.N >e recommends studyin/ the involvement of youth and the role of the media in stru//les of liberation else7here in the 7orld2 and su//ests the ma5in/ of a film by and for Palestinian youth. >ania tells that since the ince.tion of the 1l%1<sa ntifada PL1E101 is tryin/ to create alternative role models for Palestinian youth. MOnly 1R of the Palestinian youth in the Jest Ban5 and :a?a are involved in demonstrations. So many youth are dyin/ to do somethin/ for the .ublic /ood but do not 5no7 ho7.N She mentions the case of a /irl livin/ near 0amallah 7ho blossomed 7hile 7ritin/ for The Youth Times but is no7 unable to /o to study and is left ha.less and de%motivated at home. :ivin/ 6ournalistic chances to youth may hel. to develo. ne7 role models2 and at the same time sho7 a forei/n .ublic a broader vie7 of Palestinian youth. M1.art from 1rafat2 you al7ays see the familiar faces of a limited number of Palestinian s.o5es.ersons2 li5e Saeb +ire5at2 >anan 1shra7i2 1bu 8a?en and so on. Lou seldom see Palestinian youth.N

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0ecently2 >ania 7ent to 4ordan 7ith some of The Youth Times staff and volunteers. 1fter comin/ in the s.otli/ht of various 1rab TC stations2 the youth became <uite self% confident and em.o7ered. Louth need encoura/ement. >ania relays the case of a handica..ed boy from Dheisha refu/ee cam. near Bethlehem 7ho2 throu/h his 6ournalistic activities at PL1E1012 became an exam.le for other youth in the cam.. +s.ecially 7arm%hearted she feels to7ard 0ashid2 7ho studies at an slamic School in 4erusalem 7here the modern The Youth Times Mis 5e.t under the school tables as if it is a co.y of 0layboy.N f you as5 him <uestions about the 1l%1<sa ntifadah2 Mhe /ives all the 7ron/ ans7ers to you2 Jesterners.N >e is 7illin/ to die for the cause2 and thin5s about the forty 7omen 7ho 7ill accom.any him in Paradise after becomin/ a martyr. Let the boy has a 7ea5 s.ot for the moderately subversive information The Youth Times .rovides and2 behind the bac5 of the teachers and .arents2 he tries to infect his schoolmates. Eately2 the .a.er .ublished an article si/ned by him and somebody else. M>is +n/lish lan/ua/e and style of 7ritin/ are horrible2 but 7e 7anted to encoura/e him2 and so inserted his 7ritin/ into the article of somebody else. Ao7 he .roudly sho7s his article to other students.N OOO 1t the )reres2 )uad2 =arishma2 smail2 Dana and :iselle are all 7or5in/ to .re.are for the Pax Christi meetin/. smail tells that his 5id 8urad2 7ho is in .rison2 si/ned a confession statement in >ebre72 a lan/ua/e 7hich he did not understand. They threatened him that he 7ould /et .roblems 7hen he 7ould refuse to si/n. Ao7 he 7ill stay in 6ail for half a year. Other7ise2 smail says that thin/s are not too bad I ya$ani FMcomme ci2 comme caNG2 as .eo.le say here. This time it too5 the 5ids from 1rroub cam. only half an hour to reach Bethlehem. =arishma too5 a day off to read the 1*' or so Pax Christi .rayers 7ho come in from all over the 7orld2 from countries li5e South 1frica2 0ussia2 the Dnited States2 >olland2 Bel/ium and =arishma;s o7n =enya. She felt <uite heartened by the .rayers and 7ishes. M>ere you feel so .o7erless. But readin/ the many ex.ressions of sym.athy ma5es you feel not alone.N The .rayers2 7ritten in various lan/ua/es2 are very different2 sometimes cast as an intense moral conversation 7ith the .eo.le of Palestine and Bethlehem2 sometimes develo.ed around a Biblical .assa/e2 or introduced 7ith a .ersonal story about a visit or stay in Bethlehem. tease )uad by sho7in/ him a .rayer of sym.athy 7ith Myour small2 but divided nation.N The meetin/ itself is a hi/hli/ht because 7e 6ointly and o.enly do thin/s 7hich have become almost im.ossible these 7ee5s. Jith )uad 5ee.in/ a 7atchful eye on or/ani?ational smoothness2 7e sin/2 .ray2 and read 7ishes. 1fter7ards 7e all come to/ether at the )reres; courtyard to /aily lift u.2 li5e children2 more than hundred helium% filled balloons 7ith 7ishes and .rayers attached. Je direct them to7ards :od and the 7orld. Then 7e move to the auditorium and en6oy a relaxed I*tar meal 7hile listenin/ to student stories and music. n his s.eech2 the .atriarch 8ichel Sabbah elaborates u.on the theme of community. >e says that des.ite the travelin/ difficulties2 8oslems and Christians from Bethlehem and >ebron have come to sho7 the unity of the Palestinian .eo.le. Jhether one is Christian or 8oslem is not im.ortant in this situation. Jhile 7e evaluate2 Shireen says that everythin/ 7as excellent exce.t that in the students; story the

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t7o main .layers all the time s.o5e about their mu$ana I sufferin/. She hears that 7ord too often. OOO Our Christmas celebration is <uiet. )or the first time since many 7ee5s there are no shootin/s and shellin/. The s5y is beautiful. To/ether 7ith 4ara 7e loo5 at a rainbo7. 4ara 5no7s the rainbo7 from .ictures of Aoah;s 1r52 barely from real nature. Aext day2 the clouds s.read out thinly li5e the horsetail2 and in the evenin/ the stars of Bethlehem are stunnin/ly clear. @8ary used to tell me that loo5 at the s5y in order not to see the mess on the /roundB. The /eneral mood is somber. Bethlehem;s mayor2 >annah Aasser2 says M am 6& and have never 7itnessed such a difficult Christmas as in this millennium year.N There are only the barest of festivities. The ntercontinental >otel2 next to 0achel;s Tomb and 7ithout /uests2 or/ani?es a lo7ly .riced Christmas dinner for the Bethlehem .o.ulation. Diana2 8ary;s cousin 7ho 7or5s at the hotel;s rece.tion2 says that des.ite claims voiced by sraeli TC lots of tourists 7ere not allo7ed to enter Bethlehem durin/ Christmas day. 1fter bein/ sto..ed at the chec5.oint2 tourists called the hotel to cancel their reservations. To comfort 4ara2 8ary decorates a small Christmas tree in our bedroom. 4ara starts enthusiastically 6um.in/ on the bed. 1t Christmas dinner 7e have a lively discussion about the media. Our nei/hbour I 7ho 7as almost .ulled from her car this 7ee5 7hen she refused a soldier;s order to return I says that the Palestinians have too much of a .enchant to stay loc5ed u. in their sufferin/. East ni/ht she 7atched TC in the ho.e to catch the s.irit of Christmas. >o7ever2 all local TC stations sho7ed demonstrations2 clashes2 and martyrs. The national TC station2 Palestine TC2 broadcasted the ni/ht mass but it 7as done 7ith so many technical errors that she finally decided to .ut off the screen. M+hu hada % Jhat;s thisKN I she as5s in exas.eration. She thin5s that Palestinians2 li5e many other 1rabs2 have 7hat she calls the MOrientalN habit of advertisin/ their sufferin/ in a monotonous manner but not doin/ somethin/ focused to redress it. The 4e7s2 too2 advertise their sufferin/2 she says2 but at least they build cam.ai/ns around it2 and or/ani?e for their ri/ht of retribution. Of course2 she says2 the Palestinians suffer a /reat deal these days2 but 7hat is the .ur.ose of sho7in/ sufferin/ all day and ni/ht lon/K Jhy not havin/ a little comfort durin/ these .ainful daysK Ao7 7e need a musical2 not ima/es of violence. >annah concurs I Mal7ays this self%absorbed tal5 about Hmu$ana;N % and comments that it is a bad habit to advertise one;s sufferin/ for .ro.a/andistic .ur.oses. 8oreover2 the 7ay ho7 it is done is re.etitive and therefore unconvincin/. OOO These days2 8ary;s mother cries much2 because of 1bou >annah;s .assin/ a7ay2 and no7 also because her son and t7o dau/hters have de.arted for Paris. )irst 4ara understands that mm >annah cries because /rand.a is 7ith 4esus2 but later on she decides to chan/e her inter.retation and says, MTete F/randmaG2 5no7 7hy you cry. Lou cannot /o to 4erusalem. The sraelis don;t let you in at the mall Flocated near :iloG. But don;t be stu.idP ;ll ta5e care that the soldiers 7ill let you .ass.N Eater on our nei/hbour tells this story to her 4e7ish collea/ue 7ho lives in :ilo. Subse<uently2 this collea/ue

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calls us to 7ish ha..y Christmas. tell her ha..y >anu55a2 and am ama?ed ho7 des.ite the lon/ .olitical distance bet7een Bethlehem and :ilo the human messa/e comes across so easily.

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Border, 23<22<00 6 :<2<02 4ust before Christmas2 the seven Palestinians of the youth /rou. return from their three% month stay in >olland2 a fe7 days after Suha. They had left Bethlehem at the be/innin/ of the ne7 ntifadah. Some of them are from Beit 4ala and Beit Sahour and stayed in daily contact 7ith their family to hear the latest ne7s. 8ost of them became increasin/ly interested to stay lon/er in >olland. The situation in Palestine is indeed not very .romisin/. Due to travelin/ .roblems2 several youth 7ill not be able to continue their 6ob or find 7or5 here. n fact2 some of their o7n family su//ested them to stay. Some also felt that they 7ould become an economic burden at home 7hen they cannot do anythin/. >o7ever2 it 7as not at all the intention of the exchan/e .ro/ram to encoura/e them to stay abroad2 let alone to facilitate them in this .lan. 1s a community education or/ani?ation2 it is difficult for our institute to acce.t the erosion of the Palestinian community by emi/ration. 7onder ho7 the students loo5 at the issue no72 after their return. Aext 7ee5 7e see each other. 1t the )reres School .artici.ate in a meetin/ 7ith some t7enty youth about this very <uestion of emi/ration. The to.ic is the tal5 of to7n2 es.ecially amon/ youth. Bethlehem and the nei/hbourin/ to7ns have a history of emi/ration. 1ll those .artici.atin/ in the 7or5sho.2 Christians and 8oslems2 a/ree that everythin/ in their .o7er should be done to 5ee. youn/ Palestinians at home. 1 ma6or motive of emi/ration is the lac5 of 7or5 and 6ob careers here. Somethin/ can be done about that2 it is ar/ued2 even such small im.rovements as /ivin/ more information about 7hich studies at the universities or vocational institutes can .rovide local 7or5 later. Slo7ly2 more study and career information is be/innin/ to be /iven in the last classes of secondary schools. )or instance2 Bethlehem Dniversity staff no7 visit some of the schools in the re/ion to inform school students about the various studies the university offers and their economic .ros.ects. Teddy :iacaman2 )uad;s son2 leads one of the sessions. >e em.hasi?es that des.ite all the difficulties it is still .ossible to live and 7or5 in Palestine. The <uestion of emi/ration touches all fields of society2 and everybody should be able to do somethin/ about it in his or her field. Je should not erect a 7all bet7een juwwa @the MinsideNB and barra @the MoutsideNB as if everythin/ abroad2 in the Jestern 7orld2 is /ood2 and everythin/ in Palestine bad. n fact2 many Palestinians do not have a .articularly /ood ex.erience in the Jest9 due to for instance discrimination. )rom his side2 smail from >ebron em.hasi?es that students should learn to love their land and their .eo.le throu/h local excursion and meetin/ .ro/rams. remember a remar5 of a Palestinian .olitician 7ho once said that youn/ Palestinians are 7illin/ to die for their country but often do not 5no7 much about it. OOO smail tells that his student 8urad2 to/ether 7ith some fifty other youth from 1rroub cam.2 7ill stay t7o months lon/er in the .rison of 8e/iddo @the Biblical 1rma/eddonB in the 4israel Calley. )amily members are not allo7ed to visit him2 but one of the inmates

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5e.t a mobile .hone and in this 7ay it is .ossible to have contact. The imam of 1rroub cam. found a 7ay to smu//le clothes and ci/arettes into the .rison. Durin/ the )riday .rayers the attendants are as5ed to hel. cover the ex.enses. OOO These 7ee5s the situation in Bethlehem is chan/in/2 thou/h not much for the better. Jhile .reviously the shellin/2 bombin/s and shootin/s 7ere the main issue of concern2 no7 the full closure around the to7ns and villa/es is in everybody;s mind. Al 1uds ne7s.a.er dis.lays t7o .hotos ta5en at a chec5.oint near >ebron. n the first2 a man is sho7n ar/uin/ 7ith soldiers about his entry into the to7n. n the second one2 ta5en immediately after7ards2 he is sho7n to be shot in the le/ @7hich had to be am.utatedB. Chec5.oint stories abound a/ain. The sraeli 6ournalist :ideon Eevy 7rites that a ten% year old /irl from a villa/e near Aablus 7as not allo7ed to leave the villa/e. Three times her family tried to .ersuade soldiers of the seriousness of the case and to allo7 the family to leave the villa/e for a hos.ital2 but each time they 7ere refused .assin/. n the villa/e the /irl finally died from a burst a..endix. The 6ournalist states that Mthe barbarity of the sie/e cannot be overstated, neither a 7oman in childbirth2 nor a critically sic5 .erson nor someone 7ho is mortally 7ounded nor a /irl 7ith .eritonitis can be ta5en out of their homes.N @Haaretz2 #313$''1B. 8ary tells me that she has somethin/ for 7hat she calls Mmy .ro.a/anda.N n Aablous a Palestinian 7ith an 1merican .ass.ort 7anted to con/ratulate a relative on the occasion of the endin/ of 0amadan. >e 7as not allo7ed to enter the .lace 7here she lived. >e decided to stay sittin/ at the chec5.oint. 1fter six frustratin/ hours2 he died from a stro5e. >ere at the chec5.oint in Bethlehem it ha..ened that one 7oman 7as /estured by soldiers not to cross the chec5.oint but to circumvent it by 7al5in/ throu/h the fields. )ine2 she thou/ht2 if you su//est this2 7hy notK 1fter crossin/ the Tantur lands I 7hich .rovide a 7ay around the chec5.oint % she came bac5 later on and 7as forced by the very same soldiers to sit do7n for a fe7 hours as .unishment for Hille/ally; enterin/ 4erusalem. t is no7 a normal vie7 to see .eo.le2 mainly 7or5ers2 sittin/ for hours alon/ the chec5.oint after bein/ cau/ht 7ithout .a.ers. Our nei/hbour 7ith her di.lomatic car also meets .roblems. Eately2 u.on returnin/ from 4erusalem2 she 7as not allo7ed to enter Bethlehem. She called her collea/ue in :ilo2 but the soldier too5 and closed off her mobile. The soldier told her2 /o bac52 do your sho..in/ and come bac5 after a fe7 hours. She refused and stayed in the car 7aitin/. Jhen /oin/ to 7or5 she no7 ta5es a boo5 in the car. have the feelin/ that it is increasin/ly a matter of .resti/e for her not to succumb to the soldiers; intimidations. OOO East 7ee5 for the first time soldiers did not let me .ass into 4erusalem. They as5ed me 7hether 7as a tourist. Ao2 said2 live here. That 7as the 7ron/ ans7er. Their instructions .revented them2 they said2 from allo7in/ residents of Bethlehem to /o into 4erusalem. 6oined other 7or5ers in ta5in/ a side road throu/h the fields still 7et of the rain. Jhile 7al5in/2 a mobile of one of the 7or5ers ran/. Sometimes you hear those

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sounds 7hich you never for/et because they are so out of .lace. ma/ine2 you are 7al5in/ at an early moment in the mornin/ 7hen it is still half%dar52 and .erformin/ an activity 7hich is su..osed to be Hille/al;. Lou 7al5 some7hat uncertain over the roc5s in a <ueue of shado7y .eo.le. Then suddenly comes this technolo/ical si/n of or/ani?ed and .lanned life. Somebody sayin/ M>allo2 am here in Tantur2 it ta5es me another half an hour before can be 7ith you.N >o7ever2 after arrivin/ at the main road to 4erusalem2 and 7al5in/ further do7n2 loo5ed over my shoulders and sa7 a soldier runnin/ to7ards the entrance of the esca.e route. cherished my luc5 and thou/ht that a/ain some .eo.le mi/ht be forced to sit at the chec5.oint and 7ould not reach their a..ointment. n 4erusalem2 life 7as normal. met the 4e7ish .harmacist 7ho 7as a/ain very friendly2 extended his condolences2 and 7as 7illin/ to substitute 1bou >annah;s medicines. OOO 8ary tries to .ersuade her mother to leave the country for a fe7 months in the comin/ summer2 6ust for a brea5. mm >annah hesitates. She is the ty.e of .erson 7ho li5es travelin/ yet she became reluctant after a stro5e a fe7 years a/o that left her 7ith a 7al5in/ .roblem. 8ary herself needs a brea52 too. She says that durin/ all these months she 7as barely able to breath9 she 6ust lives in a tiny trian/le2 7al5in/ bet7een our home2 her mother;s2 and the nearby university. Sometimes she has .roblems of slee.in/ 7hen she starts thin5in/ about her father. OOO 7onder 7hat it means educationally2 to live in 7hat srael calls MencirclementN and Palestinians call a Msie/e.N 1 fe7 years a/o2 an educator of Bethlehem Dniversity chec5ed out 7ith her students 7hat H4erusalem; meant to them. She 7as ama?ed to hear from several students, MAothin/.N Due to the closure2 they sim.ly do not have a concrete ima/e of 4erusalem althou/h they live in a distance of five 5ilometers from the city. Some .eo.le say that the .hysical closure leads to a 5ind of Hmental closure;. Jhen real travelin/ is difficult2 the mind travels less2 too. +verythin/ starts loo5in/ difficult2 .eo.le become entra..ed in the mode of 7hat .sycholo/ists call Mobstacle thin5in/N rather than Mo..ortunity thin5in/.N 1 main <uestion 7ith 7hich my collea/ues and stru//le is no7, >o7 to 5ee. the students; mental 7indo7s and hori?ons o.enK Our institute is .resently embar5in/ u.on a fieldtri. .ro/ram for school students. Je decided to im.lement it a/ainst all odds. East year2 7e had a similar .ro/ram. Jhen the bus a..roached the 4erusalem chec5.oint2 used to stand in front of the teachers 7ith a micro.hone in my hand. The teachers 7ho loo5ed some7hat 7estern sat in front2 7hile the blac5%haired youn/ men 7ith moustaches remained in the bac5. used to move my li.s as if sayin/ somethin/ interestin/ about the chec5.oint to a /rou. of tourists. One of the teachers called me their M5ey to 4erusalem.N Ao7 these little tric5s do not 7or5 anymore. OOO

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Durin/ Christmas2 a /rou. of H8a/i;2 H=in/s from the +ast;2 arrived in Bethlehem. They 7ere real border%crossers. Or/ani?ed by the 8iddle +astern Council of Churches2 their months%lon/ 6ourney on foot stretched from ra< to Palestine. The /rou.2 amon/ them several 1rab Christians2 7anted to sho7 solidarity 7ith 1rab children and raise attention to the .resence of Christianity in the 1rab 7orld. On their arrival in Bethlehem2 there 7as a small celebration in the .resence of a Christmas tree decorated 7ith .ictures of youth 5illed in the recent clashes. try to ima/ine ho7 in the old times .eo.le used to 7al5 lon/ distances. One successful tourist activity before the clashes started 7as an imitation of the 7ee5lon/ voya/e of 8ary and 4ose.h from Aa?areth to Bethlehem. The 6ourney 7as .artly throu/h the fields. Once 7ould li5e to do such a tri. 7ith 8ary and 4ara. Aothin/ /ives so much breath as a lon/ 7al5in/ 6ourney. OOO 1t Christmas2 left 7ith 4ara for the ?oo2 our favourite s.ot. The soldier at the chec5.oint as5ed me from 7here 7as2 and u.on hearin/ 7as from >olland2 he 6o5ed 7hether could /ive him some dru/s. Jith his des.erate lau/h he loo5ed in real need. n the ?oo2 4ara .layed 7ith the animals the names of 7hich she no7 5no7s better than do. Bac5 home2 she /ot some ins.iration from the meetin/ 7ith the soldier2 and started .layin/ Hchec5.oint; at the entrance of the 5itchen. She .ut u. one le/ across the door and as5ed for the .ass.ort of the family. One /uest 6oined the /ame and sho7ed his .ermit. MO=2 you /o into the 5itchen.N Other7ise2 she .lays 7ith ba/s and imitation boats2 made u. of many .illo7s2 and announces2 as al7ays2 that she 7ants to /o to >olland or Paris and not to school. s 4anet2 8ary;s sister2 allo7ed to 6oin her2 a visitor as5s her. Ao2 4ara says2 4anet does not s.ea5 Dutch and 7ould not understand 7hat .eo.le tell her. Ei5e al7ays2 4anet /ives her a bi/ hu/.

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"o E,cape &ro( Uncertaint/ 'anuar/ :-2;) 2002 MJill they or 7on;t theyKN I as5s the BBC radio 7hile .onderin/ the .ros.ects of an a/reement bet7een the Palestinian 1uthority and srael. One day ne7s is o.timistic2 next day .essimistic. One 7ee5 rumours are about a comin/ 7ar2 next 7ee5 about a .olitical brea5throu/h. Durin/ the first months of the ne7 ntifadah .eo.le sa7 the .olitical situation as a .loy in 7hich the outcome2 a DS%bro5ered .eace deal2 7as a forlorn conclusion. 8ary2 a non%believer in this res.ect2 says that she had a hard time to confront her collea/ues at 7or5. But no7adays .eo.le are not so sure anymore. There is a /eneral feelin/ that .olitically anythin/ can ha..en. There may or may not be an a/reement. Sharon may be .oised to 7in2 but Peres 7aits in the side 7in/s. am ama?ed by )uad;s solid belief in the comin/ of an a/reement2 and 7onder, >o7 can 1rafat convince the Palestinian .o.ulation to acce.t itK Throu/hout the Jest Ban5 and :a?a2 villa/es2 cities and cam.s are belea/uered by soldiers and settlers 7ho routinely humiliate .assers by or shoot at or near .eo.le2 or dama/e .ro.erty @houses2 cars and orchards2 mainlyB. 1ll this 7ith im.unity9 only a fe7 cases have been investi/ated. Dnder such circumstances .eo.le don;t see .eace. 1t the same time2 the economic situation does not allo7 .eo.le to /o on for lon/ 7ith the ntifadah. So there is no esca.e from uncertainty. Jithin 8ary;s family2 see all shades of o.inion about 7hat the future may have in store. Aobody is in favour of Bara5. Some sim.ly avoid .olitics2 thin5 out of .o7erlessness and desorientation. OOO There are distractions. One bi/ favourite is a TC documentary about the reunion of a divorced Eebanese cou.le. Eebanese TC /ives them the incentives of a house and a car. 0eality TC as a 7ay of esca.in/ reality. Durin/ a visit to a nearby home2 one 7oman tells me ho7 she is hoo5ed to the .ro/ram. 1 little later2 she sho7s me t7o five%cm dee. holes in the 7alls of her TC room9 mar5s of bullets that 7ere shot from 0achel;s Tomb a fe7 7ee5s a/o. >er son 7as studyin/ close to the fire line but ha..ened to be in the 5itchen 7hen the bullets came in. Our nei/hbour is ama?ed ho7 much Hluc5; .eo.le ex.erience. She heard a lot of narro7 esca.e stories. One 7ould li5e to believe in miracles. see on TC the Eebanese )airou? sin/in/ MLara.N 1 fe7 months before 4ara 7as born2 8ary and heard the son/ on radio and2 charmed by the sound of the name and the music2 decided to /ive our dau/hter the name. There are t7o versions of the son/2 the old one rather cheerful2 the ne7 one melancholic @.ossibly due to the Eebanese civil 7ar 7hich influenced the .ublic mood durin/ the time of re/istrationB. OOO Comin/ bac5 in Bethlehem after a 6ourney to 4erusalem2 leave the taxi and 7al5 do7n the main road 7ith a man 7ho2 li5e me2 considered the .rice of a .rivate taxi too hi/h. >e carries a bou<uet of flo7ers in his hand. Obviously ill at ease2 he tells me that his father

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recently /ot a mali/nant form of cancer. >e is on his 7ay to visit him in the Beit 4ala >os.ital. Je ta5e a route around 0achel;s Tomb to avoid any .ossible shootin/. Jhen reachin/ H1??a or Beit 4ubrin refu/ee cam.2 a small cam. located 7ithin the to7n of Bethlehem2 7e are sto..ed by Palestinian soldiers 7ho 7ant to search our ba/s. Some 7ee5s a/o2 they ex.lain2 several sraeli soldiers dis/uised in civilian clothes entered the cam.2 a..arently 7ith the intention to assassinate a )atah leader. Eater on 8ary tells me about another road sur.rise. On the Jadi Aar road2 used by Palestinians 7ho cannot enter 4erusalem2 settlers .resently 7ave Palestinian fla/s to attract the attention of taxi drivers 7ho ta5e dirt roads. Jhen the taxis follo7 the direction of the fla/s2 the settlers shoot at them. OOO Aext day receive an email from Suha2 the 7oman 7ho 7ent to >olland on the exchan/e .ro/ramme. She 7rites that she /ot en/a/ed to a Palestinian she met in The >a/ue. The en/a/ement too5 .lace in 1mman. >er family is no7 stuc5 in 4ordan due to a border closure. .onder ho7 exchan/e .ro6ects can be conse<uential .recisely in their unintended effects. One may have the illusion of desi/nin/ reality2 but reality al7ays ta5es its o7n course. Seven years a/o2 8ary and met each other after familiari?ed 7ith her sister at a conference in >olland. t 7as Suha;s luc5 to be able to 6oin the exchan/e .ro/ram after one member 7ithdre7 at the very last minute. Aext day2 hear about the other .artici.ants; ex.eriences. They addressed some hundred meetin/s durin/ 7hich they confronted 7hat they called Mthe Dutch /uilt about the Second Jorld Jar.N @Some "'R of Dutch 4e7s 7ere de.orted to the extermination cam.sB. =arishma sa7 the youth; eyes s.ar5lin/ 7ith life. They had many stories to tell. Durin/ one ni/ht2 it 7as over t7elve o;cloc52 some of them 7ere 7al5in/ on a silent di5e and2 loo5in/ li5e va/abonds2 7ere sto..ed by the Dutch .olice. 1ccordin/ to the story2 the .olice7oman had to cry after she heard one of the youth; accounts about the situation in Palestine. try to .icture the situation and can barely believe it I Dutch .eo.le and certainly Dutch .olice do not cry easilyP Su?y says that bac5 in Bethlehem the youth mi/ht under/o a reverse culture shoc5 7hen they have to once a/ain accommodate to a culture 7ith stron/ family and community bonds and control. Seein/ the ne7 .olitical situation 7ith their o7n eyes 7ill be still another shoc5. OOO Peo.le travel9 ideas travel2 too2 and often alon/ unli5ely roads. Jhile in >olland2 Suha visited the 1nne )ran5 >ouse2 and started readin/ 1nne )ran5;s diary. 1fter hearin/ this2 myself bou/ht the diary in 4erusalem2 and /ave it to Su?y 7ho is no7 usin/ .arts of it in the +n/lish classes in 7hich she .ractices diary 7ritin/. She says that some of the students rolled their eyes but others 7ere immediately enthusiastic. Ao7 at each ne7 lesson students 7ant to 5no7 7hat is /oin/ to ha..en to 1nne. )or their .art2 the /irls are 7ritin/ diaries 7hich are <uite unsettlin/. The other day2 a forei/n re.resentative of an or/ani?ation for 4e7ish%Christian dialo/ue visited Su?y and her class. The visitor 7as enthusiastic about the diary .ro6ect and the exchan/es 7ith

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schools in >olland2 but also as5ed 7hether the diaries2 7ith their /ra.hic descri.tions of sraeli violence2 could not /ive rise to anti%Semitism if read by youth in the Jest. Jhen Su?y as5s my o.inion2 tell her that anti%Semitic understandin/s cannot be excluded but that it is difficult to hold Palestinians res.onsible for the misuse of such stories by a Jestern .ublic. >o7ever2 raisin/ a7areness about such issues2 also amon/ Palestinian youth2 is not mis.laced. 1t the very least2 effective communication re<uires that one 5no7s ho7 an audience deals 7ith your information. OOO 4ara dreams that she is Sno7 Jhite. She sees the d7arfs around her. 1t the )reres; she ex.eriences her first school days. She is ha..y but on the third day a fe7 boys scare her off. Ao7 7e try once a/ain to convince her that school is nice. .oint out the room at the )reres 7here usually 7or52 to /ive her a feelin/ of security.

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O.ner,+ip 2;-22 'anuar/ 2002 T7o re.resentatives of the Dutch .eace movement =C3+uro%1rab Dialo/ue from Belo72 8ient 4an )aber and 4an 4aa. van Ooster?ee2 come over for a short visit or/ani?ed by =arishma. n the mornin/ 7e meet >annah Aasser2 the mayor of Bethlehem. >e recounts the story of his father2 7ho durin/ the fateful year 1"&8 lived in Bethlehem but 7or5ed in Jest%4erusalem. >e o7ned considerable real estate 7hich he all lost durin/ the 7ar. 1lthou/h he did not leave the country I he sim.ly could not travel bet7een Bethlehem and Jest%4erusalem anymore I his houses in Jest%4erusalem 7ere confiscated by the sraeli HCustodian for 1bsentee Pro.erty;. mmediately after7ards2 his father tried to search for le/al redress. n vain2 because at the time there 7ere no human ri/hts 7atch do/s and the .o7ers of the day did not intervene. So 7hat can 7e do no7adaysK Je tal5 about the .otential of city t7innin/ and friendshi. bonds2 in .articular the one bet7een the cities of Bethlehem and The >a/ue. Bethlehem has many a t7innin/ 7ith to7ns abroad I 7ho 7ould not li5e to have some 5ind of symbolic exchan/e 7ith the .lace 7here 4esus 7as bornK >o7ever2 many of these exchan/es have remained dormant. The visitors are /oin/ to ex.lore 7hether The >a/ue munici.ality 7ould be interested to encoura/e school exchan/es 7ith students in the Bethlehem environment. Jith re.resentatives of )atah 7e discuss the movement;s history and .resent dilemmas. Jhy are so many youn/ Palestinians 7illin/ to confront death in the clashes 7ith soldiersK 1 re.resentative says that 7hen com.arin/ an accidental death and a martyr;s death2 slam .refers a martyr;s death. That does not mean that @youn/B Palestinians are Hha..y; to die2 as is sometimes said. But youn/ .eo.le can be rec5less2 and livin/ in a environment 7ithout much ho.e clearly affects one;s .sycholo/ical ma5e% u.. 1 s.o5es.erson of the Tanzim2 the )atah%/rou. involved in the shootin/s2 6oins the tal5s. >e do7n.lays the number and im.ortance of attac5s on sraeli settlers2 and Many7ay2 all settlers bear arms.N >e tells ho7 sraeli soldiers in >ebron 5illed a Palestinian man and2 7hile some of them 7ere lau/hin/2 dra//ed the cor.se a7ay from a Palestinian%controlled area. 1fter7ards2 settlers danced and distributed candies amon/ the soldiers. Je all sa7 the TC foota/e the other day. The Dutch visitors conclude that if uncontrolled and unrestrained violence starts to dominate the area2 it 7ould be difficult to attract any constructive forei/n involvement. OOO The la7lessness in Palestinian society emer/es as a ma6or issue and is troublin/ throu/hout the 7ee5. The PA1 executes several collaborators. One of them betrayed 1bayat2 7ho 7as assassinated in a helico.ter attac5 in Beit Sahour. t seems that the collaborator received a monthly salary from srael of only $*'U. 1 sho7%trial of a fe7 hours follo7ed by a death sentence2 immediately im.lemented2 is of course a bad si/n for the future of the rule of la7 in Palestine. Jithout an a/reement that satisfies the .ublic2

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the PA1 is in a 7ea5 .osition and reluctant to resist the instincts of .o.ular reven/e that emer/e in situations of distress and .o7erlessness. 1fter7ards2 7e at the institute hear continuous shootin/ by armed demonstrators. They demand the execution of more collaborators by the Palestinian 1uthority. >o7ever2 the churches do not allo7 executions on 8an/er S<uare in front of the Aativity Church. 1lso2 the +uro.ean Dnion .ressures the PA1 not to execute collaborators. Other si/ns of la7lessness a..ear. The head of Palestinian TC in :a?a2 5no7n for his free7heelin/ life style2 is 5illed by a Palestinian /rou. 7ho claims to fi/ht corru.tion 7ithin the PA1. 1n sraeli boy is lured by a Palestinian /irl into her 0amallah house2 and 5illed. Je .ass by the shelled houses in Beit 4ala and 7atch the memorial stone laid at the .lace 7here the :erman doctor >arry )ischer 7as 5illed by sraeli shellin/ 7hile tryin/ to hel. 7ounded victims. The taxi driver2 7ho 7or5s in Bethlehem as a volunteer in Wi$am Palestinian Conflict 0esolution Center2 tells that this is his first 6ourney to >ebron since three months. n >ebron 7e visit the .ro6ect of the Christian Peacema5ers Team2 or/ani?ed by the 8ennonites. They recruit volunteers to 7or5 in the divided city2 and intervene 7hen there are s5irmishes bet7een Palestinians and sraeli settlers and soldiers. The main t7o .roblems in >ebron are the curfe7 over some &'.''' Palestinians 7ho live in the sraeli controlled .art of the city I the curfe7 /oes on and off these days I and the tense relations bet7een settlers and Palestinians. One volunteer2 7ho 6oins us in the car2 7ants to .oint out a Palestinian area to the north%east of the city that has been confiscated by settlers 7ithout the army intervenin/. Clearly2 the Bara5 /overnment still allo7s the ex.ansion of settlements. On the 7ay bac5 to Bethlehem 7e visit 1rroub cam. 7here smail lives. Je 7al5 alon/ an o.en se7a/e stream. 1bout fifteen youth are involved in the story%exchan/e .ro6ect 7ith Dutch schools. t is clear that they have time on their hands. 1 lot of the stone thro7in/ I the students; MextracurricularN activity2 as =arishma calls it % is related to the lac5 of clubs and meanin/ful social 7or5. Jhen 7e visit the .arents of 16%year old 8urad2 still im.risoned in the north of srael2 7e hear the latest information. 1ccordin/ to 8urad;s la7yer2 the student is ex.ected to /et 18 months on char/es of stone thro7in/ and M.artici.ation in a funeral march.N >is father2 an ins.ector at Dnited Aations schools in the area2 is des.erate. The boy is in the 11th /rade and may miss his matriculation exam next year. >e is /ood at school and 7ill li5ely /o to the university. Dsually Palestinian refu/ees .ut a hi/h .remium u.on their children;s education. 1fter the refu/ee families lost their land in 1"&82 they had to loo5 for alternative 7ays of /ainin/ financial security2 education bein/ a ma6or one. OOO 1fter7ards2 smail tells a story about his youth. >e2 a 5id from .oor .arents2 could not .ay the taxi to secondary school. >e used to 7al5 alon/ the road to and from school 7ith a boo5 in his hands2 tellin/ curious .assers by that he 6ust li5ed to read 7hile 7al5in/ and that he therefore did not ta5e a taxi. Peo.le blessed him. >e still remembers ho7 .roud his father 7as 7hen he received his teacher di.loma. 1lthou/h his father 7as com.letely .araly?ed and therefore unable to ma5e any facial ex.ression2 smail could notice the .ride in his t7in5lin/ eyes. Once a visitin/ 1merican doctor told smail that he 7as

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unli5e other refu/ees. >e had this stron/ ener/y to im.rove himself and his community. Jhile sayin/ this2 smail sho7s himself emotional2 and .resses his fin/ers u.on my breast. 1t 8urad;s home2 8ient%4an and 4an%4aa. as5 7hat they can do for the boy. The father is 7illin/ to /ive all 5inds of .romises to the sraeli authorities so as to /et him free. >e even 7ants to /uarantee that the boy 7ould not leave home exce.t for school. Je debate 7hether an intervention in favour of 8urad 7ould not brea5 solidarity 7ith the other do?ens of youn/sters from the cam. 7ho are in .rison too2 and 7hether a com.romise 7ith the sraeli authorities 7ould not im.ly an im.licit ac5no7led/ement of the boy;s Hcrimes;. The father 7rites letters in 7hich he authori?es the Dutch visitors to visit his son on his behalf. Aext day2 8ient%4an and 4an%4aa. have a meetin/ 7ith a re.resentative of the sraeli 8inistry of )orei/n 1ffairs 7ho 7rites do7n all information. The visit to the Hhi/h security; .rison turns out to be im.ossible. Bac5 in Bethlehem2 7e meet students from St 4ose.h as 7ell as members of the institute;s youth /rou.. )uad2 Su?y2 and Sa7san also 6oin. Je hear stories2 some of them <uite distressful @about a nurse in 1l%=hader villa/e 7ho2 li5e >arry )ischer2 7as sub6ect to sraeli shootin/s 7hile tryin/ to rescue in6ured .eo.leB. 1 discussion emer/es. Je su//est an action .lan in 7hich forei/ners buy a .iece of land in Palestine in an area tar/eted for the ex.ansion of a settlement. Jhen srael 7ould ex.ro.riate a .iece of land o7ned by forei/n .eo.le2 the forei/ners could start a le/al .rocedure a/ainst the sraeli state 7hich 7ould have to defend itself accordin/ to international la7. But the Palestinian students .rotest. Jhat ha..ens 7hen more forei/ners are /oin/ to buy .ieces of landK That is ho7 the Palestinians lost their land in the first .lace. Eater on2 7e hear from a Palestinian human ri/hts or/ani?ation that the students; concern can be dealt 7ith by a H.o7er of attorney; measure 7hich 7ould ma5e it .ossible for the Palestinians to reclaim2 under s.ecial circumstances2 the land that is sold. 1t the institute 7e brainstorm that such a .iece of land could be used for desi/nin/ a students; /arden 7ith .lants from the Bible and the =oran. That 7ould be an attractive extracurricular activity. 8oreover2 it 7ould ma5e forei/n involvement visible and direct. 4an 4aa. says that it is no7 difficult2 a.art from 7ritin/ .rotest letters and declarations2 to find 7ays of havin/ real influence on the situation on the /round. Peo.le abroad feel .o7erless and are even bored 7hen they 5ee. hearin/ stories of sufferin/. That does not al7ays mean that they are .re6udiced a/ainst the Palestinian cause. Jhen one of the students says that the Jest al7ays thin5s that the Palestinians are terrorists2 8ient%4an intervenes and as5s, M s that trueKN >e ma5es the case that it is indeed .ro/ress that no72 after *$ years2 the international community discusses the ri/ht of return 7ithout inhibition. The youth are uncertain 7hat to say. They have of course heard about the discussions abroad2 but the situation on the /round only deteriorates. 1t bottom2 7e a/ree that it is easier for forei/ners to relate to Palestinian youth 7hen the youth are able to sho7 ideas about ho7 to /et out of the situation rather than 7hen they only tell about their sufferin/. OOO

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thin5 about my o7n ex.eriences as a /uide. 1.art from visitin/ the holy .laces2 visitors 7ere al7ays interested to hear about .olitical .roblems. Let they also 7anted to 5no7 more about Palestinian or 1rab culture2 and 7hat Palestinians li5e and cherish in life. Aext day2 7e .roceed 7ith a .ro6ect at the )reres School in 7hich 8oslem and Christian students from >ebron and Bethlehem create stories and music based on Palestinian and 1rab fol5lore. Je discuss ho7 to include those traditional occasions durin/ 7hich .eo.le /enuinely en6oyed themselves, the mystically loaded moments 7hen children 7ould listen to the storyteller in the /uest house @diwan or madha*eB2 the .leasant .icnics in the fields durin/ harvest time2 the relaxed afternoon tal5s on a veranda. OOO The next day2 8ary tells ho7 she heard a stran/e story from a cousin in Beit >anina. The cousin;s dau/hter2 travelin/ in a taxi from 4erusalem to Bethlehem2 7as sto..ed at the chec5.oint. The soldier told the seven .assen/ers that they could only enter Bethlehem if a /irl in the taxi @ha..ily not her dau/hter2 said the cousinB 7ould 5iss one of the men there. She first refused. Then you all have to stay here2 the soldier said. The /irl a..ointed to deliver the 5iss had an exam at Bethlehem Dniversity 7hich she did not 7ant to miss. M consider you a brother2N she said to one of the men in the taxi and 5issed him <uic5ly. Then they 7ere allo7ed to .ass. The soldiers of course very 7ell 5no7 ho7 sensitive .ublic intimacies are 7ithin 1rab society2 es.ecially bet7een unrelated men and 7omen. OOO 4ara /oes to school % luc5ily 7ithout any .roblem no7. She .lays Sno7 Jhite2 lies do7n on the couch and closes her eyes in order to be 7o5en u. by the 5iss of the .rince @meB. She receives a dra7in/ from 4an 4aa.;s dau/hter2 and in res.onse 7ants to ma5e her o7n very best dra7in/. The other day2 7hen 7e .lay outside in the /arden2 she discovers that the ball 7hich used to be there had disa..eared. n my innocence2 say that the boy of the nei/hbours .erha.s too5 the ball2 and that it 7as any7ay old and 7ithout air. She becomes very an/ry2 and loudly shouts at the jiraan @nei/hboursB that they should /o into the forest2 into the .rison2 and that they are li5e the sraelisP become very shy and ho.e that the nei/hbours u.stairs still slee.. Je /o to buy a ne7 ball. The one 7ho hel.s us in the sho. turns out to be another nei/hbour @Our conce.t of Hnei/hbour; differs from that .revalent in the Jest. >ere 7e mean by Hnei/hbours; .eo.le livin/ around us in a circle of some 1'' metersB. She tells 4ara that she should not direct her an/er to nei/hbours in /eneral2 but only to this little boy 7ho too5 her ball. On the 7ay bac52 have 4ara on my shoulders2 and an old man in traditional e*iyah FheaddressG 7atches us and utters a blessin/. Bac5 home2 tell the story to 8ary2 7ho says, MPoor AaderN @the name of the nei/hbour;s boyB2 M am sure he didn;t do anythin/.N

