Hopeless Prayer for Peace

I'm sad and disappointed to hear about the attack at an Al Q'uds (Jerusalem) seminary today and that people died because of it. I'm sad that someone felt so oppressed and hopeless that they had to kill others to be heard, to be noticed, to wake up the world! I'm sad that people had to die because the world does not listen. I'm sad that hundreds of people in Gaza are starving to death and living in horrible conditions in which no person should ever have to endure under no circumstance regardless of their race, religion, politics, socioeconomic status, past history and so on.

I'm scared that my friends in Al Khalil (Hebron) will suffer more than they are right now due to this horrible event even though they had nothing to do with it. I'm scared that all Palestinians will suffer because of it; suffer more than they ever have in the past and present.

I'm worried about more attacks on Israelis and that the Israelis who care about Palestinians and peace will suffer. I'm worried that the zionists will use this as an excuse to steal more Palestinian homes and land away from them with the official/unofficial backing of the Israeli government.

I'm feeling a bit hopeless today.
So, I pray for peace.
Insha'allah

peace
salam
om shanti

Supporting Palestine....

It's been 6 months since I last walked on Palestinian soil. Life here has taken over and prevented me from doing a lot of the work I had hoped or envisioned myself doing for the Palestinians. However, it has not made me forget. I miss that place. I especially miss the people there. I've spent this time processing what I learned about the history of Palestine, what I saw, what I experienced and how I want to continue my work there.

It seems that when most people return they speak primarily at local anarchist events, synagogues, churches, perhaps a Friends meeting center, and at local universities. They typically speak about the protests they attended, about being tear gassed, about the horrible violent conditions Palestinians and the human rights workers live in on a day-to-day basis, and about the effects of Israeli occupation. Most get the message out quite well.

This has led me to think about what message I most want to convey when I speak to people. While I don't think the plight of the Palestinians can ever be communicated too much, and although I experienced and witnessed these same types of events, I also experienced another side of daily Palestinian life through the eyes of children that doesn't get told too often. The children made me very proud to be a part of their lives if only for a short six weeks and in turn I want to continue to do more to help them.

Since I volunteered through Art Under Apartheid and formed a friendship with its' founder, Katie Miranda, I decided that this would be the best route for me to pursue. But how exactly will I do this? This is the next step. Katie needs art materials, so I'll be purchasing art materials and sending care packages to her. How often care packages are sent will depend on her needs, the kids' needs, and of course available funds.

We also discussed getting more volunteers to come and run classes or tutoring sessions during the "off" seasons of fall, winter and spring. Those are the times when volunteer availability is at its lowest. One volunteer has stepped up already to provide a couple of hours of English tutoring homework services for the kids.

If you have some free time, preferably 2 weeks or more, contact Katie through the AUA website and get going! If you'd like to make a financial contribution to help send supplies contact me at yogalina5@yahoo.com.

Peace & Solidarity!

Experimental Broadcasting from Hebron

This is an experiment in broadcasting from Hebron via Issa's house in Tel Rumeida. Add it to your bookmarks and be sure to check it on a regular basis to find out the lastest news in my favorite city in Palestine.

Occupation 101

Here is a website where you can watch Occupation 101 in its entirety for free! Yes, really, it is free! Just let it run through once in the background, until it finishes buffering then you can watch uninterrupted. It took roughly 30 minutes to completely buffer over a DSL line. Here is a brief synopsis from this website:

A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike any other film ever produced on the conflict -- 'Occupation 101' presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.

The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.

The film covers a wide range of topics -- which include -- the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880's, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war, the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, Settlement expansion, the role of the United States Government, the second Intifada of 2000, the separation barrier and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as many heart wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy.

Visual Effects

Time for Palestine - a very sad visual

Palestinian Children Detained

I volunteered my time helping out with the Friendship and Solidarity Summer Camp in Tel Rumeida for two-weeks in July while also teaching my ESL and yoga classes with Art Under Apartheid. The summer camp was a great program for the kids of Tel Rumeida to escape the everyday stresses of life under Israeli occupation. The best thing about the summer camp was the field trips. This particular field trip that I'm reporting on though was full of irony. Read more to find out why.

