Women Cultivating Hope אפריל 2022

We send our friends good wishes for the spring holidays!

We are approaching Passover, also known as the Freedom Holiday in Hebrew. While people around the world focus on Ukraine as it fights for its freedom and a Negev summit strengthened ties between Israeli and Arab countries, we feel that the Palestinians we meet daily on our shifts in the West Bank and their problems have become marginal.
The Palestinian women, to whom we dedicate this issue, are at the margin of this margin. Please meet two of the courageous women we have encountered while active in the West Bank, each of whom has found their own unique way to freedom.
Unfortunately, recent terrorist attacks in Israeli cities have caused heavy casualties. The omnipresent Occupation is back in focus. The large breaches in the Separation Barrier we have been reporting on, and which the army ignored, now feature in the headlines.
Tension is felt everywhere as the alert in the West Bank is rising, especially in Jerusalem where Moslems are gathering for Ramadan prayers in the El Aqsa mosque. We hope that in spite of the tensions, calm will be maintained this year, and that we shall all be able to celebrate our holidays peacefully.

A Kindergarten Teacher, Cultivating Hope and New Initiatives 

Naama is an educated young woman. She runs a kindergarten and lives in a village in the central West Bank. In this conversation she talks of optimism and challenges, expresses both faith and doubts. She discusses class status in a conservative society, and stresses the pursuit of freedom, equal rights, education and the need for taking initiatives.
 
Naama reveals to us a world that we do not often encounter. So often, both sides focus on trying to find differences and flaws instead of looking for what is common and shared.   

to the interview

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Doha - A Palestinian, Woman, and Farmer        

UMM MOUSSA, DOHA, an energetic and hardworking woman, lives with her family in a West Bank village near Nablus. She describes the pain of life under the Occupation. She reveals sadness from the past and present difficulties. On the other hand, she talks about the sweetness of her daily routine as a farmer.  Her soul is full of loving actions.  All she wants is to be able to live in peace in a world where she could farm without restrictions from the authorities above.
 
In short and vigorous answers, she reveals her personal truths that can touches our own truths. Her sincere words go deep.

 to the interview

if you are interested in joining us for a visit and lunch with Doha in Burin - Please send us an email  with your name and phone number. We will be in touch as soon as we set a date for this visit.  ([email protected])

Recent observations from our shifts

Summer 2022: Optimists say that Palestinian children will enjoy our beach days this summer! Notification will appear on Facebook and on our website.
 

There are checkpoints that have cost millions to construct, right next to breachs in the Separation Fence (about which  e v e r y o n e  knows). Surreal? Yes. But it was good for everyone. Even the army claims that all these years, the breaches have allowed tens of thousands of workers to earn a living, and contributed to stability in the West Bank.
 

Bourin and Beita – two Palestinian villages in the northern West Bank surrounded by violent settler outposts. . Most of the tree saplings that were planed two months ago in Bourin by 400 peace activists have already been vandalized by violent settlers – should the Israeli army have prevented this? Instead, the army is busy demolishing the protest tent put up by Beita villagers…

A day of sorrow and laughter at the Palestinian Jordan Valley. We have seen how Palestinians cope with demolitions, reduction of living space and fear of what’s ahead – and still at times, they manage to resume their daily routine and find moments of calmness.

A seriously ill woman is transferred from stretcher to stretcher between ambulances at Qalandiya Checkpoint, because her Jerusalem neighborhood of Kafr Akab has been separated from the city by a wall.

Only under Israeli occupation: Jews "steal" a water source! And peacocks too…

The secret bureaucratic framework overpowering the life of Palestinians - How many problems can you encounter in one hour, including disregard for the life/death condition of a child?
 

 What we saw and what was absent this year on the first Friday of Ramadan (In the aftermath of the attack in Tel Aviv)
The atmosphere was subdued. We did not see many adults in the traditional white cloaks (galabiyeh) or dressed in festive suits.  There were fewer families marching in the Old City in a festive gait.  What was missing was a sense of joy and hope.

In all the checkpoints we observed, we saw groups of security forces in every corner, military cell phones were used to examine all men, women and children.
The checkpoint commander was the one who determined the mood at the crossing.  There were differences between the conduct at the various checkpoints, these ranged from violent and harsh to relative efficient calm.  Our volunteer at the Qalandiya checkpoint managed to observe the crowded queues of those heading for prayer.  She concluded that:  "Under the occupation, when human rights are not respected, there is not and cannot be freedom of worship."
 Full reports are available on the MachsomWatch website

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54 YEARS OF MILITARY RULE AND OCCUPATION
FOR US - FREEDOM, FOR THEM - OPPRESSION

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