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Stereot/pe, 22-2= 'anuar/) 2002 This 7ee5 receive articles from the Dutch .ress in 7hich Palestinian society and education are accused of incitement and anti%Semitism. am ama?ed about the unrestrained /enerali?ations. n one case it is said that Palestinian education is MbombardedN by anti%Semitic boo5s from Mthe boo5 stores and boo5 stands of Cairo and Damascus.N n fact2 Palestinian schools and universities 7ould li5e to be bombed 7ith @/oodB boo5s but either there is no money or the mail does not 7or5. 8ary2 7ho is in char/e of the ac<uisition of boo5s at Bethlehem Dniversity2 had for many months .roblems to obtain ordered boo5s held bac5 in containers at the 8editerranean Sea or at the 1llenby Brid/e on the border 7ith 4ordan. Since a fe7 years an sraeli committee2 associated 7ith the .revious Aetanyahu /overnment2 is dili/ently examinin/ textboo5s em.loyed at Palestinian schools. The results are summed u. in .a/e%lon/ advertisements in the sraeli and 1merican .ress. Palestinian educators are accused of anti%Semitism. 7onder about the reliability of the <uotes brou/ht for7ard as evidence. n one case2 =halil 8ahshi2 director of the international de.artment of the Palestinian 8inistry of +ducation2 examined an accusation of Mne/atin/ the existence of srael.N t turned out that the <uote 7as not from a textboo5 but a reference boo5 mentioned in the textboo5. The reference boo5 dated from before the existence of srael. n fact2 it is definitely .ossible to find some harsh anti% sraeli and indeed anti%4e7ish <uotes in the textboo5s used at Palestinian schools but these textboo5s are not Palestinian ones2 but from 4ordan @at schools in the Jest Ban5B or +/y.t @in :a?aB. Palestinians are in fact not at all ha..y 7ith these textboo5s since they barely refer to the reality they ex.erience. Students learn more about 1mman and Cairo than about 0amallah2 4erusalem and Bethlehem. n the history boo5s of the 4ordanian curriculum you may not even find any mentionin/ of the ori/in of the Palestinian refu/ee .roblem. The issue of Palestinian refu/ees is an extremely sensitive sub6ect in 4ordan2 7here the ma6ority of the .o.ulation is Palestinian. 1t .resent2 the Palestinian 8inistry of +ducation is in the .rocess of re.lacin/ the 4ordanian and +/y.tian curricula by their o7n curriculum. n this academic year the first and six /raders are no7 7or5in/ 7ith the ne7 Palestinian curriculum. Let Palestinian teachers are not terribly ha..y about it2 in .art because there is still not a lot of material about the students; o7n environment. )or instance2 +n/lish teachers com.lain that the characters in the +n/lish stories almost exclusively bear 1n/lo%Saxon names2 even 7hen they are 1rab. >o7ever2 7ith res.ect to the ima/es of srael and 4e7s there are clear chan/es. This is in fact ac5no7led/ed in srael. 1 research team from the Truman nstitute of the >ebre7 Dniversity2 led by 0uth )irer2 came to the follo7in/ conclusion, MJe 7ere sur.rised to find ho7 moderate the an/er directed to7ards sraelis in the Palestinian textboo5s is2 com.ared to the Palestinian .redicament and sufferin/.N MThis sur.rise is doubled 7hen you com.are the Palestinian boo5s to sraeli ones from the 1"*'s and 1"6's2 7hich mentioned /entiles FonlyG in the context of .o/roms and the >olocaustN @<uoted in Haaretz2 $313$''1B. The boo5s are Mfreer of ne/ative stereoty.es of 4e7s and sraelis2

6'

com.ared to 4ordanian and +/y.tian boo5s.N Jhen discuss the Dutch articles 7ith some school .rinci.als durin/ a meetin/ this 7ee52 they say that they do not 5no7 of any anti%Semitic .assa/es in lesson materials in the /overnment or Dnited Aations schools they run. The only reservation they have is that they don;t al7ays 5no7 7hat teachers tell their students. myself have doubts ho7 influential Palestinian education is in im.osin/ ima/es of srael or 4e7s on .u.ils. The students have their o7n ideas about srael. These ideas are not so much related to education but rather to the .olitical situation2 the ne7s2 and 7hat they see and hear around them. n >ebron2 smail says2 students 7ere nervous and an/ry the day after they sa7 the TC ima/es of the 5illed >ebronite man 7ho 7as dra//ed by soldiers. The curfe7 in >ebron has been lifted @7e don;t 5no7 for ho7 lon/B2 and smail and his teachers and students are no7 able to /o bac5 I althou/h 7ith a detour % to their school located in the center of the city. Jhen the students loo5 u.7ards from the schoolyard2 they see the barrel of a tan5 7hich is .laced on a hi/h .oint overloo5in/ the inner city. @To see sraelis in Palestine2 you often have to loo5 u.7ards. The settlements are located on hillto.s and the re/ular chec5.oints usually have 7atchto7ersB. The tan5 is located in the courtyard of a /irls; school 7hich the sraeli army transformed into an army stora/e and observation .oint. Some of the 7indo7s have been made 7ider to ma5e room for the e<ui.ment. 1nother school is closed for similar reasons. The students 7ithout schools no7 follo7 lessons at other2 overcro7ded schools. Teachers in do7nto7n >ebron study a DA C+)%s.onsored .ro/ram in 7hich they discuss ho7 to a..ly self%learnin/ materials 7hen students cannot come to school due to a curfe7. OOO 1nother anti%Palestinian article in the Dutch .ress ex.resses a /reat deal of fear and anxiety. t lea.s from a criticism of the execution of Palestinian collaborators2 in itself <uite 6ustified2 to the contention that life is not held sacred in M slam2N and from that .oint to the conclusion that srael is no7 in mortal dan/erP remember my o7n research2 more than ten year a/o2 into ho7 .o.ular literature in the Jest de.icts a fri/htenin/ 1rab 7orld and slam. One of the findin/s 7as a certain basic scheme to 7hich you could trace bac5 many thriller .lots. The narrative chain includes a cons.iracy2 usually led by an 1rab leader9 Palestinian des.erados @often .sycholo/ically 7ounded by a .ersonal or family traumaB2 indoctrination by M slam2N as 7ell as the .resence of a dan/erous2 hidden 7ea.on2 and vulnerability and naivete on the side of the Jest. thin5 that2 althou/h to a lesser extent than in the .ast2 similar Hlittle; narratives influence 7hat is believed in the Jest about the current ntifadah. One exam.le is the narrative of a Bara5 /ivin/ 1rafat a very /enerous offer2 after 7hich 1rafat viciously betrays him and incites the Palestinian masses to /et more than 7hat srael security%7ise can allo7 for. Or there is the narrative of an 1rafat 7ho to/ether 7ith Palestinian educators and Palestinian .arents cynically uses youn/ children for indoctrination .ur.oses or as cannon fodder. Su?y once told me that in an exchan/e .ro6ect 7ith an sraeli school t7o years a/o2 the sraeli students 7ere shoc5ed to see Palestinian /irls not 7earin/ the veil. One sraeli student even thou/ht that Palestinians had tails. Conversely2 Palestinians2 althou/h themselves certainly not 7ithout stereoty.es2 often have considerable ex.erience 7ith

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sraeli society2 may s.ea5 a little >ebre72 and have heard stories from family members 7ho 7or5ed in srael. OOO Obviously2 it 7ould be very hel.ful if there are more encounters bet7een Palestinian and sraeli children to ta5e a7ay mutual fears2 stereoty.in/ and i/norance. 1t .resent this is not .ossible. 1fter the hundreds of deaths and many thousands of 7ounded and handica..ed youn/sters2 it is inconceivable to have normal encounters2 let alone educationally fruitful ones. smail tells that his dau/hter2 7ho is in the Dnited States on a HSeeds of Peace; .ro/ramme2 sho7s a film at university cam.uses 7hich she made to/ether 7ith an sraeli student. >ere to do so 7ould be im.ossible. Suha2 6ust bac5 from her en/a/ement .arty in 1mman @she tells that her 4e7ish host family in >olland came over to 1mman to con/ratulate herB2 is no7 7ithout 7or5 because her em.loyer2 the sraeli%Palestinian Center for 0esearch and nformation @ PC0 B2 had to sus.end all its sraeli%Palestinian educational exchan/es. 1lso )uad has sus.ended such activities2 to considerable cost of the school. 1 year a/o 7e had a heated discussion at our institute about sraeli%Palestinian exchan/e .ro6ects. )uad stron/ly encoura/ed the .ro6ects2 citin/ the need for intercultural education and reconciliation2 7hile others o..osed them on .olitical /rounds as the .ro6ects 7ere seen to create a situation of Mnormali?ationN 7hile the occu.ation is still in .lace. The ma6ority of our members had educational and .ractical reservations. 1t the )reres School2 for instance2 it ha..ened that many .arents o..osed the exchan/es because they are usually one%sided, the Palestinian students /o to srael2 but the sraeli students do not /o to the Palestinian .artner and thus do not learn about Palestinian reality. @The sraeli 8inistry of +ducation does not allo7 travelin/ by sraeli students to Palestinian%controlled areas. n one case2 students and teachers of one school in Jest% 4erusalem2 t7inned 7ith the )reres School2 did not mind the .rohibition and came over Hille/ally;B. 1nother ob6ection made is that Palestinian students are sometimes invited to visit a beautiful resort in srael such as the beach or a 5ibbut?9 there they have the 7ee5end of their life2 but returnin/ to their o7n difficult situation they once a/ain see sraelis in other roles than as friends and collea/ues. Over time they mi/ht become only more frustrated % the Hcold sho7er; or Hmornin/ after; ar/ument. East 7ee5 Bethlehem mayor >annah Aasser told that he did not believe in trian/ular relations in 7hich a forei/n city and sraeli city to/ether t7in 7ith Bethlehem. >e had three ex.eriences and none of them materiali?ed after the a/reement. The .roblem2 he said2 is that as lon/ as the base of the relationshi. bet7een Palestinians and sraelis is not stable in terms of a 6ust .eace2 everythin/ 7hat you build u.on it does not hold. This o.inion may be fairly re.resentative amon/ Palestinians here. myself thin5 that the best 7ay of brin/in/ Palestinians and sraelis to/ether is to let them slee. at each other;s homes. That is the best 7ay to see each other;s reality and build trust over fear. The Palestinian Center for 0a..rochement Bet7een Peo.les in Beit Sahour used to invite sraelis and let them slee. over there. 0e.ortedly2 they felt ha..y and safe I safer2 they said2 than in srael.

6$

1t .resent it is very difficult for sraelis to stay2 let alone to stay the ni/ht2 in the Jest Ban5 and :a?a. East 7ee52 t7o sraelis 7ere 5illed in Tul5arem by a /rou. of )atah members. They 7anted to reven/e a family member of one of them2 Thabet Thabet2 7ho 7as a )atah leader assassinated in an sraeli o.eration. Thabet 7as involved in HSeeds of Peace; .ro6ects 7ith sraelis and 7as a 7elcome /uest at sraeli homes. Ao7 his 7ife a..eals to the sraeli >i/h Court to challen/e the le/ality of the assassination. She condemned the reven/e 5illin/ by the relative 7ho accordin/ to her 7as never involved in any anti% sraeli activity but 7as sim.ly traumati?ed by the assassination of his uncle. This 7ee5 more sraelis on a visit to a Jest Ban5 to7n 7ere threatened2 one of them 5illed. 8ost .eo.le in my environment are not sym.athetic to those 5illin/s2 es.ecially 7hen they involve sraelis from 7ithin the :reen Eine @that is2 not settlersB. 1t the same time many Palestinians su..ort the ar/ument that srael only moves for7ards 7hen its citi?ens suffer. One .roblem 7ith this ar/ument2 exce.t its morality2 is that the violence hits bac5 hard on Palestinian society in the form of excessive sraeli retaliations and closures2 the emer/ence of a class of militants havin/ their o7n unla7ful Hla7s;2 and the exclusion from .ublic life of those .eo.le 7ho do not 7ant or cannot .artici.ate in an armed stru//le2 such as 7omen. OOO One sraeli is still roamin/ around the Jest Ban5 in taxis2 and lives in 0amallah. She is 1mira >ass2 6ournalist of Haaretz. >er mother2 ori/inally from the Bal5ans2 died in a concentration cam.. ns.ired by her coura/eous attitude and 7ritin/s2 1mira >ass vo7ed to never /ive u. moral solidarity 7ith victims and to unmas5 the dominant .o7ers of force. )or many years no7 she lives in :a?a and the Jest Ban5. These days she 7rites about the extreme closure 7hich is still every7here in .lace. @The exce.tion is the Bethlehem area2 7here there is no7 somethin/ li5e a Hnormal; closure2 7ith chec5.oint soldiers more relaxed than durin/ the .ast t7o%three monthsB. 8ary marvels about 1mira;s coura/e to /o into Palestinian taxis in every conceivable re/ion of the Jest Ban5 and :a?a. n yesterday;s re.ort2 she 7rites ho7 a Palestinian 7oman /ave birth in a taxi on the 7ay to hos.ital. 1t the chec5.oint2 the 7oman and her family 7ere forced at /un.oint by soldiers to come out of the car. The ne7born baby 7as still lin5ed by umbilical cord to the mother 7ho fainted after leavin/ the taxi. The baby 7as called +abreen2 related to the 7ord H.atience;. OOO Politics is still s.lit in o.timistic and .essimistic days9 as a 7ell%5no7n 1rab .roverb says, MLoom %asal! yoom basalN FOne day honey2 the other day onionG. The ne/otiations in Taba have been conducted in a rather /ood atmos.here2 exce.t for an sraeli Htime out; to commemorate t7o sraelis 5illed in a shootin/. @1 remar5 from a Palestinian in :a?a, MJhy don;t the Palestinians ta5e a time out 7hen Palestinians are 5illedKNB. The .a.er sho7s a lar/e .hoto of the Palestinian and sraeli ne/otiators 7ho2 side by side2 at e<ual level2 7ave at Peace Ao7 demonstrators in +ilat. 8y ima/es and thou/hts are s.lit. see the /rim smile of Shlomo Ben 1mi2 the sraeli 8inister of )orei/n 1ffairs2 a former .rofessor of S.anish literature 5no7led/eable about 1ndalusia and 8oslem%

6(

4e7ish livin/ to/ether2 but also the .revious 8inister of Police ultimately res.onsible for the death of 1$ Palestinians in srael in October last year. 1nother familiar intellectual face is Lossi Beilin2 the sraeli 4ustice 8inister 7ho ho.es to leave the Mni/htmareN of the ntifadah behind and 7ants to /o bac5 to the .eace tal5s of Oslo as if nothin/ had ha..ened. 1nd in my thou/hts is the face of Sharon a..earin/ from behind the bac5 of Bara5. OOO Shireen tells that she heard the follo7in/ story. 1fter a Tanzim in Beit 4ala shot at :ilo2 he suddenly sa7 the a..earance of a man in the dar5 7ho 7arned him that he should leave <uic5ly because other7ise the sraelis 7ould 5ill him. The man left and briefly after7ards the .lace 7as shelled. Peo.le told him the a..earance 7as St Aicholas2 the .atron saint of Beit 4ala. There are in fact2 hundreds of stories in this re/ion about the .rotective or healin/ deeds of St Aicholas and St :eor/e. Peo.le see their ima/es durin/ moments of emer/ency or need. The /unman in <uestion2 a 8oslem2 7ent to the St Aicholas Church to than5 the saint. Shireen heard that the man later on2 in a /esture of /ratitude2 as5ed to be ba.ti?ed. n the .ast it ha..ened <uite often that 8oslem .arents invo5ed the intercession of Christian saints to overcome .roblems of life such as infertility. Jhen the baby 7ould come2 it 7as ba.ti?ed 7ith 7ater but not 7ith the oil I the Sacrament of Confirmation % so that the child 7ould not loose the slamic faith. Or the baby 7as /iven a Christian name. Jhen tell her the story2 8ary says that it ha..ened this 7ee5 that she overheard t7o slamic 7omen tal5in/ 7ith each other at the Bethlehem mar5et. One 7as a /randmother of a /irl named MAathalieN I a Christian name not so familiar to slamic ears. The 7oman said that each time she for/ot the name2 she called her /randdau/hter by mista5e MAetanyahuNP Su?y once told me that she is sometimes moc5ed by those 7ho 5no7 that her last name H1tallah;2 H/ift of :od;2 is the 1rabic e<uivalent of the >ebre7 HAetanyahu;. OOO Our tele.hone is dead for a fe7 days because the 7ires outside are dama/ed due to rainy 7eather. The other day2 visit the institute and 7or5 alone till late. The electricity is suddenly cut off and it is com.letely dar5. Barely am able to /ro.e my 7ay out. 1t home 8ary tells that 4ara made a /un of le/o at school. 1 /unK in<uire 7ith her su.ervisors but they don;t 5no7 of anythin/. t seems 4ara 6ust made 7hat reality sho7ed her. :ood 7eather arrives. /o out and 7al5 7ith 4ara to see the multitude of stars u. in the silent ni/ht I there are no shootin/s anymore % and the fara7ay li/hts of the houses on the to. of the 4ordan hills some &' 5m a7ay. tell everybody not to for/et to loo5 at the beautiful stars. MLes2 yes2 7e doN say =arishma and Shireen dutifully. 4ara does not 7ant to slee. in her o7n bed nor to stay in ours;. nstead2 she 7ants to slee. in the laundry bas5et. But that;s too cold2 7e say. She stays stubborn2 doesn;t

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ne/otiate and 7e feel forced to /ive her a calmin/ Htime out; in another room. 6oin her so as not to let her feel alone. She becomes <uiet only in her slee.. Aext day2 8ary tells durin/ brea5fast that she had a dream in 7hich she 7as shot in the head. M t 7asn;t serious2 after7ards 7as brou/ht to the hos.ital and treated 7ell2N she said. MDon;t stare at me li5e that2 it 7as 6ust a dream.N

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Hou,e, 'anuar/ 2= 6 &e5ruar/ ;) 2002 8ary and 2 and =arishma and Shireen visit the funeral of )uad;s mother2 7ho died after a lon/ illness. There are so many Bethlehemites dyin/ these days2 as if the .ressure of the situation is too much for them. The house 7here 7e .ay condolences is in the old :iacaman38orcos <uarter of Bethlehem2 7ith its characteristic little alleys2 outdoor staircases and arches. OOO This )riday the students from 1rroub cam. could not attend their com.uter class. The day before2 one 5ilometer to the north of the cam. on the road to Bethlehem2 an sraeli doctor from the :ush +t?ion settlement 7as 5illed in a drive%by shootin/. The doctor had hel.ed many sraelis as 7ell as Palestinians. Cery close to that location2 6ust meters a7ay2 it ha..ened ten years a/o that smail and his brother had hel.ed an sraeli en/ineer 7hose car bro5e do7n in the middle of the ni/ht. The en/ineer 7as first afraid 7hen he sa7 that his rescuers 7ere Palestinians. 1fter a mechanic from 1rroub cam. offered hel.2 they min/led and exchan/ed tele.hone numbers. 8any years .assed 7ithout any contact. Till one day in 1"""2 7hen smail;s dau/hter2 in the Dnited States on the HSeeds of Peace; .ro/ram2 called her father. >er sraeli /irlfriend loo5ed over her shoulder and reco/ni?ed the number she dialed. >er friend turned out to be the en/ineer;s dau/hter. 1lthou/h the .er.etrators of the 5illin/ near 1rroub are2 accordin/ to smail2 not connected to the cam.2 the cam. remained under curfe7 for several days2 7ith the roads closed off and a tan5 7atchin/ over its entrance. Jhen as5 smail 7hether it is .ossible no7 to or/ani?e a meetin/ 7ith Christian and 8oslem educators in the cam.2 he says that that 7ould be difficult. Peo.le are afraid. Eocal TC stations mention the names of sus.ected Hcollaborators; in the cam.2 addin/ to a /eneral atmos.here of tension. +ven holdin/ a meetin/ in nearby >ebron is at the moment .roblematic. Durin/ daytime sraeli soldiers are shootin/ blindly into a stone <uarry in do7nto7n >ebron. They 7ant to let the local .eo.le hear and feel their .resence. 1s our .ro.osed meetin/ in >ebron 7ould be close to that .lace2 undisturbed tal5 7ould be im.ossible. smail tells that the .arents of 8urad2 the boy 7ho is no7 far a7ay in 8e/iddo .rison2 7ill be able to visit their son throu/h the mediation of the 0ed Cross. =arishma and 8ient%4an had 7or5ed on that. n the Dutch to7n of +tten Eeur2 school students 7ho .artici.ate in our HSharin/ Stories; .ro6ect are considerin/ to set u. a H4ustice for 8urad; action committee. =arishma already received emails in su..ort of 8urad. smail is /oin/ to find out the number of the mobile .hone throu/h 7hich the Dutch .artners could reach 8urad. >is trial is set for 8arch. OOO t is ty.ical 7inter 7eather these days. n heavy rain brin/ 4ara to school2 ta5in/ a .rivate taxi rather than the usual service Fshared taxiG. The driver says that the rain is

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/ood for the land and the .eo.le. But in the days after2 7e stru//le a/ainst a cold. 4ara /ets one and stays at home for a 7hile. Bethlehem houses are often 7indy and 7ithout central heatin/. n fact2 our nei/hbour suffers from a cold 7hich she /ot at home. Aonetheless2 7ith their bi/ stones and small 7indo7s2 the old houses are /ood to live in2 both in summer and 7inter. Durin/ summer2 the stones 5ee. the heat outside2 7hile durin/ 7inter they .rotect a/ainst the cold. used to discuss 7ith my tourist /rou.s the various com.onents of a Palestinian @8editerraneanB home2 such as the courtyard 7here 7omen did their embroidery2 bas5etry or .ottery2 and 7here they exchan/ed ne7s9 and also the 7ell and the taboun @ovenB outside the house. Particularly successful 7ere the stories about the rosanna % the little o.enin/ from the house leadin/ to the roof 7here youn/ men used to climb throu/h in order to avoid2 in the be/innin/ of the $'th century2 conscri.tion by the Tur5ish army2 or2 durin/ the more recent @firstB ntifadah2 to esca.e from the searchin/ sraeli soldiers2 or I as mentioned in a .o.ular Syrian son/ I to meet a secret lover. 1s else7here in the 8editerranean2 the houses are often /reenish or blue % colours traditionally used a/ainst the evil2 6ealous eye2 or2 in the case of /reen .erha.s as a si/n of fertility2 or they are used to create a sense of coolness in a 7arm environment. The roof is im.ortant for dryin/ the summer fruits and2 if one is luc5y enou/h to have a house in the countryside2 for .icnic5in/ and en6oyin/ breathta5in/ vie7s over the hills. n one of our rooms2 7e have a very old .hoto 7ith 8ary;s /reat%/randfather and family standin/ on to. of a roof next to a bi/ 7ater 6ar. OOO n the countryside2 you still find many )asrs @Hcastles;B2 ancient buildin/s for 7atchin/ the fields2 around 7hich .easants did their harvestin/ and 7here they in the evenin/ told stories2 san/ and rhythmically cla..ed their hands. Sittin/ in the /arden under a fi/ tree2 7hile si..in/ from a cu. of tea 7ith mint2 is the traditional ima/e of the /ood and .eaceful life in Palestine. But durin/ 1"&8 the )asrs 7ere used to /ive shelter to Palestinian refu/ees. OOO >ouse and hos.itality mean a lot to Palestinians. 1 <uiet but lively house2 /ood hosts and /ood2 much food are valued. remember the first time came to Palestine2 in 1"8'. Jhen visitin/ the refu/ee cam. to the south of Bethlehem2 Dheisha2 at the time not yet fre<uented by visitin/ forei/ners2 felt obli/ed to eat three meals in one evenin/2 /oin/ I or rather moved I from one house to the other. Aot 5no7in/ 7hat to say in res.onse to the insistent ul @eatPB2 2 not too un7illin/ly2 succumbed to the .ressures and .leasures of the situation. Still my mother in la7 has the habit2 li5e many other mothers in la7 here2 to loo5 very stern each time 7hen refuse to eat further2 and to as5 in<uisitively and stubbornly, MJhy don;t you eatK JhyKN n fact2 the 7ord MbeitN from MBethlehemN does not mean 6ust MhouseN as a buildin/ structure. t refers to house as a Mlivin/ stone2N a hos.itable .lace2 a life%/ivin/ symbol of fertility and fruitfulness2 of bread @>ebre7B or meat @1rabicB. 1 house should also be alive 7ith many children. @ can;t count the times that family and friends ur/ed 8ary and

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me to have more childrenB. Once it ha..ened that students from a school in Beit Sahour .layed the Aativity scene. The student 7ho .layed the inn5ee.er o.ened the door for the >oly )amily but then deviated from the scri.t2 sayin/ Mt*adluN @come inB to the visitors rather than refusin/ entry as he 7as su..osed to do. Jhen you o.en the door in Palestine and else7here in the 1rab 7orld it is an in/rained habit to immediately invite friend and stran/er to come in. Once the founder of the old Bethlehem >ouse2 a small but interestin/ museum near the Aativity S<uare2 told me that many years a/o she could not believe the Biblical inter.retation that the local Bethlehemites refused entry to the >oly )amily2 es.ecially so since they 7ere .ossibly family members2 7hile the 7ife 7as .re/nant and tired after a lon/ 6ourney. She said to herself, Could it not be that 8ary /ave birth not in an inhos.itable stable but in a /rotto do7n the house2 since many Bethlehem houses are built over a /rottoK Jas it not .ossible that there 7as no Minn2N but that the visitors 7ere brou/ht into a normal family house2 and 7ere led do7n2 a7ay from the cro7ded family meetin/ .lace on the first floor2 to the cave 7here2 as in a stable2 the house animals 7ere 5e.t and 7here it 7as 7arm and <uietK She contacted the Benedictine father Benoit2 7ho confirmed her inter.retation. n fact2 Eu5e;s atalima in the :ree5 translation does not mean MinnN I a Jestern inter.retation I but rather Md7ellin/ .lace.N Since some years the Old Bethlehem >ouse no7 sho7s its visitors a /rotto under a normal house 7ith a 7ooden man/er in the middle. OOO n Palestine2 and .erha.s in the 1rab 7orld at lar/e2 houses often remain unfinished. t is a family;s dream to o7n a house2 es.ecially 7hen it is surrounded by land. Peo.le save a lon/ time in order to build a house. 1 house is a life;s .ro6ect and the .ride of the family. Suite often2 .eo.le start buildin/ even thou/h they don;t have the money to com.lete it. Jhen the sons /ro7 older and marry2 they may come to live in a ne7 story on to. of2 or next to the house. Jhen .eo.le;s lives are hit by hard times2 li5e no72 construction sto.s. t often ha..ens that the o7ners leave a house for years2 and in the meantime rent it to somebody else. 1fter havin/ accumulated some 7ealth2 the o7ners return to the homeland and en6oy their house once a/ain durin/ the last .art of their life. :iselle;s .arents .resently leave for the Dnited States but they don;t sell and even don;t rent their house. Some of their dau/hters 7ill stay behind. The .arents 7ill intermittently come and leave2 in order to 5ee. the 1merican /reen card 7hich ma5es travelin/ so much easier. 1rab houses are not the finished .roducts of Jestern architecture. 1 fe7 7ee5s a/o2 a Bedouin /irl from the :alilee com.leted her master;s de/ree in architectural desi/n about the theme of the incom.letion of the 1rab house. She sho7ed ho7 there are usually o.en endin/s to the 1rab house2 such as staircases leadin/ to no7here. 1n 1rab house is a .rocess2 not a .roduct. That does not decrease but rather increases its architectural value2 she ar/ued. OOO 1 house;s destruction is li5e a colla.se of life. Jhen you brea5 do7n a house of a Palestinian family2 you destroy their flesh and blood. Sharon lately said2 in an off%hand

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remar5 to a su..orter2 that in case of shootin/s from Beit 4ala to :ilo2 he 7ould not let blood flo7. Je don;t need ima/es of 7ounded or dyin/ .eo.le2 he said9 the 1rabs care most about their houses. The sraeli army 7ould come into Beit 4ala and destroy houses9 if needed2 ro7 after ro7. That 7ould sto. the shootin/. Once a Palestinian intellectual said2 referrin/ to srael;s demolition .olicies2 that a Palestinian house is a M.otential ruin.N The shado7 of destruction is behind it. @Similarly2 one may define a Palestinian road as a M.otential chec5.ointNB. OOO 1fter recent ex.ert re.orts2 .eo.le have a 7hole ne7 thin/ to 7orry about, an earth<ua5e comin/ 7ithin fifty years. There is a hi/h chance that some tens of thousands of houses 7ill colla.se. Eittle solace that the earth<ua5e 7ill ma5e no distinction bet7een Palestinian and sraeli houses. OOO 1 house is a reality but an ima/e2 too. Peo.le here often use the ex.ression Mbuildin/ the state of Palestine.N Jill that state ever be a reasonably finished .roduct2 or 7ill it remain a house divided into se.arate .arts2 7ith closed doors or un5no7n /uards and thieves at the entrance2 connected by narro7 corridors2 7ithout an o.enin/ to the roof2 fe7 vistas2 7ithout a /ood foundation2 and 7ith little ne7 life in itK 1 .otential ruinK Lesterday 8ary said that after four months stayin/ closed u. inside Bethlehem she 7ants to leave her .rison. M8y home2 my .rison2N the title of a boo5 by 0aymonda Ta7il2 1rafat;s mother in la7. OOO The traditional Bethlehem house has atmos.here. Eocal restaurants2 hotels and museums attem.t to .reserve somethin/ of that atmos.here by recreatin/ the old 1rab house 7ith its thic5 stones2 arches2 rounded ceilin/s2 and stone staircases. 1 very beautiful exam.le is the renovated nternational >ouse connected to the Eutheran Church in Bethlehem. t is a house for international meetin/s2 7or5sho.s2 and hos.itality. n due time2 7e at the institute ho.e to set u. our o7n Louth >ouse. That is far from easy2 es.ecially financially. t is difficult to buy houses no7adays9 you 7ill /et a loan only in exce.tional cases2 and the .ri?es of the houses .resently don;t /o do7n des.ite the adverse .olitical situation. The rents stay hi/h2 too9 for a normal family house for four you .ay minimum &''%*'' U a month in Bethlehem. @ n 4erusalem it is even more ex.ensiveB. 1fter7ards2 the rent 7ill remain the same for the duration you stay in the house. There are still many .eo.le in Bethlehem 7ho .ay a rent of only a fe7 do?ens of dollars a month2 a rent that has never increased since the 4ordanian time. 8ost o7ners .refer to rent their house to forei/ners 7ho are used to .ay hi/h rates and are li5ely to leave after a fe7 years so that the o7ners can come bac5 to their house or can increase the rent. Jhile a7aitin/ the youth house2 =arishma and our youth /rou. have already started to .aint a meetin/ room in the current .remises that 7ill be reserved es.ecially for youth

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activities. The youth .ainted the 7alls in li/ht blue2 to su//est air2 and there is the contour of a .ainted 7indo7 loo5in/ out over the Palestinian hills. 1nother 7all .aintin/ sho7s the traditional terraces and the olive tree of Palestine. 8ohammed2 one member of the /rou. 7ho 7ent to >olland2 tells that he started an activity for 7hich he already recruited some hundred .eo.le from refu/ee cam.s inside and outside Bethlehem. The action is about sellin/ stones to .eo.le abroad. StonesK Les2 stones2 he says9 they symboli?e the ho.es and as.irations of the ntifadah youth2 and stones also carry a traditional meanin/ for the Palestinian .eo.le. Stones are holy both in slam and Christianity. >e already arran/ed a .romotion Hexhibition; in Dubai. OOO 1 year a/o a Dutch collea/ue%educator came here on a visit2 and offered )uad a stone ta5en from the Berlin Jall at its moment of colla.se. The visitor had 5e.t it on his des5 for years but no7 7anted to /ive it to )uad as a symbol of the need to brea5 do7n divisive 7alls. OOO n do7nto7n Bethlehem one finds2 in a s<uare near the Eutheran Church2 a hu/e basalt stone2 a .resent recently /iven by the church of =oln in :ermany to the city of Bethlehem. Once Crusaders too5 a7ay a stone from the Church of Aativity 7hich 7as later on .laced in the church of =oln as a relic. Ao72 after 1''' years2 the :erman /ift is desi/ned to restore the balance. There is in fact a 7or5in/ t7innin/ relationshi. bet7een the cities of =oln and Bethlehem. OOO 8ary2 4ara and are also loo5in/ for a ne7 house9 our;s has sim.ly become too small. Jhen in the mornin/ 7e /o out 7ith 4ara2 she is the first to see the ne7 flo7ers of the almond tree in the /arden. She has /ood eyes2 8ary says2 and also a taste. That ni/ht2 bac5 home2 4ara lau/hin/ly says Mrattetetet2N and holds an ima/inary machine /un in the air. M 5ill the sraelis because they don;t let tete @/randmaB .ass to 4erusalem.N tell her that usin/ /uns is no fun2 that not all sraelis are the same2 and that she should say salaam2 .eace. Les2 she says2 she understands. Insh$allah. These days she builds her o7n house of le/o2 and is fascinated by the 7indo7s2 staircases and to7ers. She also li5es to once a/ain hear the Dutch Saint Aicholas son/s2 and as5s for .resents to be thro7n do7n the chimney into her shoes. Aever mind that there is hardly any chimney in Palestine. She al7ays li5es to listen to stories. Some years a/o2 7e received a Dutch%lan/ua/e boo5 about MDonald /oes to srael.N t;s 4ara;s favourite. She cannot read it yet and so tell her the story chan/in/ the names of M sraelN into MPalestineN and M5ibbut?N into MPalestinian villa/e2N the >ebre7 names into 1rabic2 and shalom into salaam. tell about :randma Duc5 and Donald Duc5 busy hel.in/ the Palestinians to collect stones for clearin/ the fields so that trees can be .lanted and the desert bloom. There is only one detail left to be ex.lained, the M1rab villa/eN is .rotected by a 7atchto7er.

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Road, &e5ruar/ ;-22) 2002 On )riday the fourteen students from 1rroub cam. arrive at the institute after a 6ourney of three%four hours that normally ta5es them not more than (' to 6' minutes. Jhat ha..enedK )irst2 after leavin/ the cam.2 they 7ere sto..ed by soldiers and forced to return home. Durin/ a second try an hour later2 smail 6oined them and as5ed the soldiers .ermission to .ass. t seems that 7hile he 7as ar/uin/2 the students sli..ed behind the soldiers; bac5s ma5in/ use of a moment of inattentiveness2 and <uic5ly 6um.ed into a taxi I fourteen .assen/ers and the taxi driver .ressed into an ei/ht%seat carP 1 sardine can. Ta5in/ various bum.y field roads alon/ Te5oa2 the birth.lace of the .ro.het 1mos2 they entered Bethlehem from the east2 avoidin/ chec5.oints. 7onder ho7 the boys loo5ed after leavin/ the car. 1ccordin/ to =arishma2 they 7ere .roud they had made it. Some time a/o Haaretz sho7ed ma.s of the various Hby.ass roads; Palestinians .resently find2 ma5e or invent. :ood material for teachin/ Halternative /eo/ra.hy;. The boys enthusiastically follo7 the lesson. =arishma loves them % MThey are so s7eetN % and starts a discussion about 7hether they 7ant to meet any sraelis. Ao2 they don;t 7ant. But 7hat about those Dutch2 =arishma as5s2 at the time you 7ere also not sure that you had anythin/ to share 7ith themK She su//ests the boys to meet 4eremy 8il/rom2 an sraeli rabbi involved in human ri/hts activities2 es.ecially in su..ort of the 4abalin Bedouins to the east of 4erusalem 7ho 7ere driven from their land some years a/o2 and 7ith 7hom the rabbi has a stron/ relation. The boys remain unconvinced. M8aybe he has a /ood relation 7ith you2 but not 7ith us.N thin5 that the .roblem is not so much the boys; relation 7ith the sraelis2 but rather the mental closure2 the lac5 of broader hori?ons 7hich cam. life im.oses u.on them. 1nd of course2 livin/ in a 7ar%li5e situation has its o7n dynamics. )rom the institute;s tele.hone2 the 1rroub boys call their .artner in the .ro6ect2 8urad. =arishma as5s 8urad 7hat he needs2 a.art from freedom. >e sim.ly says, MComin/ bac5 to the Sharin/ Stories class.N Des.ite all the inconveniences2 travelin/ restrictions and .roblematic nternet access2 the .ro6ect means a lot to the boys9 it is a 7indo7 to the 7orld. Jhen they tal5 about 8urad2 one boy starts cryin/. MAot o.enly2N says =arishma2 Msince boys are not su..osed to cry2 but silently. sa7 his tears.N The boy;s brother turns out to be in .rison too2 and 7ith all attention focused on 8urad 7e for/ot about all those others in the cam. 7ho share his fate. 1 collea/ue of ours2 Einda2 7ho /ives a nursin/ course for female students from >ebron2 7aits for her students to come. n vain. :irls and 7omen are not allo7ed by their families to ta5e the same ris5s as boys. OOO tal5 7ith an old ac<aintuance and lecturer at the +n/lish De.artment of Bethlehem Dniversity. >is frustration is his 7ee5ly Saturday lecturin/ at 1l%Aa6ah Dniversity in Aablus2 in the northern .art of the Jest Ban5. The drive is normally t7o and a half hours but no7 ta5es an hour lon/er and re<uires determination. M)irst2 the Jadi Aar road alon/

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the east of 4erusalem2 the hellish road2 then a road to the north 7hich comes strai/ht out of 1lice in Jonderland 7ith added hardshi.s and the fun left out.N Jadi Aar2 Mthe valley of fire2N connects the =idron valley in 4erusalem 7ith the 4ordan river. )orei/ners en6oy the snea5y road because of the stu.endous desert vie7s2 but locals fear it because of its stee. rifts and abysses. Those 7ho cannot travel to the north throu/h 4erusalem are obli/ed to ta5e it. Durin/ By?antine times2 the mon5 Theodosios established a monastery near the road at the .oint thou/ht to be the location 7here the three 7ise men avoided 4erusalem so as not to betray the birth.lace of 4esus. The monastery2 7ith one mon52 is still there. Some7hat dee.er in the valley to the east2 at the dead end of a road2 you find the s.ectacular monastery 8ar Saba FSaint SabaG2 7here more mon5s live. The monastery reminds of the time that the mon5s trailed dee. in the desert to test themselves li5e 4esus. The Scottish bestseller author Jilliam Dalrym.le 7rites that one :ree5 mon5 at 8ar Saba told him2 not 7ithout satisfaction2 that on the Day of 4ud/ment the cor.ses of the sinners 7ould flo7 from the =idron valley do7n alon/ the monastery to the Dead Sea. East year 7e 7ent to 8ar Saba 7ith some hundred students and teachers for a school excursion. Since 7omen are not allo7ed to enter the monastery2 Su?y2 7ho is an ex.erienced storyteller2 told the /irls standin/ outside the buildin/ a le/end about Jadi Aar. There are lots of stories about the caves in Jadi Aar2 7hich have re.ortedly been used to hide treasures. There is one fascinatin/ story2 an ada.tation from the brothers :rimm2 about the 1n/el of Death 7ho too5 his .remise in one of the caves alon/ the road. Jhen a visitor found the cave by chance2 he sa7 the very lar/e cave full of burnin/ candles2 some lon/2 some short2 and some barely burnin/. MJhat are theseKN the visitor as5ed the 1n/el. >e said2 MThese are the candles of all the .eo.le on earth. Jhen the candle /oes out2 the .erson dies.N Tremblin/2 the visitor as5ed2 M1nd 7here is my candleKN M>ere2N the 1n/el said 7ith a careless 7ave of his hand2 and the visitor sa7 his little candle burnin/ on a lo7 flame. >e 7ent to the candle but in his consternation 5noc5ed it to the /round. >e died on the s.ot. MThat is 7hat ha..ens 7hen you thin5 you can chan/e your life;s destination2N the 1n/el said. myself have memories of the Jadi Aar road that date bac5 to an evenin/ 6ourney some five years a/o. ha..ened to /o bac5 home in heavy rain. Sittin/ in dee. silence 7ith all the .assen/ers of the taxi close to each other2 7e moved left and ri/ht climbin/ the hills. The Beatles son/ entered my head2 MEon/ and Jindin/ 0oad2N and that melody became li5e a meta.hor for my .ersonal feelin/ of the country and my situation at the time2 tryin/ to establish myself financially2 sometimes succeedin/2 sometimes not. Since then2 the Beatles melody is for me forever associated 7ith that road. OOO On Sunday2 8ary and visit 4erusalem. )or 8ary it is the first time since many months. The soldier at the chec5.oint as5s for the tasrih F.ermitG but let 8ary and me /o throu/h 7ithout loo5in/. n the .ast2 before the ne7 ntifadah2 it 7as usually 4ara 7ho 7as our tasrih. Jhen 8ary had the baby on her la.2 the soldiers did not .ersist as5in/ for the .ermit. But no7 4ara is a little older. D.on arrival in 4erusalem2 8ary is careful in choosin/ the roads to 7al5 u.on since there have lately been suicide bombin/s in the center of to7n. Jhen 7e enter a side road of 4affa Street2 7e visit a small sho. 7ith old

