Erich Smeaton
July 14, 2003
I am writing now from Tulkarem where Blake and I have taken up residence at the Peace camp here that is located approx. 15 meters from the Apartheid wall. There are eleven of us at the camp. The camp is strategically located in between three villages on the northeastern end of Tulkarem so as to not favor any one village more than the other. The camp is in an eggplant field and I have personally set up my residence underneath a shaded olive tree.
On Sunday we were in Tel-Aviv for the afternoon in solidarity with the ISMers who were arrested in Nablus and Jenin last week. It was only an initial hearing yet the courtroom was standing room only with ISM and Israeli activist support. I must say it was quite impressive. The incidents (yes, there were two) are getting somewhat notorious here in Palestine. They seem to have been very poorly organized without much, if any, Palestinian help and many of the participants acted quite badly and unprofessional. Among different affinity groups they are being spoken of as examples of what not to do in an escalating situation. Even so, from the second incident there were examples of quite excellent solidarity among ISMers and effective group strategy in opposition to the soldiers.
On the flip side there was an enormous and peaceful demonstration Blake and I were able to participate in at Jayyus on Monday. Jayyus sits on the edge of the wall and is being separated from its agricultural fields while simultaneously losing water resources under Israeli restrictions. The Green Line sits tellingly off in the distance at about 6km. (I do have all the numbers to how much land is being cut off and annexed by Israel but I do not have my notes with me) THE DEMONSTRATION WAS COMPLETELY ORGANIZED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL AND FARMERS OF JAYYUS! The opposition in the village is palpable. Sharif, the mayor, called media, Palestininan farmers from around the village, and the ISM to participate. Approximately 200 Palestinians and 40 ISM trained internationals were present. There was a British news channel cameraman, a freelance photojournalist from the London Times, and a spattering of other news agencies present as well.
The group with men, women, and children began in the village and marched to the wall chanting Palestinian resistance songs and waving a large Palestinian flag. We stood on a small cliff over the wall while the IDF congregated on the other side with APC's and M-16's readily present. It did not matter as the group stayed peaceful, although loud and boisterous, as to not provoke the soldiers into an imperialist killing frenzy. The children were under constant surveillance from the elders of the village to stay off the front line to ensure no stones would be thrown and the internationals were placed thought the people as to be more confident the soldiers would be less likely to shoot.
There was great communication among affinity groups and the lead organizer, Sharif. The demonstration was a complete success! It was an inspiring experience and I was thrilled to be present! Pictures will be shared upon arrival back in the States. Part of the Boston delegation has been staying in the village for the past two weeks and will continue to maintain an international presence there throughout the Freedom Summer.
As for Tulkarem, the camp had dinner and a meeting with many Palestinian men representing different political organizations and interests in Tulkarem. The villages have yet to effectively organize resistance to the wall and utilize the internationals strategically. The villages and the people do not vibrate with resistance as those in Jayyus had. Speaking to a few of the men it seems many are not exactly put out by the wall and I am a little frustrated by some of the apathy. We shall see. There are many people in this area and we are working on AIDING opposition.
In Solidarity,
Erich