On Saturday, July 21, 2007 the Tel Rumeida Friendship and Solidarity Summer Camp, which included 100 children and 7 adult International and Palestinian volunteers, went on a solidarity field trip to the tiny village of At-Tuwani, located in the South Hebron Hills region just south of the city of Hebron. The people of Tuwani live very simple lives with very little electricity and running water and without modern conveniences. Since the early 1980s, when Israeli settlers began establishing outposts on the lands surrounding the village, the Palestinians in this area have struggled to maintain their community. Soon after the settlers arrived they began attacking Palestinian shepherds and farmers, uprooting Tuwani’s olive trees and stealing their sheep. Tuwani falls within the section of the occupied West Bank most dominated by the Israeli government’s authority. The Israeli army also therefore began destroying the Palestinians homes and mosques, arguing that villagers had not obtained official permits to build on the land. Attacks from both settlers and soldiers continue today.


Before 1980 there were approximately 750 villagers, today there are less than 200 left due to the attacks and violence that make life unbearable. The Christian Peacemakers Team have a daily presence in the area which includes escorting the Palestinian children to school to help them avoid being stoned to death by settler children.

The purpose of this field trip was to give the children of Tel Rumeida and Tuwani contact with each other in order to create a union of solidarity with one another despite the distance between their homes as well as the differences in their lifestyles. The children of Tel Rumeida were able to experience life in a different way and gain more knowledge on the extent of the occupation in Palestine.

Issa Amro, a Palestinian anti-violent activist, led discussions with the children citing that there are both good and bad Palestinians and Israelis. His goal was not only to develop solidarity amongst the Palestinian children but to open their minds to forming friendships with Israelis and to learn to recognize the good in everyone.

After touring the tiny village we walked back to the bus to find that we were being detained by the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) soldiers.


This was due to some questions the soldiers had about the Palestinian bus driver's paperwork. The bus driver was in the process of changing his paperwork from Israel to Palestine, but everything was in order and legal as we found out in the end. However, this did not stop the soldiers from detaining us for over 2 hours in the 85F/32C + weather, with no shade or cover and without water as our water supplies quickly ran out.

I made phone calls to the Red Crescent Society only to find out that they were closed on the weekend. What? That's crazy! Other volunteers made phone calls as well, including the US Embassy. No one came to rescue us except the police who continued to detain us. Imagine being detained for 2 hours in the heat with 100 little kids! Well, let me say that I applaud these children. Children in the US would have never been able to hold up under this kind of intense pressure. These Palestinian kids are unfortunately used to being treated this way. Occupation and detainment are part of everyday life for them.

Instead of whining and crying about why this was happening to them they decided to be proactive and form their own little demonstration! I felt so proud of them and still do! I remember my eyes filling up with tears while filming this protest. They are shouting "Bidna rouweh, bidna rouweh !” which means “we want to go, we want to go !” Here are video clips:




Eventually we were released. We were scheduled to move on down the road about 5km to the town of Sousiya. However, due to the length of time we were detained we could not visit this town. The children were deeply disappointed but never once complained. I think the international volunteers complained more than anyone. It is very difficult to experience this type of treatment. We did continue on to Quawis, another little village. Here we were able to refill our water bottles with fresh spring water and explore the caves that these people live in. Yes, these villagers live in caves.


The settlers in the surrounding always end up destroying any homes that they build. Even ICAHD comes out and helps them rebuild the homes only to find that it is destroyed within months. However, ICAHD and the Palestinians do not give up! I will write more about this town in another post.

Israeli Soldiers shoot at Palestinian Protesters

This occurred in the neighborhood where I stayed for 6-weeks this past summer. To understand the Palestinian point of view you need to read this article recently posted on the ISM website.

This just makes me feel so bad and angry. Watch the soldiers in this video. Their behavior is so immature and unjust. It's a ridiculous waste of US tax dollars. Also, listen to what the soldiers say in response to being filmed. They never want anyone to document their unethical actions.