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ranian%decorated lam.s. Je have al7ays been charmed by them and both our;s and 8ary;s .arental house is cro7ded by lam.s bou/ht there. The o7ner2 an ra<i 4e72 5no7s a little 1rabic and has a sense of humour. 8ary usually converses 7ith him in a li/ht tone. Jhen enterin/ the sho.2 8ary tells him that she 6ust 7anted to say hi2 but after a 7hile he as5s our o.inion about 1rafat and a len/thy exchan/e of almost an hour starts. n a discussion 7hich shifts from a .layful re/ister to a serious one and bac52 he asserts that the 4e7s have a stron/er attachment 7ith 4erusalem than the 8oslems @MJe .ray to /o bac5 to 4erusalem2 they .ray in the direction of 8eccaNB2 that there is no army in the 7orld 7hich 5ee.s itself so restrained as the sraeli army2 that the 1rabs are co7ards since they send their children to the battlefield instead of /oin/ themselves2 that srael is civili?ed and that the Palestinian 1uthority is corru.t2 and that the name HBethlehem; sho7s that the >ebre7s came first and that they have dee.er roots. >is messa/e, n all res.ects 7e are better than you2 so you should 5no7 your .lace. Cisitors enter the sho.2 loo5 sur.rised by the verbal exchan/e2 and leave after a 7hile. The sho.5ee.er;s dau/hter su..orts him2 su..ort 8ary. >e contends that 7hat the sraelis should do is to 5ill 1''.''' 1rabs instead of 5illin/ them one by one as no7. Then the 1rabs 7ill understand. tell him you 7ant a .eace of silence2 the silence of the /raveyard. >e says that houses in Beit 4ala should be destroyed. Eoo5in/ at me 7ith a .enetratin/ /a?e he s.ea5s about the Second Jorld Jar. Eater it turns out that he thou/ht 7as :erman. 8ary /ives exam.les from the .ast 7hich sho7 that the Vionists2 too2 recruited children in their .aramilitary /rou.s2 and 7e su//est that a si/nificant .art of the corru.tion in the Palestinian 1uthority is in fact sraeli%controlled. That MBethlehemN also means Mhouse of meatN in 1rabic. 1nd that 7e cannot let reli/ion dictate 7ho has soverei/nty over 4erusalem. Should Christianity claim soverei/nty of 4erusalem because the city is dotted 7ith holy Christian .laces and churchesK 8ary tells about livin/ in a small confinement. MEi5e in a /hetto2N he adds in a moment of understandin/ and common humanity. 1fter7ards buy 1nne )ran5;s diary and2 7hen meetin/ him by chance a/ain on 4affa Street2 sho7 him the boo5 and tell that 7as as5ed by a 8oslem from Bethlehem to buy it. >is mood is calmer no7. Je briefly discuss sraeli .olitics. >e says that he did not vote for Bara5 or Sharon. >e does not li5e to vote for /enerals 7ho have been in the army all their life2 nor for .oliticians 7ho have 5no7n nothin/ else than .olitics and all its corru.tion. @>e refers in fact to 1braham Bur/2 considered to be a ma6or contender for the leadershi. of the sraeli Eabour Party2 and the son of a .revious minister 7ho for more than a decade ran the sraeli 8inistry of 0eli/ious 1ffairsB. Our man feels that the Oslo road 7as far too lon/ I he ma5es the /esture of stretchin/ a che7in/ /um I endless2 in fact. One has to ma5e a deal2 and then2 chalas2 that;s it. Je friendly say /oodbye2 althou/h somethin/ basic has chan/ed in the relationshi.. Je;ll see if 7e buy his lam.s in the future. Probably so2 because the lam.s remain uni<ue. 8aybe 7e should sto. tal5in/ .olitics. That .rinci.le 7e a..ly 7hen in<uirin/ about the summer holiday tic5ets at an sraeli travel a/ent 7hom 7e also 5no7 <uite 7ell. She as5s about the situation in Bethlehem and sho7s sym.athy about 1bou >annah;s death. Je desi/n a com.licated travelin/ route alon/ families in )rance and >olland and a holiday .lace in taly. Ty.ically a Palestinian 6ourney9 so many Palestinians have family members around the 7orld and2

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7hen they have the money2 find Hholiday meetin/ .laces; in a country some7here conveniently located in bet7een. OOO sraelis li5e to 5no7 their roads 7ell. 1ccordin/ to a local ma. .ublisher there is no .eo.le in the 7orld 7ho buy so many road ma.s. 0eadin/ the familiar2 often Biblical names of .laces and roads /ives them a feelin/ of security and reassurance2 of symbolic control. Je in Bethlehem don;t have that feelin/ for /eo/ra.hy and road names. Peo.le are not used to read ma.s. n fact2 nobody 5no7s the name of our street. East month our house /ot a number but there is still no street name. Je found out it is historically called Mthe street of the blind.N Presently ne7 names are /iven to the streets in our nei/hborhood2 MLasser 1rafat roadN or MPo.e 4ohn Paul $nd 0oadN but everybody still uses the old names. n srael2 instead2 ma..in/ roads and .laces is ta5en seriously2 too seriously. n a recent ne7s.a.er article2 a researcher for the 8oslem wa)* in srael2 res.onsible for the mos<ues and its .ro.erties2 sho7ed his sur.rise ho7 much verbal resistance he met 7hen sim.ly tryin/ to locate and ma. the hundreds of mos<ues of the &*' 1rab villa/es that 7ere destroyed durin/ and after the 1"&8 7ar. The wa)* 7ants to .rotect the remnants of old mos<ues and if .ossible to renovate old mos<ues or build ne7 ones. Such rather innocent activities /ive many sraelis the idea that the land is someho7 reca.tured2 that they symbolically loose /round under their feet. t /ives them the verti/o feelin/ of standin/ in front of an abyss. s there a ne7 .olitical road in front of us2 or only an abyssK 8y o7n o.inion is that at issue is not 7hether this road or that road leads to a final a/reement2 but rather that sraelis need to have a hard loo5 at themselves rather than at the abyss. 1s 1mira >ass 7rites in Haaretz2 sraelis consider it .erfectly natural that there is an a.artheid re/ime next to their door in 7hich settlers have a /reat many ri/hts 7hich the local .o.ulation do not have. t is .erfectly natural that sraelis control Palestinians; lives from birth to death2 7hile Palestinians do not have any le/al influence on the lives of sraelis. t is .erfectly natural for sraelis to assert the ri/ht of @4e7ishB return to 0ussians 7ho barely s.ea5 >ebre72 do not 5no7 the country exce.t from afar2 and are /ranted the ri/ht to settle any7here in the country2 includin/ the Jest Ban5 and :a?a. Conversely2 it is re/arded im.ossible for Palestinians to discuss the ri/ht of return to .laces 7here their .arents or forefathers lived. Dnderstandin/ and loo5in/ at facts from a /eneral human .ers.ective and in its human details2 7ould hel. a /reat deal in soberin/ u. a su.eriority com.lex. This is not to say that .ractical com.romises should not be found but rather that such com.romises can be better found2 and 7ith much less .ain2 7hen first common human and le/al /round is established. The <uestion ri/ht no7 at hand is 7hether the .resent situation develo.s such common /round. 1 7ell%5no7n .sychiatrist and .olitician in :a?a2 yad Sarra62 asserts that there is no common /round and that moreover Mthe ntifadah is dead.N Ei5e durin/ the .revious ntifadah2 he says2 as soon as 5illin/s are conducted a/ainst collaborators2 that is2 7hen the ntifadah turns in7ard2 it is dyin/. >e contends that the Palestinians are fallin/ into the tra. of military tactics2 tactics 7hich accordin/ to him the sraelis are able to .lay

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better. The Palestinians also fall into the tra. of rhetoric2 usin/ bi/ 7ords instead of strate/y. >e .resently does not see any li/ht at the end of the tunnel. OOO The ne7s is disheartenin/ these days. Lesterday2 soldiers 5illed somebody from 1l% =hader 7hile on his 7ay bac5 from 7or5. sraeli shootin/s destroyed the u..er floor of a house in 1ida cam. behind 0achel;s Tomb. The o7ner lost all his valuables and documents. Paradise >otel and Bethlehem >otel have both been hit a/ain2 and bullets entered a house o..osite to one of our cousins. Jhat about the common .o.ulation2 are they ready for 7hat .eo.le say is a ne7 round in the sraeli%Palestinian confrontationK The uncertainty is a /reat .roblem for all. Jithout roads and direction2 confusion is the rule. Sa7san tells ho7 at one mornin/ she entered the Salesian School and tal5ed 7ith the /uard 7ho 7as o.timistic since accordin/ to radio a solution 7as almost reached. 1 fe7 hours later2 she left the school and the /uard told her that he 7as no7 .essimistic since a 7ar 7ould come. There is a feelin/ of not 5no7in/ 7here one stands. 8yths bloc5 one;s vie7s2 .reventin/ orientation. OOO 1s the shootin/s and shellin/ have started a/ain the last t7o evenin/s2 7e comfort 4ara. She is no7 more a7are that shellin/ are not normal2 es.ecially since a ne7 sraeli 7ea.on2 7ith a some7hat louder ban/ is introduced. She as5s2 MJhat is that soundKN 1fter she visited a music lesson2 7e tell her that the sounds are made by s.ecial drums. )ortunately2 she believes it. Durin/ the bombin/2 she blo7s into the flute2 .lay the /uitar2 and the drums are in the not so distant bac5/round. She tells about the ne7 orchestra to others2 and one of the family concurs, MLes2 it is a bi/2 and very s.ecial drum.N f she as5s more2 7ill tell her that it is St :eor/e /allo.in/ on his horse over the clouds. n the distant .ast2 .eo.le used to say this 7hen the thunder ban/ed. 4ara has a vivid ima/e of St :eor/e and al7ays .oints to the saint;s scul.ture above the lintels of the Bethlehem houses. But in reality the bombin/s are scary and close. 8ary;s mother and 4anet hide in the 5itchen2 and 8ary;s mother cries durin/ the shellin/. 8ary;s aunt no7 offers them a slee.in/ .lace in her house 7hich is outside the sraeli firin/ ran/e. >o7ever2 8ary;s mother and 4anet do not 7ant to leave. MJhat ha..ens 7hen our house is on fire and nobody is there to rescue the valuablesKN 4ara /ets a hair%dryer toy and .roudly says she received a /un. Jhen 8ary tells her that she should hurry u. 7ith .uttin/ on her clothes since other7ise the school may close its /ates2 she says2 it is not the school 7hich closes the /ates2 but the sraelis. )or her2 the sraelis are forever associated 7ith closin/ off somethin/. OOO n +ast%4erusalem2 bet7een the sho.s2 she as5s2 MJhere is 4erusalemKN MJe are in 4erusalem.N MAo2 she says2 it is not beautiful here.N She connects 4erusalem 7ith our

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Sunday tri.s to the ?oo2 the s7immin/ .ool and the .lay /arden. t should be a to7n 7ith /reenery. Aext day2 she tells that she is the amira F.rincessG in the .lay 7hich the .re%school .re.ares for 8other;s Day. She 7ill marry the .rince and dance and celebrate in the castle. as5 her 7here the castle is. MThere2N she fin/ers u.7ards2 Min the air.N M>o7 do you come thereKN MJith the slei/hN @of Saint ClausB. So at least 7e have access to heavenly 4erusalem.

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Sti00*ing t+e Sen,e, &e5ruar/ 22-2=) 2002 1fter the bombin/s once a/ain be/an last 7ee52 the familiar but al7ays unsettlin/ 7ar stories tric5le in. Su?y tells about a collea/ue of her2 a math teacher from Beit Sahour 7ho lives close to an sraeli army .ost. >e said that he li5es his 7or5 but dreads the moment2 t7o o;cloc52 7hen he /oes home. Durin/ the shellin/2 he and his 7ife al7ays <uarrel in 7hich room to hide. Jhen roc5ets are fired nearby2 the house trembles. 8onday ni/ht he and his family lied do7n motionless for t7o hours in the dar5. They didn;t dare to /et u. because soldiers mi/ht s.ot them from afar and find their movements sus.ect. Their t7elve%year old dau/hter has chan/ed durin/ these last four excruciatin/ months. She often sits alone in a chair starin/ at .oint blan5. The St 4ose.h teachers try to cheer themselves u. by exchan/in/ 7ar 6o5es in the teacher room. One teacher;s friend 7as so unluc5y to have been hit by shra.nel both in his belly and buttoc5. Only the shra.nel in his belly could be removed. Ao7 each time 7hen .assin/ a security metal detector he 7ill Hbee.;. >o7 can he2 a dan/erous Palestinian2 ex.lain that he does not carry anythin/ dan/erousK One of Su?y;s students2 Aadine2 tells that before the latest2 very strict closure2 she 7ent to 4erusalem in a bus 7ith youn/ .eo.le. Dnder Hnormal; closure conditions 5ids belo7 sixteen are allo7ed to /o to 4erusalem. 1t the chec5.oint a soldier entered the bus2 sin/in/. >e as5ed, M=ee. your D u. in your ri/ht hand. f you 5ee. it in your left hand2 you;ll have to /o out of the bus.N The children had to 5ee. their ri/ht arms stiffly lifted2 as if in class2 7hile the soldier 7as as5in/ them <uestions li5e, M s any amon/ you a member of >i?bollahKN Aadine says that she .ities older .eo.le es.ecially. They often occu.y a res.ectful .osition in their society but are moc5ed and humiliated by youn/ soldiers durin/ such Hinterro/ations;. T7o nuns of #& and "1 years .assed a7ay in a convent a fe7 hundred meters behind 0achel;s Tomb. Durin/ the shellin/2 one of them sat for hours motionless in her .rovisionary shelter under a staircase. 1 fe7 days later she died from a stro5e2 a..arently unable to co.e 7ith the .ressure of the situation. OOO East 7ee5 a driver from :a?a drove his sraeli bus near Tel 1viv into a /rou. of soldiers. 1 massacre. The man had no .olitical history or .olitical contacts. +ven no family or friends 7ho 7ere in .rison or 7ere 5illed. >e sim.ly became fed u. 7ith the situation2 and 7anted to /et his ra/e out. see so many .eo.le around me 7ho are barely able to stand the .ressure. 1s >anan 1shra7i said2 .eo.le Mim.lode2N become motionless or lifeless2 or they Mex.lode2N in an uncontrolled and uncontrollable 7ay. 1 fe7 years a/o2 one of the Bir?eit university students 7hom tau/ht at the time2 did a brief research about the ty.e of lan/ua/e .eo.le used to describe the conditions in 7hich they lived. n an intervie7 7ith a /rou. of villa/ers2 they said they felt li5e cats stayin/ in a house 7ithout food. Jhat 7ould the cat do 7hen you 7ould unloc5 and o.en the door after a fe7 daysK >e 7ould s<uirm on the /round or 6um. at your nec5.

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Let2 since the time live here2 al7ays tell .eo.le2 includin/ 8ary2 to avoid usin/ violent meta.hors li5e Mon the ver/e of ex.losion Fin*ijarGN or Mlivin/ on a vulcano.N These are someho7 <uite stereoty.ical I the 8iddle +ast as the <uintessential .lace of volatility and instability I and also dehumani?in/. Of course the media use such shorthand ex.ressions all too often to characteri?e the situation in the 8iddle +ast. >o7 many times had it not been said that the Jest Ban5 or :a?a Mex.lodeNK But as an educator2 thin5 it is 7ron/ to tal5 about yourself or your community as ex.lodin/2 as if you are not or even cannot be in control of yourself2 as if you 6ust live on your emotions. +ven in the most des.erate of circumstances2 .eo.le should be encoura/ed to retain a sense of res.onsibility and control2 and it is a tas5 for educators to stay in control of the lan/ua/e em.loyed2 at least the lan/ua/e they use themselves. 1fter finish one of my sermons on the to.ic2 8ary says M1men.N OOO Su?y tells me that last 7ee5 she overheard a /rou. of children of four years tal5in/ amon/ themselves. They sat 7ith hands under their chin and elbo7s on the ed/e of a .lastic /arba/e bin. Eoo5in/ very seriously2 as if carryin/ a 7orld;s burden2 one said2 MThe sraelis are Hdo/s; F laabG because they 5ill us2 but the 1rabs are Hmore do/; Fa labG because they start shootin/.N n sur.rise2 Su?y said, MJhy do you say such thin/s I you are an 1rab yourself.N MAo2N the child res.onded2 MJe are not 1rabs2 but PalestiniansPN Jhile .ic5in/ u. the lan/ua/e of their .arents2 children are develo.in/ their o7n lo/ic. OOO Lou cannot breathe2 move2 use your senses. Peo.le are stifled. East year2 8ary and her friend used to 6o/ a fe7 times a 7ee5 throu/h the streets of Bethlehem and Beit 4ala. Ao7adays this is not .ossible anymore. Police and others may sto. them2 thin5in/ that they 6o/ to camoufla/e the enterin/ of forbidden .laces. Ei5e many others2 8ary uses the 7ord Msuffocatin/N to describe the situation. She often uses stron/ ima/es of violence. Once 7e had a discussion 7ith an sraeli .atrol 7ho cau/ht us snea5in/ throu/h Tantur. She told them2 sobbin/ from an/er, MJhat you are doin/ is 5illin/ me day by day.N =illin/ me softly. still remember my sur.rise durin/ a dinner 7hen she told me2 MDon;t ma5e a massacre out of your oran/ePN f the situation is violent2 lan/ua/e becomes violent2 too. But MsuffocationN loo5s a ri/ht descri.tion. The closure closes off one;s feelin/s2 mind2 and hori?on of ex.erience. Jhen 7as a school 5id myself2 7as <uite im.ressed by the novel 2e Avonden FThe +venin/sG of the Dutch author :erard 0eve. n Dutch society2 it is a classic. t meticulously .ictures the suffocation of Dutch society durin/ the 1"*'s 7hen youn/ .eo.le had little to do and 7ere im.risoned in daily life routines a/ainst 7hich they could only .rotest in hidden2 subterfu/e 7ays. >ere it is some7hat similar2 7ith the difference that there is a clearly violent su..ression and often a colla.se of daily life2 and also that 7hile 7e live under closure2 there are still lots of contacts 7ith the 7orld around us. 1s if one lives in a /lasshouse 7ith loc5ed%u. 7indo7s. Su?y says that her sisters and mother loudly res.ond to the .olitical o.inions voiced by .eo.le on TC. Dnfortunately2 the 7all of /lass does not res.ond but al7ays moves to the next .icture.

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n a 8oslem%Christian .ro6ect at the )reres School 7e try to /ive an ans7er to the immobility and suffocation by develo.in/ .ro/rams 7hich encoura/e students to use their senses. )ieldtri.s2 story%tellin/2 ma5in/ music. 1s far as it /oes. Eately the 5ids from 1rroub could not come. Presently 7e offer students and teachers from >ebron to stay the ni/ht in Bethlehem at the )reres2 because a return 6ourney of 6ust half an hour in the late afternoon forms an insurmountable obstacle for them. )or .eo.le from >ebron2 many of 7hom suffer more than those in Bethlehem2 a 6ourney to Bethlehem has become someho7 s.ecial2 in the same 7ay as a 6ourney to 4erusalem is s.ecial for Bethlehemites. MPlease come to our 7or5sho.2N 7e tell .eo.le from the >ebron area. MJe;ll offer you a free day out of your suffocation so that you can live and breathe in BethlehemPN OOO These years have become interested in a theolo/y 7hich says that .eo.le become real human bein/s2 icons of :od2 7hen they develo. their senses2 7hen they hear2 see2 and feel better2 in a differentiated and more com.lete 7ay. Becomin/ alive in the face of closure and suffocation. n fact2 7hen or/ani?in/ fieldtri.s here2 students li5e to visit the holy .laces2 the convents and mos<ues. There they still find this silence2 beauty and ex.andin/ atmos.here that the rest of the accessible outside 7orld lac5s. =arishma and her friend Cindy2 7ho is a volunteer at an sraeli or/ani?ation a/ainst torture2 7ent to St Catherine;s church for the Sunday mass. There they sa7 the boys and /irls dressed in their best clothes and durin/ the sermon /lim.sin/ at each other throu/h the corners of their eyes. Jith fe7 sociali?in/ .laces around2 the church;s courtyard and Aativity S<uare seem to be the natural meetin/ .oints of the sexes. 7onder 7hat the .ressure of the situation means for the sexual feelin/s of the youth. n his diary2 one of the youths at our institute does not shy a7ay from his feelin/s. >e 7atches out for a MbrunetteN and as5s 7hether 7e 5no7 one. Other youth ex.ress their feelin/s in a more annoyin/ 7ay. Eately2 =arishma and Su?y heard of stories from female students bein/ bothered by the /uys on the street and in the taxi. That may not be so s.ecial2 but such stories come u. more fre<uently these days. OOO 1& )ebruary, Calentine;s day. There is a cro7d at the flo7er sho.. Aever2 the o7ner says2 did he /et so many buyers on a Calentine;s Day. Peo.le are buyin/ flo7ers to console their .arents2 to create an u.liftin/ moment in dar5 times2 .erha.s to court a secret lover. Calentine;s Day is also my birthday. The family is ma5in/ a five%star meal. Jhere the other senses have little 7ay to /o out and en6oy2 coo5in/ and tastin/ food /et more attention. Durin/ closures2 most .eo.le sit2 tal52 7atch and eat. Jhen you;d .ut the Bethlehem .o.ulation collectively on a balance and com.are the number of 5ilos 7ith that of before the ntifadah2 the balance 7ould sho7 a considerable increase. @>o7ever2 in the villa/es and cam.s there are cases of real .overtyB. 1s a matter of fact2 myself have to /o on diet. n a sho. nearby 4anet observes a 8oslem security /uard buyin/ a lot of alcohol. To arouse or silence the sensesK

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OOO The birthday .arty ends early9 7e have to move before a .ossible ne7 round of bombin/ starts. 4ara .ic5s u. the name of Peres from the TC2 and no7 says all the time, M>a..y Peres.N She combines MbirthdayN and MPeresN I in the 1rabic lan/ua/e the M.N is .ronounced as a Mb.N She a/rees that the bombin/s ha..en because St :eor/e is thunderin/ on his enormous drums. Durin/ evenin/s 4ara and <uic5ly 7al5 around the table2 imitatin/ characters of a Dutch video in 7hich there is a s.ecial island @trimeilandB 7here .eo.le are obli/ed to 6o/. On this side of the 7orld2 7e are obli/ed to stay motionless. 4ara has a ta.e that each time exclaims, MThat;s ri/ht. Lou;re 7onderfulPN >undreds of times 4ara re.eats M7onderfulPN in her best 1merican%+n/lish accent. That;s 7hat 7e need2 cheerin/ u. a little. 8echanically2 if nothin/ else. Eately2 she sin/s a son/, M see a 7ar comin/ in 1u/ust.N Don;t 7rite about that in your diary2 says 8ary2 .eo.le may thin5 that the school is teachin/ them 7ar son/s. as5 her, M+hu F7hatGK Please tell me more about it.N

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Beit 'a*a 2=-28 &e5ruar/) 2002 M)rom the 7indo7 7here stood2 on the second floor of my house2 could see the bomb a..roachin/ in my direction. t did not come fast2 it 7as as if its movement slo7ed do7n for a s.lit second durin/ 7hich you become fully a7are of the extraordinariness of 7hat is ha..enin/. The bomb loo5ed li5e a family bomb2 a lar/e bomb surrounded by small bombs2 the ty.e of bomb 7hich ex.lodes into all directions the moment it reaches its tar/et. 4ust before it 7ould have entered my house it ex.loded on the tele.hone .ole. )ra/ments fle7 in all directions but my house and my life and that of my family 7ere saved. Since that moment do not believe anybody 7ho says that he does not believe in :od.N These are the 7ords of 0i;baal2 a teacher at a /overnment school 7ho lives in Beit 4ala. Jhen shootin/ starts2 he and his family usually leave for the basement that has been transformed into a shelter. This time2 ho7ever2 there 7as no time to /o do7n. 4ust moments before2 a mas5ed youn/ man a..eared in front of his house and fired li/ht shots 7ith his revolver as if to 7arn somebody. Jas he a collaboratorK 0i; baal does not 5no72 but 7hat is the .oint of shootin/ 7ith a revolver to7ards a tar/et2 :ilo2 that is a fe7 5ilometers a7ayK 1ccordin/ to Haaretz next day2 there 7ere t7o inter.retations of the events. 1ccordin/ to one2 a collaborator fired 7arnin/ shots into the air after observin/ armed Tanzim 7al5in/ in the streets. The other inter.retation said that the Tanzim shot and the sraeli army immediately Mres.onded.N 1re Mres.onseN and MretaliationN a..ro.riate 7ords for the horror visited u.on civiliansK Durin/ that same 8onday ni/ht2 another house 7as shelled 7hose inhabitants 7ere not so luc5y as 0i;baal. )leein/ in .anic they did not reali?e that one son stayed behind in their colla.sin/ house. mmediately after7ards Beit 4ala scouts .atrolled the dama/ed houses I they are instructed to do so I and found his dismembered cor.se. Some body .arts 7ere found only the follo7in/ day. The boy belon/ed to a 8oslem family from the >ebron countryside 7ho had moved to Beit 4ala to o.en a ve/etable sho.. OOO t is sometimes said that Beit 4ala is a Christian to7n hemmed in bet7een sraelis on the one hand and Palestinian 8oslems on the other. Or it is asserted that Palestinian MChristiansN such as those livin/ in Beit 4ala are .ersecuted by Palestinian M8oslems.N Such inter.retations are a remar5able distortion of reality. )irst of all2 Beit 4ala is not exclusively Christian. 1fter a /reat deal of the Christian .o.ulation emi/rated in the course of the $'th century I there are more inhabitants from Beit 4ala livin/ in Santia/o de Chile than in Beit 4ala itself % and after the arrival of Palestinian 8oslem refu/ees and other mi/rants in 1"&82 the .o.ulation is no7 thorou/hly mixed Christian%8oslem. 8ore .rinci.ally2 the 7ay Palestinians understand the cate/ories of H8oslem; and HChristian; is some7hat different from their a..lication in the Jest. There2 8oslems and Christians belon/ to different nationalities or Hethnic; bac5/rounds9 8oslems and Christians are each other;s HOther;. That is not the case in Palestine2 7here 8oslems and

8$

Christians share lan/ua/e2 national history and .o.ular culture % even reli/ious culture2 as both reli/ions have various holy .ersons in common. There are of course certain social and cultural differences I Christians often receive better education in forei/n lan/ua/es and are better connected I but it is im.ossible to divide 8oslems and Christians schematically as if they constitute se.arated /rou.s 7ith different interests and orientations. The Christian .rivate schools and a host of Christian social institutions here ta5e care of both 8oslems and Christians. They daily interact on an e<ual base. myself advise in a .ro6ect that aims to ma5e 8oslem and Christian students more o.en to7ards each other;s reli/ious culture. Social min/lin/ could indeed be im.roved I it sometimes ha..ens that <uarrels on the school courtyard follo7 the lines of reli/ious distinction I but such .roblems are a far cry from tal5 about the .ersecution of a minority. n fact2 Palestinians themselves are often reluctant to be cate/ori?ed as H8oslems; or HChristians;. Some ten% fifteen years a/o it 7as <uite common not even to 5no7 each other;s reli/ion. 0i;baal2 the teacher2 is a 8oslem 7ho has a 4e7ish mother 7ho converted to slam. >e still has 4e7ish family in the Tal.iot <uarter of 4erusalem 7here his father o7ned a house that he 7as forced to evacuate durin/ the 1"&8 7ar. >e re.resents a 4e7ish and 8oslem history of Palestine 7hile livin/ in the traditionally Christian to7n of Beit 4alaP 5no7 him as an excellent social studies teacher 7ho critici?es the curriculum for not .ayin/ enou/h attention to +uro.ean history. >is loo5s are +uro.ean. n his s.are time he is busy 7ith youth scouts and youth cam.s9 a Palestinian nationalist al7ays curious to 5no7 more about his environment. t is someho7 ina..ro.riate to .ut a fixed label on such a .erson. Jhile reli/ious cate/ories may be relevant2 they have to be used cautiously and sensitively. n our .ro6ect2 7e .ur.osefully decided not to tal5 about M8oslem%Christian co% existence2N as if there are t7o distinctly different /rou.s 7ho need to learn to tolerate each other2 but rather about learnin/ Mthe rich 8oslem%Christian reli/ious herita/e of Palestine.N OOO 1t St 4ose.h teachers recently had a vehement ar/ument about 7hether or not the .o.ulation of Beit 4ala should .rotect itself and chase a7ay the Tanzim. t 7as not a discussion alon/ reli/ious lines. +lse7here in Palestine2 the local .o.ulation2 both 8oslem and Christian2 also have a very ambi/uous relation to7ards the Tanzim. Aobody 7ants his or her house to be dama/ed. :iselle and 0i;baal are of the o.inion that as lon/ as Palestinians have arms 7hich are totally ina..ro.riate to confront sraeli hi/h tech e<ui.ment2 they should not fi/ht. The bombin/s on Beit 4ala on 8onday and Tuesday ni/ht 7ere directed at various different .laces. 1t .resent nobody in Beit 4ala feels certain that 7hat ha..ened to the boy could not ha..en to anybody else. Teachers from Beit 4ala 7hom 5no72 such as :iselle2 Sa7san2 Sana;a and 0eem2 are clearly afraid. )uad says that all Beit 4ala .eo.le no7 have difficulty to concentrate. They ex.erience the accumulated effects of distress and shoc5 over a .eriod of several months. They are uncertain 7hether their o7n life or their family;s life is in dan/er. Dnsur.risin/ly2 .eo.le of Beit 4ala no7 tend to ado.t

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stron/er .olitical o.inions. Sa7san says that home .ets in the DS have more ri/hts than Palestinians. Sana;a is fed u. to see that she and her teachers in Battir villa/e have to once a/ain 7al5 12* 5m alon/ an unsafe settler road and to daily climb over dirt mounds or bloc5s of concrete. Those 7ho 7ant to travel from >ebron to Bethlehem can ex.ect a 6ourney of several hours throu/h the fields. One teacher at the )reres; has a family member from Bethlehem 7ho is director of a ban5 branch in >ebron. >e no7 stays in Bethlehem durin/ the 7ee5end and in a >ebron hotel durin/ 7or5in/ days. OOO On Tuesday a Bel/ian%Dutch dele/ation of Pax Christi nternational .ays a visit to the )reres School 7here 7e or/ani?e a meetin/ 7ith a lar/e /rou. of educators and students. The bisho. of 0otterdam is amon/ the visitors. They are all 7ell informed about the collective .unishment measures to 7hich the Palestinians are sub6ected and ex.ress their solidarity 7ith the Palestinians. 1 student attendin/ says that from all the many sraelis he 5no7s only very fe7 do not consider Palestinians as Nsubhuman.N One dele/ation member2 a university .rofessor in international la72 ta5es issue 7ith this2 sayin/ that a re.resentative of the sraeli 8inistry of )orei/n 1ffairs had told the dele/ation that he considered Palestinian youth the main victims of the conflict. >is remar5 elicits the lively discussion 7hich the .rofessor .erha.s intended. The Palestinians assert that the sraeli re.resentative is sheddin/ crocodile;s tears after srael itself 5illed so many Palestinian youth. Durin/ the meetin/ 7e hear shellin/. n the days before the visit of the ne7 1merican forei/n minister2 Colin Po7ell2 to the re/ion2 Sharon;s circle of advisors introduce a ne7 term, Mbreathin/ closure.N This is said to be a closure that allo7s for the trans.ort of medicines2 fuel and other necessities. Once a /rou. of educationalists in 0amallah considered to issue a dictionary 7ith Or7ellian lan/ua/e cate/ories a..lied to the Palestinian situation. f there is somethin/ that does not breathe2 it is a closure. 8aybe 7e too have to .lay tric5s 7ith lan/ua/e. n the Al 1uds ne7s.a.er2 the M1mericans for 4ustice in PalestineN extend an Mo.en invitationN to the DS Secretary of State to Ms.end one ni/ht under sraeli occu.ation.N M1menities 7ill include, a live sho7 of DS a.ache helico.ters tar/etin/ civilian .o.ulations. 0ooms 7ith .anoramic vie7 of ille/al sraeli settlements @.lease 5ee. a7ay from 7indo7s after sunsetB. 1 scenic tour of our bac5 roads2 courtesy of the sraeli Occu.ation forces @includes a live sho7 of vi/ilante settlers in actionB.N Palestinians increasin/ly resist the 7ay ho7 others .icture them. Peo.le have a 5een sense of the ri/hts denied them throu/h lan/ua/e. On )riday 6oin a 7or5sho. on 8oslem%Christian education at Palestinian schools. The discussion turns into a .rotest a/ainst the ne7 Palestinian curriculum. t is said that the ne7 curriculum contains too many facts2 even more so than the 4ordanian curriculum2 and i/nores the value of learnin/ study s5ills2 fieldtri.s2 and other non%formal 7ays of education. But more dee.ly2 the .artici.ants say that it introduces a ty.e of .olitical lan/ua/e 7hich is removed from .eo.le;s consciousness. The .artici.ants blame the Oslo 1ccords to have s.ecified rules for develo.in/ the Palestinian curriculum. One teacher remar5s that she 7ill never acce.t a 5ind of discourse in 7hich she is not allo7ed to s.ea5 of Tiberias and 1cco as Palestinian or 1rab to7ns2 even thou/h they are no7 .laces in srael .ro.er. She

8&

reco/ni?es srael but she does not 7ant to be cut off from her o7n historical and cultural roots. 4ust over fifty years a/o the .laces mentioned 7ere lar/ely 1rab cities. >o7 can one for/et thisK >o7 can a Palestinian curriculum for/et thisK Other .artici.ants a/ree. Aone of them are .olitically radical. They basically .rotest a/ainst bein/ confined into identity cate/ories such as Jest Ban5 and :a?a2 4erusalemite or non%4erusalemite2 belon/in/ to area 12 B2 C2 or >1 and >$ @in >ebronB. 1ll such cate/ories are .olitical and administrative2 of relatively recent ori/in2 and have the effect of .rofoundly fra/mentin/ and ne/atin/ the Palestinian cultural identity. Once somebody told me, MThe 7orst is that Palestinians subconsciously start to thin5 that H am from area 1; I Jould that not be the de.th of tra/edy considerin/ the rich cultural history of PalestineKN O O O@ )or a 7ee52 =arishma is ill2 she never felt so ill and 7ea5. There are many .eo.le ill2 at school and in the family. 1 virus circulates2 and the cold does not hel.. 8ary is ill too. She has the flu and an ear infection. Since her father;s death she is losin/ 7ei/ht. 4ara .lays doctor and inserts a /lass ball.oint in 8ary;s mouth to ta5e her tem.erature. 0eadin/ it2 she counts all the numbers she 5no7s, one until ten2 t7enty2 thirty. On Sunday 7e visit 4erusalem to see a doctor. Je mana/e to .ass the chec5.oint by sim.ly 7al5in/ behind the bac5 of the soldiers 7ho chec5 the cars. 4ara says that she 7ants to buy a rifle to shoot sraelis. 1fter7ards2 7hen 7e ta5e a taxi2 she blames the car;s bum.in/ also on the sraelis. Once a/ain lecture her2 sayin/ that there are also /ood sraelis2 but in vain. >er o.inion is settled. OOO This 7ee5 meet an sraeli of Dutch ori/in2 8ax2 a /uide 7hom 5no7 from the time 7e 6ointly /uided .romotion tours of Dutch reverends. >e 6ust had said /oodbye to a :erman /rou. 7ho 7anted to visit Bethlehem. 1s an sraeli /uide2 it is for him too ris5y no7 to /o into Bethlehem. >e /ives me a ride to 4erusalem. >e2 too2 is fed u. 7ith the situation9 since four months he is 7ithout 7or52 and no7 he ma5es .lans to leave to 1msterdam 7here his son lives. Eately he /uided a /rou. 7ho 7anted to visit Bethlehem. The tourists told him that it could be their last o..ortunity. n the Christian fundamentalist mode of thin5in/2 they thou/ht that a stru//le bet7een :o/ and 8a/o/ 7ould visit the >oly Eand. M f forei/ners start thin5in/ li5e this2 7hat do have to do here in this doomed countryKN he says. sha5e hands 7ith him. OOO 8ary;s cousin as5s 4ara in a teasin/ voice, MJhat is your nameKN M4ara Aathalie van Teeffelen.N The cousin, MEately 7as in >olland and sa7 somebody 7hose name is HCan >ui?en.;N Ao2 my name is Can Teeffelen2 4ara .ersists. :randma 6oins the discussion and tells her2 MAo2 your name is H8orcos;. Ao2 no2 says 4ara2 but after a 7hile she settles for M4ara Aathalie van Teeffelen%8orcos.N The lon/er2 the better. Pity the teachers 7ho 7ill have to re/ister her.

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86

ategorie, 23 &e5ruar/ 6 ; Marc+ 2002 The dominatin/ factor in .eo.le;s lives remains the chec5.oint. Su?y tells about one of her 11th /raders @16%1# years oldB at St 4ose.h School 7ho lives in the villa/e of Battir. +ach mornin/ she .asses a chec5.oint that se.arates area HB; @ sraeli controlledB and area H1; @Palestinian controlledB. East 7ee5 the /irl entered the class cryin/. Jhat ha..enedK Dsually she sits next to the o.enin/ door of the taxi. She is a bit fat and other /irls hide behind her 7hen the soldiers o.en the door and start their harassments. That mornin/ the soldier did not o.en the door but lic5ed the 7indo7 7hile starin/ at her. She 7as fri/htened and humiliated. Su?y advised her that she should next time try to 5ee. her di/nity2 /ive the soldier a Cleanex and insist that he should clean the 7indo7. Su?y;s 7ords calmed the /irl. Aext mornin/2 the /irl said that the soldier had as5ed the students in the taxi to 7hich schools they 7ere /oin/. One boy ans7ered2 MTerra Sancta School.N MBut you are from Battir2 a 8oslem villa/e2 there are no Christians livin/ in that villa/e2 7hy do you need to /o to a Christian schoolKN The soldier 5e.t on as5in/ alon/ those lines until the boy /ot nervous. OOO 1 member of our youth /rou.2 1la;a O7eineh2 student of Bir?eit Dniversity2 tells ho7 at the 1l%=hader chec5.oint near Bethlehem he sat in a taxi 7hose driver tried to convince the soldiers that he needed to .ass. MO=2N said the soldiers2 Mbecause you are so insistent you are allo7ed to .ass. But you can only do so by carryin/ your .assen/ers on your bac5.N Dnder /un.oint2 the driver carried the .assen/ers on his bac5 throu/h the chec5.oint2 one by one. @The scene reminds of a famous symbolic .aintin/ by Suleiman 8ansour of an old Palestinian man carryin/ a /lobe on his bac5. Lou can see it in many local sho.sB. Eater on2 1la;a 7as .ic5ed out of a taxi and forced to stay for six hours at a .olice station 7here they 7anted to convince him to become an informer2 a Mbirdie.N >e says he;s luc5y com.ared to others 7ho are 5illed2 in6ured or forced to sto. their studies for economic reasons. >e only missed a fe7 exams. OOO 8ary tells that she heard from her cousin this 7ee5 that at that same notorious 1l%=hader chec5.oint somebody 7as severely beaten u.. 1fter7ards2 the soldier .ointed to the man;s o7n mobile and advised him to call the hos.ital9 indeed2 addin/ insult to in6ury. +ach day there is another chec5.oint story2 not all of them so remar5able but hurtin/ nonetheless. 1 nei/hbour of ours2 a social counselor at St 4ose.h School in the Old City of 4erusalem2 tells that she leaves each mornin/ at *,(' from Bethlehem to arrive at her 7or5 at 8,''. One day she tries a dirt road2 another day she snea5s throu/h Tantur2 still another day she tries to convince a soldier at the chec5.oint. Eately she had the coura/e to say M/ood mornin/N to a soldier. >e res.onded 7ith an insult. +ven more than the

8#

trouble of travelin/2 such little thin/s u.set her. They .ut a shado7 over the rest of the day. Eately sho7ed my .ass.ort to a soldier 7ho res.onded 7ith a bi/ ya7n. 1 considerable number of Bethlehem inhabitants have a 4erusalem D or a yello7% .lated car2 and there are also many yello7%.lated taxis shuttlin/ bet7een Bethlehem and 4erusalem. Since at .resent sraeli citi?ens are not allo7ed into Bethlehem2 yello7%.lated Palestinians from the Jest Ban5 7ho enter Bethlehem on their 7ay bac5 no7 have to sho7 evidence that they really live in Bethlehem or in other Palestinian areas. Thus2 they have to /ive forms sho7in/ for instance that they .ay local taxes or tele.hone bills. t all amounts to 6ust more 7aitin/ time. Our nei/hbour hel.ed one of the drivers in front of her to translate a Bethlehem electricity bill from 1rabic into >ebre7. The soldier did not s.ea5 +n/lish and 7as <uite im.ressed that she s.o5e his lan/ua/e. OOO To be a Palestinian is to be cate/ori?ed. Lou are yello7%.lated or blue%.lated9 a holder of a 4erusalem2 sraeli or Jest Ban53:a?a D or2 the luc5y ones2 a forei/n .ass.ort or a church%related D. Jhen you live in the Jest Ban5 or :a?a2 you are an inhabitant of area 12 $ or ( @in >ebron >1 or >$B. Lou are a Christian or 8oslem @the reli/ion is obli/atory mentioned in the .ass.ortB. Or a refu/ee 7ith a Dnited Aations .ass2 or an Mindi/enousN Palestinian. Cate/ori?ation as a mechanism to control .eo.le2 7ith the chec5.oint the bi/ cate/ori?er. This 7ee5 a /rou. of (* Bethlehemites left for Pra/ue to attend a music festival. They 7ere allo7ed to /o out of the country only as a /rou.. 1 lecturer at Bethlehem Dniversity 7anted to /o to Bel/ium for a holiday but could not leave the country2 neither throu/h the air.ort nor the 1llenby Brid/e. She finally decided to 6oin the /rou. to Pra/ue even thou/h she 7as not at all involved in the festival. Jhen you don;t fit the ri/ht cate/ory2 you may try to snea5 into another cate/ory. @8any .eo.le of course don;t even have the o.tion of tryin/B. 7onder 7hether )uad2 Su?y and smail 7ill be able to /o to >olland in t7o 7ee5s; time. They try to leave under the fla/ of the Catholic .rivate schools. )or her .art2 8ary is already thin5in/ and 7orryin/ about her family;s summer holiday tri.. >er mother 7ould be only able to /o to )rance to visit her dau/hters and son 7hen she can sho7 7ritten evidence that there are s.ecial medical reasons for her to /o abroad2 and that she needs to see a )rench @and not a Palestinian or sraeliB doctor. The 6ob of findin/ a coo.erative doctor 7ould have to be done by the family in )rance. 1ccordin/ to the recent sraeli announcement of a Mbreathin/ closure2N you need to sho7 that you fall under a s.ecial cate/ory2 such as medical emer/ency2 in order to travel abroad throu/h Tel 1viv. Of course2 6ust /oin/ out2 to breathe a little2 to see your family % that is not allo7ed. OOO 4ara brin/s us a bou<uet of roses .ic5ed from the street. t loo5s li5e s.rin/9 the 7eather is s.lendid. tell a friend that there is at least one /ood reason to stay in Bethlehem. 1t 8ary;s family house2 a lon/ line of clean clothes 7ave in the 7arm 7ind. They are neatly ordered accordin/ to colour I half of them blac5 @after a family member;s decease it is for 7omen customary to 7ear blac5 clothes for at least half a yearB2 the other half 7hite

88

@the under7earB. The days before the 8oslem Al-Adha feast brin/ many .eo.le to the sho.s. Durin/ the feast day itself a .leasant calm descends over the houses and the streets. OOO n vein loo5 for the Herald Tribune3Haaretz ne7s.a.er 7hich no7 due to the closure arrives only every t7o or three days in Bethlehem. Lesterday;s .a.er. 1t least there is an nternet edition. 8ary says that she 5no7s the ne7s already. There has been a bomb attac5 in Aetanya2 t7o .eo.le 5illed and sixty li/htly 7ounded2 7hile one Palestinian from the Jest Ban5 7ho ha..ened to be in the nei/hborhood 7as almost 5illed by bystanders. Peo.le s.eculate that the sraelis may invade the Palestinian controlled areas but it seems that the DS .resently do not /ive them the /reen li/ht. 4ara sin/s her son/ that a 7ar is comin/ in 1u/ust. t turns out that she chan/ed the 7ord har F7armG into harb F7arG. Or her classmates did.

