6th of October

Happy Halloween everyone! I won't lie - I arbitrarily want a sixth blog post for October and this one will surely be nothing more than random thoughts that cross my mind tonight. I am well beyond tired at this point, but oddly feel it is more necessary to have 6 posts for October than it is to just go to bed. I keep coming up with ideas that I feel very motivated to write about and adding them to the "In the Future" section. Like any To-Do list I have ever put together in my life, they always seem to grow faster than you can cross items off. I personally have never finished a written To-Do list, but I do hope to blog about each of the items I've set aside and taken notes on. Inshallah, that will happen.

I woke up at 5:30 this morning to get to help observe and monitor a protest near Salfit for human rights violations by the Israeli Occupation/Defense/Oppression/Racism Force. It is truly strange, the way my attitude about observing these demonstrations changes. Some days, I think it is needed and a wonderful way to spend time and resources while here in the West Bank. For example, I was of this disposition last night at 11:45 PM when I agreed to go. Other days, the trip just to arrive at the demonstration is a lesson in human rights violations. Illegal settlements, a giant concrete wall that confiscates Palestinian land, bulldozed houses - all you need to document violations here is open your eyes. As it turned out, this morning's demonstration had been postponed for one reason or another. (While it certainly was frustrating to wake up at 5:30, sit in a service for an hour while the driver waits for the car to fill up, drive an hour over twisty speedbump-plagued roads, and then walk a mile uphill to the Municipality Building, it was probably for the better as far as my health was concerned. Had tear gas been deployed, I am sure I would have been a pretty easy, largely immobile target, based on the quality of my fine motorskills after a 5 hour fitful night's sleep. While the demonstration itself was cancelled, members of the village council did treat us to a walking tour of the problems facing the village during the olive harvest. Althought it pretty much dealth with the norms for Palestinian villages (settler violence, army violence, permit applications for their own land, checkpoints, roadblocks, dirt mounds, lack of access to their own olive groves), I found it amazingly interesting to see it all (again). The rest of my international delegation seemed less impressed and perhaps even disappointed they would not be dodging rubber bullets and inhaling tear gas that morning. I diligently took notes and aim to submit the report to the organization offices tomorrow. I'll post that here as well when I finish.

In other news, Jeff and I ended up in an argument about representative democracy, voting, and social activism in the U.S. I still think you are an idiot not to vote whether you agree or disagree with electoral politics. It was a friendly debate, as debates should be. Both Jeff and I defined where we stood on the issues and then supported our positions with facts and examples. When one of us had a qualm with an example the other was using we made it known and the arguing begain. No name-calling, no berating one another - if only the debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be this way in the U.S.

Shira has more good blog posts - one on checkpoints and the newest one on the olive harvest. I am jealous of her writing style. It's simply incredible to read. I make myself feel better by convincing myself that a much more raw style can reach people as well. Inshallah. She says so many incredibly insightful things both in person and in her blog, but then she says something I don't agree with at all, or that I think is contradictory or self-important. I do think it's jealousy though. I find I blame her for being self-important but then I do honestly believe the work she does is more important. That's pretty much the definition of jealousy, right? Right.

Speaking of reaching people, I have been devoting a lot of "lost in thought while zoning out on things I should be doing" time to deciding on what I am going to do to positively affect this conflict when I get back in the U.S. Tens of thousands have been to Palestine and seen the very things I have, and the situation has just become worse. How am I going to reverse this trend? I fear there is such an "American burnout" on the Palestine issue. It's been plastered all over our newspaper headlines, television screens, magazines, and bookshelves for decades - quite frankly, maybe people are just worn out from seeing and hearing about it. Economic troubles, relationship problems, health problems, everyone has their own concerns, why care about a 60 year-long, seemingly intractable (did anyone even use that word before it was employed to describe this) conflict? I have not even been able to get my friends and family to really care. Why am I even here?

There's plenty wrong in my own community, my own state, and my own country. I do not seriously even think I could trace why I became interested (READ: obsessed) with the Middle East in the first place. Maybe it was September 11. I can remember that was 8th grade, such a long time ago. I think that screwed me up, I can remember feeling that way around that time. Maybe it was a realization my 15 year old mind had: 6 million dead in the Holocaust, genocidal campaigns in Rwanda and the Balkans (twice) in just the past 20 years. 2500 dead on 9/11, uncountable thousands dead in Iraq. I remember a spending so many nights thinking about it, just the numbers themselves, not even being able to comprehend the actual destruction of human life, memories, hope, contained within those numbers. And then telling my mom I thought God was losing the battle, that there was no way He could stop the senseless waste of human life going on daily in the world. Somehow I forgot about all this in less than four months. The biggest concern in my life was my 16th birthday, and how I was going to afford my first car. Maybe I just feel guilty about those desires, and my willingness to forces certain depressing realizations from my mind. Perhaps I'm here and passionate about this situation for the wrong reasons. Instead of being here for Palestinians and Israelis and peace, am I here to atone for my own sins?

