I arrived late on Friday evening, about 10:30. I think most people had
arrived in dribs and drabs through the evening so everyone was in a flutter of
introductions and discussions of the upcoming week. I was really excited to see
some old friends amongst all the new faces. There was a really cosy feel and I
quickly got changed into my pyjamas – hair down, slippers on, so I would feel
as at home as everyone else.
On Saturday morning we were up early for a full English (veggie style!)
which was delicious, although I wasn’t convinced the Palestinian women
appreciated it in its traditional form. There was some suspicion over how
integral a part of the meal baked beans were and there was a lot of blueberry
jam on toast being eaten with eggs and mushrooms. Shocking!!
After breakfast we all sat in a circle on the mattresses in the main
room and went through some of the plans for the project and what we wanted to
get out of it. I said that I wanted to make friends and learn about ways to
support Palestinian women’s rights. It was really encouraging to listen to
everyone’s ideas and feel that we were on the same page about the project. Most
of the Palestinian women were really keen to share their stories and talk about
the difficulties they face in their lives so the morning left me really
hopeful. The Palestinians also seemed a lot more on board with British menus
after they ate my flapjacks! I enjoyed mine with tea Palestinian style – with
sage and sugar – so the enjoyment went both ways.
It was a rainy day and the brave braced the weather for a walk around
the grounds before lunch.
Lunch was butternut squash soup and ploughmans. It went down
wonderfully. We then spent the afternoon visiting the nearby village of Forest
Row so our visitors could get their first glimpse of England outside the
airport and the campsite. We talked a little about the differences between the
village and Abu Dis – of which there were many – things like architecture as
well as things like rubbish collection.
Back at the residential the Palestinian women shared some of their
interests with us. We did a lot of dancing (some of it dabke – Palestinian
traditional dancing) as well as some boxing with trained boxing instructor
Suzanne. Maram decordated our hands in henna and Nedaa showed us some
embroidery techniques.
After a dinner of cottage pie and apple cruble we all sat on the
mattresses again to watch Five Broken Cameras – a heartbreaking film which
shows so well the courage and spirit and tragedy of Palestinian resistance.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
On Sunday I had to get up early again to help prepare the
Palestinian-style breakfast with my blue team mates. I had to work hard
chopping things up to an acceptable tiny standard! We prepared all sorts of
treats to go with the bread the women had made and brought with them from
Palestine. It was incredibly tasty!
After breakfast we all met up on the mattresses again and we all talked
about the items that meant a lot to us that we had been asked to bring with us.
I spoke about my rings, which are really important to me because of who gave
them to me – my mother and my best friend on my 18th birthday.
Talking about them gave everyone a chance to hear a little bit about my family
and my life.
Lots of the other British (and European!) women had brought their
diaries and ipods and phones with them as examples of what are important to
them or important to their day to day lives. The Palestinian women had brought
items such as Traditional Dresses that belonged to their mothers and
grandmothers. They brought t-shirts with images in support of Palestinian
hunger strikers and other images and art in support of Palestinian freedom.
Afterwards we gathered around the tables to listen to the Palestinian
women practice their speeches that they would be giving later in the week at
various different events and venues.
Each woman spoke powerfully about her own experiences and I was moved
over and over again by their bravery and honesty. Suzanne gave the example of
her sister when she was explaining about the way the Occupation gives different
identities, rights and status to people from different areas. Suzanne’s sister
is from the West Bank but married to someone with Jerusalem ID. She must get a
residents permit to live with her husband and her children cannot be registered
on her ID so she is unable to travel them. She is also a qualified lawyer but
her West Bank qualification is not recognised in Israel so she must travel
through the checkpoints every day to work as a lawyer.
Zeynab talked about house demolition is Jerusalem. Do’aa, a newly
qualified lawyer herself, talked about the violations against her villaged of
Beit Omra near Hebron. About how the checkpoints restrict movement and the
settlements have taken over much of the land and are ruining the rest with
their sewage, destroying Palestinian agriculture. Settlers burn the trees and
vines, beat and shoot at farmers working their land, all the while being
protected by soldiers.
Maram talked about what it is like to live in Nablus’s Old City. How
many people get attacked inside their houses. In July 2007 it happened to her
family. She told about how her diabetic mother was held in one room for hours
despite the cost to her health. How bombing has left her house half destroyed
and at risk of complete collapse.
Eman spoke of the struggles of Palestinian women in Israeli jails. The
difficulties for women held without sentence or those released in prisoner
exchanges being subject to deportation, of women shackled to the beds while
they give birth. Of lack of nutrition, no female doctors to treat them, prisons
in Israel where West Bank family members are unable to visit them, of false
charges held in secret without being shown to any lawyers.
All of the women’s talks were difficult to hear and exposed horrors that
were hard to imagine. It was impossible not to be moved by the hard truths they
told.
No comments:
Post a Comment