8"

!+a*tio*og/ Marc+ ;-2=) 2002 )uad2 Su?y and smail did not ma5e their tri. to >olland. t 7as not that they received a ne/ative ans7er from the sraeli authorities. Thin/s 7ere more subtle. nternational travelin/ has no7 become an almost im.ossible hurdle for Palestinians from the Jest Ban5 and :a?a. Of course2 it has never been easy. 1lso before the 1l%1<sa ntifada2 many Palestinians 7ere never allo7ed to /o abroad nor did they receive an ex.lanation for the refusal or had a chance to a..eal the decision. By far the ma6ority of Palestinians have al7ays faced an intensive and sometimes <uite humiliatin/ interro/ation at the air.ort or 1llenby Brid/e. The ne7 situation is that all Palestinians from the Jest Ban5 and :a?a have serious travelin/ difficulties2 includin/ C P;s. )or ta5in/ a fli/ht2 you have three o.tions, :a?a 1ir.ort2 Tel 1viv 1ir.ort2 and 1mman 1ir.ort. :a?a 1ir.ort is not favoured. t is in the first .lace not easy to /et a .ermit to travel to :a?a and2 secondly2 from that air.ort you can ta5e fli/hts to only a fe7 destinations. These months :a?a air.ort has re/ularly been closed off by srael 7ho controls its access. Tel 1viv is an international air.ort 7ith fli/hts to all ma6or destinations in the 7orld2 a.art from some 1rab countries2 and it is therefore a natural .oint of de.arture. The main difficulty for Palestinians from the Jest Ban5 and :a?a is to receive a .ermit to /ain access to the air.ort. 1t chec5.oints you usually have to sho7 both the .ermit and your fli/ht tic5et. n the case of 1mman 1ir.ort you face t7o .roblems, either the 1llenby Brid/e bet7een the Jest Ban5 and 1mman is closed2 somethin/ 7hich re/ularly ha..ens2 or you do not obtain the s.ecial sraeli .ermission needed to cross the brid/e. 1lthou/h the re/ulations chan/e2 it is some7hat less difficult to /et .ermission for crossin/ the brid/e than for /oin/ to Tel 1viv air.ort. >o7ever2 travelin/ throu/h 1mman is often more ex.ensive than throu/h Tel 1viv. t is also more tirin/ because of the extra tri. to 1mman2 7hile you never 5no7 7hat ha..ens 7ith the brid/e. Su?y2 )uad and smail decided to /o throu/h Tel 1viv 1ir.ort since they faced no serious .roblems last year. The first difficulty 7as the absence of communication bet7een the Palestinians and sraelis at the liaison office in Bethlehem. The liaison office ta5es care of a..lications for .ermits. Lou have to .resent your a..lication to the Palestinian side 7ho delivers it to the sraeli Civil 1dministration Office located near the settlement :ush +t?ion to the south of Bethlehem. Stran/ely2 there are differences in inter.retation about the .resence of communication bet7een the t7o sides. The Palestinian side may say that there is no contact but the sraelis may say there is. f there is no contact accordin/ to the Palestinian side2 you have to /o yourself to :ush +t?ion for deliverin/ your a..lication. But this 7as somethin/ 7hat )uad and the others did not li5e. t loo5s as if you are as5in/ for a s.ecial treatment. Ao7adays there are very fe7 .eo.le 7ho receive a .ermit. Jhat 7ill other Palestinians thin5 7hen you /et a .ermit throu/h direct contact 7ith the sraeli sideK So it 7as decided to as5 the Dutch counter.art to create a lobby for the .ermits. 0e<uests 7ere submitted at the sraeli embassy in The >a/ue 7ho in their turn contacted :ush +t?ion. )uad learnt that the em.loyees at :ush +t?ion 7ere not ha..y

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about this Mto. do7nN a..roach. MJhy didn;t you a..roach us the normal 7ayKN they as5ed. Aext .roblem, the tic5ets. The tic5ets 7ere sent by fast mail from >olland to Bethlehem but did not arrive. 4an 4aa.2 our Dutch .artner2 found out that the tic5ets 7ere 5e.t at sraeli customs. Jith some extra efforts and .ayments2 he could arran/e that the tic5ets arrived at the air.ort. 1s soon as the travelin/ .ermit 7ould be issued2 :ush +t?ion 7as su..osed to inform the various chec5.oints alon/ the road to allo7 the travelers to .ass. The day before de.arture, Still no .ermit. 1fter an attac5 a/ainst a settler from :ush +t?ion Bethlehem comes under strict closure from all sides. Su?y2 )uad and smail /ive u.. 4an 4aa. still tries2 and finds an unex.ected chance throu/h a Palestinian in srael 7ho ha..ens to 5no7 the s.o5es.erson of the sraeli army from a .revious 4e7ish%Palestinian school exchan/e activity durin/ 7hich that .erson headed a .artner school. Eate evenin/2 the travelers hear that they may call an sraeli army officer to .ic5 u. the .ermits some7here. )uad says no2 he has had enou/h of this M=haltiolo/y.N @H=haltiolo/y; is a favourite .ersonal ex.ression of him. t is derived from the 1rabic 7ord 4harabish or disorder and means t7o thin/s, the art to create confusion in order to .rotect your interests2 and the art to clear u. the confusion created by others. Both are im.ortant life s5ills in .resent%day PalestineB. >e had already informed teachers and his administrations about his decision. 4an 4aa. as5s Su?y but she too does not feel comfortable 7ith the adventure. She 7ould have to /o first to meet the sraeli officer. Aot a .leasant thin/ to do % a 7oman alone leavin/ in the middle of the ni/ht to meet an sraeli officer. 1nd then a/ain2 7ill the chec5.oints around Bethlehem and at the air.ort be 7ell informedK 1fter7ards2 .eo.le told )uad that it 7as folly to thin5 that you can travel to the air.ort 7ithout sho7in/ your tic5et. n fact2 even if you have a .ermit2 it does not al7ays 7or5. 1 medical doctor from Bethlehem 7as refused entry t7o 7ee5s a/o and missed her fli/ht althou/h she had a .ermit. 8oreover2 .eo.le may become sus.icious of collaboration 7hen they see that you can travel throu/h Tel 1viv air.ort 7hile others cannot. Aext day2 a friendly official of :ush +t?ion called to say that the .ermits 7ere ready. Jhen )uad said that it 7as too late no72 his interlocutor 7as sur.rised. Jhy didn;t he chan/e his fli/htsK OOO East 7ee52 smail told me a story about his ne.he7. Durin/ the Al-Adha feast that 7as celebrated this 7ee5 8oslem families visited each other and exchan/ed stories. smail;s ne.he7 is $1 years old and 7or5s 7ith the tourist .olice 7ho hel. visitors in the Church of Aativity. >eadin/ home to 1rroub cam.2 he 7as in a taxi that too5 the eastern desert road. The car 7as sto..ed and all .assen/ers had to sho7 their Ds. One soldier as5ed smail;s ne.he7 to hand over his 7allet. They found his .olice D. Surrounded by 11 soldiers2 smail;s relative 7as led some $'' meter a7ay into a lone desert .lace. The soldiers ordered him to ta5e off all his clothes. Then one of the soldiers2 7ho loo5ed uncontrolled2 started to threaten smail;s ne.he7 7ith a /un. Jithout clothes and tremblin/ over all his body2 smail;s ne.he7 said that he never 7ore /uns9 he 6ust 7or5ed as tourist .olice in the church. The an/ry soldier continued 7avin/ his /un. 1fter a 7hile2

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a commander intervened. 1fter chec5in/ the ne.he7;s D and in<uirin/ once a/ain about his 7or52 he 7as allo7ed to /o to the main road 7here he sto..ed a lorry that too5 him bac5 to Bethlehem. OOO 8ary2 on an Hille/al; tri. to 4erusalem in order to visit a doctor for her hearin/ @there is once a/ain a .ersistent virus in the airB2 overheard 7or5ers at the entrance of Tantur near the Bethlehem chec5.oint 7arnin/ each other that soldiers 7ere beatin/ an old man. On her 7ay bac52 she felt the ur/e to remind the soldiers of 7hat they 7ere doin/ but could not catch their attention. The latest chec5.oint ne7s is that drivers 7ith .assen/ers 7ho lac5 a .ermit ris5 confiscation of their car and license. +m.loyers in 4erusalem or srael 7ho em.loy .eo.le 7ithout a .ermit 7ould have to .ay some 1#2''' she5els. 5no7 somebody 7ho commutes teachers from Bethlehem to their 7or5 at a school in +ast%4erusalem. >e does not care too much about the measure. OOO sit in the /arden en6oyin/ the sun. Some unem.loyed 7or5ers as5 if they can ta5e care of the /arden. Jhen say that it is not our /arden2 they be/ for money. Lou are a forei/ner2 you have money2 they say. 4amal2 the munici.al secretary2 tells me that the munici.ality is in dire straits. Peo.le barely .ay taxes and basic services are in dan/er. The .rices of houses are finally declinin/2 a..arently because more families are leavin/. Su?y tells me that each time 7hen her mother comes u. 7ith the idea of leavin/ the country2 she and her sisters tell her to /o out2 ta5e a 7al52 and come to her senses a/ain. OOO On 8other;s Day2 4ara .erformed 7ell at the )reres;. 4ust over three years no72 it is her first .ublic dancin/ .erformance in front of an audience of mainly mothers. She 7as not nervous at all and danced so <uic5ly that others holdin/ her hand almost fell do7n. )or some time no72 she 7ants a .istol to shoot the sraelis because they do not let .ass /randma. 8ary at last succumbed to the .ressure and bou/ht her a .lastic .istol. start a <uarrel, Jhy /ivin/ toy 7ea.ons at that a/eK 8ary says2 M4ust 7ait and see. 1fter a fe7 days she 7ill com.letely for/et the .istol.N 1s it turned out2 she 7as ri/ht.

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#it+ I(punit/ Marc+ 2=-23) 2002 1 disaster ha..ened last )riday to )uad;s family. >is son in la7 died in a traffic accident2 leavin/ behind )uad;s dau/hter and her three youn/ children. There are fe7 thin/s in life that are so difficult to bear as 7atchin/ one;s family torn a.art in such an unex.ected and violent 7ay. 1 car turned over at the 4erusalem%>ebron road2 moved off the road and crushed into a /rou. of 7or5ers and buildin/ en/ineers2 amon/ them )uad;s son in la7. They 7ere ta5in/ a tea brea5. T7o died and three 7ere seriously in6ured. The funeral 7as a massive demonstration of /rief. Bet7een five and ten thousand .eo.le 7ere .resent. The lar/e .resence clearly had a demonstrative .ur.ose. The boy res.onsible for the accident a..arently drove in a stolen car and s.eeded over 1*' 5m an hour. >e could do so 7ith im.unity because of his connections 7ith armed /rou.s associated to the Palestinian 1uthority. Durin/ and after the funeral .eo.le voiced their an/er about the .resent la7lessness in some PA1 circles. Jhen s.ea5 7ith )uad this mornin/2 he tells about his distress and does not hide his feelin/s about the need for chan/e. >e says that it cannot be that the PA1 6ust ma5es .hone calls to the families involved or .ays condolences. Jith the absence of normal la7 enforcement2 and the disturbin/ .rotection arran/ements2 nobody is safe on the streets. 1ction is needed2 and .olitical discussion about corru.tion too. myself remember that used to say that 7as more scared in Bethlehem about the fate of .assersby 7al5in/ alon/ some of the more H7ild; streets than for .olitical or military events. 1fter the accident2 some hotheads 7ho 7anted reven/e started burnin/ stolen cars. )ortunately2 the <uarrel 7as <uic5ly su..ressed by the heads of the victims; families. OOO visit the villa/e of 1rtas to the south of Bethlehem. On the 7ay tal5 7ith the taxi driver2 a /raduate of Bethlehem Dniversity 7ho says that he earns more as a taxi driver than .reviously as a .sycholo/ist in the local mental hos.ital. >is +n/lish is fluent and he turns out to have a business di.loma from the Dnited States. f you 7ant to ma5e money2 he says2 you can ma5e it2 even in the Palestinian areas. Lou 6ust have to 7or5 hard. don;t 5no7 7hat to say. D.on enterin/ 1rtas2 as5 him 7hether the .ictures on the 7alls of the houses are of the )atah man 7hom the sraeli army assassinated over a month a/o. Les2 he says2 that;s his cousin. That mornin/ the community .rayed in the mos<ue on the occasion of the end of the forty%day mournin/ .eriod. There is one thin/ he 7ould li5e to do2 to /o out of the country for t7o or three years2 in .articular to the DS2 and to tell to .eo.le of all 7al5s of life about the situation in Palestine. So that they 7ould understand. >e 7as certain that after7ards the sraeli lobby 7ould not allo7 him to live. Des.ite his business%ty.e2 almost H1merican; demeanor2 he stri5es a note of des.air. 1rtas is a beautiful villa/e located on the slo.e of a hill and inhabited by .erha.s some *''' 8oslems. 4ust across a small /reen valley are a stylish church and monastery. The church is o7ned by an talian order of nuns 7ho commemorate the valley as the Menclosed /ardenN and Msealed%off s.rin/N from the Old Testament;s Son/ of Son/s

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@&,1$B. feel an affinity 7ith the church not in the last .lace because 8ary;s ancestors 7ere res.onsible for its architecture some hundred years a/o. n the nei/hborhood2 remainders have been found of the ancient to7n of +tam2 one of the fortified cities durin/ the .eriod of the southern 5in/dom of 4udea over $*'' years a/o. 1s 8usa Sanad2 my local contact2 used to tell me2 the villa/e covers many caves 7here archeolo/ists and villa/ers found coins and other artifacts datin/ from the 0oman times and even further bac5 to the Canaanite .eriod. Still a lot of value 7aits to be excavated alon/ and in the fra/rant valley. The nature is /reen due to the .resence of five natural 7ells one of them located in the villa/e itself. East year used to brin/ tourists to sho7 them ho7 the 7omen 7ashed their clothes and carried 7ater to their houses. The romantic ima/e is com.romised by the 5no7led/e that the villa/e faces a 7ater shorta/e2 althou/h less severe than other surroundin/ villa/es. Aearby are the Solomon Pools2 three lar/e 7ater reservoirs2 t7o of 7hich 7ere built durin/ 0oman times in order to su..ly 4erusalem 7ith drin5in/ 7ater. Eater on2 they also su..lied 1rtas2 but the 7ater became dirty and the Pools are no7 mainly 5no7n as a .leasant .icnic resort and a dan/erous s7immin/ .lace % some do?ens of youth have dro7ned there over the last thirty years. n the future the Pools are destined to serve a tourist .ur.ose. >o7ever2 due to the ntifadah the on/oin/ develo.ment .ro6ects have ceased2 and a nearly com.lete four%star hotel o..osite the .ools has been shelled and dama/ed for millions of dollars. OOO 8usa Sanad is a remar5able fi/ure. >e sin/le%handedly develo.ed a herita/e center and fol5lore museum in the villa/e 7hich2 .rimarily throu/h his efforts2 came on the list of the Bethlehem $''' .ro6ects. >is initial ins.iration to brin/ the fol5lore herita/e of the villa/e into the o.en /oes bac5 to the sixties and seventies 7hen he started to read the substantial number of anthro.olo/ical and fol5lore studies 7ritten about 1rtas by forei/n academics2 missionaries and adventurers. They chose the villa/e for its hos.itality2 .leasant climate and /reenery2 as 7ell as convenient .roximity to Bethlehem and 4erusalem. The )innish anthro.olo/ist >ilma :ran<vist conducted several 7ell%5no7n anthro.olo/ical studies in 1rtas. She intermittently stayed in the villa/e from the 1"$'s until the 1"*'s. Due to the anthro.olo/ist;s habit to use .seudonyms for the small communities they study2 it 7as not .ublicly 5no7n that her four 7or5s about sub6ects li5e marria/e2 burial and birth customs 7ere related to Palestine let alone to 1rtas. >er 7or5s are still not available at Bethlehem Dniversity2 and 8ary is no7 doin/ her best to collect the boo5s2 7hich are out%of%.rint. These 1rtas boo5s are a must for anybody interested in Palestinian culture. n fact2 there are more .ublications on the villa/e. The little boo5 about Palestinian .lant fol5lore2 M)rom Cedar to >ysso.2N 7ritten by :race Cro7foot and Eouise Baldens.er/er2 >ilma;s host in 1rtas2 is one of the loveliest treasures ever 7ritten about Palestine. 7al5 to/ether 7ith 8usa and 4amal2 a local teacher and lando7ner2 to a .lot of land nearby the hill of +tam 7hich is 5no7n here as =hirbet al%=hoo5h Fruin of the .lumG. 7as as5ed to see 7hether the institute could buy or rent a .iece of land for the .ur.ose of develo.in/ a school /arden 7here children from different schools could do a/ricultural

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activities and ta5e care of nature. Other activities 7ould involve the develo.ment of a reli/ious /arden 7ith .lants mentioned in the Bible and the =oran2 and2 .ossibly2 a human ri/hts .ro6ect 7hereby school children 7ould hi5e and visit sites in the nei/hborhood that mar5 a human ri/hts story. Ao .roblem2 say 4amal and 8usa dryly2 and .oint to a hill further on 7here close to another .lot of land o7ned by 4amal an sraeli tan5 is stationed. 8usa tries to entice me. The land is so beautiful that it must have been here that Solomon 7rote his Son/ of Son/s. n the early $'th century a .riest2 a member of a /rou. of missionaries and adventure see5ers 7ho 7ere on a visit to the area2 made a detailed analysis of the Son/ of Son/s 7ith reference to local Palestinian .easant .roverbs and fol5lore son/s. Ao7adays it is the Palestinian 8ahmoud Dar7ish2 .robably the most reno7ned 1rab .oet of today2 7ho ma5es abundant use of the MCanticle of Canticles.N >e considers it a love lyric in 7hich different 8editerranean and 1sian civili?ations conver/e. cannot but a/ree 7ith 8usa;s 7ords. The more stories to be told about the land2 the richer the educational .ur.oses they may serve. Jhen .easants become .oets2 you may /et the most beautiful lyrics. @Jhen .oets become .easants2 the results may not be of e<ual valueB. Je even s.eculate about buildin/ a little restaurant2 a lon/%time dream of 8usa. t seems 7e both have the habit of dreamin/. OOO East 7ee52 4ara didn;t tal5 for a 7hile because she 7anted to 5ee. the li.stic5 7hich a cousin had .ut on her. But 7hen she tal5s2 she tal5s about .olitics. +ven non%.olitical discussions 7ithin the family are interru.ted. She says that Beit 4ala is hit2 and that also Bethlehem is hit. Je have to ta5e /reater care. 1ll the sraelis are bad2 she re.eats tellin/2 and after my ob6ection she ma5es the .oint that /ood sraelis are not sraelis. 8ean7hile 8ary and see a little artist in her because she dra7s <uite 7ell for her a/e, houses2 trees2 air.lanes I fortunately2 not yet the soldier or the tan5.

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Storie, &ro( Beit Sa+our Marc+ 23 6 Apri* 2) 2002 East 7ee52 somebody in Beit Sahour thou/ht to have heard sraeli louds.ea5ers sayin/ that a bombardment 7as comin/ and that .eo.le better should leave. >e seemed to have misinter.reted 7hat 7as said2 but the rumour s.read2 and 7as ta5en over on the local radio ne7s. Before the confusion 7as cleared u. some do?ens of families livin/ in the eastern fire ?one of Beit Sahour had left their houses. On 8onday2 the situation became dramatic. 1fter an sraeli soldier 7as 5illed at 0achel;s Tomb in Bethlehem2 the sraeli army mobili?ed its hi/h%tech. Six /unshi. helico.ters han/ in the Bethlehem air li5e birds of .rey9 t7o above Beit Sahour2 t7o in Beit 4ala and t7o in 1l%=hader. )or the first time since the be/innin/ of the ntifada shellin/ started in the early afternoon instead of the evenin/. 1lso for the first time2 it ori/inated from tan5s stationed at >ar >oma or 1bu :hneim2 the settlement hillto. north of Bethlehem and Beit Sahour. Peo.le ran across the street2 .olicemen didn;t 5no7 7hat to do9 ambulances drove u. and do7n the streets. Seven .eo.le 7ere 7ounded2 amon/ them a t7o%year /irl from Bethlehem 7ho lost her eye. Aext day hear from Su?y;s students that those livin/ near 0achel;s Tomb stayed under the stairs or in a safe room2 and that shra.nel entered their homes. 8ary told me that she had to brea5 off a call from her sister in Paris in order to <uic5ly hide 7ith her family in the 5itchen. This time 4ara understood 7hat 7as /oin/ on. M&udrubu %ArabiN Fthey hit the 1rabsG2 she said2 and 7hen 8ary told her to come into the house because Mrain 7as comin/2N she said2 MAo2 the rain isn;t comin/.N )or the first time thou/ht she 7as u.set. n the evenin/ 7e had difficulties to calm her. >er mood s7un/ bet7een cryin/ and lau/hin/. OOO 8ary tells me the follo7in/ story. 1 7oman from Beit Sahour 7hose house had been so thorou/hly dama/ed that her family had to move some7here else2 returned to her almost em.ty house to .ic5 u. some .ieces of household that she had not carried a7ay before. Jhile standin/ in the 5itchen2 she suddenly sa7 the hi/h boots of t7o sraeli soldiers. >er house 7as in area 1 7hich is forbidden for sraeli soldiers to enter. She told them2 MSo you come here to see 7hat you have doneKN One soldier ans7ered2 MThe Tanzim did it.N MThe Tanzim have such 7ea.ons that they can destroy a houseKN Ao ans7er. The other soldier2 more friendly2 too5 his .urse out and offered the 7oman fifty she5el2 intended as a 5ind of Hcom.ensation;. She refused. Di/nity is not for sale. Durin/ the first ntifada the Beit Sahouris had <uite a lot of verbal confrontations 7ith soldiers. 1t the time they or/ani?ed a tax revolt under the banner of the 1merican civil 7ar, MAo taxation 7ithout re.resentation.N They refused to .ay taxes and after some 7ee5s2 the sraeli army .assed by their houses2 one by one2 to confiscate household items. Some of the Beit Sahouri 7omen told the soldiers after their house 7as robbed em.ty2 MPlease stay2 you for/ot somethin/2 you cannot leave 7ithout my curtains.N t even ha..ened that the soldiers in an effort to brea5 the stri5e be//ed .eo.le to .ay 6ust one she5el so that they 7ould /et bac5 their TC or frid/e. 1ll refused.

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OOO 1 1#%year old /irl of St 4ose.h School 7rote in her diary last 7ee5, M dreamt that 7as 7al5in/ alon/ a dar5 road holdin/ a small candle. On the ri/ht side sa7 sraeli soldiers beatin/ a small boy2 and on the other side sa7 myself thro7in/ stones at an sraeli 6ee.. didn;t care and continued my 7ay till reached the to. of the hill. There my little candle ble7 off and the sun rose above Bethlehem that 7as as /reen as /rass.N OOO Sunday 1 1.ril. 8ary2 4ara and ta5e brea5fast outside. t;s beautiful 7eather2 the birds are sin/in/. 1 fe7 7or5ers .ass by to as5 7hether they can 7eed the /arden. MLou may have sna5es hidin/ in the /rass.N S.rin/ is the time 7hen the sna5es and scor.ions come out of their holes. 8y sin/le heroic deed in this country 7as the 5illin/ of a .oisonous scor.ion at the moment 7hen it entered our o.en door. Peo.le 7arn each other about dan/erous animals. have al7ays been fascinated by a hole in the /arden covered 7ith a stone on 7hich is 7ritten, MTa5e care. There may be a sna5e or a hed/e%ho/.N stand u. from the la?y mornin/ chair2 /o into the /arden and shout that there is a bi/ sna5e behind the olive tree. 1s al7ays2 8ary believes my customary 1.ril )ool;s 6o5e2 but the effect is miti/ated because2 as al7ays2 she does not .anic. Pointin/ me out ho7 to 7al5 in a lar/e circle around the tree2 she ta5es the chairs some five meters a7ay but says there is no need to /o inside the house. 1fter7ards2 she said that her main sur.rise 7as ho7 had been able to detect a sna5e in the /rass. 4ara /ets ins.iration from the event and dra7s a /arden in 7hich 8ary is close to the sna5e. 8ary is chay*e @afraidB accordin/ to 4ara2 7hile 4ara herself is dancin/ at a safe distance.

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#riting and Reading Apri* 2-=) 2002 There 7as initially much s.eculation that the ne7 sraeli /overnment 7ould not be able to survive for lon/. That .erce.tion has no7 shifted. 8any .re.are themselves for a lon/ .eriod of .rotracted conflict. M:oodbye Oslo2 7elcome Belfast2N as a forei/n commentator .ut it. Su?y as5ed one of her classes of 16%year old /irls 7hether they 7ant to stay or to leave. >alf of them 7anted to leave2 some even tried to convince their .arents. They thou/ht about their future study and 7or5. )or youth 7ho have a chance to leave the country2 it is a com.lex dilemma 7hether to stay or to leave. >o7 often have heard2 MLou only live once. Jhat is the .ur.ose of sufferin/ hereKN Jill Palestinian youth maintain a sense of .ur.ose2 commitment and involvement 7ith their community2 no7 it loo5s as if it 7ill ta5e a lon/ time before a viable social and .olitical entity in Palestine 7ill emer/eK There is a real need to address the <uestion of the meanin/ and .ur.ose of stayin/. 1nd it has to be addressed 7ithin a broader .ublic discussion % beyond the some7hat des.erate family conversations that are held every7here. OOO The uncertainty about study or 7or5 is one thin/2 but the .sycholo/ical environment in 7hich Palestinian youth live is also not healthy. They cannot /o out of their houses after sunset because the streets have become dan/erous. There are fe7 leisure o..ortunities. 8any see their .oc5et money reduced due to the economic circumstances. 1.art from studyin/2 they 7atch TC2 tal52 visit2 eat2 or I those 7ho can afford I are busy on the com.uter. Po5emon is a fashion here2 too. increasin/ly hear about boys fi/htin/ at schools. There are fe7 s.orts facilities or other o.tions to /et ener/y out. Jhat sur.rises time and a/ain is the absence of readin/ and 7ritin/ habits. Such habits 7ould hel. youth to establish a sense of orientation so needed no7adays. t is not 6ust the issue of illiteracy that is at sta5e. ndeed2 many older .eo.le above forty had never had an o..ortunity to learn readin/ and 7ritin/. +s.ecially /irls used to be 5e.t home from an early a/e on9 for household su..ort or because marria/e 7as thou/ht not to re<uire literacy s5ills. But no7adays almost all youth learn readin/ and 7ritin/. Jhy is it still so uncommon for youth to .ractice these s5ills voluntarily2 outside the context of school7or5K The reasons are varied. Definitely2 1rab culture is an oral culture. Jhile many Jesterners dream about the silent moments 7hen family members comfortably read boo5s in front of the stove2 the en6oyable moments of 1rab culture have more to do 7ith a family .icnic outside the house2 in the /arden or veranda2 or 7ith the murmur of voices and lau/hter in the ni/ht. )or better or for 7orse2 Palestinians and 1rabs find it rather unnatural to be a /rou. and to be silent. Other reasons, the .resence of fe7 libraries outside and fe7 boo5s inside the home. Bethlehem still does not have a normal2 7ell%e<ui..ed .ublic library2 nor do students have the habit to stay in a library. 8ary2 7ho 7or5s at the ne7 Thurathuna Four herita/eG

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library center of Bethlehem Dniversity2 tells that she never sees students ex.lorin/ her library for the .leasure of it. Students as 7ell as staff come in order to search for a s.ecific boo5. Still another hurdle, The standard 1rabic used in boo5s considerably differs from the s.o5en 1rabic. The 7ritten lan/ua/e is an uncommon2 rather formal lan/ua/e. 1nd2 a .roblem for teachers2 the <uality of schoolboo5s is 7antin/. 8y 1rabic teacher tells that elementary schoolboo5s for 1rabic literacy are better in Tunisia than here. She co.ies them. Some7hat s.ecific for Palestine may be the influence of .olitics. Durin/ a discussion about the sub6ect Su?y and smail tell that many Palestinians are reluctant to 7rite thin/s do7n because 7hat they 7rite may be used a/ainst them. Palestinians have al7ays 5no7n the influence of collaborators. Lou have to be careful about 7hat you say and 7hat you 7rite. @Su?y tells that once2 durin/ the seventies2 her mother 7as in a taxi 7hose driver 7in5ed at her throu/h the rear mirror. Shoc5ed by this Hindecent; /esture2 she indi/nantly turned her head a7ay from him. 1fter7ards2 the driver said that he 7anted to tell her that she should 5ee. her mouth shut because the 7oman 7ho sat next to her 7as a 5no7n collaboratorB. Su?y has no7 started a diary .ro6ect 7ith her 11%/raders that turns out to be a success. East 7ee52 :erman TC visited the school and filmed one of the /irls. They .ortrayed her readin/ her diary2 sin/in/ in front of the school students and in the church2 studyin/ and doin/ aerobics at home. The St 4ose.h students li5e the diary of 1nne )ran52 and have been as5ed to brin/ five more boo5 co.ies from 4erusalem. Their interest may have to do 7ith 1nne;s .ersonality as 7ell as the .rison%li5e circumstances in 7hich she lived. Su?y found out that diaries or bio/ra.hies from Palestinians 7ith a stron/ character su..ort her students in develo.in/ inner stren/th. OOO Once Su?y told me about her o7n life9 ho7 her mother 7as an exam.le for her and her sisters2 and ho7 she 7as influenced by her to become inde.endent and a teacher and to love story readin/ and story tellin/. M+ver since my father died at the a/e of &6 in 1"#*2 my mother decided to be inde.endent in raisin/ four /irls a/ed bet7een 1& and * years of a/e. 8y uncles on both side of the family did hel. financially but she 7anted to /o bac5 to her old 6ob as a =inder/arten teacher at St. 4ose.h. 0aisin/ /irls in our society is tou/h2 but my mother mana/ed 7ell because of her stron/ .ersonality. She tau/ht us ho7 to survive and /et our 7ay throu/h life by educatin/ us. Eoo5in/ bac5 at those days2 reali?e that decided to become a teacher myself ever since heard my mother tal5in/ about the stories her little four%year%olds used to do in her class. 1ll four of us sisters and also the nei/hbors; dau/hters used to sit every vacation to hel. my mother .re.are different activities by cuttin/2 dra7in/2 and ma5in/ .icture stories for the ne7 academic year. en6oyed that 7or5 tremendously2 but mostly en6oyed hel.in/ her 7ith her ne7 .u.ils to ad6ust durin/ their first days at school before /oin/ to my classes at Bethlehem Dniversity. :ro7in/ u. 7ithout a father or a brother in the house made us de.end mainly on ourselves2 7hich is not very common in our society. n my classes and 7ith my teena/e students2 tal5 about settin/ /oals in life2 7or5in/ to7ards achievin/ them2 and /ettin/ a hi/her education es.ecially under the circumstances. Ao matter ho7 difficult life seems to be2 it;s im.ortant to have faith in :od and the desire to accom.lish

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somethin/ of value for ourselves and our society9 althou/h sometimes thin/s don;t loo5 bri/ht but there;s al7ays a ray of ho.e at the end of the tunnel.N OOO 4ara has her o7n library2 7ith children;s and .icture boo5s. Eately she shifted her attention to dra7in/ and video 7atchin/. 1 fe7 evenin/s a/o2 she as5ed for boo5s. 7as .leased to hel. her searchin/. She chose t7o very small boo5s. O=2 thou/ht2 as lon/ as she .ic5s u. the habit a/ain. 1fter ta5in/ the boo5s to the livin/ room I sometimes more a children;s 7or5sho. I she inserted them under a .illo72 shoutin/2 MCassette2 cassettePN MBut2 you as5ed for boo5sKN Did misinter.ret her lan/ua/eK t ha..ened a fe7 times lately2 and brou/ht me to restart my 1rabic lessons. 8ary in<uires in 1rabic. 4ara ex.lains that the boo5s are video cassettes 7hich she 7ants to .ut on for her lion to 7atch. 1 fe7 days a/o2 she for the first time dre7 a soldier 7ith a lar/e /un in his hand.

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I(age, o0 t+e Land Apri* =-23) 2002 On )riday leave 7ith a /rou. of teachers to >ebron for a 7or5sho. on the Minter% reli/ious herita/e of Palestine.N t is s.lendid 7eather. On our 7ay to the main >ebron road2 near 1l%=hader2 7e run into a trench as you see them no7 every7here. Je ta5e another road but leave our van in the face of another familiar obstacle, t7o mounds of earth s.read out across the road. )uad2 al7ays 7ell dressed in suit2 ta5es .osition at the to. of the mound to hel. the teachers climbin/. Je film the effort in /ood s.irits and continue our 6ourney in a taxi. There are barely any .rivate Palestinian cars. Jhile 7aitin/ at a chec5.oint2 my /rou. 6o5es, 1re 7e enterin/ M>*N or M1*NK Both areas don;t exist. The land is s.lit u. in so many areas 7ith their o7n confi/uration of authorities that travelers2 even Palestinians2 barely 5no7 7hich area they enter or leave. Jhile 7aitin/2 feel that my collea/ues start becomin/ tense. They don;t 5no7 7hat 7ill ha..en. myself am not .articularly 7orried at chec5.oints. Jhy2 7onder. s it because of a residual ima/e have of the Hrationality; of sraelis2 or is it because as a forei/ner you don;t ex.ect to face real .roblemsK Jhile 7aitin/2 suddenly reali?e that2 des.ite livin/ close to a 7ar ?one2 don;t share % at least until no7 % the fear most Palestinians ex.erience. 1fter a 6ourney of an hour 7e reach >ebron and the .lace of the 7or5sho.. The meetin/ is 7ell .re.ared by the local or/ani?ers of 5adi Ti*l Fclub for the childrenG. Eeyla2 an educator involved in the develo.ment of the Palestinian curriculum2 .uts the .artici.ants at 7or5 in small /rou. discussions and brainstormin/ tas5s. The theme is the cultural meanin/ of Christian and 8oslem feasts. Je tal5 about .arallels bet7een the 8oslem %Id al-Adha and the Christian +aster. 1ll a/ree it is a /ood theme. These days students are in need to tal5 about somethin/ 6oyful rather than the continuously de.ressin/ .olitical ne7s. 1 .artici.ant says that 8oslems are often better informed about Christian feasts than Christians themselves. remember that durin/ my education as a /uide 8oslems indeed /ot hi/her mar5s than Christians in courses on Christianity. 1fter the brea52 an ins.ector of DA0J1 /ives in.ut on the inter%reli/ious bac5/round of .lant fol5lore in Palestine. Je end u. sittin/ in a sunny bac5yard tellin/ each other 7hich Palestinian .lants 7e li5e and 7hy. Of course the olive tree and the /ra.es are mentioned2 and also herbs li5e the mint Miramiyyeh fre<uently used in the tea. 1ccordin/ to fol5lore2 the Cir/in 8ary once sat under the leaves of this .lant and 7as so refreshed by its fra/rance that she .raised the .lant 7hich 7as subse<uently named after her. The re/ion abounds 7ith such tales. 1t my turn tell that am fond of the Hanoun2 a .lant that loo5s li5e a .o..y. )or several 7ee5s in s.rin/ its red leaves s.ec5le the /ardens2 countryside and desert. Jhen 8ary and .re.ared for our en/a/ement2 7e sent out an invitation 7ith a .hoto of the t7o of us lyin/ in the Jadi =ilt desert near 4ericho in a field of Hanoun. OOO 1fter the 7or5sho.2 the .artici.ants visit an exhibition else7here in >ebron. The exhibition is divided in t7o .arts. On the u..er floor2 7e observe /ruesome .hotos of

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clashes and .eo.le in6ured and dead. Do7n is a dis.lay of items from traditional .easant and household life2 li5e 6ars and handicraft tools. So .olitical and emotional the .hotos are2 so timeless and still are the herita/e items. marvel ho7 the or/ani?ers 7ere able to collect the hundreds of borro7ed .ieces in a .eriod of 6ust five 7ee5s. >sem2 one of the leaders of 5adi Ti*l and an officer in the Palestinian Ee/islative Council2 leads us around. >e is a hu/e man 7ith a hos.itable smile and subtle o.inions. Some7hat a.olo/etically2 he says that he 5no7s that the .ictures of violence are Mnot un.roblematicN for a +uro.ean audience. On the 7ay bac5 home2 the taxi s.eeds. Aot uncommon on the >ebron road2 but the .assen/ers are still all too a7are of the car accident of )uad;s son in la7. 8ary and are .resently very careful 7hen 7al5in/ 7ith 4ara alon/ the narro7 .avements in Bethlehem. Dndoubtedly2 s.eedin/ is related to frustration. Eately sa7 a motorcycle at the chec5.oint. 1fter bein/ 7aved throu/h2 it thre7 itself for7ard in a hu/e ex.losion2 the front 7heel hi/h in the air as if des.erately celebratin/ freedom. Our driver slo7s do7n. Je;ll ta5e a lon/ detour throu/h Cremisan2 the Salesian monastery and the forest to the north7est of Beit 4ala2 and .ass alon/ the >ar :ilo settlement that accordin/ to a teacher is ex.andin/ its territorial /ri. over Beit 4ala;s lands. The nearby roc5s are sha.ed in uncommon2 ca.ricious .atterns that invite .o.ular fantasy. 1ccordin/ to one le/end2 a ne7ly 7ed bride and /room and their families once .assed this .lace. They a..arently sinned /ravely2 and 7ere .unished for that by bein/ instantly transformed into stones. The forms of the .eo.le are su..osedly detectable in the sha.es of the roc5s. n another tale2 follo7in/ the a.ocry.hal 0roto-,vangelium o* +t 6ames2 it is in this area that +li?abeth let her son 4ohn disa..ear behind a lar/e stone 7hen >erod;s army conducted the massacre of the innocents. )or local students2 the stories are interestin/ educational material not 6ust for their literary <ualities but also because they let nature s.ea52 they ma5e nature alive. OOO Durin/ the 7or5sho. in >ebron2 Eeyla tested out a little familiari?ation /ame. Je 7ere as5ed to introduce ourselves 7hile loo5in/ into a box 7ith a .icture. +ach .artici.ant had a chance to briefly loo5 at the .icture and then tal5 about it. 1t your turn2 you suddenly discovered that the .icture 7as a mirror. Je all loo5ed at ourselves. Jho am 2 7ho are 7eK f am not mista5en2 it 7as the Palestinian la7yer and 7riter 0a6a Shehadeh 7ho remar5ed in his diary of the early 1"8's2 The Third Way2 that one of the fe7 bonuses Palestinians livin/ in the >oly Eand receive is the fact that you are continuously a7are of the existential choices a .erson faces. n Palestine2 you often don;t have the .rotection shield of normal daily life routines. Thus2 each mornin/ many .eo.le have to .lan a tra6ectory for /oin/ to their 7or5 .lace9 7hich activities they can do and 7hich not. smail is a case in .oint. >e lives in a cam. 7ith curfe7s /oin/ on and off li5e traffic li/ht. Lou don;t 5no7 7hat 7ill ha..en tomorro7. Dnder such circumstances2 you unavoidably face <uestions such as, Jho am 9 7ill be dead or alive after one year9 7ill finish my study or career9 7ill stay or leave9 7hat is my destinyK t is of course not that .eo.le re6oice this situation. To the contrary2 they lon/ for a bit of comfortin/ routine and custom. Jith +aster a..roachin/2 the flo7er sho. sells as

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never before. 1lso this year2 the feast;s customs are meticulously u.held. f Christian families don;t ba5e +aster coo5ies2 they buy them from a home ba5ery. 8ost coo5ies are eaten in the form of the cro7n of thorns. They are sometimes .resented 7ith a red li<ueur symboli?in/ Christ;s blood. OOO 4ara tells me that she is an e// and 7ants me to .lay a broodin/ chic5en. The visitor;s room2 .ut in order for the feast2 is momentarily turned into a 7or5sho.. 4ara dra7s e//s2 houses2 co7s2 rabbits and an animal 7hich is Msomeho7 li5e a hamster but not exactly.N Je ma5e a Bedouin tent out of chairs2 beds.read2 broom2 and 7hatever decorative thin/s are at hand. 1 /ood idea becomes .roblematic 7hen the tent has to be dismantled. 4ara seems inconsolable but 7hen 8ary tactically tells her ho7 the tent can be dismantled in sta/es2 and 7ith her o7n .artici.ation2 she reluctantly a/rees. Definitely2 the tent 7ill be resurrected some more times. 1s customary durin/ +aster2 8ary and and my family in la7 .ay a condolence visit to our nei/hbour 7hose mother .assed a7ay. Jhen there is ne7s that bombin/ starts2 7e immediately leave. 8ary;s mother and sister hide in the 5itchen. Eater on2 the shellin/ comes close and is very heavy around eleven o;cloc5 in the ni/ht. 8ary cannot slee.9 try. Aext day she .oints out a hole of over five centimeter on the first floor 7here the landlord lives. Durin/ his absence2 a nei/hbor chec5ed the house and found out that 7ee5s a/o a bullet had entered the livin/ room. t first 7ent throu/h a steel door2 then a /lass door. Dnconsciously am affected by the incident. )or the first time have a vision of bullets enterin/ our 5itchen. MLou loo5 concerned2 not normal.N 8ary says2 MJhat ha..enedKN ima/ine myself in a film 7here violence see.s into the routines of normal daily life2 /radually2 affectin/ the mind and the emotions2 until the inevitable /rand final in 7hich all 7hat is left of society is dismantled. Ei5e >itchcoc5;s The &irds or Pec5in.ah;s The 7etaway. >>> =arishma2 ta5in/ the last .ossible ste.s to rene7 her stay2 tells me that after last ni/ht;s bombin/ she dreamt that every7here roc5ets 7ere fallin/ do7n. 0ather than demolishin/ the houses2 the roc5ets lifted the families and children u. in the s5y 7here they 7ere .ut in front of /reat doors2 one for each family. Jas it a 5ind of ha..y endin/2 a door to heavenK Ao2 she says2 althou/h she could not see 7hat 7as behind those doors2 she felt very 7orried.