I think individuals come here for selfish reasons, maybe not primarily, but somewhere hidden inside the motives. Maybe it is just a way to escape what we see as injustices we commit in our own lives. Injustices against siblings, parents, friends, and family. How stupid it is, to protest against a wall separating Palesitinians from Israelis while we build a wall in our own lives between ourselves and the ones who love us most.

Great Find Today

While trying to help my younger brother with a social activism project on Palestinian refugee camps I stumbled across a few amazing websites and added one of them to my links section. The really interesting one is "Urduni in Balata", a blog written by a Palestinian refugee living in Balata camp near Nablus in the northern West Bank. The blogger seems to have just started a little less than a month ago but there are already some amazing posts available there. He has also provided some other links with stories and incredible photos from Balata refugee camp.

For more info on Balata and life in Palestinian refugee camps:

www.balatacamp.net
www.picturebalata.net
www.justimage.org

I hope you enjoy these resources, and please be sure to spread the knowledge by sharing these with others!

Exposing US Aid to Israel

A Note on Links

I wanted to write a quick post to help my readers sort out the links I have provided on the sidebar of the blog. Hopefully this will help everyone find exactly what they are looking for without helplessly clicking through the overwhelming number of sites dedicated to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Anything to help others to better understand and perhaps take action regarding this situation.

Here's a brief description of the links:

• ActiveStills - This site features user submitted photos of the conflict. There are some incredible shots on this site, and it is updated regularly with new content.
• Al-Jazeera News - No, it's not terrorist news, Al-Jazeera is a great source for mass media style news stories on the Middle East and elsewhere as well.
• Bitter Lemons - An opinion site full of articles written both by Palestinians and Israelis regarding different issues and stances on the conflict. Some are written as back and forth debates. Updated regularly as well.
• Days are Countries - Named after an Arabic proverb and written by a friend and roommate of mine, this blog currently provides the full "Iron Wall" movie - a wonderfully informative and eye-opening documentary on the Israeli separation barrier and settlement policy. The author is a photographer from Los Angeles, so expect some very interesting posts.
• End the Occupation - An informative website with tons of resources and articles for newcomers regarding the Israeli occupation. Also provides updates on actions for those ready to become involved in activism against the occupation.
  
• If America Knew - Very informative website full of startling figures comparing the cost of the conflict to both Israelis and Palestinians. Well-documented statistics. Interesting opinion articles as well.
• ISM - The official site of the International Solidarity Movement, a grassroots organization involved in humanitarian and direct action campaigns in the West Bank. The group's site features news stories, journal entries, startling videos, and more. Updated almost daily. ISM was also recently nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Whether you are interested in an unfiltered news source or activism against the occupation, this is a great starting point.
• Maan News Agency - The best Palestinian news source I have found thus far, and probably the best one there is. If it happened in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, you will surely find it on this site. Check it daily to stay informed on life under occupation.
• Prospects for Peace - A blog written by my personal hero and a man who is no stranger to the conflict, Daniel Levy. Mr. Levy was the lead drafter of the Geneva Initiative and an Israeli negotiator during the most recent Camp David talks. He keeps an incredibly informative blog and posts regularly. one day I hope to produce op-ed columns like this man. I also hope to one day be the lead drafter of any negotiations document. Inshallah...
• Right 2 Education - The official site of Birzeit University's Right 2 Education campaign. Extremely interesting articles about what life is like to be a student living under occupation.
• Shira's Blog - Certainly one of the most interesting and insightful blogs I have read since I became obsessed with Riverbend's Baghdad Burning blog. This blogger is an activist and American Jew living and studying in Ramallah. Her blog covers everything from the experience of being a Jew closely allied with the Palestinian side of the cause to her views on Birthright and Israel. Shira updates pretty regularly and the backlogged posts concerning the Birthright trip are humorous and incredibly insightful. I would strongly recommend this to anyone, no matter how knowledgeable he/she is on the conflict, as many of the posts tend to focus solely on the human side of the conflict.
• Stop the Wall - The official site of the organization with the same name. The site provides resources concerning Israel's illegal separation wall.
  
• Think Progress - The parent organization of Campus Progress, a group I am affiliated with back in the United States.
  
• United For Peace and Justice - An organization focusing primarily on ending the Iraq War through organizing protests and providing resources to help mobilize support against it.

That seems to be about all of the links for now. I hope this helps those of you looking for resources, information, opportunities to get involved, or news about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And yes, I promise to add more personal posts about my experiences and views regarding the situation here in Israel/Palestine in the very near future.

Looking Back

It's still completely amazes me that I have been in Palestine for eight weeks. I can still vividly remember filing out of the bus from Jerusalem in Ramallah and taking my first steps in this extraordinary country. Since that moment I have had so many incredible experiences. For example, I've:

• marched with Palestinians in demonstrations against the separation wall, internal closures and illegal Israeli settlements.
• made craft stick art work with kids in a refugee camp.
• played a game of street soccer with Palestinian kids from Tel Rumeida in Hebron as IDF army jeeps and Israeli settlers patrolled the neighborhood.
• passionately argued with both international and Palestinian students about culture, violent resistance, economics, politics, and which falafel restaurant in Birzeit has the best food for the least amount of shekels.
• seen the closed Palestinian shops on Shohada St.
  
