[GushShalom] Tulkarm - an Israeli-Palestinian meeting // more ISM arrests

[Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)]

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     Gush Shalom
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International release
May 10, 2003

() From bringing food to Tulkarm to Israeli-Palestinian dialogue 
() Also Tulkarm: more ISM arrests

          (())(())(())(())  

() From bringing food to Tulkarm to Israeli-Palestinian dialogue 

"What gives you the strength to continue and remain sane people?" asked one of the Gush Shalom 
activists, after hearing about the extreme harsh living conditions in the Tulkarm Refugee Camp.
"It is the same strength which brings you to visit us, in spite of the fact that you can never feel secure in 
Tel-Aviv" answered Faiz Udeh, the local representative of the Palestinian Agricultural Regional Committees 
(PARC).

In Tulkarm the curfew was not yet lifted, the curfew which had been imposed on the Palestinians all over 
the West Bank on Tuesday, the eve of the Israeli "Independence Day", as if to emphasize the differe
nce 
which it makes: to enjoy independence, or be deprived of it.

"The Tulkarm Camp, as any refugee camp, has always suffered from living with too many people on too
 
narrow a space, and poverty on top of that. But in the past years it has become so much worse" said
 the 
camp's representative Khaled (family name not given). "Those who worked in Israel lost their jobs. 
The 
unemployment rate has risen to 70%. Meanwhile UNWRA has cut down its involvement since 'now there 
is the Palestinian Authority' , but the PA hasn't been able to fill the widening gap."

The Gush Shalom delegation had come to bring food to the refugee camp. The money had been collected
 
from Israelis and supporters abroad in the "donate a sack of flour" campaign. Some weeks ago a 
truckload of flour had been delivered in two cut-off villages; but since the donations had continue
d to come, 
there was enough for a second delivery. This time, at the request of the Palestinians, it contained
 beans, 
macaroni, fruit juice, and baby food as well as some chocolate. At such occasions one can expect th
at 
speeches are being made, in which the predictable politeness and polity statements are exchanged; n
ot 
so this time.

It was a vivid meeting. Many participated in the discussion. When Uri Avnery mentioned that "we did
n't 
come to do charity, but to express solidarity in the struggle against occupation", it aroused a who
le 
political discussion. "We really want peace," said Intissar Salman of the PARC women's department, 
"but 
only as long as peace does not imply we have to give up our rights."  "Peace which doesn't solve th
e 
refugee problem is not real peace." "Peace should include evacuation of the settlements, and let's 
give the 
houses to the refugees" was an Israeli answer which aroused enthusiasm and also a bit of confusion.


It was all translated by Yafit Jamila, an Israeli of Syrian origin active in Gush Shalom. She somet
imes 
became so involved in the discussion itself, that she forgot to translate ("What was said? We also 
want to 
know!"), but it actually added to the spontaneous atmosphere. Yakov Manor (who had helped Gush 
Shalom with the logistics - and had obtained some additional food stuffs from Kibbutz Ma'abarot's f
ood 
factory) spoke about "the irreversible facts created by Sharon's Separation Wall'" - to be refuted 
by Teddy 
Katz who "does not want to hear of such things as irreversible facts."

The meeting had not taken place in the refugee camp itself, as was our original plan. The soldiers 
at the 
checkpoint would not let us enter the curfew-bound city, and it took (as usual) an hour of waiting 
to get the 
higher echelons' permission to get the truck - without us - into Tulkarm. We had to content ourselv
es with 
meeting the inhabitants' representatives at the town hall of nearby Bak'ah al Sharkiya. Only activi
st Latif 
Dori had managed to remain with the food truck, seated next to the truck driver. He had rejoined th
e group 
of activists shortly before the meeting with the Paalestinians ended. 
On the way back (it was an extremely hot May day, and the bus didn't have air conditioning) Latif D
ori told 
to the other Gush Shalomers about his adventures in the time of separation. The food truck had  ent
red 
the grounds of Tulkarm's Kadouri Agricultural School, where delegations from the city government  a
nd 
trade unions welcomed it, and two TV crews (local and national Palestinian) filmed the ceremonial 
unloading. On his way out of Tulkarm Dori had to engage in heated debate with soldiers for "enterin
g a 
curfew area." The soldiers had gotten especially excited when he answered to their question "where 
are 
you from" - "from Baghdad", which happens to be the city where he was born.
								
() Also Tulkarm: more ISM arrests

As soon as we got home, we got an urgent call from Tulkarm-based ISM activist Radica (US): Osama 
Qashoo (Palestinian ISM organizer) had been arrested, together with a Palestinian journalist. And a
 bit 
later Radica tried again to reach us, "soldiers are beating us and took away my money" - but could 
hardly 
explain what exactly happened. As we found out by bits and pieces: she and Charlotte Carson (UK) we
re 
arrested as well, when protesting about the confiscation of a Palestinian car, whose owner with his
 three 
children was just abandoned in the middle of the road, when the soldiers drove away with his car.

Gush Shalom is consulting other groups trying to organize a combined protest against the anti-ISM w
itch-
hunt.

For more information:
Gush Shalom Spokesperson Adam Keller: 03-5565804 / 056-709603
Rapprochement, Ghasan Andoni: 054-369975

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