Jurish, Za’tara, ‘Azzun ‘Atma

Hadas reports:

14:10  All along the road to Jurish we see Palestinians harvesting olives.

14:30  Za’tara junction

There is a jeep on guard at the settlers’ hitchhiking station toward Tel Aviv.

Settlers have erected a sign at the junction:

“Long live Israel", "Prepare for a new settlement"

We saw no soldiers inspecting vehicles in either direction.

An army jeep is parked off to the side of the settlers’ hitchhiking station towards Ramallah.

14:50  Jurish  We worked with the girls.

17:40  Za’tara junction

On the way back to Tel Aviv we saw an army jeep in the fenced area and soldiers standing in the guard tower. 

We saw no soldiers inspecting vehicles in either direction – toward Nablus or toward Ramallah.

17:50  Hars junction

Two army jeeps parked near the groves.

18:00  ‘Azzun ‘Atma checkpoint.  We saw no Palestinians going through.

In a conversation with S., one of the girls, she said she’s exhausted because she’s been working with her family on the olive harvest.  They work from six in the morning until six in the evening. 

Shosh reports:

The English lesson in Jurish.

We were three:  Anna, Hadas and Shosh.  We drove with Nadim from Rosh Ha’ayin, arriving at 14:45.  We waited about 15 minutes for the girls to show up.

The core of 12-13 bright, alert high school students arrived, highly motivated.  They were ready for the tour we’d promised last week.  The first half of the class was devoted to the lesson, the second half to a tour in the village.

They’d prepared for the tour.  They wore their elegant clothes, all kitted out, so they weren’t able to exercise.  They are usually well-dressed but this time they were glorious.  It seems the girls, who don’t ordinarily have much freedom of movement, viewed the tour as a happy opportunity, a chance to dress up.  We learned the lovely garments were bought in Nablus; the local shop doesn’t carry fashionable items.  Some of the girls proudly pointed out their homes and asked us to describe our own neighborhoods.  They were particularly interested in Tel Aviv.

The class was devoted to review of material from the previous lesson and creating stories based on the vocabulary learned at the beginning of the lesson.  Today we studied in groups.  Each group presented its story and heard comments from the others.  The subjects were based on their own lives and immediate environment.  The class hasn’t yet gotten used to reviewing last week’s lesson and doing homework.  But things have improved.  S., the unofficial leader, is helpful.

The class ended with everyone feeling good, as usual.  The girls again said they enjoy classes with us, unlike school, which is boring.