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%reciou, Mo(ent, Apri* 23-24) 2002 The first three ni/hts of the 7ee5 mar5ed the 7orst moments of shellin/ u. till no7. 8ary2 4ara and sle.t at my mother in la7;s to comfort her and 4anet. They live near the Dniversity area from 7here Tanzim shoot at 0achel;s Tomb. Durin/ one of the evenin/s an sraeli bullet a/ain entered the landlord;s livin/ room. >e 7as still out of to7n. )urther above and behind the house2 a car 7as hit by several bullets. 8y family in la7;s a.artment fortunately lies 6ust belo7 the sraeli fire ran/e. Durin/ t7o evenin/s of shellin/ 7e hid ourselves in the 5itchen 7hich is located a/ainst the roc5s of a hill on to. of 7hich Bethlehem Dniversity arises. too5 4ara on my la. and san/ cheerful Dutch son/s. 4ara 5no7s that shellin/ and shootin/ is somethin/ bad but she is not fully a7are of the tension and .lays as normal. >o7ever2 8ary;s mother and 4anet 7ere on the to. of their nerves. +ach time 7hen a shell fell2 they exclaimed in shoc5 MYa$AdraN FOh Cir/inG or MYa-4haderN FOh St :eor/eG. Jhen the /uns fell silent2 7e moved to our bedrooms to slee. early. 1lmost instinctively 8ary and loo5ed at the location of the 7indo7s of our room in relation to the .laces 7here our heads 7ould be. 4ara must be out of any .ossible dan/er. 8ost of the ni/hts 7e sle.t2 althou/h one ni/ht 8ary and her family stayed intermittently aslee. and a7a5e until three o;cloc5 in the mornin/. 1s heard from my 1rabic teacher later on2 other .eo.le remained a7a5e the 7hole ni/ht and read the subtitlin/ of the local TC to learn about the latest ne7s. 1ccordin/ to the Washington 0ost2 various areas in Bethlehem from 7hich no .revious /unfire came 7ere shelled2 such as a stone%cuttin/ factory and the four%star hotel near the Solomon Pools. Stonecuttin/ and tourism are im.ortant local economic sectors. OOO tell 8ary that see and hear less .eo.le cryin/ than at the be/innin/ of the ntifadah. 8aybe .eo.le reach a state that you become emotionally hardened or less sensitive. Or .eo.le sim.ly have too much to 7orry about. Ao time for tears. OOO 1t the )reres School 7e have a meetin/ 7ith teachers for the or/ani?ation of a fieldtri.. 1 fieldtri.K Some don;t believe it 7hen tell them. But yes2 the 7eather is beautiful and until no7 there have been fe7 shootin/s and shellin/ durin/ daytime. Students need to release their tension and /et out into nature. Je ma5e an attem.t to desi/n itineraries in 4erusalem. 1ccess to 4erusalem is more difficult than ever but )uad2 7ho is at heart an o.timist2 declares that there is al7ays a 7ay to snea5 throu/h the closure. 1t least some of the tri.s can be in suburbs of 4erusalem 7hile other tri.s can ta5e .lace in H:reater 4erusalem;. The teachers discuss 7hich itineraries on 7hich hours of the day are .ossible in 7hich areas. The first tri. 7ill be in 1rtas on the southeast border of Bethlehem. Je tal5 about safety issues. reali?e that in the course of the u.risin/ .eo.le;s safety standards have

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eroded. Peo.le become accustomed to the 7ar%li5e circumstances. 1 Dutch ac<uaintance livin/ in Beit 4ala tells that he and his 7ife no7adays ta5e more ris5s 7hen /oin/ out to 7or5 or visitin/ friends. t is an unconscious .rocess2 he says. Of course2 the last thin/ you can allo7 yourself as teachers is to become relaxed about the students; safety. The teachers are 7ell a7are of that. OOO The fieldtri. turns out to be a success. Durin/ the bus tri. 0i;baal2 the teacher from 1rtas2 .oints out the ne7 bi/ holes in the hotel near the Solomon Pools as if they are a tourist attraction. Je move on to the monastery .lay/round 7hich is beautifully located under a shado7 of roc5s and trees. Eouds.ea5ers are set u. and a /rou. of 8oslem and Christian boys and /irls from the )reres School and 1rroub cam. /ive a fine .erformance 7ith ntifadah%related son/s and drama s5etches. There is a ta.e 7ith the sound of shellin/ and 7ith son/s that laud the shared values of slam and Christianity. 1t one .oint the sounds of the muezzin and church bells mer/e. Teachers 7arn students to 5ee. the sound decibels at a moderate level. 0i;baal .oints out the hill 7here an sraeli tan5 is .ositioned. They better should not hear us2 nor should 7e alarm the nuns in the monastery. 1fter the .erformances2 =arishma announces the 7ish ma5in/ action in 7hich some of the Bel/ian .artner schools .artici.ate. She reads a 7ish of a Bel/ian student. Students read other 7ishes. They study the reflections of their distant .artners about the need to ban illnesses2 bombs2 7ars and in6ustice from the 7orld. The +n/lish teachers hel. translatin/. Jhile observin/ the /rou.s murmurin/2 reali?e ho7 the .astoral scene in this /or/eous 7eather loo5s li5e as if a bit of heaven is made visible on earth2 indeed li5e a little :arden of +den. The Palestinian students and teachers resemble a cross section of Palestinian society2 7ith students from to7n2 villa/e and refu/ee cam.. Their outloo5 and clothes differ /reatly. Some of the )reres School boys em.hatically 7ear a cross on their breast2 7hile the /irls 7ear various clothes such as a traditional Palestinian embroidery dress2 modern 6eans2 a lively coloured or sim.le mandil Fhead scarfG2 and the lon/ robe common amon/ more conservative 8oslem circles. t is heartenin/ to see the students lau/hin/ and .layin/ 7ithout fear. Perha.s the scene is so beautiful because beauty emer/es 7hen you 5no7 ho7 .recious it is. 1fter7ards 7e climb do7n into the valley. Some of the boys2 7al5in/ in the hi/h /rass2 tell =arishma that they fantasi?e themselves to be /uerrillas in Cietnam. One of the 1rroub boys ma5es a sexually char/ed 6o5e about the >ebronites. 1 /irl from >ebron teaches him a lesson. There is a bit of tension in the air. =arishma later on tells that the t7o had become /ood friends in the bus and that the 7hole e.isode may have been .art of an elaborate ritual of courtshi.. But some teachers say they .refer to have youn/er boys and /irls2 youn/er than fourteen. OOO 1fter7ards sit 7ith Sana;a2 the .rinci.al from nei/hbourin/ Battir villa/e2 and tell her that 7hen visitin/ 1rtas al7ays see so many clean clothes dryin/ on the lines of the

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houses. She as5s a /rou. of small boys and /irls ho7 often their .arents do the 7ashin/. 1 boy says2 Monce a month.N JhyK The boy says it is for financial reasons. The family cannot .ay more for soa. and 7ater. OOO Aext day 4ara and visit the Peace Center at 8an/er S<uare 7hich or/ani?es all 5inds of activities for youth. Su?y is a storyteller there and 4ara 6oins the circle of absorbed children listenin/. Su?y2 sittin/ cross%le//ed on the floor2 reads from her bi/ storyboo5. 1/ain a rare scene of .eace in a 7ar%li5e environment. OOO 8ary and visit a ne7 house. Our o7n house has /ro7n too small2 es.ecially for 4ara. Je chec5 the usual thin/s li5e room s.ace2 street noise2 buildin/ structure2 /arden and rent. 8ary in<uires about the reason for a hole in a 7indo7. t turns out that2 7hile the house itself is out of the firin/ ran/e2 once it ha..ened that a bullet bounced from the 7all of an ad6acent house. n fact2 fe7 houses in Bethlehem are com.letely out of dan/er. Je a/ree that a stora/e .lace 7ithout 7indo7s should function as safety room. 4ara as5s me to bo7 and 7his.ers in my ear that she 7ants an ice cream. Je /o and ta5e a bi/ one. Eoo5in/ for a ne7 house /ives a /ood feelin/2 as if a chan/e in one;s /eneral situation is in the air. Je 7al5 bac5 in the dar5. 8any .eo.le didn;t .ay their electricity bills and in order to reduce the deficit the munici.ality decided to cut off the li/hts of some streets. 4ara /ives names to three of her bears and animals, 8arie2 Toulouse and Doreen2 names ado.ted from the cartoons she 7atches. +ach of them /ets a ba/ and a she5el for buyin/ a drin5 at school. Jhich schoolK 8arie /oes to Terra Sancta2 Toulouse to St 4ose.h and Doreen to the 1merrican school @in 4ara;s .ronunciationB. 1nd 4ara /oes to the )reresK Ao2 she says2 M /o to 7or5 and earn money.N

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Re*ie0 Apri* 24-Ma/ 29) 2002 The Dutch re.resentative office or/ani?es a little MSueen;s DayN .arty for the children of Dutch citi?ens livin/ in Palestine. 8ary2 4ara and thorou/hly en6oy the s.acious /arden and home of the Dutch re.resentative and his family in the 4erusalem Jadi 4oo? nei/hborhood. tal5 7ith a Dutch 6ournalist married to a Palestinian doctor. 1s usual2 the conversation /ravitates to the <uestion 7hether to stay or to leave. She .refers to leave to >olland2 for her children mainly2 but her husband 7ho is an ex.erienced sur/eon feels a stron/ res.onsibility to7ards his .eo.le 7ho need medical attendance ri/ht no7. 1 fe7 7ee5s a/o he did sur/ery on the t7o%year /irl from Bethlehem 7ho lost her eye. The .roblem is that most .eo.le from the Jest Ban5 cannot travel to the relatively 7ell% e<ui..ed Palestinian hos.itals in 4erusalem li5e 1u/usta Cictoria or 8o5assed 7here he 7or5s. Sic5 .eo.le /o to the .oor /overnment hos.itals in the Jest Ban5 7ho lac5 the advanced facilities her husband needs in order to do sur/ery. Je conclude by sayin/ that the considerations .ro and con leavin/ are often incom.arable and that in the final analysis the decision is al7ays an emotional one. The .arty is one of those occasions2 rare no7adays2 7hen 7e freely .lay 7ith children and try some small2 aimless tal5in/. hear about .eo.le 7ith an international .ass.ort ta5in/ a relaxin/ 7ee5end off in +ilat2 the 0ed Sea resort. Once >ania told me in a li/ht voice that she is no7 sus.icious of .eo.le 7ho do not come to 7or5 on the /round that they are ill Mbecause of the situation.N MTa5e care2 they mi/ht be in +ilatPN Our nei/hbor2 too2 /oes to that resort. She ta5es a time%out needed for thin5in/ about 7hether to stay or to leave. n +ilat she consistently s.ea5s +n/lish and >ebre7 in order to avoid .eo.le thin5in/ that she is Palestinian. To o.enly sho7 yourself a Palestinian in mainstream 4e7ish% sraeli to7ns is not advisable. 0ecently2 a collea/ue told 8ary about 7hat ha..ened to a Palestinian from Bethlehem 7ho started to s.ea5 1rabic in a sho. in Jest%4erusalem. The 7oman in the sho. told him2 MJait a moment2N 7ent to the bac5door room and returned 7ith a burnin/ chemical substance that she thre7 into his face. OOO 1 /ood 7ay of esca.in/ the tension is tal5in/ about the little funny thin/s of the day. Su?y tells that she and other Palestinians accom.anied :ree5 Orthodox officials in a van on the 7ay bac5 to Bethlehem. 1t the mahsoum soldiers 7ere chec5in/ 7hether .eo.le had .ermission to be in 4erusalem. 8ost of Su?y;s /rou. hadn;t. 1 s5etch 7as .erformed to su//est that all .assen/ers 7ere forei/n. The officials2 7ith beards and lon/ blac5 robes2 busily tal5ed :ree5 7ith the Palestinians 7ho /esticulated and nodded bac5 in seemin/ a/reement. 1nother Palestinian .assen/er loo5ed aimlessly and non% communicatively at the ceilin/ of the van. To com.lete the .icture2 a lar/e do/ in the car started bar5in/. The soldier2 exas.erated2 did not 5no7 ho7 to deal 7ith the scene and 7aved the van throu/h. T7enty meters do7n the road the .assen/ers bro5e into lau/hter. Sa7san tells her o7n chec5.oint stories. She is still offerin/ the soldiers an old )rench student .ass that she obtained 7hen she did her PhD studies in Paris years a/o. She

1'#

refuses to s.ea5 any other lan/ua/e to soldiers than )rench2 and usually finds her 7ay throu/h as 7ell. OOO 1 /ood 7ay of esca.in/ the tension is tal5in/ about the little funny thin/s of the day. Su?y tells that she and other Palestinians accom.anied :ree5 Orthodox officials in a van on the 7ay bac5 to Bethlehem. 1t the mahsoum soldiers 7ere chec5in/ 7hether .eo.le had .ermission to be in 4erusalem. 8ost of Su?y;s /rou. hadn;t. 1 s5etch 7as .erformed to su//est that all .assen/ers 7ere forei/n. The officials2 7ith beards and lon/ blac5 robes2 busily tal5ed :ree5 7ith the Palestinians 7ho /esticulated and nodded bac5 in seemin/ a/reement. 1nother Palestinian .assen/er loo5ed aimlessly and non% communicatively at the ceilin/ of the van. To com.lete the .icture2 a lar/e do/ in the car started bar5in/. The soldier2 exas.erated2 did not 5no7 ho7 to deal 7ith the scene and 7aved the van throu/h. T7enty meters do7n the road the .assen/ers bro5e into lau/hter. Sa7san tells her o7n chec5.oint stories. She is still offerin/ the soldiers an old )rench student .ass that she obtained 7hen she did her PhD studies in Paris years a/o. She refuses to s.ea5 any other lan/ua/e to soldiers than )rench2 and usually finds her 7ay throu/h as 7ell. >>> Durin/ the follo7in/ mornin/s see .ale faces at school. conduct a little research amon/ collea/ues and friends as5in/ them 7hether or not they slee.. >alf of them slee.2 half of them don;t slee. or Mnot really.N 8any are ill2 it seems in .art due to the tension and in .art to the uncertain 7eather. These 7ee5s 7e had it all, rain2 thunder2 7ind2 storm2 and sunshine. n the )reres School courtyard sa7 students 7ith o.en mouths /a?in/ at a tro.ical rain sho7er. 8ary;s collea/ues say that they mix u. various sounds. s it thunder or shellin/ 7hat they hearK s it the 7ashin/ machineK 1n ac<uaintance com.lains that doctors2 in their attem.ts to ex.lain .ersistent colds and other .hysical .roblems2 .resently have nothin/ else on offer than a va/ue Hvirus;. Je hear that several .eo.le in the Bethlehem area are losin/ hair in a small round s.ot on the s5ull. This2 too2 seems to be related to the tension. myself have stomach .roblems for a fe7 days and vomit in the middle of the ni/ht under the sound of heavy machine /unfire. OOO The 7orst shellin/ days 7ere Sunday and 8onday. :unfire and shellin/ started already in the mornin/. 1 Tanzim leader2 an uncle of one of Su?y;s students2 7as 5illed in Beit 4ala. The sraelis too5 over some hundreds of s<uare meters of area 1 @the M1s5aanN rid/eB near the Talitha =umi school2 and dama/ed several villas. Sana;a2 7ho lives close2 tells ho7 her mother 7ent out on the balcony and shouted in .anic at the sraeli soldiers 7hom she sa7 a..roachin/. 8ore than t7enty Palestinians 7ere in6ured2 some of them seriously. On that same mornin/ 8ary brou/ht her mother to a doctor in 4erusalem. They 7ere accom.anied by a /irl in her t7enties 7ho brou/ht her six%year old in6ured brother to

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8o5assed hos.ital. >e 7as shot in the shoulder. The /irl cried all the 7ay2 fearin/ that her brother;s arm 7ould have to be am.utated. Je hear many similar stories. Shireen tells that a friend of her2 a nurse2 u.on leavin/ an ambulance near the shootin/ area himself 7as shot in the le/. On that Sunday2 )ardoos2 a member of the institute;s board2 visited the tar/eted 1s5aan area 7here she and her family are buildin/ a house. She is a counselor at the L8C1 in Beit Sahour and involved in .ro/rams to heal the .sycholo/ical 7ounds of traumati?ed .eo.le. >er husband 15ram 7or5s for a Palestinian% sraeli Peo.le%to%Peo.le .ro/ram. The family ha..ened to find themselves in the middle of crossfire. They barely esca.ed their burnin/ ne7 house shelled by the army. )ortunately2 it 7as not beyond re.air. OOO am thin5in/ about visitin/ 1l%=hader2 the villa/e to the south of Bethlehem 7hich commemorates the im.risonment of St :eor/e. St :eor/e;s feast day ha..ens to be on Sunday 8ay 6. On that day2 Christians and 8oslems come to the :ree5 Orthodox church in the villa/e to ba.ti?e their child or to submit an offerin/. n the a/ricultural calendar St :eor/e;s Day is the day of the last rain of the season2 and2 indeed2 there is roarin/ thunder in the air9 accordin/ to local fol5lore St :eor/e;s horse ridin/ in the s5y. collect .o.ular narratives about the saint and 7ant to see 7hether the festivities are still on. 8ary tells me should stay home and not ex.ect St :eor/e2 7ith or 7ithout horse2 to .rotect me a/ainst the shellin/. t turns out to be /ood advice. Shireen tells me later that the fe7 visitin/ .il/rims and children had to im.rovise their 7ay out of the church. Some of them even ran for their life. :iselle tells that her uncle has a house in the 1s5aan rid/e 7hich is still under sraeli security control @area MBNB. The sraeli army told him to evacuate the house in &8 hours as it 7ould be destroyed after7ards. 1 <uic5 intervention of the Eatin Patriarchate .revented the disaster. OOO 1fter the heavy shellin/2 my 1rabic teacher com.lains that she feels there is no .olitical leadershi. amon/ the Palestinians. Jho are those Tanzim from the Ta;amreh area2 many of them illiterate2 to decide to shoot from Beit 4alaK Should the Bethlehemite .o.ulation receive orders from those youn/ .eo.le 7ho have no other ex.erience than shootin/K She ho7ever stri5es a note of ambi/uity 7hen she says2 not 7ithout admiration2 that more 8oslems are 7illin/ to die for their country than Christians. She <uotes a Tanzim 7ho said, the Bethlehemites loose their houses but the Ta;amreh loose their lives. as5 her, To 7hat extent is ris5in/ one;s life for one;s country a human standard that should a..ly to allK 1nd 7hat is the .ros.ect of an armed stru//le a/ainst one of the most advanced armies in the 7orldK t is undoubtedly true that a .olitical leadershi. vacuum exists in Palestine. n leaflets it is said that by shootin/ from inhabited areas the Tanzim ex.ose houses to sraeli mortar fire. have the feelin/ that the leadershi. vacuum and des.air s.ills over into Palestinian society itself. On my 7ay to the institute2 see a Bethlehem Dniversity teacher 7arnin/ some youth not to thro7 bottles at .assers by2 and observe another youth 5ic5in/ the

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/oods of a street .eddler. 1re the Tanzim a ty.e of macho role models for these youthK >o7 do they see their o7n futureK Jhat is their futureK OOO 1t least the schools and university .rovide some direction to the broader society. chec5 7ith various schools 7hether they are able to follo7 the re/ular .ro/ram and .re.are students for their exams. They are. Sa7san tells me that the .rinci.al at Talitha =umi is very strict 7ith the teachers and the students2 even to such an extent that some of the .arents com.lain about the administration;s Mlac5 of flexibilityN /iven the students; difficulties in travelin/. 1ccordin/ to my 1rabic teacher at the )reres;2 the teachers there are able to maintain a sense of order amon/ the students and 7ill hand out /rades rou/hly similar to those in .revious years. n fact2 more than ever teachers are convinced of the need to com.lete the curriculum. Durin/ the first ntifadah2 over ten years a/o2 students lost several years of school. Lou still see the disastrous conse<uences at the hi/her classes of secondary school and at the university. Jith the latest mornin/ and early afternoon shellin/ there is no7 a ris5 that the schools once more become directly affected. On 8onday #2 .arents came to schools to .ic5 u. their children after rumors that the Tanzim 7ould start shootin/ early. Su?y tells that some students 7ere 5e.t at school because .arents could not leave the 1ida refu/ee cam. nei/hborhood due to shellin/. The 5ids of a school located in that area had to stay and 7ait for an extra hour until the shellin/ sto..ed. These are ominous si/ns. f shellin/ is /oin/ to occur durin/ daytime2 7e may reach a <ualitative chan/e in the situation. nstitutions li5e schools 7ould not be able to function. OOO 4ara ma5es a dra7in/ of Hher sister; 7hom she loves very much. Jhen 8ary as5s her rather to eat2 she says that she still has 7or5 to do. She is ta5in/ care of her sic5 children2 the .u..et bears that she /ave the names 8arie and Toulouse. The shellin/ is ex.ected to intensify on the eve of the commemoration of the Palestinian 5a)ba Fdisaster of 1"&8G and 7e stay at my mother in la7;s to comfort her. D.on hearin/ the sounds of /unfire2 4ara she.herds all the family into the 5itchen2 our safe room. Jhen 8ary starts ar/uin/2 4ara cuts her short2 tellin/ her M8s uti FDon;t say anythin/G. Do you 7ant my children to com.lain about meKN

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"a?5a Ma/ 29-22) 2002 The 5a)ba or Hdisaster; is commemorated this 7ee5 % the fli/ht and dis.ersal of Palestinians before and in the 7a5e of the establishment of the State of srael in 1"&8. 1ll over the Jest Ban5 and :a?a2 and amon/ the Palestinians in srael too2 demonstrations and .arades are held. Some of them end u. in clashes 7ith sraeli soldiers. One demonstration in Bethlehem 7as led by a horse 7hose mother died durin/ a shellin/ of Beit 4ala. visit the annual school festivity in Battir2 7ell or/ani?ed by the indomitable Sana;a. n order to .revent criticism that she holds a 6oyful ha*le F.artyG at a time 7hen .eo.le mourn their deaths and 7ounded2 she has instructed teachers and students to 5ee. all the son/s2 dances and clothes in national style2 em.hasi?in/ Palestinian identity and solidarity. The hundreds of mothers .resent visibly en6oy. One .lay tells about a Palestinian youn/ man 7ho is unha..y 7ith his .overty%stric5en life in Palestine, M am eatin/ only bread and olives2 olives and bread.N 1/ainst his mother;s 7ish2 he leaves the country and marries a forei/n 7oman. 1s he 7ants to for/et his Palestinian ties2 he does not tell his 7ife that his mother is still alive. >o7ever2 his 7ife 7ants to see the villa/e from 7here he came. D.on arrival2 his mother reco/ni?es him and 7ants to embrace him2 but he avoids her. The story relentlessly sho7s that he cannot esca.e his destiny, sraeli bullets critically in6ure him and 7hen his mother is 7illin/ to /ive him her 5idney and blood in order to save his life2 he reconciles 7ith her. >e invites her to 6oin him in the Jest2 but his 7ife tells him2 MAo2 7e are /oin/ to stay here.N 1nd so it ha..ens. Durin/ the .lay2 sraeli military air.lanes re.eatedly brea5 the sound barrier2 their .resence both distant and immediate. Battir is a villa/e to the south7est of Bethlehem at the border of the so%called :reen Eine se.aratin/ the Jest Ban5 from srael .ro.er. Durin/ s.rin/ it is surrounded by an idyllic /reen environment. 0oman .ools and small 7ater channels are used for the irri/ation of the ve/etable fields. +s.ecially the beetinjaan Fauber/ineG has raised Battir;s fame. Since several years observe that the youn/ /irls of Battir have a talent for fol5lore dance and drama. They really feel free in their movements. as5 Sana;a 7hy the local inhabitants have still not set u. a fol5lore center. t seems difficult to /et the families coo.eratin/. 1.art from the beetinjaan and the hi/h level of education attained by its inhabitants2 the villa/e is 5no7n for its stron/%7illed and inde.endent 7omen. This academic year2 Su?y has conducted an oral history .ro6ect 7ith her 11th /raders. One of the Battir students described ho7 durin/ British time2 before 1"&82 the 7omen of the villa/e hel.ed the Palestinian rebels 7ith food and sou.. 1s soon as the British army a..roached the villa/e2 the 7omen shouted at each other M t;s cloudy.N D.on that si/n2 all the sou. .ans 7ere closed and hidden. Jhen the British 7ould have seen the lar/e amounts of food bein/ .re.ared2 they 7ould have understood it 7as made for the rebels. OOO

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The 7ee5 is mar5ed by a horrific massacre in Aetanya and an e<ually horrific massacre amon/ slee.in/ Palestinian .olicemen in Aablous 7ho are tar/eted by ) 16 bomber 6ets. hear .eo.le sayin/ that they consider the man 7ho conducted the massacre in Aetanya Mcoura/eousN even thou/h they do not a/ree 7ith his deed. The man left a chocolate box for his family 7ith a messa/e that ex.lained his suicide mission. The international .ress ma5es com.arisons 7ith the Old Testament2 M1n eye for an eye2 a tooth for a tooth.N 8ary reminds me of the Samson story in 7hich the /iant%li5e Samson2 blind and in chains2 .ushes the .illars of the Philistine tem.le in :a?a to destroy himself and his executioners. MJe learn from the 4e7s2N she says. 1fter the escalation this 7ee52 .edestrians at the Bethlehem chec5.oint comin/ from or /oin/ to 4erusalem no7 have to .ass a narro7 tin and steel corridor of some &' meters len/th to allo7 sraeli soldiers to chec5 Ds and .ass.orts. t is very humiliatin/ to 7ait there. OOO )uad tells that he lately heard a story about a Christian Tanzim 7ho 7ent to Beit 4ala. Before shootin/2 he crossed himself. Crossin/ oneself is a custom here not restricted to rituals at home or in the church. 8any Christians .assin/ a sacred .lace such as the monastery of 8ar +lias2 close to the chec5.oint2 do so too. 1 local sa7 the crossin/ and2 assumin/ that the Tanzim 7as a 8oslem2 thou/ht that the man moc5ed the Christians. She shouted at him from the 7indo7 and2 after the Tanzim told he 7as a Christian2 she shouted bac5, M8oslem or Christian2 /o immediately a7ay from herePN OOO )or the first time2 4ara is afraid durin/ the shellin/. MMama! ana chaai*e.N 8ary and feel bad2 7e had ho.ed that the fear 7ould not come so soon. tell her that there is no reason to be afraid2 and she seems to understand and a/ree. Aext day2 durin/ another round of shellin/2 she educates 8ary2 M8ama2 you shouldn;t be afraid.N

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S+e*ter Ma/ 22-2:) 2002 The 7ee5 started 7ith the 7eddin/ disaster in the 4erusalem <uarter of Tal.iot2 6ust t7o 5ilometers from Bethlehem. Over (' .eo.le died. This time national .olitics 7as not involved. 8ista5es in the construction of the buildin/2 carelessness in the ins.ection .rocedures2 and most of all /reediness2 7ere res.onsible. Dntil late in the ni/ht a bomb ex.losion rather than a natural disaster 7as sus.ected. The s5y over Bethlehem 7as filled 7ith helico.ter /unshi.s2 and .eo.le sa7 the arrival of extra sraeli troo.s around the to7n. But althou/h no attac52 the disaster 7asn;t entirely divorced from the Palestinian% sraeli conflict either. 1s Haaretz 7rote the next day2 the mayor of 4erusalem Olmert had used his construction re/ulation de.artment .rimarily as a .unitive enforcement branch 7ith res.ect to buildin/ infractions in 1rab +ast%4erusalem. 8any Palestinian families livin/ there ta5e recourse to Hille/al; buildin/ due to a lac5 of buildin/ .ermits and develo.ment ?ones. 1t the same time the re/ulation de.artment had i/nored infractions in the city;s 4e7ish areas. 8y 1rabic teacher tells me that her collea/ues at the )reres felt sorry for the death and the in6ured2 but also hear .eo.le sayin/ that the disaster is the .unitive hand of :od. OOO Durin/ most of the other ni/hts of the 7ee52 shootin/ and shellin/ .revails2 es.ecially in Beit 4ala. Sharon;s announcement of an sraeli Hcease%fire; turns out to be untrue. >ouses are dama/ed and even the St Aicholas Church is hit. On )riday2 7hen 7e meet at the )reres2 :iselle tells that durin/ the .revious ni/ht several streets of Beit 4ala flooded after 7ater tan5s 7ere hit. The 7ater su..ly in Palestine is a hu/e .roblem durin/ the hot summers. Jater is a 5eenly felt as.ect of the discriminatory treatment srael im.oses u.on the Palestinians. Jhy are sraeli households allo7ed to use at least four times the amount of 7ater the inhabitants of the Palestinian areas useK n summer2 almost all Palestinians in the Jest Ban5 and :a?a have to be economic 7ith 7ater because of the limited su..ly. 1s soon as the runnin/ 7ater streams into the tan5s2 .eo.le hurry to 7ash the dirty laundry .iled u. over the .revious days. Beit 4ala has an additional .roblem. The to7n is located on the slo.es of a hill. The hi/her one lives2 the more chance to suffer a 7ater shorta/e. Some years a/o the Beit 4ala 7ater su..ly 7as directly connected to the small settlement of >ar :ilo on to. of the hill. This settlement is no7 ho7ever connected to the sraeli su..ly system and its 7ater out of reach. Some extreme ri/ht%7in/ .oliticians in srael are .resently tal5in/ about the 7ithholdin/ of 7ater as a .unitive measure a/ainst the Palestinian areas. OOO :iselle tells ho7 hundreds of .eo.le floc5 into the St Aicholas Church for .rotection durin/ shellin/. Churches are here the traditional .laces 7here .eo.le hide durin/ 7ar. 0i/ht no7 edit to/ether 7ith Su?y the boo5 7ith oral history intervie7s conducted by

11(

students from St 4ose.h. 8any stories relate ho7 durin/ the 7ars of 1"&8 and 1"6# .eo.le 7ent to churches li5e the Church of Aativity or convents li5e the Salesian 8onastery in Beit 4ala. The churches also .layed a role in hostin/ refu/ee families. Jhether they are safer than other .laces is a moot <uestion. Durin/ the 1"6# 7ar the 1rmenian 8onastery of the Church of Aativity received a direct hit. One student 7rites that durin/ the 7ar a family member ha..ened to smo5e in the church and 7as as5ed by a .riest to extin/uish his ci/arette. nstead of Mci/aretteN FsigaraG the man understood ghara or Hraid;. >e thou/ht that Bethlehem 7as attac5ed and started to shout MJ102 J102N creatin/ a real .anic in the church. n another story about the 1"6# 7ar a student 7rites that some .eo.le esca.ed sraeli soldiers by fleein/ to the convent of 1rtas. >alf7ay2 they 7ere envelo.ed in a fo//y cloud that brou/ht them safe to the convent. 8y 1rabic teacher tells ho7 she and her family fled in 1"&8 from the 8usrara <uarter in 4erusalem to Beit 4ala. Jith affection she relays ho7 each )riday mornin/ her mother used to /o to Miriam$s Hammaam2 a Tur5ish bath in 4erusalem that 7as a meetin/ .lace visited by 8oslem2 Christian2 4e7ish and 1rmenian 7omen ali5e. 1ll the 7omen tal5ed 7ith each other .leasantly2 7ithout any distinct Hreli/ious; or Hnational; a7areness. On the eve of the 7eddin/ day2 the bride 7as brou/ht into the hammaam and decorated 7ith the reddish henna herb in front of the cheerin/ 7omen. Jhile my teacher is tal5in/2 my o7n thou/hts flee to the irrelevant <uestion 7hether a hammaam 7ould be a /ood shelter or not. OOO =arishma is .resently ma5in/ u. her mind 7hat to do in the comin/ months. >er .arents live in 8ombassa2 =enya. They have a sho. that is fre<uented amon/ others by sraeli military ex.erts and advisers. Dnsur.risin/ly2 they tell =arishma;s .arents that their dau/hter should immediately leave Bethlehem and that she shouldn;t have /one there in the first .lace. Ao7 she 7ei/hs her future o.tions 7hich are obstructed by visa .roblems. One o.tion is to settle in Dubai 7here some of her family live. 1 future in =enya is doubtful. The re/ime in =enya su..orts the Christian% ndian community to 7hich she belon/s. >o7ever2 the re/ime also has a .roblematic human ri/hts record2 and her community may become a sca.e/oat durin/ any future unrest in the country. Eots of Palestinian teachers and students 7ill miss her 7hen she moves on. OOO 1t one evenin/ Tanzim shoot in front of our house. 8ary 7ants to /o out to as5 them to /o a7ay but ur/e her to stay inside. Je try to /ive 4ara o..ortunities for summer activities no7 the holiday a..roaches. This 7ee5 she 7ent to the beach 7ith a )rench friend of the family. 1fter comin/ bac52 she 7anted to eat sea fish. 8ary as5ed ho7 in heaven;s sa5e she could /o out to buy fish 7ith all the shootin/ and shellin/ /oin/ on. 4ara, MLou can /o out. Don;t you 5no7 that the shellin/ is not here but in Beit 4alaKN

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Ri,-, Ma/ 2: 6 'une 9) 2002 There is a stran/e .ressure. The days are 7ithout shootin/ and shellin/2 but .eo.le ex.ect them to come any moment. 1fter the horrible massacre in Tel 1viv amon/ teena/ers2 the sraeli /overnment decided not to ta5e immediate military retaliation but to hei/hten the .olitical .ressure u.on 1rafat. That 7as more effective2 .ublic relations%7ise. n fact2 there is retaliation. Trans.ort of fuel and oil to the Palestinian areas are cut off. 1 local .a.er sho7s a .icture of an assistant slee.in/ in front of a /asoline station. +ven more serious is the announcement that the 7ater su..ly 7ill be limited. t;s hot ri/ht no7 and .eo.le need extra 7ater on to. of 7hat the munici.ality can .rovide. 8y 1rabic teacher tells me that she ordered three tan5s of 7ater 7hich could not be su..lied. +s.ecially those 7ho don;t have a 7ell 7ill suffer. )ortunately for us2 our landlord next door has a 7ell2 but my family%in%la7 doesn;t and needs to brin/ 7ater from the nei/hbor. foresee some extra 7or5 on Sunday. 4ara loves a traditional Dutch son/ about brin/in/ t7o little buc5ets of 7ater9 7e may sin/ it to/ether. OOO 1t .resent 4ara .artici.ates in a lar/ely in%doors summer cam. at the 0osary Sisters in Bethlehem. On Saturday at ten o;cloc5 in the mornin/ the sister calls to say that the cam. is sus.ended that day because of the ne7s that the .olice in 1rafat;s nearby head<uarters had left the buildin/. That su//ested a shellin/ to come. /o and <uic5ly .ic5 u. 4ara. Jhile doin/ so2 see )uad2 7ho says that a teacher 7or5sho. at the )reres school 7as cancelled for the same reason. >e received a .hone call from the mayor of Bethlehem 7ho 7anted to trace do7n 7ho had /iven orders to close school .ro/rams. Eater that day2 8ary and 4ara 7ent sho..in/. They 7ere almost alone on the street. 0is5yK 8ary admires the .easant 7omen around Bethlehem 7ho des.ite considerable ris5s still 6oin vans to /o alon/ the dirt roads to 4erusalem in order to sell their ve/etables and fruits. 0i/ht no7 it is the season of the mish-mish or a.ricot2 a very short season 7hich is over before you reali?e it9 hence the local .roverb Muntil the a.ricot;s season2N meanin/, never. The male 7or5ers 7ho try to /o into srael ta5e even more ris5s. There are no7 very fe7 7ho succeed to .ass chec5.oints. East 7ee52 a )rench friend of 8ary observed ho7 a soldier at a chec5.oint used his /un to hit an old man2 a 7or5er 7ho after bein/ cau/ht 7as unable to sit do7n. OOO The roads outside Bethlehem are becomin/ more dan/erous. 1t the )reres 7e discuss 7here to hold our next fieldtri.. Sana;a rules out to do it in Battir as the road leadin/ to the villa/e is unsafe. Our last fieldtri. 7as in 1rtas2 but there it recently ha..ened that an sraeli shell landed in the trees next to the monastery. 1 fire bro5e out close to the area

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7here 7e had our last o.en air drama and dance .erformance. Je settle for a fieldtri. at the L8C1;s She.herds )ields in Beit Sahour and s7immin/ after7ards in a nearby .ool. am myself not really afraid to be hit by bullets. 8aybe out of a lac5 of ex.erience. su..ose you start to become afraid 7hen somethin/ ha..ens to you or your family. am still .rimarily concerned about the dan/ers of Hnormal; daily life2 such as 7hen cars s.eed on the Dniversity 0oad. Jhile drivers usually drive slo7ly in Bethlehem since most of the streets are t7istin/ and turnin/2 they are inclined to /ive full /as as soon as they come at a strai/ht road li5e the one in front of my in%la7s. 8y sternest conversations 7ith 4ara are about not leavin/ the .avement. OOO 1fter a small <uarrel 7ith one of the other children at the 0osary Sister;s cam.2 4ara tells us that she does not 7ant to /o bac5. t ta5es a lon/ conversation to convince her. 8ary teaches her that Mthe Palestinians and sraelis <uarrel too and then after a 7hile they reach .eace.N Jhen the a.ricot season comesK

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Storie, T+at Stic'une 9 6 'une 22) 2002 Peo.le li5e me 7ho are able to 7or5 at home or in the nei/hborhood are 7ell off for reasons of time2 money and safety. +ven 7ithin the Jest Ban5 travelin/ no7 ta5es many more hours due to lon/ chec5s and the need to ta5e small dirt roads dee. in the countryside. 1 Bethlehem Dniversity lecturer travels ei/ht hours from Aablous in the north of the Jest Ban5 to Bethlehem2 a distance 7hich normally ta5es him $2* hours. smail moved to his family in la7 in nearby Beit HDmmar to shorten the distance to his 7or5 in >ebron. The 6ourney no7 ta5es him over t7o hours9 it used to be $' minutes. 1 traveler ta5in/ a taxi at the 1llenby Brid/e to Bethlehem2 normally a one and a half hour drive2 arrived home after six hours2 includin/ three hours 7al5in/ @7ith lu//a/ePB The .rices of the taxis become hi/her and for many un.ayable. )rom the 1llenby Brid/e2 taxis char/e bet7een $'' and &'' she5els @*'%1'' dollarsB2 the drivers ar/uin/ that their cars need maintenance after the bum.y rides throu/h the fields. Travelin/ is also not 7ithout .hysical dan/er. 8ary observed three female students at the university 7ho bro5e their le/s at se.arate accidents, climbin/ over a 7all2 stumblin/ over the roc5s. Sana;a tells that she still has .ain in her bac5 after a taxi driver too5 a dan/erous turn over a dirt road. 1 .icture in Haaretz sho7s a half%blind 7oman /uidin/ a blind 7oman across the roc5s near 0amallah. 8any stories 5ee. re.eatin/. 1 7oman deliverin/ 7hile 7aitin/ at a chec5.oint. 1 man dyin/ on his 7ay to hos.ital after a lon/ detour. Some .eo.le sto. tellin/ and retellin/ the stories. OOO am all day 7or5in/ on the oral history .ro6ect. Su?y;s 16 year%old students 7rote do7n the intervie7s they held 7ith their /rand.arents and .arents about .ast 7ars2 rebellions and daily life2 from the )irst Jorld Jar on. 1 <uestion crosses my mind, Jhat 5ind of stories 7ill the students remember later on about the .resent%day cra?y .eriodK Perha.s those stories 7hich /o dee. into .ersonal life9 not only those of death and sufferin/ but also those 7hich are about family events or 7hich contain a sur.risin/ element. One student at the institute told us that on the 7eddin/ day of her sister last 7ee5 her family2 7ho have 4erusalem Ds and are therefore still able to travel in and out of Bethlehem2 7ent out for a .arty in 4affa near the sea. D.on their return in Bethlehem2 her father started an ar/ument 7ith the soldiers and2 in a 5ind of re.risal2 7as held at the chec5.oint for six hours till dee. in the ni/ht. The other /uests2 includin/ the 7omen in fancy outfit2 7ere ordered to maneuver throu/h the roc5s and dirty /round of Tantur to enter Bethlehem. 8ary recently heard that at a chec5.oint near 0amallah a married cou.le had to leave their 7eddin/ car2 the /room /uidin/ the bride over the roc5s. Such ty.es of stories stic5 to the mind. The /irls; oral histories sho7 family events as remembered by the elderly. They for instance describe ho72 durin/ a moment of heavy bombin/ in the 1"6# 7ar2 a frid/e suddenly o.ened and food fell on a /uest;s head9 or ho7 a .et do/ 7as hit by a shell2 or ho7 7omen 7ere coo5in/ articho5e for the first time in their life but 7ere forced to run a7ay from home 7hile .re.arin/ the meal.

