Saturday: Yalla Yalla!

Yalla, Yalla is a phrase I hear a lot as I fumble over my array of bags, wander off to the toilet, etc!  We have a very packed schedule and even with Yalla, Yalla don’t manage to fit everything in.  (It means quick, quick, or come on!) Abed who organises everything does a great job and is very patient , informative and looks after us very well.

Last night I enjoyed my stay with Fouad and his family in their home. His wife Reema cooked a lovely spinach and chickpea soup and we had local honey, bread, olive oil and zartar (herbs) with cocoa before bed and again for breakfast with boiled egg, yoghurt, etc etc.  Reema was very amused by my description of egg cups!  I slept with Reema in her bed which was lovely as I now have a sister and she has a fith sister.  In the morning her children joined us in bed. but it was Yala , Yala from then on.  I managed to visit the bread oven which was in a neighbours garden.  It seems that each woman makes bread dough and then takes it to the oven and bakes it.  Of course I had a go but managed to break the oven – not permanently I think.  The oven uses dung I think for part of the fuel and is situated inside a derelict car – difficult to imagine I know, but true.  It was great to spend some time with the women as mostly it is the men who show me round and meet. 

Bread oven Beit Furik

Women at the Bread Oven, Beit Furik

 I have become a strange man/woman hybrid here!  Out clambering around the farm walls and wells with the farm men and then sleepng and talking about children and food with the women.  This is particularly in the villages, in the cities women work more and are represented on committees and Unions etc and of course everywhere you can see the familiar site of women walking back from college with their book under their arm.

 

Reema is expecting a baby and although there is a health centre in the village needs to go into Nablus for ante natal appointments and she will need a caesarian.  For this she needs to walk through the checkpoint evrytime and is not always allowed or is kept waiting etc and of course there have been ocasions of women giving birth at the checkpoints for this reason.  I wish all goes well for Reema.

After the bread oven I had a quick look at the Children’s Development Centre which looked mainly set up for meetings and teaching and not exactly child friendly as we’d say but the director has hopes and dreams for the place if they can manage to find the funds.  The West Bank is typical of the need for foreign NGOs etc to ensure they provide what is menaingful to the community as I have seen absolutely ridiculous western style playgrounds used by no one and one right in the middle of no where and near to the wall so too dangerous for the children to play.  Communities do look tointernational fund raising for improving resources of all kinds.  However the message I hear again and again is that it is political pressure and change which people really want support with.  Computers are often donated but it is the cost of internet which is really needed to enable them to make connections etc outside of their lives restricted by the occupation.

I left Beit Furik returning through the checkpoint.  I took some photos as I had been allowed the previous day but this time the captain was there and was not at all happy about it.  Fortunately he was placated by me deleting the one of him.

When we got to Nablus we visited a trade union ofice which is supported by an American based International solidarity of unions organisation. One union they support is the tourism union.  This tries to promote the rights of workers in such areas as hotels and restaurants.  Of course most tourists come to places in the West Bank such as Bethlehem, Jerico, etcwith an Israeli tour firm, on a bus with armed security and donot experience the life of the Palestinians at all who eqaully do not benefit form the tourism in their own country.  I would recomend however that this is not the best (or safest ) way to visit for anyone who may be interested.  The best way would be to link with a Palestinian organisation or travel independently.  With an international passport this is straight forward and you would be assured of a warm welcome.

We visited the Union for the Palestinian Disabled and met a man just elected to their committee who was disabled after being shot in the last intafada.  He and his blind colleague were both truly inspiring people  who spoke about how they have adjusted their lives to be successful, and in their project they work to raise awareness for rights of disbled people in society, education and employment and build up their strength of character to overcome difficulties and be independent and successful in ife.  Of course they face huge difficulties.  The blind man explained how his stick was broken when a car ran into him crossing the road and due to short resources he had to wait a long time for a replacement.  Despite this he travels everywhere independently, plays the piano, and sings in a choir in Bethlehem as well as volunteering in a hospital. He spoke good English which he picked up from television and listening to conversation.  The resilience and strength of all the people I have met here is incredible and these two were certainly special.

 

After this we went on a walk around old Nablus.  First the market which looks thriving and is how old Hebronshould be if it were not for the settlers and IDF forcing the Palestinians out.  It is full of very old (BC) alleys and buildings and market stalls.  We saw an ancient soap factory which of course uses olive oil.  The children of the town were hidden in here during the 6 day war to keep them safe.  I felt hungry and spotted a bakers who made me a tradtional kind of bread with an egg on top.  He would not take money for it, such is the hosptiatlity of the people.  Then the residential area which us a stronghold of the resistance and this is the first year even Abed has been able to walk as far into it as we did today.  It is a well known site for fights between resistence fighters and IDF butit would be impossible to find anyone in there as it is such a maze of interconnecting houses, alleys etc.  Still the IDF have sent targeted missiles and we saw one place where half a Church was destoyed in this way.

 

Boys in Nablus

 

After the old city we visited a Musicproject for children in Nablus run by three music teachers from the University. They have a recording studio they made themselves and they teach classes and groups of children and have taken them to France and Dundee.  They would welcome any visits from musicians or groups.

 

Then the long drive back to Abu Dis, made longer due to roads being closed and needing to go 70 kms around the city to find a way south.  Abed found a friend to guide us out as knowledge of where all the checkpoints are and alternative routes is needed.  We arrived back around “rush hour”.  The queue of cars was caused in this case though by the Palestinian cars being kept back off the road to allow the settlers to use the road home to their settlements from Jerusalem without being stuck in a crowd .

 

So, now our group, led by Abed, is myself, Tom the musician and Median the Al Jazeera jounalist living in Brighton who has joined us for a couple of days and we will all go to the big (we hope) international protest against the Israeli takeover of the old city in Hebron and the Human Rights abuses there.  The aim is to allow the Palestinians to live safely and return to their homes there .  As stated previously the problem is in particular here the fanatic settlers who are armed and violent and decided they want to live near Abraham’s tomb.  Even the IDF here, at least some of them have stated that they are unable to protect the Paestinians as their only orders are to protect the settlers.

 

There was a photo of arrests and of settlers throwing rocks at protesters so I hope for a good and successful protest and of course for us all to keep safe.

 

Blogging

 

Sarah, signing off from the lamd of milk and honey!  Well ok – bread, honey and olive oil!

NB I may look tired but it was nearly 1 a.m.!  This was in the comfort of Fouad’s house, usually I am in a smokey internet cafe.

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