• shared tea and Ramadan sweets with my neighbors.
• skipped Arabic class to go help out with the olive harvest in Nablus.
• enjoyed delicious Taybeh beer and dubka dancing at the Al-Taybeh Oktoberfest.
• wandered around the alleyways, ramparts, and shops of Jerusalem's Old City.
• bought a kaffiyeh.
• crouched through the "Door of Humility" at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.
• eaten fresh papaya straight off the tree while lounging at an outdoor cafe in Jericho.
• argued with Israeli soldiers about the legality of taking pictures at a military checkpoint.
• met Palestine's premier hip-hop group, DAM.
• watched Bab Al-Hara at the Nadi.
  
• been taught the correct ways to pronounce "Hamas" and "Fatah" by a 14 year old Palestinian boy.
• broken the Ramadan fast with 1000 other Palestinian college students crammed into a tiny cafeteria.
• attended a Fatah Student Group rally.
  
• been caught without my passport at a flying checkpoint at 1 a.m.
• heard incredible stories about Palestinians building community centers, starting computer classes for children and women, and starting science initiatives.
• listened to saddening stories about Palestinians who have not seen their families in years due to the separation wall and various travel restrictions.
• smoked argeeleh at Tal Al-Qamar in Ramallah.
  
• met children who have been abducted and imprisoned by the Israeli government.
• met an Israeli in a coffeeshop in Tel Aviv who referred to the settlers in Hebron as, "the closest thing there is to Jewish Nazis."
• eaten a gourmet cheeseburger at Al-Sultan Restaurant.
• experienced Rukab's Ice Cream first hand. (Baladna's across the street is far better!)
• learned a bit of colloquial Jerusalemite Arabic.
• seen the separation wall and the monstrosity that is Qalandia checkpoint.

I haven't regretted for a moment the decision to come and study in Palestine. However, I do regret not doing enough with my first two months here. There is truly an overwhelming about of Palestinian and international organizations doing tremendous work in the West Bank. I just wish I had time to be a bigger part of so many of them. In the coming days/weeks/month I intend to elaborate more on a few of these experiences - perhaps some of the ones that have had the most influence on my views of the conflict and the Palestinian people living through it.

Better Late Than Never

Wow. As the title states, "better late than never," I guess. As of this morning it has been exactly eight weeks since I arrived in Palestine and I have a little over four weeks left on my three month tourist visa. I had originally intended for this blog to be a resource both for myself and for potential (and hypothetical readers). Primarily, its intention was to help me keep my sanity. In a way, I feel I have already lost it completely and this blog should certainly be filed under the "too little too late" category. However, there are times (few and far between) when I do believe that I finally know more about myself and my priorities in this life than ever before. Enough about me.

The blog is secondly for you: my family, friends, colleagues from work and school, professors, and of course those few brave (and bored) individuals that have randomly followed the winding rivers of the internet straight to the turbulent sea that is this blog. I hope that my personal experiences here in Israel/Palestine can provide my readers with some insight beyond Western media and current Middle Eastern discourse into this seemingly intractable conflict. I had toyed with the idea of posting some history of the conflict, but have decided against it. This blog will be almost exclusively personal accounts of life in the West Bank. There are more than enough exhaustive resources out there both online and in print to make anyone who has the patience and passion to learn about the situation an expert. If you like would me to share some of these resources, please leave me a message as a comment to this post.

I have been keeping a small journal to record my experiences so some of the experiences from the first couple weeks will not simply be from my somewhat foggy memory of the past eight weeks. I do intend to mix experiences together. Very recent memories will surely share posts with experiences from the first couple weeks. The timeline is not important, but I hope the posts themselves are.

Lastly, a note on the title and the short excerpt that follows it. The title is in reference to an American named John Ledyard. Ledyard was an explorer, writer, academic, and close friend of Thomas Jefferson. In 1788 he became the first American to explore the Middle East and report back to Washington D.C. His findings helped to provide Americans with their first real glimpse of the Middle East. Before this, their ideas were shaped almost exclusively by the Bible and books like "1001 Arabian Nights". The passage I have included is from the prologue of Michael Oren's incredibly insightful book "Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to Present." I found it incredible how description of Ledyard's impending journey still is so relevant to the U.S. relationship with the Middle East today, some 230 years later. After countless military (overt and covert) campaigns in the region, strategic economic partnerships, peace processes, and even asinine labeling of political groups and individuals in the region, Americans know infinitely more about Kabul, Baghdad, Beirut, Jerusalem, Tehran, and Riyadh than they did in 1776. Yet they also know disappointingly little about Afghanis, Iraqis, Lebanese, Israelis, Palestinans, Iranians, and Saudis than they should. American media refuses to fill in the blanks, opting to show burning city skylines in Iraq, gun-wielding fighters in Gaza, and Holocaust-denying dictators in Iran instead - as if these were the things that defined the Middle East.

This blog will certainly not fill that gap. Perhaps, it will provide an insight into the lives or ordinary people living in an extraordinary situation. If nothing else, it will be a collection of my thoughts on both the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the experience of being an American in the West Bank.