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Stories about ho7 family life is affected are es.ecially tra/ic 7hen they relate to the na)ba. n t7o different instances2 students describe ho7 family members carried a /randfather 7ho 7as un7illin/ to leave the house a7ay on the bac5P There is a story about Beit Safafa2 a villa/e near 4erusalem 7hich before 1"6# 7as s.lit across the 4ordanian% sraeli border and 7here a lar/e fence 7ith railin/s 7as erected to se.arate the t7o .arts of the villa/e. 1t a 7eddin/ .rocession it ha..ened that family and /uests 7ere 7al5in/ 6ointly but se.arately alon/ both sides of the fence. One story is es.ecially touchin/. 1 /randmother 7ho lived in 4affa durin/ the 1"&8 7ar 7anted to .ic5 u. her baby boy 7hom she had left at her nei/hbor;s. She found out that the baby 7as ta5en a7ay durin/ the disturbances. She mana/ed to become a servant at the sraeli family 7ho had ado.ted the baby @a..ro.riately called M8osheN or 8oses % it 7as 8oses 7ho after bein/ found by Pharao;s dau/hter near the river Aile 7as raised by his real mother dis/uised as a servantB. The mother succeeded to ta5e a7ay the baby and return home. The student 7ho 7rote do7n the story could not slee. after7ards. Jhen 8ary;s family members in )rance read the story they didn;t believe it to be true. OOO One sur.risin/ findin/ after readin/ the fifty or so oral histories is the fact that the stories read more li5e a history of Palestine than Bethlehem. 8ore than half of the stories ori/inate from outside the to7n. Jhile only a fe7 of the students live in a refu/ee cam.2 many of them have families 7ho ori/inally come from else7here, :a?a2 0amleh2 4affa2 +in =arem2 a destroyed villa/e li5e Vac5aria2 and even an area in Tur5ey 7here the Ottomans .ersecuted minorities. The stories are tra/ic in the sin/le as.ect that defines the common Palestinian ex.erience, se.aration % from the land and one;s .ossessions2 from one;s family2 from one another. 1s if to overcome the scar of se.aration2 the re%tellin/ of the histories someho7 succeeds to create a bond across the /enerations. feel that the most touchin/ .arts of the stories are not 6ust the descri.tions of the .ast events themselves but the dynamics of the conversation bet7een the youn/ and old. Several students tell ho7 the history%tellin/ session at home started 7ith an electricity cut durin/ shellin/. Jhat else can you do in the dar5 than tellin/ stories to each otherK The shared sufferin/ and fear create intimacy2 and in many cases the students as 7ell as the /rand.arents recreate their mutual relationshi.9 the students becomin/ more a..reciative of the elderly2 and the elderly feelin/ relieved that they have an o..ortunity to tell their stories. Su?y calls it the Hunbro5en chain; created by storytellin/. t brin/s some trust and ho.e. n the 7ords of one of the or/ani?ations involved in the .ro6ect2 Wi$am I Palestinian Conflict 0esolution Center @NJi;amN means Mcordial relationshi.sNB, M n a time 7hen so much is bein/ systematically ta5en from the Palestinian .eo.le2 7e feel the need to li/ht a small candle of ho.e instead of cursin/ the dar5ness2 for 7e 5no7 the da7n is comin/.N Once2 8ary tells me2 srael;s first .rime minister Ben :ourion ex.ressed the ho.e that 7ith the dyin/ out of the Palestinian /eneration 7ho ex.erienced the na)ba! the stories and memories of the fli/ht and the lon/in/ for the old land 7ould die out too. MThe old 7ill die and the youn/ 7ill for/et.N But 7hen a ma6or in6ustice is left unredressed2 .eo.le don;t for/et. n an intervie7 on srael TC yesterday2 the sraeli .resentator lana Dayan as5ed >anan 1shra7i2 the Palestinian s.o5es7oman2 7hether the Palestinians still thin5

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that they can return to their ori/inal villa/es and to7ns. 1shra7i clarified that three thin/s have to ha..en for ne/otiations to succeed, firstly2 srael should ex.ress remorse for 7hat ha..ened in 1"&82 secondly2 the le/al .rinci.le of the ri/ht of return should be acce.ted2 and2 thirdly2 the im.lementation of this ri/ht should be conducted in a 7ay that addresses the needs of both srael and the Palestinian .eo.le. am sur.rised that the intervie7 is honest and not unsym.athetic. OOO visit 4ara at the summer cam. 7here she sin/s the +n/lish son/ tau/ht by a 0osary Sister;s nun, M:ood mornin/ to you. /o to your .lace 7ith sunshine on my face.N >o7ever2 the sunshine disa..ears 7hen she is home and refuses to /o bac5 next day. There is a ghouleh @5ind of monsterB at the cam. is her unacce.table excuse. Je 5ee. her under house arrest for some days9 that is2 no s.ecial 6ourneys and no s.ecial favors. She 5ee.s her di/nity2 stays 7ith the family and does not as5 us any stories to tell durin/ the ni/ht. Je 5ee. a fra/ile ceasefire.

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Mi,ta-en Identitie, 'une 22 6 'une 2:) 2002 8ary and staff at Bethlehem Dniversity tell each other 7hat ha..ened to a middle%a/ed lecturer crossin/ the 4erusalem%Bethlehem chec5.oint on his 7ay to the university. Passin/ the chec5.oint is his daily duty. Sometimes he .asses 7ithout .roblems2 sometimes not. This time the soldiers ordered him to run after a man 7hom they 7anted for one reason or another. )irst the lecturer as5ed somebody else2 assumin/ that the soldiers 7ere mista5en. But no2 it 7as he 7ho had to run. The soldiers too5 his D and he ran and ran for hundreds of meters till he cau/ht the /uy. OOO 1 man from H1??a cam.2 the small refu/ee cam. located in Bethlehem2 5illed an sraeli intelli/ence officer before bein/ 5illed himself. +verybody ex.ects some 5ind of re.risal. But it seems that the sraelis consider it an isolated incidence. The man 7as a collaborator. >e 5illed his sraeli boss either out of remorse or des.air or because of .ossible .ressure from a Palestinian a/ency. The ni/ht before he had informed his family and friends that Msomethin/N 7ould ha..en to him and that they should ta5e 7ell care of his children. Aext day2 his .icture hun/ on the 7alls of the street. The former a/ent has turned into a martyr for the Palestinian cause. The event illustrates the almost unsto..able tendency to cate/ori?e .eo.le as friend or enemy. 1 dramatic case of mis.laced cate/ori?ation ha..ened last 7ee5 7hen a :ree5 mon52 :eor/ios2 7as 5illed in a drive%by shootin/ near 4erusalem. The .er.etrators are not 5no7n but may 7ell be Palestinians since the mon5 7as drivin/ in a yello7%.late sraeli car near the settlement 8a;ale 1dumim. 5ne7 the mon5 7ell. >e lived in a :ree5 Orthodox monastery in the middle of no7here2 in the desert valley Jadi =ilt not far from 4ericho. n better times used to hi5e there 7ith visitin/ family and friends. The mon5 7as <uite o.en to7ards visitors9 you could have an easy%/oin/ conversation 7ith him. Once it ha..ened that my niece2 her friend and 7ere attac5ed and stun/ by a cloud of lar/e bees that suddenly a..eared out of a wadi bush. Je shouted and /esticulated2 somethin/ 7e better should not have done. 1fter reachin/ the monastery2 :eor/ios treated our 7ounds 7ith .ieces of /arlic that he fixed 7ith .lasters on the body. Je mi/ht have died2 he told us 7ith a bi/ smile2 sho7in/ us his biolo/ical%medicinal cu.board for the treatment of bites from sna5es2 ser.ents and other dan/erous animals. :arlic 7as the best2 he said. >is cor.se is no7 buried next to the bones of mon5s 7ho many centuries a/o lived in the desert monastery and 7ere 5illed by invadin/ Persians. One cannot cate/ori?e this mon5 other than as a friend2 a friend of anyone. )or no s.ecial reason2 the 7ee5 sho7ed more cases of mista5en identity2 fortunately not all 7ith deadly conse<uences. Our nei/hbor 7as on a holiday tri. these 7ee5s. Durin/ her return 6ourney in an 1ir )rance carrier2 she sat next to a 4e7ish lady from 1r/entina. 1t one .oint the .lane became unsteady due to 7eather conditions and it 7as announced that it mi/ht have to land in Cy.rus. 0ecently 1ir )rance announced that for safety reasons it 7ould cut short on some of its fli/hts to Tel 1viv2 and the lady thou/ht that the

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.ossible sto. in Cy.rus 7as an exam.le of that .olicy. She started to com.lain about the Manti%SemiticN attitude of )rance and loo5ed for comfort from our nei/hbor 7hom she thou/ht 7as 4e7ish. n fact2 it is often difficult or im.ossible to distin/uish 4e7ish% sraeli from Palestinian faces. Jho other than 4e7s /o to srael these days2 the lady .robably thou/ht. OOO Durin/ a 7or5sho. this 7ee5 my collea/ues once a/ain discuss 8oslem%Christian relations. There is al7ays a certain reluctance to deal 7ith this to.ic because .eo.le here do not feel that their 8oslem and Christian identities are so .roblematic that they need discussion. n the .ast Palestinians often did not 5no7 from each other 7ho 7as Christian or 8oslem. One 8oslem teacher2 0i;baal2 said that he is often mista5enly considered a Christian because of his blue eyes and someho7 Jestern outloo5. >o7ever2 he has a 8oslem%Palestinian father and a 4e7ish%turned%8oslem mother from 1ustria 7ho lives in Beit 4ala. Sana;a2 7ho is 8oslem2 says that >ebronites sometimes thin5 she is Christian because she does not 7ear the veil. Jhen 8ary and 7al5ed in villa/es2 it used to ha..en that youth shouted shalom2 thin5in/ 7e 7ere 4e7ish or that 8ary 7as a forei/ner. One of smail;s students from 1rroub2 8ahmoud2 has a beautiful voice a..ro.riately hoarsened by2 sus.ect2 much smo5in/. >e dis.lays his talents in a mixed 8oslem% Christian music /rou. or/ani?ed by the )reres School. Eately found out that he has a brother 7ho lives in the cam. to/ether 7ith a 4e7ish 7ife and their children. The cou.le met each other in a su.ermar5et in 4erusalem. t 7as love at first si/ht. The 7ife usually does not hide that she is a 4e7 married to a Palestinian but lately do7n.lays her 4e7ish identity to7ards Palestinians 7hom she does not 5no7. OOO Such border%crossin/ /ive a healthy un.redictability to life. t is disastrous to thin5 that fixed clues allo7 you to cate/ori?e .eo.le as friend or enemy2 or as Christian2 8oslem and 4e7. Doin/ so reinforces very sim.le stereoty.ical ima/es of the other. t is more re7ardin/ to ac5no7led/e .eo.le;s multi.le identities. )uad is fond to say that he is first of all a Palestinian2 then a Christian2 then a Bethlehemite2 then a member of a .articular family in Bethlehem2 and finally2 or first2 a human bein/. @>e al7ays introduces me to others as a MDutch Bethlehemite2N or a MDutch Palestinian.N Once this elicited the <uestion 7hether had a Palestinian mother or fatherB. am myself fond of tellin/ stories to school students about .eo.le 7ho cannot be easily classified. One more exam.le is the Bethlehem member of the Palestinian Ee/islative Council2 Salah Ta;amari. >e is from semi%Bedouin ori/in2 7ent I he once told me I 7ith his mother to the mos<ue as 7ell as to the Church of Aativity2 studied +n/lish literature at Cairo Dniversity2 and married an early 7ife of the late =in/ >ussein of 4ordan. Durin/ the 1"#'s he climbed into the ran5s of the PEO hierarchy in Eebanon and su..orted the +n/lish thriller author 4ohn Ee Carre in his research for the novel The /ittle 2rummer 7irl @some say that the author li5ened the main Palestinian character to Ta;amari but this 7as also deniedB. Eater on2 durin/ Sharon;s invasion of 1"8$ in Eebanon2 he 7as 5e.t in

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the notorious 1nsar cam. 7here he became the informal leader of a .risoners; movement. 1fter /oin/ throu/h this hell an sraeli 6ournalistic cou.le 7ith 7hom he 7as befriended 7rote a boo5 about him2 called M8ine +nemy.N >e then set u. youth .ro/rams for Palestinians in the Dnited States. Ao7 he is a re/ular face on local TC althou/h he2 too2 does not esca.e the /eneral s5e.ticism 7ith 7hich the Palestinian .o.ulation a..roach H.oliticians;. >is life story2 as of so many others here2 is a suitable antidote a/ainst easy classification. OOO East evenin/ 7hile 7as .layin/ 7ith 4ara2 7e loo5ed as usual over the hills of the desert to detect the little li/hts of 4ordan some &' 5ilometers further. Then she .ointed to the slender to7er of the mos<ue in H1??a cam.2 close to 7here 7e are /oin/ to live in the near future2 and said, MThat Fmos<ueG belon/s to sido F/randfatherG2 not to me.N 7as .u??led by her remar5. 8ary told me that some t7enty years a/o her father had /iven a financial contribution to a committee that 7as /oin/ to establish the mos<ue. 1t the time2 it 7as <uite normal.

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Ti(e*e,,ne,, 'u*/ 2 - 'u*/ =) 2002 6oin .olitical visitors on a tour alon/ dama/ed houses in Beit 4ala. Our taxi driver2 7ho is familiar 7ith the various tar/eted .laces because he is involved in the .rovision of relief to the sufferin/ families2 effortlessly ta5es on the cloa5 of an ex.erienced /uide 7ho 5no7s the .recise difference bet7een holes caused by $''2 ('' and *'' mm mortars. >e .oints out the .laces 7here the Tanzim used to hide and shoot9 7here the sraeli army thre7 its shells2 and 7here the :erman >arry )ischer 7al5ed2 7here he hel.ed his nei/hbor2 hid2 and 7as 5illed. 1ll these .laces no7 carry an enhanced2 almost timeless meanin/. myself am a /uide and used to .oint out the .laces associated 7ith the Aativity. Ao7 there are other /uides 7ho2 e<ually authoritatively2 sho7 sites of sufferin/ and death2 a 5ind of modern Cia Dolorosa. The visitors ta5e .ictures. t is an alienatin/ ex.erience2 in .art due to the .eaceful silence 7hich no7 envelo.s the to7n2 and 7hich so shar.ly contrasts 7ith the memory of bombin/s and destruction that the sites themselves evo5e. 1 certain stillness descends over the Bethlehem area2 .erha.s because of the heat of the summer and the slo7in/ do7n of life at the arrival of the holiday .eriod. Timelessness and .astoral <uiet are basic attributes of Bethlehem. The name of the to7n is 5no7n allover the 7orld and has an un<uestionable meanin/ to hundreds of millions of .eo.le. Durin/ the 1"th and the first half of the $'th century many .hoto/ra.hers2 mainly +uro.ean but also 1rab ones2 tried to catch and a..ro.riate this timelessness in .ictures in 7hich local Palestinians2 .erha.s a/ainst some .ayment2 stood model for the Aativity scene and for the she.herds hearin/ the /ood tidin/s. Pictures that have been ri/htly critici?ed for their tendency to over%romantici?e the ima/e of Bethlehem. They turned .eo.le into ob6ects of a Jestern /a?e only interested in Hseein/; eternal Biblical scenes 7here in reality a thrivin/ community 7as stru//lin/ to survive in the face of 7ar and occu.ation. The timelessness of the messa/e of Bethlehem blends 7ith the rhythm of a .astoral life ada.ted to the a/ricultural cycle and the manual s5ills ty.ical for Palestinian traditional crafts. Once /lassblo7ers and .ottery ma5ers in the re/ion told me ho7 the rhythmic movements of their hands 7ere learned in the early years and could not really be ac<uired by adults2 in the same 7ay as learnin/ to .lay the .iano is best done 7hen youn/. Some even told that the 5inetic ca.acity to .erform a s.ecial handicraft 7as /enetically transmitted. OOO 8y 1rabic teacher tells ho7 her mother used to have vivid memories of the times 7hen she and the 7omen of her extended family and nei/hbors sat next to each other in the courtyard of the house2 7or5in/ on the difficult cross%stitch .atterns ty.ical for the Bethlehem embroidery. They loo5ed over each shoulder and 6ealously 7atched 7hether their nei/hbor 7as faster2 their ton/ues tellin/ the stories of the day2 their hands creatin/ colorful .roducts of art. t is these and similar scenes that old .eo.le remember 7hen evo5in/ the /ood old days.

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Some years a/o discussed 7ith students at Bir?eit Dniversity ima/es of Palestine as ex.ressed in Palestinian literature. Je 7ere astonished to see ho7 7riters2 even in the very rhythm of their lan/ua/e2 evo5ed the .leasant daily life of a <uiet2 undisturbed Palestine. n a recollection of his youth in Bethlehem2 the 7riter 4abra brahim 4abra2 author of the restless novel HThe Shi.;2 lovin/ly tells about the life amon/ the orchards and trees 7hen the .eo.le at harvest time climbed in the trees and san/ their refrains 7hile .ic5in/ the fruits2 one Htree; rhythmically res.ondin/ to the other;s sun/ <uestions. 1 fra/ment of 4abra;s life story that touches me es.ecially no7 is a descri.tion of his father 6ust before the man became ill and 7ea5. 1 tire 7as accidentally lost2 and it rolled do7n a Bethlehem hill. The father ran after it and .roudly cau/ht it in the eyesi/ht of the son 7ho observed that his father 7as still ener/etic and stron/. myself often run after 4ara;s balls 7hich re.eatedly threaten to roll do7n the stee. hill near my mother in la7;s house. Dnconsciously 7ant to sho7 her that her father is still 7ell and runnin/2 as if time does not .ass by. OOO The Palestinian feel of timelessness is not flat2 so to s.ea52 but .unctuated by bursts of vivid2 dramatic emotion and lac5 of .atience. Some of the 7ords most used in Palestine are the im.atient chalas @sto. itB and yalla @move onB 7hich stands in o..osition to the also fre<uently used istanna @7aitB. Eately 8ary and 2 7hile 7aitin/ in a taxi2 observed a discussion inters.ersed 7ith those 7ords that too5 .lace bet7een a taxi driver and .easant 7omen 7ho 7anted to brin/ their lar/e bas5ets and boxes 7ith ve/etables and fruits into the car but bal5ed at the .rice they needed to .ay for the s.ace ta5en. 1 bi/ discussion ensued2 7ith concomitant /estures and shouts. But not before lon/ all 7ere lau/hin/. The taxi driver hel.ed brin/in/ in the heavy boxes tellin/ the 7omen, Mafter have .ut them all inside2 7ill have a bac5ache and 7omen 7ill refuse marryin/ me.N Eater on 7e /et out of the car but can only do so by climbin/ and 6um.in/ over the fruits. The driver tells 8ary that a little exercise 7ill be /ood for her. 7ill forever remember the scenes in 7hich 8ary and 4ara2 both .layin/ as if exas.erate at each other2 call yalla2 meanin/ that 4ara has to come and eat. 4ara2 7ho does not 7ant to eat2 shouts at her turn yalla as if to say that she hears 7hat mother is sayin/2 understands the im.ortance and ur/ency of 7hat is said2 but has her o7n .rivate considerations that dictate her not to /o and eat2 at least not ri/ht at this moment. t sometimes ha..ens that .eo.le 7ho 7ant each other to do somethin/2 tell in a crescendo of a..arent mutual a/reement2 yalla2 yalla'2 but stay unmoved and continue to do their thin/s for another 7hile. 1 certain stubbornness is definitely another Palestinian cultural trait. Jhile sittin/ in a taxi2 a fe7 7omen .ass by /raciously but very slo7ly. The taxi driver bends bac57ards in the chair2 .ut his hands in relaxation on the bac5 of his head and remar5s that the 7omen 7al5 Mli5e the Patriarch.N 1t Christmas time2 the .atriarch and the .rocession solemnly move throu/h Star Street to the Church2 as if em.hasi?in/ the messa/e of Bethlehem. The dee. values of Palestinian culture are li5ely those values associated 7ith an uncom.licated2 <uiet rhythm of life. can;t count the times that .eo.le told me MDon;t com.licate thin/sPN a sin 7hich is someho7 connected to doin/ thin/s hastily and unreflectively.

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OOO To/ether 7ith my 1rabic teacher read a local story about =in/ Sulayman2 the sna5e and the mole. @=in/ Sulayman is =in/ Solomon of the Old TestamentB. Jhile the =in/ is in Damascus2 the sna5e and the mole 7ish to 5no7 7hy they are 7ithout le/s and 7ithout si/ht. The =in/ tells them that he 7ill s.ea5 6ustice only on his throne in 4erusalem. The mole and the sna5e brea5 records in s.eedin/ to 4erusalem 7here they arrive even before the =in/ ridin/ his famous horse. The =in/ tells them that if 7ithout le/s or si/ht they even /o faster than his horse2 ho7 much destruction 7ould they besto7 u.on the 7orld if they 7ould receive 7hat they as5 forK :od created them li5e they are in order to .rotect the 7orld a/ainst their ea/erness to s.eed. OOO The slo7 harmony of Palestinian life has been u.rooted not 6ust by the na)ba2 the 7ars and the settlements2 but also by a ca.italism brea5in/ u. a .easant economy and the accom.anyin/ life rhythm. The <uietness of a rural lifestyle has no7 been su.erseded by a tenseness that is esca.ed by fe7. On my 7ay bac5 home yesterday2 7itnessed a discussion bet7een t7o taxi drivers 7ho com.lained that their collea/ues 7ere all busily /oin/ after money. Jhatever one;s o.inion about ca.italism and earnin/ /ood money2 it to some extent contradicts basic cultural values2 and you can see that many Palestinians don;t feel at ease 7ith the associated Hfast; lifestyle. 1s if they are doubly u.rooted2 .olitically and culturally. The driver 7ho ta5es me bac5 to Bethlehem2 and 7ho doesn;t have any other .assen/ers a.art from me2 refuses to acce.t money as if he momentarily 7ants to say MnoN to everythin/ that has corru.ted the Palestinian lifestyle. n essence2 .eo.le lon/ for the /ood life to come bac52 if only fleetin/ly or dreamli5e. This 7ee52 7e esca.e the reality of the .olitical situation someho7. Only a fe7 .olitical stories come in2 exce.t for the ever%continuin/ travelin/ .roblems im.osed by srael. @1t Tel 1viv 1ir.ort2 five youn/ Bethlehemites2 7ith the re<uired .ermits2 7ere sent bac5 home2 the security .olice ostentatiously tearin/ a.art the .ermits in front of the youths; eyes. 8ary relays that three late afternoon marria/e ceremonies in the Church of Aativity 7ere delayed till dee. in the evenin/ because of the travelin/ .roblems of the cou.les and their familiesB. 8ary moc5in/ly .uts her arms in celebration in the air sayin/, MChalas2 it;s .eacePN OOO =arishma announces that she 7ill /ot en/a/ed in a fe7 7ee5s; time to a Palestinian from Bethlehem2 an electrical en/ineer. They met each other 7hile discussin/ Hthe situation;. thin5 that she2 li5e me2 is fond of the rhythms of Palestinian life but it is her fate that she cannot stay here lon/ due to visa .roblems from 7hich 1fricans suffer more than +uro.eans. The en/a/ement .arty 7ill be at the s7immin/ .ool of the )reres School 7here she used to teach. OOO

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Sunday mornin/ 4ara 7ants to /o out to ma5e her habitual dra7in/. t is beautiful 7eather2 the .riceless /ift of our re/ion. This 7ee52 7e meet 8ary;s cousins 7ho have come over from abroad2 one of them from Canada 7here his nose fro?e durin/ evenin/s 7ith minus $' de/rees Celsius2 another from Dubai 7ith tem.eratures u. to over *'. Once in a 7hile 4ara loo5s bac57ards2 her head sli/htly tilted as if .rofessionally /au/in/ her dra7in/. Je hear the ordinary sounds2 the man callin/ a$e ! a$e @a ty.e of breadB2 and the muezzin of the mos<ue. @Once2 out on the street2 4ara started to loudly sin/ Allahu A bar on the melody of the muezzin2 to my .rom.t embarrassmentB. Je also hear the church bells2 and the sound of the ever%.resent tazziz Fcicada or cric5etG. 1 timeless and .riceless scene. )or the moment2 4ara does not tal5 about .olitics nor dra7s a /un. n the evenin/2 7hen am tired and she is not2 she is 7illin/ to tell me a story to let me slee.. Pa.a2 mama and 4ara are /oin/ to buy ve/etables in the 4ibrin sho. near H1??a cam.2 suddenly a 7olf a..ears2 bites her2 and 4ara has to be brou/ht to the doctor. 1t the end2 she tells me in Dutch welterusten @/ood ni/htB. )or her .art2 8ary dreams about soldiers shootin/ Palestinian 5ids. She ima/ines herself sobbin/ softly. Politics is never far from the surface. The .eo.le still ex.ect some 5ind of 7ar ha..enin/ in the near future2 .ossibly the re%occu.ation of some of the Palestinian areas by srael. Today;s Haaretz says that2 accordin/ to existin/ military .lans2 some 1'' sraelis and 1''' Palestinians 7ould be ex.ected to die.

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@AAAa ca(p 'u*/ = - 'u*/ 23) 2002 This 7ee5end 7e moved to our ne7 house o..osite H1??a cam. in Bethlehem. Some friends told us, MBut that is even closer to the shootin/.N That may be the case but it is also conveniently close to 8ary;s mother and sister and not far from her 7or5 at the university. Je also live more s.aciously2 and 4ara has her o7n room no7. The removal itself is comfortably com.leted 7ith the hel. of hired hands and 8ary;s cousin 7ho is a car.enter. MEoo5 here2 ho7 do loo5 7ith this 4athusya Froc5etGKN as5s a hel.er from H1??a cam. carryin/ a rolled ta.estry on his shoulder. Dnli5e the custom here2 8ary 7ants the rooms to be .ainted in bri/ht colors. 4ara insists her room to be .in5. n the drive is a statue of the Cir/in 8ary as you see them in Bel/ium or )rance or 8editerranean countries. The .leasure .lace is a balcony directed to the east 7here 7e already s.ent most of the leisure hours. Je eat fresh fruit from 4ibrin;s2 a thrivin/ ve/etable mar5et o7ned by .eo.le from H1??a cam.. OOO H1??a cam. stretches from our street to7ards Paradise hotel. Some $2''' refu/ees2 or descendents from refu/ees2 live there in cram.ed conditions in multi%story /ray%dar5 houses built of .oor material. East 7ee5 had a chance to visit the cam.;s youth club 7ith the hel. of a member of the institute;s youth /rou.2 8ohammed. >e invited me in his characteristically li/ht%hearted and some7hat ironical 7ay, MSo you are /oin/ to live next to the cam.. 8aybe you have never been there. Eet me do you a favor and introduce you to your nei/hbors.N Jhile 7al5in/ throu/h the cam. see only very fe7 7omen 7ho 7ear the mandil. The Palestinian cam.s tend to be .olitically secular thou/h more radical than the to7ns and villa/es. 1lon/ the 7alls are .osters of martyrs. One .oster sho7s the collaborator in the cam. 7ho a fe7 7ee5s a/o2 .ossibly under .ressure by the Palestinian intelli/ence2 shot his sraeli liaison. Jhen srael returned his body after several days2 the family of the man and a doctor held a .ress conference in 7hich they sho7ed .ictures of the severely mutilated cor.se. To/ether 7ith Shireen attend a dab eh .erformance of some of the cam. youth2 a .ro6ect made .ossible by the 4a.anese .eace movement. 8y ex.erience 7ith youth from cam.s and villa/es is that if they /et a chance to 6oin in an activity2 they do so 7ith almost total dedication and disci.line. >ere2 too. Some of the /irls can;t 5ee. the seriousness on their faces and brea5 into a smile 7hile dancin/. The dance and son/ themes are derived from the refu/ee ex.erience and deal 7ith sufferin/2 liberation and return. Jhile 7atchin/ am suddenly a7are that 7hat observe the sraelis 7ould call Hincitement;. n a nei/hborin/ club youth are ma5in/ a 7all dra7in/ that re.resents the nuclear attac5 on >iroshima and Aa/asa5i. Jhy >iroshima and Aa/asa5i2 as5 I as if the refu/ees need to be reminded that thin/s can al7ays /o 7orseK The .ro6ect leader ex.lains that the 4a.anese .eace movement annually commemorates the day of nuclear destruction in different .laces in the 7orld. Durin/ this year;s remembrance day the dab ah trou.e 7ill /ive a .erformance in the Peace Center of Bethlehem. Eater on in

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summer they 7ill sho7 their s5ills in 8orocco and Paris I if they can leave2 of course. There is a com.uter lab in the youth club2 too. The 4a.anese effort clearly ma5es a difference2 the youth are encoura/ed to be active and do ne7 thin/s. On the bare 7alls han/ a fe7 .osters of refu/ees that 7ere es.ecially desi/ned for the occasion of the Po.e;s visit last year. OOO Jhile 7atchin/ the .osters2 remember the countless ima/es and .hotos of Palestinian refu/ees2 their stilled faces betrayin/ 7eariness2 renunciation and bitterness. Lears a/o2 7hen made the study of the .ortrayal of Palestinians in .o.ular fiction2 found out that many thriller 7riters 7ere fond of /ivin/ des.erate Palestinian refu/ees the role of fanatic terrorists. To them 7as attributed an Hex.losive; mixture of traumatic ex.erience2 an/er and des.air. n many of the narratives2 the fact of their homelessness made them easy .rey for .olitical mani.ulation by evil cons.irators. 0ather than havin/ their o7n story2 they 7ere thou/ht to only be able to obstruct somebody else;s story. 8any novels de.icted the refu/ees; facial features2 es.ecially their MhardN eyes2 but did not /ive them a real voice and humanity. The refu/ees 7ere described as both unsettled and unsettlin/. This ima/e of the embittered Palestinian refu/ee is .resent every7here2 both in literature and academy. The famous 1merican educationalist 4erome Bruner2 7hose 7or5 other7ise admire2 once 7rote that second or third /eneration Palestinian refu/ees ex.erience such a brea5do7n in culture and such an im.overishment of narrative resources that the stories they tell .resumably have little variation. 1ccordin/ to him2 the refu/ees can do little else than thin5in/ and tal5in/ about their u.rootin/ and return. The underlyin/ messa/e is, t is 5no7n in advance 7hat they say2 their stories don;t have value. Ao doubt2 this is a distorted construction of reality. 1n anthro.olo/ist li5e 0osemary Sayi/h 7ho stayed and lived for many years 7ith Palestinian refu/ees in Eebanon has sho7n in her intervie7s 7ith refu/ee 7omen ho7 rich and subtle the narrative resources of cam. .eo.le are. This is my feelin/2 too. Jhile 7al5in/ thou/h H1??a cam. on a summer evenin/2 you see .eo.le sittin/ outside in front of the doors and the sho.s tal5in/2 narratin/2 /esturin/. That does not mean that the collective feelin/ of in6ustice is not there. The youth leader meet tells that the club;s name is mandaleh FbitternessG. 0ather than referrin/ to a /enerali?ed emotion2 the name is that of a story%teller, Aad6i al;1li;s .o.ular cartoon fi/ure2 a little child 7ho observes and comments u.on distressful situations .revalent in the 1rab and Palestinian 7orld2 such as .olitical re.ression2 corru.tion and ne/lect of the .oor. 1s if to em.hasi?e the embarrassment and bitterness caused by 7hat he sees2 he is al7ays de.icted 7ith his bac5 to7ards the vie7er. The facial features should be ima/ined but not seen. The youth leader says that the refu/ees of H1??a feel someho7 different from the other Palestinians in Bethlehem. There is not a /reat deal of contact 7ith the native .o.ulation2 althou/h2 unli5e other cam.s2 H1??a is com.letely surrounded by the to7n. But the very fact of bein/ ad6acent to Bethlehem to7n only serves to underline the contrast. The refu/ees are not at home. East year2 some of the refu/ees from the cam. 6oint a 6ourney to7ards the villa/e from 7here many of them come, Beit 4ibrin2 near Beit Shemesh in srael. The sraeli

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authorities did not allo7 them to come close. n fact2 many sraelis are haunted by the ima/e of refu/ees 7antin/ to return. 0ecently an editorial of Haaretz said that .erha.s the ma6or reason 7hy the sraeli .ublic2 includin/ a lar/e .art of the .eace cam.2 recently made a nationalistic turn in their .olitical thin5in/ 7as the return of the Palestinian demand of the ri/ht of return. The refu/ees; dream is the sraelis; ni/htmare. OOO Silently above the cam. han/s a 5ite2 a mini air.lane 7ith t7o Palestinian fla/s at the rear. 1 symbol of national .ride or of the sus.ended .ossibility of flyin/ a7ayK Jith the youth leader discuss an old .ro6ect .ro.osal of our institute 7hich aims2 if nothin/ else2 at least at .eo.le;s minds flyin/ a7ay. Beit 4ibrin2 the .lace 7here many of the H1??a refu/ees come from2 is located on the historical road bet7een >ebron and Beersheba2 or2 seen from a re/ional .ers.ective2 bet7een 4erusalem and Cairo. Once 7e thou/ht about the .ossibility of reconstructin/ the route 4erusalem%Cairo as an educational .ro6ect. Children 7ould learn about 7hat ha..ened over time on that route2 7hat the mon5s2 traders2 military and refu/ees brou/ht to move from .lace to .lace. Students 7ould see .ictures of the route2 ma5e exchan/es 7ith schools alon/ the route and2 if at all .ossible2 visit .laces. Beit 4ibrin @in >ebre7 Beit :uvrinB is central on that route. t used to be a strate/ically located 0oman to7n2 7ith lands stretchin/ from +in :edi alon/ the Dead Sea to 1sh5elon alon/ the 8editerranean. Eater on it became an im.ortant 1rab villa/e. Presently it is a 5ibbut?. The school 7here many of the .arents or /rand.arents of our ne7 nei/hbors used to study is no7 the 5ibbut?; administrative buildin/. The value of the .ro6ect 7e thin5 of 7ould be that students 7ould mentally rise above their .resent%day fra/mented condition to /ain a broader vie7 of history and /eo/ra.hy. 0i/ht no7 Palestinians from the Jest Ban5 can neither visit srael nor the :a?a Stri.. The .ro6ect 7ould rest u.on the assum.tion that one;s life may be im.risoned but one;s s.irit is al7ays challen/ed to fly a7ay. OOO Other ne7 nei/hbors are Suha;s .arents. This 7ee5 is her 7eddin/ in 1mman. 1 fe7 7ee5s a/o she 7rote the nstitute a letter. Durin/ the time of the youth exchan/e she stayed in >olland 7ith a Mlovely family2 7hose dau/hter as 7ell as niece live in a 5ibbut? in srael.N Suha invited them to come over from srael to her .lace but the shootin/s .revented that. M srael did not 5no7 that 7as havin/ visitors.N Ao7 she leaves for >olland2 and 7rites that she 7ill Mnever 5no7 if 7ill be able to see my home a/ain. 8aybe a roc5et 7ill hit it in its 7ay.N Je don;t ho.e so2 neither for her nor for us. OOO D.on hearin/ about another suicide attac5 in srael2 8ary;s cousin 7ho came over from Dubai for a fe7 7ee5s2 advances her de.arture to cross the brid/e before it 7ill be closed in re.risal. Jhen she tells 4ara about her leavin/2 4ara ans7ers, M4amaanKN Fyou tooG as if she is sur.rised to hear about all the .eo.le 7ho are leavin/2 one after the other. >er favorite son/ is 8a6d al%0oumi;s Tiri! tiri! ya as*oureh! ana bint zghire hilwe amoura

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@)ly2 fly2 bird2 am a s7eet cute little /irlB. 6oin her dance and tell an evenin/ story about a flyin/ ti/er 7ho is admired by the rest of the animal 5in/dom. srael retaliates to the suicide attac5 7ith bombin/s. 4enin is bombed2 says 8ary2 the bomber came from that .lace. MLes2 that sounds very lo/ical2N ans7er. 1lso Tul5arem is bombed2 she says. MThat is also lo/ical2 that to7n is not very far from 4enin.N 8ary resi/ns. 1ll 7e need is a bit more lo/ic.

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O U%ATIO" DIARY 9 A%RIL - 3 'ULY) 2002

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9 Apri* 2002 t is early in the mornin/2 the third day of the occu.ation. Should say, M/ood mornin/N to the familyK ta5e a 7al5 of fifteen meters to .ee. throu/h a /ate. The tan5 at the university hill is still there. On the roof of a nearby doctor;s home sraeli shar.shooters have ta5en .osition. <uic5ly /o bac5. Lesterday 4ara 7arned that a tan5 7ould shoot me if 7ould brin/ the /arba/e ba/s to the street. Je are effectively loc5ed u.. Aobody leaves home. t;s a closed military ?one. Once in a 7hile one or more tan5s drive by 7ith intimidatin/ noise2 some of them 7ith an sraeli fla/ on to.. 1s if any misunderstandin/ is .ossible. Only once 7e hear the sound of an ambulance 7hich by exce.tion is allo7ed to .ass. Je are here 7ith six at my family in la7;s. 8ary2 4ara2 ne7ly born baby boy Tamer2 8ary;s sister 4anet and my mother in la7. Je 7ere fortunate that Tamer @his name means Hholder of dates;2 or symbolically2 holder of abundant lifeB 7as born a fe7 days before the be/innin/ of the occu.ation. 1t .resent no medical hel. can reach the homes in Bethlehem. 1fter delivery2 8ary 7ent bac5 home in time. Jith more .ain than normal 7e read about the baby 7ho died in delivery because the mother 7as not allo7ed to reach a hos.ital durin/ the first day of the occu.ation. Je decided to 7ithdra7 to my family in la7;s in order to su..ort each other better and also because our o7n house2 a fe7 hundred meters a7ay2 is o..osite H1??a refu/ee cam. and could be searched for armed men. Aot that there is no chance that soldiers 7ill search our .resent home. 1t the nearby university2 the Brothers; slee.in/ rooms 7ere searched and the cafetaria occu.ied. 1lso the )reres School;s .remises seem to have been invaded9 7e don;t 5no7 for ho7 lon/. Aear my educational institute2 many of the little sho.s and houses that 7ere coloured in dar5 /reen for the occasion of the Bethlehem $''' festivities have been severely dama/ed by soldiers. The tan5s also demolished several cars in the central Bethlehem street 7hich no7 resembles a 7ar ?one. The first day of the occu.ation2 Tuesday2 7ent on 7ithout electricity. Durin/ the evenin/ 7e lit candles and 7ent to slee. early. n the dar5 told 4ara children;s stories2 about 6un/les and dan/erous animals. Playin/ Tar?an2 she 6um.s from the bed into my arms 7hich stretch li5e tree branches. am sur.rised ho7 7ell she co.es 7ith the situation. She ma5es dra7in/s 7hich loo5 as if they come from a dream land, nice .eaceful houses 7ith birds and dancin/ children. She more or less 5no7s 7hat is ha..enin/ and has her nic5names for Sharon but does not yet feel ho7 extraordinarily the situation is in 7hich 7e live. MJe have many tan5s here2 do you have them tooKN she li/htly as5s 8ary;s sister 7ho calls from Paris. Jhile slo7ly sin/ love son/s for Tamer2 the most beautiful baby in the 7orld2 4ara brea5s the s.ell2 .oints to the 7indo7 and as5s2 M s this the sound of a tan5KN OOO 1t the moment 7e mana/e 7ith the su..lies. Dnli5e in other .arts of Bethlehem2 7e have electricity2 and also tele.hone lines2 7ater and enou/h food. There had been a rush to su.ermar5ets and ve/etable sho.s before the invasion2 and durin/ the last days there 7as a shorta/e of fresh fruit and ve/etables. Je no7 have enou/h food for at least a

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7ee5. Other areas of Bethlehem are 7ithout .hone and3or electricity9 in H1??a2 1ida and Dheisha cam. there is neither 7ater nor electricity. n 0amallah the 7ater su..ly for over 1''.''' .eo.le has been cut off2 the nternet tells us. Can 7e ex.ect that tooK Aobody 5no7s. 1t least 7e bou/ht enou/h mineral 7ater for the baby. There is also enou/h .a.er for 4ara;s dra7in/s. 5ee. my beard for the duration of the occu.ation. >o7 lon/ 7ill it /ro7K 8any .eo.le are not only loc5ed u. in their house but also stay in a 5ind of safe room I a room 7ithout lar/e 7indo7s. Su?y2 7ho lives not far from the Church of Aativity area2 says that she and her family are 7ithout electricity but even 7hen there is electricity she cannot enter her o7n room because it is unsafe. She and her family stay in the bathroom and 5itchen and are listenin/ throu/h the 7indo7 to the shoutin/ of soldiers in the nearby streets. f the soldiers are close2 their house may be searched. They then have to /o very <uic5ly to the door because if the soldiers rin/ and the door stays closed it may be sim.ly blo7n u.. 1t least 7e have enou/h s.ace and arran/e a corner in the bedroom of my family in la7 for the com.uter to be brou/ht from our house. Several of 8ary;s family are involved in munici.al affairs. The city hall is ta5en over by the sraelis and staff is 5e.t in one room. 1 cousin leads relief efforts in the Church of Aativity 7here over 1'' .eo.le are loc5ed u. @it is unclear 7hether they are armed2 somethin/ 7hich is denied by church authoritiesB. They need food 7hich is scarce. Several 7ounded stay 7ithout treatment. One may assume that there are lots of .eo.le in Bethlehem devoid of .ro.er medical care. T7o .ar5ed ambulance cars 7ere overrun by tan5s in Jadi 8a;ale2 not far from the Church of Aativity. The Orthodox clinic in Beit Sahour2 a ma6or local medical center2 7as invaded today. 1 7ounded .atient 7as arrested and ta5en a7ay2 7hile accordin/ to local TC medical e<ui.ments 7ere destroyed or dama/ed in the .rocess. 1 .articularly horrible circumstance is that .eo.le are not allo7ed to bury their deaths. Je don;t 5no7 the .recise number of mortal victims over the last t7o days but it must be close to or over ten. One .lan discuss is to as5 local teachers 7ith email facilities at home to 7rite diaries2 collect them and send them abroad. Similar initiatives 7ere ta5en in 0amallah. Jhile loc5ed u.2 at least 7e can try to have some 5ind of collective voice to7ards an unfor/ivably .araly?ed 7orld. 3 Apri* 2002 )riday mornin/ early /o out into the /arden to breathe the air. Suddenly a /rou. of sraeli soldiers a..ear and as5 7hether am from the Dniversity. MAo2 am from >olland2N say illo/ically2 thin5in/ that the 7ord M>ollandN hel.s to 5ee. them out of the house2 our main 7orry. )ortunately 6ust have to sho7 my .ass.ort and they continue their 7al5. t is stran/e2 ho7 mornin/ silence can be so threatenin/. Today2 the fourth day of the occu.ation2 the munici.ality announces that the soldiers 7ill allo7 the .eo.le a fe7 afternoon hours to leave our ca/es. But 7hen it is t7o o;cloc52 the bi/ moment2 7e hear shootin/. Eater on there is a rumor that three .ersons some 1'' meters further do7n the university road 7ere sli/htly in6ured by shots fired at the moment they left the house. 8aybe the sraelis 7anted2 in announcin/ the measure2 to

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im.ose their o7n time. There is an hour difference bet7een srael and the Jest Ban5 due to a different start of summer time. 1fter a 7hile 4anet and leave home2 but 7hen reachin/ the /ate 7e observe a .atrol .assin/ 7hose commander tells us to 7ait for another five minutes. Some time later2 a boy shouts that it is safe on the road. Jhen 7e finally leave2 4ara starts cryin/ and 7ants us to come bac5. tell her that 7e 7ill be bac5 soon and that there is no need to 7orry. 4anet and 7al5 u. the university street2 and see a concentration of tan5s and armoured vehicles on the university hill. Soldiers 7ave us to /o either left or ri/ht2 not strai/ht. shout 7hether 7e can ma5e a turn to reach Bethlehem do7nto7n throu/h Bab al%V<aa< 7here the 4erusalem%>ebron road meets the road to Beit 4ala. Les2 that is .ossible2 the soldiers si/n. There is a cat 7hich slo7ly crosses the street in front of a tan5. Je follo7 the street to the ri/ht to7ards Bab al%V<aa<2 7al5in/ fast. The street as.halt is dama/ed by the many heavy tan5s and armoured vehicles .assin/ by. Jill the roads ever be re.airedK Sand comes u. throu/h the holes in the bro5en as.halt2 and clouds trail the cars that no7 hesitatin/ly a..ear on the streets. Ana bachaa* @ am afraidB 7his.ers somebody. 1 /rou. of visitors .ass by2 carryin/ their lu//a/e. Several forei/ners are still in the area2 es.ecially in the cam.s2 in order to share the sufferin/ of the .eo.le and .erha.s to form a human shield in case of attac5. Je reach Cinema2 o..osite the taxi station. 8ore .eo.le sho7 u.9 they loo5 be7ildered as if they o.en their eyes after a .rolon/ed stay in a dar5 room. 4ournalists try to intervie7 .assers by 7ho s.ea5 the ri/ht lan/ua/e. see )uad2 the director of the institute2 7ho ex.lains to an intervie7er ho7 every house in the central 8adbasseh street received bullets or 7orse. Je <uic5ly /o into a .harmacy2 our main destination2 7ith a lon/ list of medicaments 8ary and her mother need. Jith several .eo.le 7aitin/2 the .harmacist;s 7ife literally runs throu/h the sho. to brin/ the articles. t reminds of the service at a Dutch fried .otato stand durin/ hi/h season. Aobody 5no7s ho7 much time is left for sho..in/2 and the sho.5ee.ers 7ant to be sure that they hel. everybody. There is also a lon/ <ueue in front of the su.ermar5et. 1s there is no bread2 4anets as5s across the <ueue 7hether there is flour. Les2 there is. Jhile 7aitin/2 tal5 7ith a lecturer at Bethlehem Dniversity 7ho tells that the military commander 7ho initially a..roached the Brothers; administration 7as courteous but that the man 7as re.laced the other day by somebody 7ho barely s.o5e +n/lish and behaved rudely. Jhen 4anet is finished2 7e leave and /et a lift from t7o ac<uaintances from Beit 4ala. One after the other car sto.s to offer 7al5ers a drive. >uman solidarity is a natural habit amon/ ordinary .eo.le here. OOO Jhen home2 8ary as5s me to brin/ a di/ital camera from our friend and nei/hbor 7ho does not live far from our .lace but has tem.orarily left for 4erusalem. Je 7ant to ma5e .hotos of our ne7born baby2 Tamer2 and send them to family abroad as 7ell as to family and friends in Bethlehem itself. 4ara no7 insists to 6oin. 8ary ex.lains that after 4ara sa7 4anet and me leavin/2 she /ot coura/e and no7 7ants herself to /o out too. hesitate2 but 8ary /ives the /reen li/ht. Jatchin/ the tan5s at the university2 4ara ti/htens her fist 7hile holdin/ my hand. She continues 7al5in/2 and receives s7eets from somebody 7ho s.ots us enterin/ our friend;s house.

