Jaba (Lil), Qalandiya, Tue 20.11.12, Afternoon
Translating: Ruth Fleishman
The Day of Rage
A tide of fury and rage has been sweeping Qalandiya during the past weeks. This week, since the start of the war in Gaza the fury and the army's response had escalated- plenty of shooting, stone throwing, gas, detainees and even one "Grass Widow" had been implemented on the top of the corner building, from where the soldier snipe at the children and guide the other shooters. They are there from the morning until the night, soiling what isn't theirs, or as a friend said to me: "on the roof they do what is usually done in the toilet".
And an old wrinkled woman coming out of the alleys of the refugee camp approached me and told me of the children that had been arrested. I asked: "are they your children?"- "All of the children are mine" she said and asked why I, the Jew, hadn't told the soldiers that what they were doing was forbidden. A young man standing nearby replied:"she did, she yelled at them and they shoved her with force and yelled back at her to shut up"- "Then she should bring her friends from Israel, they should come here and see what they are doing to us", she said and walked away.
After walking a few meters she turned as though she recalled something she had to add, she came back and once again approached me and said: "tell all your friends to come here…", I promised that I would do so. Here I am, telling you.
The entrance to Ar-Ram was blocked and soldiers with drawn rifles were preventing the entrance and exit.
On the opposite side of Jaba checkpoint an officer was training three soldiers and a dog, using the car of a young Palestinian man who was chosen randomly. On the other side of the checkpoint the usual arbitrary routine involving the detaining Palestinians was taking place.
Armed, shielded and threatening, the soldiers stood at the entrance to the village Hizme among others, they stood near a military vehicle at the center of the square in front of the checkpoint leading to the exit from the occupied territories.