(Fwd) Update............breaking the fear...

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We received Sam Bahour's update just after sending out the billboard. Please consider 
it number [9]

Update............breaking the fear...
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: Sam Bahour [mailto:sbahour at palnet.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 9:52 PM

We finally had a house visit of our cities uninvited guests. Sixteen
fully armed Israeli soliders entered our home as part of the house to
house searches that they have been carrying out for 4 days now in
Ramallah, while we sit under 24-hr curfew.

Our home compromises of 3 flats. My in-laws live on the ground
level, we live on the 1st floor and my parents on the 2nd.  My wife,
Abeer, and oldest daughter, Areen, spent all day baking to fill the
time while under house arrest (in international law they call that
"collective punishment").  It was 7:30pm when Areen wrapped a tray
of the sweet "Haresah" that had just come out of the oven and was
excited to send it to her grandmother in the flat below.  When we are
under curfew, like now, we use a basket and rope from our front
porch to send things below since we are not allowed out of the
house.  When the basket swings into the door my in-laws know that
they should open to see what we have lowered.  This time Areen
was alone on the porch and started lowering the basket when she
saw a soldier's helmet at her grandmother's doorstep after the
basket was half way down.  She hurried and pulled the basket up
and in and left the window wide open.  She came running saying the
soldiers are in our house.  She was scared, more than she has been
since we became under curfew.  I had just got off the phone with
Corky, a New York Daily News reporter, and was at my computer.

I went to the front window to see a lot of soldier's kneeling in front of
the stone fence in front of our house.  My dad happen to be with us
at the time.  As we sat to see what was going to happen our doorbell
rang.  When my wife answered via the intercom it was her mom
saying that the soldiers are here and we should open the door.
When we did no soldiers entered, only Fadwa, Abeer's mom. I met
her in the stairway and she advised that they want one of us only to
come downstairs.  I proceeded to go see what was up.  When I
reached the doorsteps of my in-laws I looked in to see their porch
packed tight with fully armed soldiers kneeling in a full alert position.

One soldier was kneeling at the doorway and trained his rifle on me
as I approached.  I greeted them and asked what is needed.  He
asked me if I spoke Hebrew and I told him English or Arabic.  He
proceeded in perfect English and asked who was upstairs.  I
answered that my family and father were there.  He demanded that
everyone come outside in front of the house.  I asked if the children
should come too because the weather was a little cool. He snapped
back and said "everyone".  I yelled upstairs and asked my family to
come down and bring their ID papers with them.  As I waited the
soldier asked my mother-in-law where was Marwan Barghouti, as if
she should know.  I told him that although my mother-in-law has the
same last name they are not related.  I told him each are from a
different village.  He said, sarcastically, "no this is Ramallah".  I
answered back and advised him that he was in Al-Bireh not
Ramallah and that my in-laws are from Dir Ghasannah and Marwan
was from a village called Kober.  He seemed to be confused so I just
answered his original question and told him Marwan was in "your
jail".  He smirked and seemed to accept the answer, which is true.

My wife was now approaching with my daughters and father.  Areen,
my oldest daughter was shivering with fear.  I held her and bought
her in front of the soldiers who were absolutely crammed in the
doorstep and porch all in the kneeling position, weapons pointed.  I
told her, "see they are just like us, they don't scare us."  My father
tried to comfort her too and told her the same.  My father was itching
to engage the soliders but we convinced him to pass this time so no
one ended up sleeping in prison.  Areen relaxed a bit, but did not say
a word as the soldier in the doorstep demanded that my wife open
the car garage.  I told him the key was upstairs and she would need
to get the key.  He approved and as we sat waiting for Abeer I told
the soldiers, " we have a long way to go yet."  No one answered but
2 or 3 of the soldiers, young boys, shook their heads in agreement.
We sat their looking at them, each looked as if they were fearing for
there lives.  They were in a foreign land in a stranger's house and
had a whole Palestinian (that is terrorist) family in front of them.
They just stared at us as we hugged our children trying to relax the
shock and shed the fear.

As Abeer came with the key to the garage two soldiers asked her to
open the garage (in international law they call that being "a human
shield").  As she opened our empty garage, the soldiers, full of fear,
entered step by step guns ready to fire.  I could not tell if they were
disappointed that they fund only dust or if it was a relief to them.

As the the two soldiers returned to the house, as we sat outside in
the cool breeze, one soldier extended his hand with all of our ID's.
My mother-in-law spoke to them in Arabic, she said, "maybe one day
you will come back in time of peace and not be so scared".  No one
answered.

The lead soldier called for the soldiers to exit the house.  On his way
past us he quickly said "bye", as if he knew had did something wrong
by violating our life.  They left, one by one, in full alert.  It turns out
they had searched and taken refuge in every home of the house not
just the porch.  As they exited gunfire could be heard a little way up
our street.  It was another Israeli unit for sure but they took no
chances moving slowly and cautiously back to the street.  As the
walked past us, one by one, each with a heavy weapon or radio
equipment or backpack, my daughter just hugged me tight.  As the
last soldier left the house my father-in-law emerged and stood at the
top of the steps.  Frustrated, he bid them farewell and told them in
broken English, "Be sure to come back tomorrow."

After they left we learned that they checked each room and closet of
the first floor.

We returned to our home and Areen was much more relaxed. She
came to us and said, "you know I used to be scared of them but not
anymore."  She went on, "you know, some of them look like nice
people.  I feel sorry for them with all those jackets and gloves and
helmets, they must be so hot, maybe that's why they did not talk to
us."  I assured her that I'm sure they are nice people but Sharon
forced them to come.  I am struggling to make sure she does not
view every Israeli, even those that violate the security of our home,
as the enemy.

At last, the fear of those helmeted, armed soldiers running free in
our streets has been broken.  I was hoping for this day so my
daughter will not live in fear of our future neighbors.  Nadine my 2
year old daughter can hardly speak but she imitates the whole above
episode in the most cutest accent and body language ever.

As we settled down after our daily dose of occupation, we joked that
they could have stayed since we had some of the best sweets in Al-
Bireh to offer.  More seriously, tonight we will give our girls an extra
hug and kiss good night, because we know how today could of
ended if one of the soldiers in the street saw Areen lower a basket
above the head of the soldier entering the house.

God help the next house they went to search.

Still under military curfew,
Sam