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1fter returnin/ home2 discover that 7e don;t have a com.uter dis5 for the camera. t is half an hour before 7e 7ill be loc5ed u. once a/ain and <uic5ly 7al5 do7n the university road to /o to our o7n house o..osite H1??a cam.. Suddenly there is shootin/2 and see the 5ids from the cam. runnin/ home7ard. They .robably challen/ed a tan5 or a .atrol. The days before the invasion sa7 them .layin/ shaheed9 they chanted slo/ans and carried a 5ind of coffin over their heads in 7hich a martyr 7as su..osedly buried. hesitate 7hether to continue. The inhabitants of the house nearby 7ave to come in. Some of them discuss that ;d better ta5e a 7al5 throu/h the /ardens2 and climb over a 7all. 1fter silence returns2 ta5e the main road a/ain and reach my house. There the tele.hone is rin/in/. 8ary is on the line. She thou/ht for a moment that 7as shot2 and as5s me to ta5e another route bac5. 7ater the .lants outside. The nei/hbours sit <uietly in the /arden2 en6oyin/ the s.lendid 7eather. They as5 7hether it is 7ise for us to stay outside our house because of the ris5 that soldiers blo7 u. the door. return home 7here 8ary tells me that she too5 a /lass of ara Walcohol 7ith anisG to calm do7n after she had tal5ed 7ith me. She 7as really afraid9 the shootin/ sounded so close and there 7ere no other .eo.le on the street exce.t me. OOO Aext day2 Saturday2 7e hear from friends in Beit 4ala that local soldier .atrols announced the curfe7 durin/ the evenin/ 7hile moc5in/ the .o.ulation, MDear .eo.le of Beit 4ala2 you are /ood .eo.le2 have s7eet dreams.N Durin/ the day .lay a little 7ith 4ara in the /arden but feel restless. don;t 7ant her to sense my nervousness. 4ara is in fact in a rebellious mood and says that she 7ants to .ut some /rass on the street so that the tan5s 7ill sli.. She .lays the .rincess 7ho slee.s and 7aits for a 5iss from the .rince to o.en u. her eyes9 ho7ever2 7hen 5iss her2 she says that she has already died. 4anet and ta5e the laundry inside2 but 7hen heavy shootin/ suddenly brea5s out not far a7ay2 4ara2 4anet and <uic5ly run inside the house. Ao7 4ara 5no7s it is not a /ame. The days that 7e could tell her that shootin/s and bombardments 7ere caused by St :eor/e cleavin/ the s5ies are over. The last ne7s2 8ary tells2 is that scores of .eo.le are 5illed in 4enin. The Church of Aativity is still belea/uered. feel a des.erate <uestion comin/ u.2 7hich is someho7 out of .lace, >o7 to find a 7ay of tal5in/ 7ith the sraelis after all 7hat ha..enedK : Apri* t is unavoidable that children 7ant to /o out 7hen bein/ closed u. for a 7ee52 es.ecially in vie7 of the beautiful s.rin/ 7eather. The birds 7histle their invitin/ son/s. Some /ardens are ex.lored2 hesitatin/ly. 4ara has made contact 7ith the nei/hbours; children and 7ants to .lay 7ith them. hel. her to climb the roc5s into the nei/hbour;s courtyard. The normal entrance from the street side is out of bounds. Aobody dares to tread the streets durin/ the curfe7 % exce.t for a sin/le 6ournalist 7ho mana/ed today to enter our area in Bethlehem2 7al5in/ on the streets 7ith hands in the s5y2 holdin/ a 7hite fla/ in one hand.

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OOO Some of 4ara;s .lays reflect the .olitical situation. Lesterday she as5ed me to stretch my hands so as to handcuff me and .ut me in .rison. n fact2 there are some hundreds of blinded and handcuffed men from the Bethlehem area 7ho are .resently held in a military cam. on to. of Beit 4ala. n another /ame2 4ara ta5es a tree branch and uses it as a 7al5in/ stic52 .layin/ a man 7ho is in6ured by sraeli shootin/. 1fter7ards she .ic5s u. the stic5 and ma5es a shootin/ /esture. Ei5e 5ids do2 she bra/s in front of the other children that she belon/s to the shabab2 the armed youn/ men. She .arades 7ith her breast for7ord2 shoutin/ ween al-sha$ab %arabi % 7here is the 1rab .eo.le2 a 7ell%5no7n son/ often .layed on local TC. 8ean7hile she 5ee.s lau/hin/ and tells other 5ids not to be afraid. She divides the 7orld in .eo.le 7ho shoot and 7ho don;t. Jatchin/ Tony Blair on TC2 she suddenly as5s2 MDoes he shootKN 1nd 7hen 7e dream a bit about s7immin/ once all this is over2 she does not 7ant to /o to the s7immin/ .ool in 4erusalem2 Mbecause the sraelis 7ill shoot us there.N 1lthou/h in normal times abhor the re.eated loud hon5in/ by cars2 no7 lon/ to hear somethin/ different than the almost idyllic silence han/in/ over Bethlehem. Lesterday mornin/ 7e heard a lon/ siren. <uic5ly 7al5ed out to hear 7hether there 7as any emer/ency2 but it turned out to be the siren to commemorate the victims of the >olocaust. Due to the .roximity of the settlement of :ilo2 7e hear the siren almost as loud as in any .art of srael. 7onder the reactions of the .eo.le here to this absurdity. 8ore lively sounds come u.. 4ara and .lay 7ith the do/ at our nei/hbour;s /arden. The do/ starts bar5in/ at another do/2 the other do/ res.onds2 a cat 6oins the choir2 4ara;s friend is able to imitate a mon5ey;s cries2 and in seconds a 6un/le is created. Some nei/hbours .ut their face out of the 7indo7. 1 semblance of ordinary life. Then there is the sound of a fara7ay shot. Silence follo7s immediately. 1fter a 7hile the voices of life dare to come out a/ain yet never comfortably. The ni/ht;s silence can be threatenin/2 too. Jhen our nei/hbour;s do/ bar5s durin/ the ni/ht2 7e are concerned that soldiers are near the house. The do/ never bar5s 7ithout reason. Durin/ both day and ni/ht 7e hear s.oradic shootin/2 a sin/le shot or the retetet of heavy /unfire. t is unclear 7here it comes from or to 7hat it is directed. Su?y says that in her nei/hbourhood I close to the Aativity Church area2 7hich is really besie/ed I tan5s roll by and shoot aimlessly. She does not see anybody on the streets. The fire 6ust serves to intimidate .eo.le. 1t one .oint she and her sisters and mother heard fire from all sides and they 7ere all runnin/ in the house to see5 cover2 each choosin/ a different room2 callin/ each other to 6oin. She tells that durin/ the latest o.enin/ hours2 u.on leavin/ the house2 she met eye to eye 7ith a shar.shooter 7ho stood on a balcony 6ust some ten meters a7ay. She fro?e2 and stran/ely she thou/ht he fro?e too. 1fter a lifetime moment she continued 7al5in/. hear that a cou.le from Dheisha 7ere shot at durin/ such o.enin/ hours and forced to flee into a nearby house. They could not return to their o7n home and remained se.arated from their baby. 8ore than ever 8ary and are relieved that nothin/ ha..ened durin/ and after the birth of Tamer. 8ary heard that the .re/nant sister of a former nei/hbour /ot contractions over the 7ee5end. She called for an ambulance but could not /et any car

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close to her home 7hich is located in a tense area. She finally 7ent on foot2 and fortunately mana/ed to reach the hos.ital in time. n her area @Jadi 8a;alehB2 .eo.le cannot even leave their houses durin/ o.enin/ hours and no7 face severe shorta/es in food and medicine. 1 friend of ours2 7ho is a social 7or5er2 is all the time .honed by .eo.le from that area 7ho as5 her counsel, Jhat to do 7ith their 5ids2 ho7 to /et foodK She heard that o..osite the mos<ue at 8an/er S<uare the second floor of a family 7as ta5en over by soldiers 7ho made a mess in the rooms2 bro5e furniture2 and left feces on the floor. Other .eo.le in that same old .art of Bethlehem do7nto7n have also been chased a7ay2 or forced to ta5e refu/e in a .art of their home. This es.ecially ha..ened in buildin/s chosen by shar.shooters. On local TC 7e 7atch an sraeli balloon han/in/ above the Church of Aativity com.lex2 a..arently in order to videota.e 7hat is ha..enin/ in and around the area and to s.ot .ossible attem.ts to brin/ in food into the church 7here both the cler/y and the Tanzim face shorta/es of all 5inds. OOO The 7orst that can ha..en to the .eo.le I exce.t for bein/ in6ured or 5illed I are the house to house searches. 8ary lately had a ni/htmare about them. )ortunately it does not ha..en in our area2 yet. Je hear stories of .olite soldiers 7ho do not dama/e house 7ares but 7e also hear stories of cruelty or humiliation. Sometimes male youth are .ic5ed u. and ta5en into detention. +lias2 a collea/ue2 tells that close to his home the mayor;s house 7as searched. The man 7as ordered to stay outside in the /arden 7hile his dau/hter 7as forced to sho7 the soldiers every room. The soldiers as5ed him to ta5e off his clothes. >e as5ed them, MDo you 5no7 to 7hom you are tal5in/KN MLes2 they said2 Myou are the mayor.N >e of course refused to obey. 7onder ho7 his future tal5s 7ith sraeli mayors 7ill be. n our area 7e mana/e. Dnli5e others2 7e do have electricity2 7ater and tele.hone2 and can leave the house every three days. 8aybe that the sho.s 7ill run out of su..lies after a 7hile. But it is nothin/ com.ared to 7hat is ha..enin/ in a city li5e 4enin. 8ary tells ho7 she heard a mother on the radio 7ho told that the bulldo?ers destroyed her house to ma5e 7ay for a road throu/h the cam.. 1t the moment of the intervie72 she 7as des.erately loo5in/ for her child of three 7ho could be under the rubble. Je thin5 of 4ara2 and don;t thin5. )illin/ the bath tube of Tamer2 7e ma5e ourselves u. for one of those little moments of daily life 7hich 7e cannot hel. but cherish % as if throu/h Tamer 7e hold on to life. 29 Apri* The main events in the small 7orld in 7hich 7e live are the announcements of the tem.orary liftin/ of the curfe7. On )riday afternoon 8ary ma5es a list of thin/s to buy and 7e divide the 7or5 since 7e can /o out for only a fe7 hours and nei/hbours may .ass by for a visit. 1fter t7o 7ee5s of curfe7 there is no mil52 fresh fruits and ve/etables2 and tahine @sauce of sesame seeds needed to ma5e dibis2 a /ra.e syru.2 7hich is a .o.ular s.readin/ hereB. 4anet and conduct <uic5 conversations on the street, M>o7

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are youK @bitjannen I terrificB Do you have 7ater2 tele.hone2 electricityK Ao house searchesKN 1nd a7ay .eo.le are2 rushin/ to finish their errands. 1t =attan sho. on 8an/er 0oad2 the sho.5ee.er has run out of re/ular .lastic ba/s and .ac5s my buyin/ in ei/ht small :auloises ba/s. )ortunately .harmacies still sell .am.ers and baby mil5 .o7der. The >a?boun su.ermar5et in 8adbasseh street is so cro7ded that 4ara .anics. Aear the Eutheran church in do7nto7n Bethlehem soldiers sto. .eo.le. )rom here on2 some 12* 5m a7ay from the Church of Aativity2 thousands of .eo.le are unable to leave their houses in 8adbasseh2 )a7a/reh2 Jadi 8a;aleh streets and at the eastern side of the Church. +lias2 7ho is a member in the board of the 1rab Orthodox Society2 a charity2 tells that he is continuously a..roached by .eo.le in the do7nto7n area 7ho lac5 food and es.ecially medicine. 1 friend of my family 7ho is social 7or5er says that she is no7 called by .eo.le 7ho lac5 cash. One can;t access ban5s and many don;t have savin/s at home. +lectricity is not 7or5in/ in many areas9 .eo.le try to ma5e im.rovised connections 7ith nei/hbours if they can. The families 5no7 do still have 7ater but many others must be 7ithout 7ater su..ly because 7ater tan5s on roofs have been shot or because the su..ly has been cut off li5e for instance in refu/ee cam.s. Je hear that some .eo.le in the inner city area2 to feed their 5ids2 are coo5in/ a 5ind of /rass ta5en from the /ardens. +lias tells that his sister in la7 and her husband live in the closed do7nto7n area. 1t one .oint2 the husband tried to leave his house. >is 7ife is .re/nant and ur/ently needed medicine. Jhen he entered the street2 soldiers immediately forced him to stay 7ith his bac5 a/ainst a 7all. This lasted for an hour2 then he had to return home a/ain. 1 /rou. of coura/eous internationals in to7n re/ularly and 7ith considerable ris5 sta/e food convoys to7ards the inner city. Lesterday2 they mana/ed to come as close as 8an/er S<uare and 7ere able to distribute food and medicines for 7hich the inhabitants are enormously /rateful. 1t .resent there are more and more international and sraeli .eace movement convoys brin/in/ essentials into the besie/ed to7ns2 includin/ 4enin. +lias himself2 7ho lives in an area 7here fortunately the nei/hbours have access to each other and can .rovide hel.2 says that he 7as left 7ith barely half an hour to do sho..in/. n front of his house2 soldiers /uarded some t7enty youth. Durin/ the liftin/ of the curfe72 they 7ere .ic5ed u. from the street and their Ds confiscated. One of the youth 7as handcuffed2 blinded and ta5en a7ay. 1fter a fe7 hours the others could /o. +lias; family 7as too fri/htened to leave the house. t is clearly dan/erous to 7al5 on the streets durin/ curfe7. One man from Bethlehem in des.erate need of food too5 the ris5 last Tuesday to /o to Beit 4ala durin/ o.enin/ hours there. >e 7as shot dead at the Baab al%V<aa< 6unction some t7o hundred meters from our house. )riday a man in Beit Sahour 7as 5illed in a rain of bullets 7hen he sim.ly 7anted to o.en his sho. for the soldiers so as to .revent that they 7ould blo7 u. his door. hear of .eo.le 7ho for extended .eriods remain under their beds durin/ /un2 helico.ter or tan5 fire. MThey shoot at every dubbaane FflyG2N says 4anet. OOO The .eo.le increasin/ly become tired2 de.ressed and nervous. t is not 6ust the .aralysis one feels of not bein/ able to move but also the relentless attac5 I in the name of defense I on Palestinian society as a 7hole. The ne7s reaches a .oint that one sim.ly feels

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.o7erless. Je are astonished to hear that 8ary;s uncle;s lands are .resently flattened for an access road to >ar >oma2 the 4erusalem settlement to the north of Bethlehem. 1s if the .resent occu.ation is not enou/h. t is the accumulation of distressin/ ne7s2 anxiety about loved ones2 concern about .ro.erties2 and shootin/ outside 7hich .lay on the nerves. t is also difficult to hear .eo.le cryin/ on the .hone. 8ary is called from Dubai 7here Palestinian family are terribly 7orried about a sister 7ho is in the villa/e of Bir?eit2 close to Bir?eit Dniversity2 7here house to house searches 7ere conducted in student facilities. Of course such anxious .hone calls /o on all the time. n a 7ay2 many feel as if they are someho7 dyin/. Lesterday ty.ed a diary from a matriculation student at a Bethlehem school. >er main realities and meta.hors are about dyin/ and burial I Bethlehem as a dead .lace 7here .eo.le are buried alive in their houses. 8any feel terribly hurt by the sie/e of the Church of Aativity2 a source of .ride but no7 a si/n of the total vulnerability to 7hich the society is ex.osed. Jhether it is one; house2 services2 land2 or reli/ious symbols I everythin/ is threatened to be ta5en a7ay. Our friend and nei/hbour2 7ho stays in 4erusalem because of her 7or52 says she at the moment refuses to chan/e her clothes or buy ne7 ones2 as if she is on mournin/. The one s.ace 7hich2 at least for us2 has not yet been occu.ied is the home. t is 5e.t very clean. Je eat the +aster coo5ies I ori/inally made for visitors % all ourselves. Of course2 the children /reatly determine the rhythm of life9 the re/ular /ivin/ of mil52 the bath2 the food 7hich 4ara does not 7ant to ta5e. The children 5ee. us busy. n the evenin/s don;t try to 7atch films. 1ny esca.e 7ill turn into a cold sho7er 7hen reality see.s in. OOO )ortunately 4ara can leave the house in our nei/hbourhood and meet the nei/hbours; children by climbin/ throu/h the /ardens. Lesterday 7e suddenly heard loud /un fire from a..roachin/ tan5s and 4ara <uic5ly clan/ on my le/s. 1fter a minute she 7as .layin/ a/ain. Jhen 7e called her bac5 home2 she started ar/uin/, M8ama2 the tan5 is near :aby F*'' meters a7ay2 that means far enou/hG. Don;t be afraid.N She learns from the nei/hbour;s children that .uttin/ /rass on the streets 7ill not sto. the tan5s but that roc5s are needed. >er main interest is .layin/ the ball. Jhen the ball falls do7n into another nei/hbour;s /arden2 run and thro7 it bac5. 4ara cannot be consoled. should have brou/ht her to the ball so that she could have thro7n it bac5 herself. )or Tamer sin/ old son/s by 8ama Cash2 MThere s a Ae7 Jorld Comin/2N and MDream a Eittle Dream of 8e.N Jhen the tan5s and 1PCs F1rmoured Personnel CarriersG .ass by raise my voice. Tamer slee.s on2 .eacefully2 then o.ens his eyes to loo5 into the sun. 22 Apri* Over three 7ee5s of curfe7 ma5es life timeless a/ain. The muezzin and church bells are silent2 exce.t for the Ho.enin/ hours; 7hen 7e are allo7ed to leave home. 8y nei/hbour and com.ete 7ho 7ill have the lon/est beard at the end of the Bethlehem occu.ation.

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Jhen summer time 7as introduced in the Jest Ban5 last 7ee52 8ary and her family decided that it all does not ma5e much of a difference2 7ith no 7or5 and school2 and that 7e could as 7ell 5ee. the old time. 1s if it is better to stay out of time. n fact2 8ary and sometimes for/et the day of the 7ee5. Jhile the o.enin/ hours are the ma6or events mar5in/ time2 they are ambi/uous2 sometimes dreadful2 sometimes .leasant. Lou have to do a lot in that brief .eriod2 includin/ sho..in/ @lon/ <ueues es.ecially for the valuable tomatoes9 you have to /o out immediately 7hen the hour stri5esB9 /oin/ to the doctor for Tamer;s vaccination2 and I the nice side % meetin/ visitors and family 7ho see Tamer for the first time and 7ant to say mabrou Fcon/ratulationsG. Stran/ely enou/h2 /oin/ out is not .leasant at all2 7ith the unbearable stench comin/ from the .iles of /arba/e at every street corner2 the sand on the streets 7hich ma5es you consider ta5in/ a bath after7ards2 the lanterns and electricity .oles 5noc5ed do7n2 and of course the tan5s 7hich shamelessly fire in the air 6ust for intimidation. OOO On Sunday2 a ne7 develo.ment. 8ary says li/htly, MThey are /oin/ from house to house.N as52 MJho2 the .eo.le of the food convoy or the marchKN Both a food convoy and reli/ious marchers 7ere su..osed to enter Bethlehem that day. 8ary, HAo2 the soldiers.N 1 nei/hbour o..osite calls to say that the soldiers 7ent t7ice in her house2 the second time durin/ the evenin/2 and that her family 7as re<uested to stay outside 7hile the soldiers 7ere searchin/. 1fter7ards they left utensils to brea5 the door of their nei/hbour u.stairs. 8ary loo5s outside and sees some t7enty soldiers enterin/ houses. Some /o inside2 others /uard the environment. The .eo.le .ee. throu/h the 7indo7s. 4ara 6oins 7indo7 7atchin/ and observes a soldier relievin/ himself near a /ate that leads to our house. M>e should not do .ee%.ee on the /round2 that is dirty.N She starts to chant her verse, &atteech! shamaam! +haron zaghle *il hammaam F7atermelon2 yello7 melon2 Sharon sli.s in the toiletG. She as5s me to march behind her9 7e are the sraeli army. She ta5es a .lastic 5nife in her hand 7hich is the /un2 and starts shoutin/ shalom aleichem. 1fter a 7hile 7e loo5 throu/h the door 7indo7 to see ho7 our o7n house2 some t7o hundred meters do7nhill2 is surrounded by soldiers. 8ary is 7orried. try to calm her. M1t least 7e too5 out all the valuables.N She says2 M t is not the valuables2 it is the idea.N The soldiers come and /o2 7e cannot see 7hether they have entered9 our door is 6ust beyond vie7. Eater on 7e hear from nei/hbours that 7indo7s are bro5en but that they did not come inside. So 7e have luc5. The nei/hbour next door2 +mile 4ar6ou;eh did not. >e is the head of a ministerial committee of the PA1 for 8oslem%Christian relations. There 7as some intensive shootin/ at his house9 a..arently the soldiers had forced their 7ay. Jould they thin5 that our house is lin5ed to the PA1K 4ara as5s 7hether the soldiers shoot at birds. Jhile .layin/ in the /arden these days she has be/un to love birds. Aei/hbours are callin/ each other2 the lines are busy. M>ave they enteredKN M/issa Fnot yetGN One nei/hbour is .rayin/ continuously. tell 4ara that she should not be afraid. MPa.a is a forei/ner and they 7ill not harm forei/ners and their family.N tell her that the soldiers may come in but that 7e can brin/ the 7ord out2 to

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6ournalists2 to others. Je can al7ays do somethin/2 is my messa/e to her. Jhat can you sayK Then the soldiers come in front of the house. 4ara .anics and hides under a .illo7. 8ary o.ens the door. There are five. They 7ant to see the men;s Ds. 8ary says that there are t7o men in the house, me2 a Dutchman2 and a baby of three 7ee5s old. Childishly2 ta5e .leasure in standin/ on the doorste. so as to to7er over the soldiers. sho7 the .ass.ort. The five men loo5 shy. Only the commander ta5es a /ood loo5 in the cu.boards2 under the mattresses and the beds. MLou thin5 there are .eo.le thereKN as5s 8ary. MJe search for 7ea.ons.N )irst 8ary 7ants to .revent them to enter the baby room2 but allo7 the commander on condition that he remains silent. )ortunately2 he is .olite. 4ara is calmer no7. 1fter the soldiers leave2 she 7ants to .lay outside. She;d better release her tension2 decide. So 7e .lay in the /arden amidst a /rou. of soldiers 7ho first allo7 us to .lay but after a 7hile send us bac5. Je /o in and after a 7hile out a/ain2 to .lay 7ith the nei/hbour;s do/2 a/ain under the eyes of soldiers 7ho no7 /o into a nei/hbourin/ house. 7ant to stay outside to let them feel the .resence of a forei/ner2 7hatever difference that may ma5e. 1t one .oint the soldiers say in +n/lish Mbehave yourselfN to the bar5in/ do/. They as5 if 7e have the nei/hbour;s 5ey. 8ary 5no7s that the nei/hbours are u.stairs2 maybe they hide themselves. She as5s the soldiers 7hether they 7ant to search the nearby house of a /ood friend of hers. 6oin a soldier to .oint out the location but they say that they 7ill not enter. Jho 5no7s2 says 8ary. Some of the soldiers sit on the /round2 bored. 8ary starts an ar/ument2 an/ry because our house is dama/ed. The soldiers, MJe loo5 for >amas.N MJho made >amasKN says 8ary. MSharon is a bi//er terrorist than >amas.N 1 soldier, MJe /ave you "6RN MJe 7ant 1''R2N says 8ary furiously. MJhat about 1rafat;s corru.tionKN MThat;s our .roblem. Jhy are you brea5in/ the /lass of our homeKN The commander first denies that anythin/ is bro5en2 then admits 7ith a shru/ of the shoulders. On 8ary;s <uestion 7hat he thin5s about 4enin2 he doesn;t ans7er. M>e couldn;t say anythin/.N 8y o7n conversin/ 7ith the soldiers is not ar/umentative but refuse to /reet or say niceties 7hen they start .raisin/ 4ara;s loo5s. 4ara tells the nei/hbour;s son about 7hat ha..ened, MPa.a o.ened the cu.boards2 they loo5ed2 and Chalas Fthat 7as itG.N The nei/hbour is 7orried since the soldiers too5 their Ds and Eatin 1merican .ass.orts. 8ore .hone calls. Somebody in the nei/hbourhood tells that the soldiers too5 a7ay his binoculars. 1 friend of 8ary calls to say that she is 7orried that they 7ill ta5e a7ay her son. 8ean7hile2 a fe7 houses further do7n2 the soldiers a..ro.riate the house of an absent la7yer for slee.in/ and eatin/ .ur.oses2 and 7hatever else they do. OOO Aext day2 7e visit our house durin/ o.enin/ hours. The loc5er and door are badly dama/ed2 7e see traces of soldier;s boots on it. Je can;t enter throu/h the main door. They had a..arently tried to enter 7ith some .rimitive e<ui.ment. Throu/h an o.enin/ in one 7indo7 a curtain 7as .ulled so that it came do7n. Several 7indo7 /lasses are bro5en. Je mana/e to enter throu/h a side door2 ta5e out the bro5en /lass and .ut some covers in the o.enin/s. Then 7e enter our nei/hbour;s2 +mile 4ar6ou;eh;s house2 7hich is

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in a com.lete mess, bro5en com.uters2 .rinters2 files on the /round2 a lar/e .hoto of 1rafat shot into .ieces2 even an ima/e of the East Su..er is destroyed 7ith ?eal. Outside t7o cars are shot throu/h. Je ta5e .ictures. understand it 7as the same /rou. 7ho had entered the house 7here 7e stay. 8ary and discuss ho7 soldiers 7ho loo5 .olite can so unleash themselves 7hen forei/ners do not 7atch. 1 double face. 4 Ma/ 4ara and .lay in the nei/hbour;s /arden under the .leasant 8editerranean sun. MDo you have everythin/KN she as5s the nei/hbour. t is one of those routine <uestions 7hich .eo.le no7 as5 each other and 7hich she has .ic5ed u. as a normal 7ay of sho7in/ concern. Some hundred meters do7n2 almost out of our vie72 7e hear a tan5 rollin/ by. t /ives the sound of a hu/e 7ashin/ machine. 4ara runs to loo5 in the far corner of the /arden. )rom other 5ids2 7hom she no7 reaches 7ith the hel. of a ladder bet7een the /ardens2 she has learned about different ty.es of tan5s2 the dabaabeh and the mujanzara. 8ary and don;t even 5no7 the difference. 4ara 7ants to .lay. 1t one corner of the nei/hbour;s /arden 7e envision the school2 at the o..osite corner our house2 at another far end the sho.s. 1s if 7e are 5ids of similar a/e2 7e ta5e brea5fast2 then 4ara runs to school. MSuic52 <uic52 the soldiers do .o7%.o72N and she fin/ers at me as if she 7ants to ta5e care of her little friend. Jhile runnin/2 she screams out the 6oyful fear 7hich she also radiates 7hen .layin/ 7ith the do/. 1fter 7e do our countin/ exercises at school2 4ara o.ens the ima/inary door of the /arden house and .uts her hand on her mouth2 in seemin/ shoc5. MEoo5P +verythin/ is bro5en. The slee.in/ room2 the dinin/ room2 even the 5itchen.N She a..arently remembers the ima/es of 4aryou;eh;s dama/ed house that 7e visited a fe7 days before. as5 her to tell the 6ournalists 7hat ha..ened. MLes2 yes2 all the 6ournalists should 5no7.N 1fter7ards 7e .lay sho..in/9 7e /o to the sho..in/ section of the /arden and buy a ne7 TC and couches. 1t least she learns to understand that you can do somethin/ to chan/e a situation. >el.lessness is the 7orst. ho.e 7e can avoid it. The <uestion 7e face each time 7hen 7e leave the house is ho7 far you can /o out. 1t one .oint2 our ball rolls do7n the hill. Should run after itK )ifty meters2 but not more2 decide. On another moment 8ary as5s me to /o and brin/ 5eys to .eo.le in a house some $'' meters further u. the hill near the university. start ar/uin/2 MJhat if shar.shooters loo59 do you 5no7 7hich houses the sraelis have occu.iedKN 1t last2 brin/ the 5ey to the reci.ient 7ho lau/hin/ly 7al5s out of his house. Je meet half7ay. t is stran/e to feel .al.able dan/er in an area that is so familiar. +ven crossin/ the street in front of our house feels uncomfortable. Lou don;t 5no7 for sure 7hether the sraelis see you from their hi/h .ositions. 4ara2 too2 no7 differentiates bet7een a ?one around the house that is safe2 7here you can run around2 and the ?one that isn;t safe. Jhen the sho.s are o.en and 7e /o out2 she instinctively ti/htens her /ri. on her hand 7hen 7e cross the border to the area that she 5no7s is normally out of bounds. 1t another occasion she 7arns me, MPa.a2 you cannot /o outside2 it is dan/erousPN sus.ect that she is not really afraid but rather that she 7ants to say thin/s 7hich the adults say. The eerie silence in the evenin/ 7hen the birds don;t sin/ is someho7 unsettlin/ too. n fact2 to hear the sound of a tan5 is in a 7ay more reassurin/ than a com.lete silence that

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threatens be disru.ted. East ni/ht2 the nei/hbour;s do/ 7as bar5in/ because soldiers 7al5ed around. 8ary2 7ho /ave mil5 to Tamer2 heard the footste.s. Aext day2 she could not find out 7hether they had entered houses. +ven those nei/hbours 7ho al7ays hear the local ne7s could not say. 8ary tells that t7o of her friends use the same ex.ression as she9 she feels as if a sahra Froc5G .ressures on her breast. OOO 1fter almost five 7ee5s of curfe72 .eo.le start 7orryin/ about their money. +ven durin/ the Ho.enin/ hours; the ban5s are not o.en. So .eo.le lend money from family and friends. 8uch more than in the Jest2 .eo.le here have extensive family2 friend and nei/hbourhood net7or5s2 and they can usually buy on credit. also see customers buyin/ 7ith forei/n money2 dollars and 4ordanian dinars. The sho.s no7 have more articles than a 7ee5 a/o2 also more fresh fruits and ve/etables. East time 7e bou/ht so many scarce tomatoes that 7e no7 rush to finish them. )rom 7here do they comeK Of course from srael2 there is almost no 7ay for fresh .roducts from the surroundin/ countryside to reach Bethlehem. 8ary is an/ry. Je are occu.ied and besie/ed2 and they have the /all to ma5e a .rofit out of it. She 7ants to boycott the .roducts but after a 7hile she /ives in to the family needs. 1t least 7e have some bottled .roducts2 li5e the very tasty a.ricot 6am that 4anet .re.ared. 8any .eo.le no7 ta5e care to buy as little as .ossible. n the Aativity Church2 the im.risoned .eo.le 7ere eatin/ sou. made from wara$a lemoun2 the leaves of the lemon tree. 1 sou. that 7as never tried2 local TC bitterly comments. Je hear that 1rafat and his com.anions in the 0amallah com.ound too5 lentils durin/ their im.risonment. Those 7ho live in areas 7ithout tele.hone connection2 li5e +lias2 are careful 7ith their tele.hone cards. 4ust no7 the ne7s comes in that international .eace activists mana/ed to enter the Church and distribute food2 an action that 7ill certainly earn them /reat res.ect amon/ the local .o.ulation. +xce.t for those activists2 there is exas.eration 7ith the international community2 includin/ the Dnited Aations 7ho /ave in to srael;s .ressure not to have the 4enin en<uiry. HThey are all thieves2N is a common sayin/. 1 fe7 days a/o Salah Ta;amari2 a ne/otiator for the Palestinian side in the church stand%off2 su//ested on local TC that 7hen the international community 7ould leave the situation as it is2 the Bethlehem citi?ens mi/ht ta5e the initiative into their o7n hands and brea5 the curfe7. Durin/ the latest o.enin/ of the curfe72 a fe7 5ids started stone thro7in/ at the soldiers. mmediately the curfe7 7as re%installed. Jhile 7al5ed <uic5ly to buy e//s and cheese2 military 6ee.s /ave the familiar call 7ith their intimidatin/ louds.ea5er voices, mamnou$a tajaawal @forbidden to 7al5 aroundB. 1 bit of .anic2 cars s.ed home7ards. OOO These days2 Christians are allo7ed to /o out for church mass durin/ late afternoons. t is the :ree5 Orthodox >oly Jee5. n Beit Sahour2 a lar/ely :ree5%Orthodox city2 also 8oslems 7ent out. The army chec5ed some of them and they 7ere beaten u.2 accordin/ to 8ary;s family.

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8ary ta5es me out of my com.uter 7or5 and .uts a cryin/ Tamer on my breast. 1fter ta5in/ the mil52 Tamer a..ears the healthiest boy ever. >e even starts to ma5e mouth movements that loo5 li5e a lau/h. Je both lau/h loo5in/ at him. 4ara ta5es /ranny;s han/er 7ith an ima/e of the Cir/in2 and 5isses it, MEet de sraeli soldiers leave Bethlehem.N This time no .retendin/. 22 Ma/ The recurrent ho.e that the sie/e of the Church of Aativity and the curfe7 7ould be lifted2 is dashed each time2 but on )riday a real end comes to the almost six%7ee5 lon/ affair. 8ary and 4anet are /lued to the Al 6azeera satellite station2 based in Satar but 7ith corres.ondents located in the ma6or Palestinian to7ns. +ven the local TC all the time co.ies Al-6azeera. Due to the closure2 the Bethlehemites have become com.letely de.endent u.on the media for /ettin/ ne7s about the Church. n Bethlehem it is :uevara al%Budeiri 7ho re.orts almost every hour. She tal5s 7ith fury in her eyes2 restrainin/ herself to an ob6ective vocabulary but al7ays concludin/ her re.ort 7ith, MThis is :uevara al%Budeiri2 Church of Aativity2 Occu.ied Bethlehem2N em.hasi?in/ Moccu.ied.N :uevara and her collea/ue in 0amallah2 Shireen 1bu 15leh2 seem to be role models for the youth. 8ary hears our nei/hbours; 5ids tal5in/ admirin/ly about them. 4ara .oints 7ith her fin/er on the screen to s.ot Tony Salman2 8ary;s cousin2 7ho lost eleven 5ilos 7hile stayin/ in the church as a liaison bet7een the .riests and the militants. OOO The denouement is someho7 an anti%climax since most Bethlehemites2 thou/h relieved to leave their houses2 are not very ha..y about the com.romise reached. 1s a visitin/ ac<uaintance says2 M>o7 can you insist u.on the Palestinian ri/ht to return 7hile at the same time a/reein/ 7ith de.ortation2 7hich is exactly the o..ositeKN 8ary2 too2 feels a combination of relief and sadness2 and she /ets tears in her eyes 7hen she sees the militants comin/ out of the church and 7avin/ to their family members 7hom they cannot say /oodbye. The /rou. 7ho arrives in :a?a is intervie7ed by Palestine TC9 8ary 5no7s some of the men2 7ho almost loo5 li5e 5ids2 one of them a former student. n the studio2 they are called and /reeted by their loved ones 7hom they 7ill li5ely not meet for many years. One of them says that he sees the sea for the first time. n fact2 many youn/ .eo.le in the Jest Ban5 have never had a chance to /o out of the area. 8ary cannot understand that they are called Hterrorists;. MThey all do this to defend their homeland. Jhat did they do in >olland 7hen you 7ere occu.iedK Did you not have terroristsKN The an/er does not decrease 7ith another .iece of distressin/ ne7s, srael 7ants to brin/ over 4e7s from Peru in order to .ut them in a settlement close to Bethlehem. OOO

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n the evenin/ /o 7ith 4ara to the Aativity S<uare. Durin/ the .ast 7ee5s 7e did not reco/ni?e our streets 7ith all their bro5en lantern .oles2 tan5s2 armoured .ersonnel carriers2 cars 7ith ta.es in the letters HTC;2 and ambulances. The only .eo.le .assin/ by 7ere a /rou. of Buddhist mon5s slo7ly beatin/ their drums2 and the 5ids2 6oined by 4ara2 7ho imitate the sounds of the 6ee.;s louds.ea5ers Mmamnou$a el-tajawoul.N 1 fe7 days a/o myself 7as 7atched on the street .ushin/ a small carrier 7ith 0ed Cross food % a bit of riyaade Fs.ortsG 7as /ood for me2 bystanders said. 1t the distribution .lace one 7oman told that she never thou/ht she 7ould once acce.t an aid box9 but after so many 7ee5s she 7as not ashamed anymore. 1nother em.hatically said that his dau/hter had hel.ed many others2 but no7 they also had to thin5 about themselves. 1 .al.able sense of embarrassment caused by its very denial. 8ary commented that in case there 7ould not have been enou/h for others2 she 7ould have refused2 since 7e still have money at home. But 7e ran out of bread and a nei/hbour sho7ed us ho7 to ma5e her delicious fresh bread from the Tur5ish dou/h that 7as .art of the .ac5a/e. But it is all over no7. Jith 4ara on my shoulders2 7al5 alon/ the dar5 streets I no street electricity these days I and 7atch the shado7s of destruction and dirt. The .eo.le hesitatin/ly enter the streets2 there is even music from a CD sho.2 and sha5e hands 7ith collea/ues and ac<uaintances on the street, the Brothers of the Dniversity2 7ho also 7ant to ta5e stoc5 of the situation9 )uad and +lias2 7ho sho7s me the bullets around the small door of Hhumility; in the Aativity Church2 and bystanders 7ith 7hom tal5 6ust to reclaim .ublic s.ace. /ive 4ara the mobile 7hich she uses from her hi/h vanta/e .oint to describe to 4anet the destruction around2 es.ecially the Peace Center next to the Church. She mi/ht become a 6ournalist2 too. Eater on 7e hear that all com.uters and .rinters in the Peace Center have been ta5en a7ay2 and .hotoco.iers destroyed2 6ust li5e that. OOO On Saturday2 it is still difficult to /et into a normal rhythm. The /overnment and DA0J1 schools o.en9 4ara;s )reres School decides first to brin/ all teachers to/ether to assess the situation. +ven my family and family in la7 do not /o out exce.t for necessities. Je do not yet feel a sense of freedom. n the /arden 4ara and .lay fairy tale fi/ures, the 7olf2 the monster2 and the 7itch. n the modern2 educationally res.onsible Dutch boo5s 7e read that those traditional baddies also have their /ood sides9 the bad 7olf turns out to be li5able2 and the monster can be afraid. 7onder ho7 4ara and Tamer2 as they /ro7 u.2 7ill relate to that more reality%based cate/ory of Hbaddies; they 5no7 or 7ill learn to 5no7 % the sraelis. 2: Ma/ The Bethlehemites once a/ain try to catch u. 7ith daily life. Peo.le sha5e hands 7ith ac<uaintances 7hom they 7ould barely /reet under different circumstances. 1ll .eo.le say that they are2 7ell2 tired. Some .eo.le in the street 7al5 li5e ?ombies, shoulders do7n2 eyes focused on eternity. Briefly after the liftin/ of the curfe72 4ara mindlessly runs across the street2 as if she had all but for/otten about the cars. She is almost hit by one. 8ary and .anic more than durin/ the 7hole .eriod of the occu.ation.

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There is a run on the ban5s for cash. The .rices are increasin/ due to the scarcity of .roducts and srael;s .resent stee. inflation. 4amal2 8ary;s uncle 7ho is the mayor;s secretary2 says that the soldiers robbed some $'2''' she5el cash and also che<ues at the munici.ality2 as 7ell as an ex.ensive decorative s7ord. 1 chocolate box 7as em.tied2 7ith a note left in >ebre7, MThan5 you for your hos.itality.N 1nother relative2 the head of the en/ineerin/ bureau2 tells in exas.eration that all the munici.ality land ma.s have been ta5en a7ay. They no7 have to rely u.on co.ies the lando7ners themselves have in order to .rove to 7hom 7hich land belon/s. 1nd 7hen they don;t have a co.yK MThen 7e face difficulties.N t /oes 7ithout sayin/ that all com.uters have been ta5en a7ay2 as in the other occu.ied cities2 in order for the sraelis to detect the Minfrastructure of Palestinian terror.N The administrators and en/ineers must start their 6obs from scratch. The tal5 of the day is that the sraelis are li5ely to come bac52 as in 4enin2 not for a lon/ .eriod but for one day or so. 8any .eo.le on their 7anted lists are still in Bethlehem9 and many 7ea.ons are still buried under the /round. +ven the day is mentioned 7hen they are su..osed to return, next Tuesday. Jhy2 next TuesdayK M1fter so many days closed u. at home2 .eo.le tal5 a lot2N a collea/ue from an alternative tourism a/ency remar5s2 Mand remember that it 7as no coincidence that 4esus Christ 7as born in Bethlehem I in no other .lace .eo.le 7ould tal5 so much that a son of to7n becomes 5no7n throu/hout the 7orldPN 1t least2 tal5in/ is a 7ay of co.in/. 1n incredible amount of stories are exchan/ed these days about 7hat ha..ened in the various houses durin/ the curfe7. 8y 1rabic teacher 7atched mornin/ reci.e .ro/rams broadcasted by several 1rab stations available from the dish. She 7rote the reci.es do7n % she no7 has a hand7ritten reci.e boo5 I and each day2 to her husband;s /reat 6oy2 she made another s.ecial dish or ca5e2 fillin/ her time and their stomachs. One of our nei/hbours2 7hose father runs a medical lab2 says that after a fe7 7ee5s one 7oman after the other came to chec5 7hether she 7as .re/nant. M)or sure2N she comments2 M7hen closed u.2 some .eo.le start hatin/2 others start lovin/.N But many youth did sim.ly not 5no7 7hat to do. The .roblem2 a social 7or5er at a .rivate school says2 is that Palestinian youth are 6ust not used to read and 7rite at home. They only do such thin/s 7hen im.osed. Durin/ the curfe72 many of the students 7atched TC until dee. in the ni/ht and /ot u. at t7elve next day. Ao72 they lac5 any motivation to /o bac5 to school. One very youn/ .u.il2 half%seriously2 told his mother, M don;t need to /o to school2 am sure that all teachers are dead.N @1nother child2 hearin/ this2 ruefully commented, MJell2 don;t 7ish all of them dead.NB OOO 1t St 4ose.h2 the school diary .ro6ect had an im.act, 8any of the 11th /raders continued their diary 7ritin/ durin/ the curfe7. Some sto..ed because they 7ere afraid that the soldiers mi/ht ta5e the +n/lish lan/ua/e diaries as evidence a/ainst the family. n a country 7ith a lon/ history of occu.ation .eo.le have an inborn reluctance to 7rite thin/s do7n. So Su?y 7as all the more .leased to have collected over forty com.uter dis5ettes 7ith diaries. 1 teacher commented dryly, MYa$ ti al$Aa*yeN F8ay :od bless your health2 an ex.ression said to somebody 7ho is at 7or5G.

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One tawjihi FmatriculationG student2 Aadine2 told Su?y that her head burst 7ith thin/s she 7anted to 7rite do7n2 but that she 7as unable to do so. >er family 7as contained into one room in her o7n house9 the soldiers occu.ied the other .arts. The family had to as5 for .ermission to leave the room2 for instance2 to /o to the toilet. Durin/ the o.enin/ hours2 only one .erson at a time 7as allo7ed to leave the house. 1t one .oint Aadine2 infuriated2 a..roached a soldier2 as5in/ him 7hether he 5ne7 the diary of 1nne )ran5. MLes2 of course2 do you 7ant to read itKN MAo2 7ant you to read itPN The soldier shru//ed his shoulders2 indifferently. East year2 St 4ose.h;s students identified .arallels bet7een their o7n im.risonment ex.eriences and 1nne )ran5;s under/round stay in the 1msterdam grachtenhuis. The teachers at the school are no7 em.loyin/ the diary .ro6ect as a 7ay of co.in/ 7ith the traumas students ex.erienced. So many students fall into a stee. abyss of meanin/lessness, Jhat is the .ur.ose of study and school2 7hen you cannot en6oy life2 7hen there is no future2 no normal university study2 no travelin/ .ossibility2 no 7or5 to be found in an economy that is in colla.seK Lou;d rather be dead2 and you;d rather ta5e your enemies 7ith you. Others re.ress their feelin/s and 7ant sim.ly not to tal5 about 7hat ha..ened2 they already heard too much2 they 7ant to avoid the ne7s2 too9 it is borin/ any7ay. That is the 7orst res.onse2 teachers comment2 .ilin/ u. .ressures and emotions to become an im.losion. Some students feel /uilty that they 7ere not so much ex.osed to violence and de.rivation as those livin/ around the Church. M8ama2 don;t 7ant to eat2 cannot /et this throu/h my throat 7hen others are hun/ry.N Still others 6um. u. at the sound of a school bell or a slammin/ door9 they thin5 that soldiers enter the buildin/. n fact2 4ara lately heard a truc5 outside and as5ed 8ary 7hether it 7as a tan5. The sraeli army and the violence may have left the city @althou/h 7e all the time hear about brief incursions into the Bethlehem district2 li5e in =ar5afeh or Dheisha9 information 7hich cannot chec5B2 they are still in .eo.le;s minds. One school student follo7ed her father;s habit of shootin/ birds and o.ened the bloody intestines of a bird in front of .eo.le. She became fascinated by the blood sho7n on local TC. Some students started slee.7al5in/. Of course many have ni/htmares2 for instance about house searches2 .robably the most dreadful ex.erience they 7ere ex.osed to. The other day 8ary told me that she herself dreamt about a house search2 and also2 stran/ely enou/h2 about tan5s flyin/ over the house. M1t least that;s better than on the roads. Eet them /o to heaven2 or hell.N 4ara said that she dreamt bein/ a /ood 7itch faced by a bad one 7ho 7anted to enter her house. She and .a.a and her little brother refused entry to the bad 7itch2 then she 6um.ed into the air and out of the air she shot dead the intruder. 1t the moment she is com.letely absorbed by fairy tales in 7hich a 7olf or fox threatens a home. 1s cannot esca.e my inborn sober convictions @7hich seem to lose relevance every dayB2 am ha..y that her stories .rovide .eaceful solutions, The fox is fri/htened off2 the 7olf safely ta5en a7ay to a distant forest. OOO

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1nother 5inder/arten student2 li5e 4ara four years2 7as as5ed 7hom she thou/ht stayed in the Ve..elin % the sraeli videota.in/ balloon that used to han/ over the Church durin/ the sie/e. MShalon2N the child said I she couldn;t .ronounce the Hr; 7ell. Su?y says that the teachin/ challen/e ri/ht no7 is to find 7ays for students to ex.ress their anxieties. One /ood 7ay is 6o5in/ @MJhat is the difference bet7een 1rafat and Sharon after 1rafat;s sie/e in 0amallahK )orty 5ilos.NB She as5ed the students to 7rite Ma letter to an sraeli soldierN or to comment u.on a dra7in/ of a bi/ fish eatin/ a smaller fish eatin/ an even smaller fish. The bi/ fish thin5s the 7orld is O=2 the smaller fish thin5s the 7orld .artly O= and .artly at fault2 and the smallest fish thin5s the 7orld a disaster. 1 .rom.t 7hich no doubt catches the students; .resent mood. One reason 7hy the students feel that the current situation is so meanin/less is that2 7ithout exce.tion2 the .eo.le feel unha..y about the com.romise that led to the de.ortation of the militants I the small fish % to :a?a and Cy.rus. 1s if the stru//le around the church2 the curfe7 and the sacrifices2 7ere for nothin/. )uad says that the conclusion of a youth meetin/ at the institute 7as that a solution can only come from :od. OOO The schools no7 try to s<uee?e their semester curriculum into the very fe7 7ee5s left. 1t the /overnment schools2 the visual arts and s.orts fall victim to the need to com.ensate for the lost hours in the im.ortant exam sub6ects. 1t St 4ose.h they at least 5ee. the s.orts2 so essential to /et out the tension. The .rivate schools2 li5e the /overnment schools2 have cancelled any real festivity after the exams. The mood of the .ublic does not allo7 that. 1t the )reres; there 7ill be only Ma rece.tion 7ith lemonade and tabouleh Fa delicious salad cut very smallG.N 8y 1rabic teacher does not a/ree, M1fter ei/hteen years of school2 they have to leave 6ust li5e thatKN OOO Dnavoidably2 a /reat many .eo.le a/ain tal5 about emi/ratin/. 1s a collea/ue says, MDurin/ Bethlehem $''' there 7as a little ho.e. Then thin/s only deteriorated. Jhy should 7e refuse livin/ a normal life some7here elseK Jith the Ei5ud no7 denyin/ a Palestinian state2 7e have many more years of ntifadah ahead of us.N can;t find an ans7er. OOO 8ary .lays 7ith Tamer on her la.. By fin/erin/ his chin2 she tries to elicit a lau/h. Soon 7e 7ill /o2 li5e other ne7 .arents are used to do here2 to the Church of Aativity to lay do7n Tamer on the Star 7hich symboli?es the .lace 7here 4esus 7as born2 and 7hich for some time 7as a refu/e for the militants. There 7e;ll ta5e a .hoto of him2 an icon for a better future. 8ary si/hs a lot these days. don;t si/h2 but dee. do7n inside there is a small ball in 7hich all sadness and an/er is loc5ed u.. t should rather not be unloc5ed but cannot be re.ressed or for/otten either.

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22 'une la?ily stroll 7ith 4ara alon/ the university street. On the other side are .eo.le 7ho exchan/e smiles and 7his.ers. There are no cars at all2 calm rei/ns2 birds are 7histlin/. The sun brea5s throu/h the clouds. 4ara sees a crocodile in one of them. 1 nei/hbour sho7s her her little .u..y. Once a/ain 7e come into contact 7ith nei/hbours9 in fact2 never s.o5e 7ith so many nei/hbours as durin/ these days. Some .eo.le in the surroundin/ /ardens are in shorts and do manual 7or5. The scene reminds of the relaxation in a traditional Palestinian villa/e on )riday afternoons2 the day off 7hen .eo.le have nothin/ on their minds and hands. Let it is curfe7 a/ain. 8ore than durin/ the lon/ sie/e of Bethlehem and the Church of Aativity in 8arch and 1.ril2 children seem to /o out on the streets2 at least in our .art of the to7n. Aot too far2 of course. 1s soon as the sound of an a..roachin/ tan5 or 1PC is heard2 they 7ithdra7 in the /ardens. Then2 after a 7hile 7hen the tan5s leave2 you hear their voices a/ain. Some of them scare off adults by ma5in/ a .erfect2 crea5y imitation of the military 6ee.;s sirens and the mamnu$a el-tajawoul Fforbidden to /o outG of the louds.ea5ers. Parents .erha.s thin5 that the soldiers 7ill not arrest their youn/ 5ids. Or they sim.ly can;t control them. Jhen Brahim2 a nei/hbor2 teases 4ara tellin/ her that she should not /o out2 she .oints her fin/er far a7ay, M+hu ya$ani FJhat is the matterG2 the mamnu$a el-tajawoul is not for here but for there.N Sometimes 7e hear a little variation in the other7ise monotonously and thou/htlessly shouted mamnu$a .hrase. 4ee.s in Beit 4ala lately reversed the 7ords and stayed re.eatin/ Mmamnu$a el-tajawoul! el-tajawoul mamnu$a.N They further moc5ed the .eo.le by as5in/ MJhere are the millionsKN I a reference to a verse of MWeen al %Arabi9N F7here are the 1rabsKG2 a son/ 7hich 4ara in fact li5es to sin/. OOO divide my time bet7een our house near H1??a cam. and that of my family in la7. +arly in the mornin/2 7hen there are no tan5s2 ta5e a 7al5 of $'' meters alon/ the road to /o to our house for my 7or5. The first loo5 on the com.uter is usually not ha..y. Several emails come from un5no7n senders 7ho have detected my subscri.tion to Palestinian mailin/s and inform me that love M>itlerN or MbloodbathsN and similar thin/s. Once in a 7hile loo5 over my shoulder into the 7indo7 to see 7hether the tan5 nearby does not direct its barrel to our house. Someho7 the tan5 resembles a dan/erous animal <uietly 7aitin/ for its .rey. 1 crocodile. t moves u. and do7n the road2 ma5es brief /ro7lin/ sounds2 then silence a/ain. Lesterday ni/ht there 7as heavy shootin/ nearby9 the nei/hbours found a lot of bullets in the /ardens. Eately2 Brahim /ave a stern 7arnin/ to 4ara after she .roudly sho7ed him an 8 16 bullet she found. Some of such bullets can in fact ex.lode. Dsin/ the mos<ue;s louds.ea5er2 a local imam once 7arned the H1??a 5ids not to .ic5 u. bullets from the streets. 1t the end of the 7or5in/ day2 7hen there are still tan5s around2 ta5e a /arden route 7hich nei/hbours have .ointed out to me9 over a roof2 7ith only one 6um.2 alon/ a narro7 stee. .ath2 and then 6ust $' meter 7al5in/ alon/ the main street. )ortunately2

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there are no shar.shooters on the roofs in our .art. The /arden 7al5 has become a routine. tell myself that the ris5 is not /reat2 and 7hy not movin/ a little after sittin/ the 7hole day closed u.K To com.ensate for the lac5 of outdoor activities2 many .eo.le here 7atch the soccer cham.ionshi.s. 8ary does not 7atch but su..orts all the non%1merican and non%+uro.ean teams. Curfe7 means a delay of everythin/, delays of 7eddin/s @it is no7 the season of the 7eddin/sB2 travelin/ @)uad cannot leave for a conference in Bel/iumB2 7or5 and studies. The duration of the delay is com.letely un5no7n. 1ny .lannin/ is im.ossible. The tawjihi students studied day and ni/ht for their matriculation exams 7hich are scheduled no72 and they do not 5no7 7hat is /oin/ to ha..en. discuss 7ith one of them2 a nei/hbor 7ho studies at the )reres2 a sub6ect 7hich is in the front of my mind, or/ani?in/ non%violent activities durin/ curfe7s. Jhy not ma5in/ a lot of noise durin/ a .articular moment of the day2 or raisin/ the .eo.le;s voice in some other creative 7ayK >e is s5e.tical2 and .resents familiar ar/uments, all .olitics bet7een srael and the Palestinians are based on cons.iracies9 the Palestinian factions dominate internal .olitics and do not allo7 common .eo.le to do anythin/. 1nd 7hatever you do2 it does not ma5e any difference. Je a/ree to meet and tal5 further after the tawjihi. OOO Today2 suddenly an announcement that 7e can do sho..in/. There is a /reat deal of confusion. The PA1 seems to s.ea5 7ith different voices, )irst the tawjihi FmatriculationG exam is on2 then off2 then on2 but is there enou/h timeK t is .ossible that the sraelis announced the liftin/ of the curfe7 7ithout informin/ the Palestinian liaison office. n such case2 the PA1 tells the .o.ulation that they /o out on their o7n ris5. The result is that nobody 5no7s 7hat is ha..enin/. The atmos.here is stran/e. 1fter the lon/ curfe7 durin/ the Aativity sie/e2 7e had so many incursions I in one case a ni/ht lon/2 in another case a fe7 days2 or the incursions 7ere restricted to a .articular area of the to7n I that you almost find a certain disinterest and ne/lect /ainin/ hold of the .eo.le. 8ary says that the day before the latest curfe72 7hen everybody 7as tal5in/ that a curfe7 7ould be im.osed2 only fe7 .eo.le started stoc5.ilin/ su..lies. Peo.le don;t care too much anymore. t also loo5s as if more .eo.le are no7 tres.assin/ the curfe7 on an individual base. >o7 dan/erous that is2 is clear from 7hat ha..ened in occu.ied 4enin 7here yesterday a tan5 suddenly started to shell into a mar5et cro7d2 7ith deadly conse<uences. OOO 8ary called a 4e7ish ac<uaintance in :ilo. as5ed her 7hether she called because of the suicide bombin/ there that mornin/. Ao2 it 7as her friend;s birthday2 a very de.ressin/ birthday. OOO 4ara and .lay in the nei/hbour;s /arden. Before the latest curfe72 she invented her o7n act of resistance by tellin/ 8ary that she 7ould not buy sraeli chocolate from the auntie

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in the sho. at school. Ao7 her fantasies /o in other directions. She .ro.oses to be my mother2 the <ueen2 and am the .rince in search of a .rincess. She /ives me a tree branch 7hich is a 5nife and instructs me first to 5ill the 7itch in the evil castle. 1fter havin/ done that2 should ca.ture the bride;s trousseau from the castle and /ive that to the .rincess2 thus earnin/ her .ermission to marry her. She stays on a safe distance 7hile fi/ht the 7itch. 1fter7ards 7e or/ani?e a /reat 7eddin/ ball. M1re the sraelis allo7ed to 6oinKN MAo2 they 7ould 5ill the .rincess.; MAot even a fe7 of themKN MO=2 a fe72N she says2 thin5 to /uarantee my continuin/ .artici.ation in the .lay. She ta5es the mi5e2 and sna5edances the 1rabic son/s she 7atches on HDream TC;2 a 5ind of 1rabic 8TC station. 1fter that she is the .riest 7ho blesses the cou.le. 3 'u*/ Perha.s Hcrocodile; is not the ri/ht 7ord to describe the bi/ machine 7hich roams our streets. t loo5s2 and sounds2 more li5e a dra/on. Durin/ late afternoons2 7hen the 7eather cools off some7hat2 the university road fills itself 7ith do?ens of children. f you 7ouldn;t 5no7 better2 a lovely si/ht. The em.ty street 7ith the children .layin/ reminds someho7 of the autoloze zondag Fcarless SundayG tem.orarily instituted in >olland in 1"#( 7hen the country ran out of oil su..lies2 and 7hen the hi/h7ays 7ere ostentatiously occu.ied by bi5ers ta5in/ .leasure in the full freedom they then en6oyed. Some of our nei/hbours lean relaxed a/ainst the side7alls 7hile the 5ids are .layin/. 1 7ee5 a/o2 4anet /ave 4ara a scooter 7hich she no7 .roudly demonstrates to the other children of the street 7hom she all 5no7s and 7hom she tries to lead 7ith a voice 7hich seems to become more voluminous each 7ee5, M8ar7an2 8ar7aaaan;2 HDiiiiima;2 she shouts to attract the attention of her friends and2 thin52 of anybody else as 7ell. East 7ee5 she moved from one nei/hbour to the other and didn;t stay home at all. n the evenin/ she had to vomit. Jas it because she /ot too many s7eetsK 1t one .oint the dra/on observed the 5ids .layin/2 and it 7asn;t satisfied. Climbin/ 7ith its thunderous2 screechin/ sound to7ards the to. of the university hill2 it thre7 out a ban/ to 7arn the families. Aot to leave any doubt about its intentions2 it came bac5 several times to clean the street. Ei5e the ebb and flo7 of the sea2 the 5ids 7ithdre7 % from the street to the s.ace behind a /ate2 or if the noise 7as too scary2 bac5 to the /arden2 or2 as a last retreat2 into the home itself I al7ays to return 7hen the monster had disa..eared out of si/ht. One child told 8ary in a 7ise voice far beyond his a/e2 MJe have come used to live 7ith the dababeh Ftan5G.N Aext day2 8ary sa7 the tan5 sto..in/ in the middle of the road. t .ut off its en/ine2 circled its barrel2 and then .oured out a ben?ine smell and a..arently also dust. 8ary said that she even had to close the 7indo7s. ima/ine the an/ry beast from the movies2 s7in/in/ its lon/ nec5 from left to ri/ht2 exhalin/ fire and smo5e2 leavin/ traces on the /round. Eately2 the mayor of Bethlehem said that accordin/ to sraeli la7 tan5s are not allo7ed to come into sraeli streets because of the dama/e they inflict u.on the roads and the .avements. Bethlehem streets2 li5e all the main roads in the Jest Ban52 are no7 mar5ed by the beast;s furro7s. 1fter7ards2 8ary 7arned me not to ta5e my daily route to our o7n house throu/h the /ardens anymore as soldiers mi/ht find that sus.icious. no7 sometimes 7al5 in the

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afternoon only after havin/ carefully listened to children;s voices in the surroundin/s so as to 5no7 that the tan5s are not there. 1nother /ood si/n is 7hen there are 7omen on the hi/h roofs of H1??a cam. .uttin/ fresh linen on the lines 7hile 5ee.in/ a 7atchful eye on the streets belo7. ntimidated2 4ara as5ed 8ary the other day to be /uided bac5 to the street instead of /oin/ alone. She lon/ed for that ne7 flat2 sli/htly slo.in/ .lay/round that she can use so 7ell for her scooter. 1fter bein/ sternly told that she should immediately leave the street as soon as the tan5 a..roached from afar2 4ara ans7ered that 7e should be not too concerned about her2 Mbecause you al7ays still have Tamer.N That remar5 stun/. Je became an/ry. Did she say this because she 7as 6ealous for all the attention 7e no7 /ive to Tamer2 or because death had someho7 become a normal .art of our lifeK myself 7as lately cau/ht tal5in/ in an a..arently careless tone about somebody 7ho 7as assassinated. MDo you reali?e 7hat you are sayin/2N stood corrected. This evenin/2 hear t7o loud ban/s. 0eturnin/ at 8ary;s2 she ex.lains that soldiers had observed our o..osite nei/hbor standin/ in the street and that they had /iven a 7arnin/ shot directed to7ards our side of the street. t landed lo7 in the electricity .ole in front of our /ate. 8ary sho7s me the hole. t is the .lace 7here 4ara and the other 5ids are usually .layin/. OOO The most annoyin/2 almost unlivable as.ect of the .resent curfe7s is its com.lete un.redictability. One day o.enin/ hours are from one to five2 another day 7e first thin5 it is from ten to t7o2 but no2 it turns out to be from ten to six2 or it is altered still another time. Jhat everybody ho.es for is that srael in its mercy 7ill decide for a curfe7 that 7ould stretch from seven to seven2 a time s.an 7hich no7 seems enormous to us. That 7ould allo7 .eo.le and institutions to function someho7 normally. Let today and yesterday 7e had a $&%hour curfe7. The liftin/ of the curfe7 is announced only at the very last moment. +verybody is ready to /o out to 7or5 but is continuously frustrated. nevitably2 all 5inds of theories float around about the reasons behind the len/th of a .articular curfe7, t could be yesterday;s attac5 in :a?a2 or the sus.icion is that a suicide bombin/ mission is .re.ared out from the Bethlehem area @M)or sure they thin5 7e cons.ire in the Church of AativityN2 comments a university lecturerB2 or the curfe7 is thou/ht to be a .reventive measure a/ainst disturbances ex.ected durin/ the )riday 7hen many 8oslem believers /o to the mos<ue. 1s if sub6ect to a .sycholo/ical ex.eriment that measures the limits of co.in/ 7ith frustration2 7e are /radually treated to sli/htly hi/her doses of uncertainty. MLes2 7e are li5e mice in the box2N says 8ary. 1ccordin/ to re.orts in Haaretz2 the sraeli army 7arned Sharon that if curfe7s 7ould remain in .lace for too lon/ .eo.le 7ould riot at chec5.oints and many 7ould be 5illed. One inter.retation of 7hat is /oin/ on is that the army has decided to lift curfe7s a little so that .eo.le have some breathin/ s.ace and 7ould not riot 7ith all the ensuin/ ne/ative .ublicity9 ho7ever2 as soon as 6ournalists turn their heads a7ay and .eo.le /et some ho.e the curfe7s are to be reinstalled in force. The official inter.retation brou/ht fore7ord by the sraeli army is that 7hen .eo.le remain calm they Hearn; lon/er o.enin/ hours.

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MThey are mad2N says 8ary2 Mand 7e become mad.N Durin/ the sin/le day that she 7as able /o to the university after her .re/nancy leave2 she observed ho7 several of her collea/ues turned in7ards2 didn;t /ive articulate res.onses to <uestions2 7ere less concentrated. On this Sunday2 if the curfe7 7as lifted2 there 7ould have been several masses in the Aativity Church9 t7o for the dead2 and several more to commemorate the third or the &'th day after the decease of a loved one. Ei5e many others2 8ary;s cousin delayed her 7eddin/ in the church Mtill the curfe7 is over.N 1lso this Sunday the mayor;s son is su..osed to have his en/a/ement2 but the o.enin/ hours are from ten till t7o 7hile the en/a/ement is at t7o%thirty. M1atalunaN FThey 5illed usG2 8ary says suddenly. MDon;t say that too <uic5ly.N MAo2 7e are 5illed2 at least am.N Je loo5 u.7ards2 to the clear starry s5y. 8ary thin5s she observes a shootin/ star. MThat;s 7hat 7e need2 a /uidin/ star.N OOO These days are .articularly frustratin/ for tawjihi FmatriculationG students. +lias2 7hose son )aady is in the tawjihi2 told me a 7ee5 a/o that an exam 7as announced the next day althou/h nobody 5ne7 7hat 7ould ha..en. 1s it turned out2 there 7as curfe7. Ei5e others2 +lias too5 the ris5 and brou/ht his son by car to the exam in Beit 4ala. 4ust at that moment2 soldiers 7ere in the area of his house2 a..arently in search for somebody 7hom they thou/ht 7as hidin/. 1ccordin/ to +lias; family2 7ho observed the soldiers; behaviour throu/h the 7indo72 they used scre7drivers to .ric5 the face and bac5 of .eo.le tres.assin/ the curfe72 or they cut the cars; tires. 1fter7ards2 the soldiers entered +lias; house 7hile he en his son 7ere out. They noticed in the D of +lias; 7ife2 4udith2 that she 7as married and had a son of tawjihi a/e. So they stayed in the house to 7ait until +lias 7as bac5. 4udith 7as ho7ever able to 7arn her husband by mobile. 1fter the exam2 +lias and )aady 7aited for some hours in Beit 4ala until 4udith informed them that the area 7as free. >o7ever2 it did not ta5e lon/ before the soldiers re%entered the house. 1fter concludin/ that the son 7as not the 7anted one2 they left. One @Dru?eB soldier said that he himself2 too2 bore the MbeautifulN name )aady2 and that this 7as /ood enou/h a motive for him to allo7 +lias; son to /o free. Ei5e anybody else2 )aady is of course barely able to concentrate on his exams. OOO Durin/ a day 7ith o.enin/ hours2 <ueue 7ith others in front of the main Bethlehem chec5.oint. Je are 7aitin/ about t7enty meters before the soldiers; shed in a narro7 iron corridor suitable for cattle. Some 7aiters are im.atient and encoura/e a university student to /o fore7ord but the soldiers turn her bac5. Jith each 7aitin/ minute the <ueuers move a little fore7ord to 7in some useless meters. There is a female relative of the soldiers 7ho is a..arently there to su..ort them emotionally. This seems to be a ne7 army /uideline or .ractice. But 7ho needs counselin/K Jhile in 4erusalem2 s.ea5 7ith the sraeli .harmacist 7ith 7hom become friendlier each ne7 visit. >e as5s me about my nationality9 thou/ht 7as :erman and excuses himself rather too em.hatically I as if 7ithdra7in/ an accusation. Jhen a client 6oins the tal52 he steers the conversation into safe 7aters. Of course2 soccer.

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OOO On my 7ay bac5 to Bethlehem2 ta5e a very lon/ road throu/h the far eastern outs5irts of 4erusalem2 to/ether 7ith some youn/ 7or5ers 7ho too5 the ris5 of brea5in/ the curfe7 to ille/ally 7or5 in 4erusalem. Jhen at one .oint the desert road is bloc5ed2 7e climb do7n a roc5y hill and ta5e a 7al5 for half an hour. @The .rice of don5eys2 the only means of trans.ort that can ta5e any mound2 has risen hu/ely in the Jest Ban5B. )ortunately2 the 7al5 /oes throu/h the stunnin/ly beautiful desert valley of Jadi Aar9 the valley of fire2 that is2 hell. Jhen 7e arrive do7n at the small =idron Hriver; I a smelly se7a/e stream2 a /ift of the 4erusalem munici.ality to the environment % 7e .ass a chec5.oint 7here many vans are 7aitin/ ready to /o to their destination but sto..ed for an un5no7n time. The drivers ar/ue amon/ themselves 7ho 7ill ta5e us. One car is 7illin/ to /o dee. into curfe7ed Bethlehem. The car;s main door cannot close at all but the 7eather is fine and 7ho cares for such details any7ayK Some of the 7or5ers tell me their fancy dreams of H1msterdam;. One lau/hin/ly ma5es an obscene /esture. MCan 7e come thereKN MYareetN Fho.efullyG ans7er2 al7ays a handy ex.ression. Suddenly the driver sto.s behind a .ar5ed car and ma5es a des.erate 7ave 7ith his hand. t loo5s as if 7e are stranded. There is an 1PC 7aitin/ and a ne7 chec5.oint set u.. The 7or5ers don;t ex.ect they can .ass but try any7ay. They are not allo7ed and /o bac5. 1s a forei/n .ass.ort holder2 am able to enter the curfe7 area. Jal5in/ do7n a 5ilometer or so into Beit Sahour2 a lone car .asses and .ut u. my hand. t turns out to be the same van 7ith the same .assen/ers. They had found a brief detour and invite me 7ith a bi/ smile to 6oin once a/ain. Je leave the van close to H1??a cam.2 six shado7s 7al5in/ in the silent2 ominous Bethlehem streets. OOO 4ara /oes to a Bethlehem Hsummer cam.; 7hich includes a lot of s7immin/. +ach day she as5s 7hether she can /o out and s7im2 but until no7 she could leave the house only once. Jhen 7e tell her that 7e .lan a summer vacation in Cy.rus2 she is not convinced and says that she is ha..y to .lay in the /arden in her bi/ .lastic 7ater bo7l and other7ise at the summer cam.;s s7immin/ .ool. ma/ine all the 5ids 7hose .arents cannot .ay for s7immin/2 thin5. Lesterday 4ara .layed in the bo7l to/ether 7ith Tamer2 7hom 7e lovin/ly nic5name Tamoura! and 7ho each day sho7s us more of his beautiful lau/h. 1fter 4ara sees the /lossy .hotos of the s7immin/ .ool in the Cy.rus hotel she 7ants to /o too. M s that Al-1uds F4erusalemGKN she as5s. 4erusalem has become her eternal dream .lace. 8ean7hile2 each afternoon she tends to a little do/ 7hich 7as hit by a sudden car.

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A&TER#ORD Jhen came to Palestine in 1""& to teach for an exchan/e .ro/ram bet7een the Dniversity of 1msterdam and Bir?eit Dniversity2 had the /ood luc5 to meet 8ary and 7e decided to stay here. 1fter a year teachin/ @and studyin/ a bit of 1rabicB at Bir?eit Dniversity2 my interest turned to educational develo.ment2 and settled myself 7ith 8ary and my family in la7 in Bethlehem. Those 7ere the first years of HOslo; 7hen ho.es 7ere hi/h that some 5ind of .olitical arran/ement 7ould slo7ly 7or5 out althou/h these ho.es 7ere also tem.ered due to2 .rimarily2 the on/oin/ establishment and ex.ansion of settlements. But nobody could /uess the 5ind of Hsituation; that evolved in the last fe7 years durin/ the second ntifadah. first started to 7rite this diary as a 7ay to ex.ress the shoc5 of the violence and sie/e and to re/ister the reactions of the .eo.le around me2 .rimarily my family but also collea/ues and teachers in the Bethlehem area. The diary /ave an o..ortunity to 5ee. my family2 friends and .rofessional collea/ues abroad informed. n the course of time2 the diary became .art of a broader river of nternet information to .rovide a .ublic abroad 7ith first%hand information about the events on the /round includin/ the details of daily life that do not reach the international media. But after a 7hile the diary became most of all a 7ay of sho7in/ admiration to7ards the .eo.le around me 7ho continued their daily life tas5s2 5e.t their humanity and raised their heads hi/h under extremely deni/ratin/ and tryin/ circumstances. 8y bac5/round as an anthro.olo/ist .erha.s hel.ed in /ainin/ a sense of the role of culture to 5ee. a stru//lin/ community alive and ho7 it su..orted .eo.le in co.in/ 7ith the .sycholo/ical and .hysical .ressure exerted u.on them. 8y later studies in discourse analysis led me to loo5 at the im.ortance of lan/ua/e in creatin/ ima/es of Palestine2 Bethlehem2 and its .eo.le. Jritin/ in 4uly $''$2 the situation for Palestinians in the Jest Ban5 and :a?a has become li5e a .rison in more than one sense of the 7ord. Peo.le are often unable to leave their houses2 7ith full%time curfe7s im.osed9 to leave their to7n or area2 or even to leave their country. The .resent situation cries out for intervention by the international community. Those 7ho are interested can follo7 the successor of the Bethlehem Diary2 HEetter from Bethlehem; @7ritten 7ith Susan 1tallahB throu/h 7ebsites or mailin/ lists of the Aonviolence >ome.a/e and Olive Branch Ae7sletter of )r 0aed 1busahlia in 4erusalem2 the 1rab +ducational nstitute and 7ebsites of international .eace or/ani?ations such as Pax Christi2 =C @ nterchurch Peace CouncilB2 Dnited Civilians for Peace and 1)SC in the DS.

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RE&ERE" ES A Ta5 $radua**/ *o,ed O00 8itri 0aheb2 am a Palestinian Christian. 8innea.olis2 1"8". Road, Jilliam Dalrym.le2 )rom the >oly 8ountain, 1 4ourney in the Shado7 of By?antium. Eondon2 1""8. )or the story about the M1n/el of Death2N see 4.+. >anauer2 )ol5lore of the >oly Eand2 The Sheldon Press2 Eondon 1"'# @re.ublished by Senate2 Eondon2 1""6 under the title XThe >oly Eand, 8yths and Ee/endsXB2 ..1($ #it+ I(punit/ The ma6or study of >ilma :ran<vist is, 8arria/e Conditions in a Palestinian Cilla/e2 Societas Scientiarum )ennica. >elsin5i2 1"(*. :race 8. Cro7foot and Eouise Baldens.er/er2 )rom Cedar to >ysso., 1 Study in the )ol5lore of Plants in Palestine. Eondon2 1"($. The .riest 7ho made the analysis of the Son/ of Son/s 7ith re/ard to local Palestinian fol5lore is Ste.han Ste.han2 8odern Palestinian Parallels to the Son/ of Son/s2 4ournal of Palestine Oriental Society2 Col. $2 ..$'(. )or 8ahmoud Dar7ish about the Son/ of Son/s2 see 8ahmoud Dar7ich2 Ea Palestine Comme 8eta.hore2 +ntretiens2 Sindbad2 1ctes Sud2 1""#2 .."&. The connection bet7een .oet and .easant is based u.on =enneth +.Bailey2 Poet and Peasant and Throu/h Peasant +yes, 1 Eiterary%Cultural 1..roach to the Parables in Eu5e. :rand 0a.ids2 1"8(. I(age, o0 t+e Land See 0a6a Shehadeh. The Third Jay2 Suartet Boo5s2 Eondon2 1"8'. Storie, T+at SticThe oral histories are collected in, Lour Stories 1re 8y Stories, 1 Palestinian Oral >istory Pro6ect2 St 4ose.h School for :irls2 Bethlehem9 Ji;am Conflict 0esolution Center2 and 1rab +ducational nstitute2 Bethlehem2 $''1. Mi,ta-en Identitie, Salah Ta;amari;s life outside Palestine is described in Dina 1bdel >amid2 Duet for )reedom2 fore7ord by 4ohn Ee Carre2 Suartet Boo5s2 Eondon2 and 1malia and 1haron Barnea2 8ine +nemy2 :rove Press2 Ae7 Lor52 1"88.

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Ti(e*e,,ne,, )or 4abra;s youth memories2 see 4abra brahim 4abra2 The )irst Jell2 in, Salma =hadra 4ayyusi2 8odern Palestinian Eiterature, 1n 1ntholo/y2 Columbia Dniversity Press2 Ae7 Lor52 1""1. )or the story of =in/ Suleyman2 see :race Cro7foot and Eouise Baldens.er/er2 1rab )ol5 Stories from 1rtas2 Bir?eit Dniversity2 1"8#2 .. *8. BAAAa a(p )or my o7n study of the .ortrayal of Palestinians in bestseller literature2 includin/ more references2 see XPo.ular fiction and PalestineX2 in, 1nnelies 8oors2 Toine van Teeffelen2 lham 1bou :ha?aleh and Sharif =anaana @eds.B Discourse and Palestine. 1msterdam, >et S.inhuis2 1""*. )or the relevant .assa/e about the im.overishment of narrative resources amon/ Palestinian refu/ees2 see 4erome Bruner2 1cts of 8eanin/2 >arvard Dniversity Press2 Cambrid/e2 1""'2 .. "6. )or a very different analysis of refu/ee narratives2 see 0osemary Sayi/h2 :ender2 Sexuality2 and Class in Aational Aarrations, Palestinian Cam. Jomen Tell Their Eives. )rontiers2 Col. Y Y2 no.$2 1""82 ... 166%18*.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Toine van Teeffelen @1"*$B did studies in sociolo/y @+rasmus Dniversity in 0otterdam2 1""(B and social anthro.olo/y @Dniversity of 1msterdam2 1""6B. >is 8.1. thesis dealt 7ith M1nthro.olo/ists in srael, 1 Case Study in the Sociolo/y of =no7led/e.N 1fter 7or5in/ in various su..ort /rou.s for Palestine as 7ell as in the /eneral .eace movement in the Aetherlands2 he did his Ph.D. at the Dniversity of 1msterdam in Discourse 1nalysis 7ith a study on the .ortrayal of the 8iddle +ast in +n/lish%lan/ua/e bestseller fiction @1""(B. n 1""* he established himself in the Jest Ban52 teachin/ discourse analysis at Bir?eit Dniversity. )rom 1""6 on he has 7or5ed as an educational consultant and a /uide. >e is a board member of the 1rab +ducational nstitute and PL1E101 @Palestinian Louth 1ssociation for Eeadershi. and 0i/hts 1ctivationB and .resently local coordinator of the Dnited Civilians for Peace2 a Dutch civilian initiative to monitor the human ri/hts situation in Palestine and srael. >e lives in Bethlehem 7ith his 7ife 8ary 8orcos and t7o youn/ children.

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%UBLI ATIO"S ULTURE A"D %ALESTI"E SERIES The MCulture and PalestineN series ex.lores ex.ressions of Palestinian culture2 includin/ .o.ular customs2 arts and traditional stories. t is the series; main .ur.ose to involve Palestinian communities in learnin/ to 5no7 about and to ex.ress 5no7led/e of Palestinian culture2 to understand its relevance for contem.orary situations2 and to communicate it to a .ublic locally and abroad. Sa+tain1 Discover the Palestinian Culture by +atin/. 11' ... Published by the )reres School in Bethlehem2 1""". The boo5 contains 6' reci.es of meat and fish dishes2 snac5s2 s7eets and .ies2 and drin5s. 1.art from stories2 there is bac5/round information about traditional and modern food habits in Palestine. S.onsored by CO0D1 D. Price, $' S or *U. Bet+*e+e( o((unit/ Boo-, Discover the Palestinian 0eli/ious Culture. 16$ ... @editions in +n/lish and 1rabicB. Published by the 1rab +ducational nstitute2 Bethlehem2 $'''3$''1. The boo5 contains cha.ters about the ancient history of Bethlehem9 the 1" th and $'th centuries9 reli/ious life throu/h .easant eyes9 churches in the Bethlehem area9 theolo/ies of meditation2 service and liberation9 8oslem and Christian livin/ to/ether2 and traditional handicrafts. Price, (' S or #2*U. Mora* Storie, 0ro( %a*e,tine, Discover Cultural Jisdom throu/h Stories. *6 ... @+n/lish and 1rabic textsB. Published by the 1rab +ducational nstitute2 Bethlehem2 $'''. Cha.ters 7ith $$ brief2 traditional as 7ell as modern2 stories /rou.ed around the follo7in/ themes, /enerosity2 6ustice2 trust2 humility2 coura/e and for/iveness. Price, 1* S or &U. n addition2 a (*%.a/e teacher manual @only available in 1rabicB can be ordered @1' S or $2*UB2 as 7ell as a card /ame usin/ traditional .roverbs for dealin/ 7ith dilemmas of .resent%day Palestinian life @in 1rabic only2 1* S or &UB. S.onsored by >aella )oundation and Broederli65 Delen. %a*e,tinian Education Acro,, Re*igiou, Border,, 1n nventory. 6& ... @+n/lishB. Published by the )reres School2 Bethlehem $'''. 1 study initiated to develo. 8oslem% Christian education in Palestine2 based on intervie7in/ members of school communities in the Bethlehem%>ebron area. S.onsored by CO0D1 D. Price, 1* S or &U. Di,covering %a*e,tine. 11$ ... @1rabicB. Published by the 1rab +ducational nstitute2 Bethlehem $''1. 1n overvie7 of herita/e sites in the Bethlehem%4erusalem%>ebron area. +s.ecially for teachers. S.onsored by )riedrich Aaumann )oundation3:erman )und for Palestinian A:Os. Price, $' S or *U. #+en A5nor(a* Beco(e, "or(a*) #+en Mig+t Beco(e, Rig+t , #' ... @+n/lishB. Scenes from Palestinian Eife Durin/ the 1l%1<sa ntifadah. Published by the 1rab +ducational nstitute2 Bethlehem $''1. Contains essays and diaries 7ritten by2 mainly2 Palestinians from various bac5/round and a/e. S.onsored by the :overnment of the

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Aetherlands throu/h the +uro%1rab Dialo/ue from Belo7 Pro6ect @+1DB. Price, 1* S or & U. Your Storie, Are M/ Storie,, 1 Palestinian Oral >istory Pro6ect, 1&$ ... @+n/lishB. Published by St 4ose.h School for :irls2 Bethlehem9 Ji;am Conflict 0esolution Center2 and the 1rab +ducational nstitute2 Bethlehem $''1. Contains oral histories 7ritten by students of 16%1# years at St 4ose.h School in Bethlehem. Price, (' S or #2* U. AEI #e5,ite, 1ims to /ive a voice to Palestinians by communicatin/ stories2 ex.eriences2 activities of 1+ youth /rou.s2 cultural and reli/ious bac5/round information2 and the 7ee5ly Bethlehem Diary and Eetter from Bethlehem by Toine van Teeffelen and Susan 1tallah. See, htt.,33aeicenter.tri.od.com3aeicenter Contact the 1rab +ducational nstitute for orderin/ boo5s. Aote that costs of mailin/.7ill be added to the boo5 .rice. 1rab +ducational nstitute P.O.Box 681 Bethlehem Palestine via srael )ax, ''%"#$%$%$##.#**& Tel, ''%"#$%$%$#&.&'(' +mail, aei-.%ol.com htt.,33aeicenter.tri.od.com3aeicenter

16'