in nablus and drinking coffee
flyingears
i am in the city of Nablus now. Nablus is a large city in about the middle of the West Bank. two refugee camps, Balata and Askar, are located on the edge of the city. right now, Nablus is basically completely closed. it is surrounded by Israeli military checkpoints and they are not allowing any foreigners inside. i got a ride from Jerusalem to Kalandia checkpoint and then to Zatara checkpoint. from Ramallah i got a ride to Huwara checkpoint which is outside of Nablus and is notoriously difficult for people to get through. i walked up to the checkpoint (Palestinian vehicles are not allowed to pass) and spoke with the Israeli soldiers. the first soldier to talk said 'hey man, you got a joint?' i was a bit surprized at the joking attitude. a second soldier came up and asked where i was from. i told him and he said he was from Boston. he seemed to want to help me out when i told him i was going to nablus; i said i was there to work at the university an-Najah (it sounds more official, maybe). he said they weren't supposed to let any foreigners through but that he would check it out. he went and spoke with another soldier and then came back and said that he was sorry but there was nothing he could do. he suggested talking to the u.s. consulate.
i then talked with a contact in nablus who set up an alternative route--through the mountains near nablus. a man picked me up and we drove through many villages and turned what would have been a 1km trip from Huwara to Nablus into a 50km trip. we went through a village that quarries stones, another that is famous for its olive oil (and is appropriately called Zata), and another that has the arabic word funduq, which means hotel. then we passed through Qalqilya. somewhere along the drive, the man explained that he had to stop at a mosque to go to the bathroom. he was struggling to explain why he was stopping and then pointed at a certain part of his body and said yanni (you know) when you drink and then water? then i understood and we both had a good laugh. we stopped at an overlook and could see Beit Eba, another checkpoint into Nablus that we thought maybe i could get through but we could see that there were problems there. so he told me about the mountain route. he said 'you have to be very fast, one minute only. i stop, get out, very fast.' then we turned onto a road that is for Israelis only, no Palestinians allowed. we drove pretty fast until we saw another taxi coming the other way. the driver flashed the taxi's headlights at us and waved his hand out the window. Jamil, the man driving, said 'he tells us to slow down because they are coming down the mountain.' so he slows down and asks if i am ready. i say yeah and we take a curve in the road, going slow. four Palestinians are running down the side of the mountain and another is part of the way upslope, watching. Jamil stops and says 'go!' i jump out, grab my bags, and run from the road to the slope and up the slope. the others pass me on their way down and greet me while the other man waits for me above. when i reach him, he grabs my daypack and we continue along a little path until we see a van driving down a two-track towards us. the man says 'that is my friend, he is good but crazy.' we get in the van, turn around and head towards a second van parked not too far away. the two of us get in that van and drive off. as we continued the two-track road got pretty crazy and at one point we stopped and the driver put big stones from the mountain in the back of the van for traction. i really was surprized this beat up thrashed van could make it on roads like that. but it did and we eventually came into nablus, after passing through a village called Tel that was the driver's home village. i can't remember this guy's name but he smiled a lot and was very friendly.
i have so much i want to say, i don't know where to begin. i feel good now that i am in Nablus because i was worried that i would not be able to get here. also, today i saw a friend i had made over a year ago, when i was here before. he did no know that i was planning to be back here so it was a big surprize. it's really good to see him. and so many people, strangers, are so kind and warm. as i walked down the street to visit Ali (the old friend), a man greeted me. i stopped and spoke with him and he asked if i would like tea or coffee. i said okay and some coffee was brought and he and some of his friends and i stood and talked on the sidewalk. the man, Zoudi, told me that he had lived in the u.s. from '79 to '84. he said he really liked it and that the people were wonderful. he told me on saturdays he would eat breakfast and then head to the beach for the day, where he would swim and eat lunch and enjoy the sun. he told me about the work that he did and we talked about Palestine and many things. he told me that he and everyone else is so tired of the situation. we want peace, he said, peace for all people. he talked a lot about this and said that he and everyone he knows just want to be able to work, to spend time with their children and spouses, to be their for their families. we don't want this, he said, waving his hand around and refering to the situation. he said you know new york? the planes? i said yeah. we don't want that either. we hate that. i want you to know that this is not okay, we hate people that do that. and he said all people can be together, can be friends together. we talked more and he said that if i ever need a ride to come here and ask for him because now he is driving a taxi. he said that he hoped for change in the very near future, that he had hope for it. this seems a little different than the last time i was hear. even then people said 'there will be peace, inshalla (hopefully),' but it was more of a holding on to hope for the sake of hope. this seems different and i have heard it already from several people. that said, people are also saying 'yes, we have hope that things will change but we see no difference on the ground.' Nablus is different in one way--yesterday, the day i arrived, was the first day that Nablus has had a police force since the intifada. from what i hear, people think this may be a positive sign. the military invaded two nights ago and a week or two ago there was an intense invasion with apache helicopters as well as soldiers and armored vehicles and lots of shooting, i guess. so, i don't know.
i hung out with two young men last night, two guys from Nablus that are with Project Hope. we sat and had tea and coffee and talked. much of the talk was about the occupation here and everyone's feelings about the future. again the talk was of hope and whether there was reason for it; Issam and Mahmoud talked about how people their age had very little hope. 'we need life,' Issam said. 'now, there is nothing. we go to the university, get a degree, and for what? there is no work, no future.' later when someone (a foreigner) said something about the international community and money, Mahmoud and Issam said 'we don't need money. we only need our land. we need to be able to make money. so someone sends medicine but that maybe only lasts for one month and then what? we need to be able to make our own medicine.' not to mention just the presence of so much violence with the military invasions. we talked about the media, of course. Issam said how unfortunate it is for the u.s. to have the current president in power. he said 'me, i've met you and i can tell what you are like and know that Americans are not all the same but for millions of people the only representation of America is Bush, they only see him on the television and this is too bad.' we talked about how many people are almost wholly ignorant of the reality of the situation here, of the occupation. people think there is only violence against Israel and do not understand the context or why it can happen. do not see the images of all of the violence and oppression on all levels against Palestinians. Mahmoud said that he chats online and when people ask where he is from, he tells them Palestine. often people ask 'where is that?' he tells them and they respond with things like 'oh, you are those terrorists who blow themselves up.' and Issam said 'do people think that everyone here wants to die? wants to blow themselves up? i want to live.' it's that 'i want to live' that came out so strongly in the conversation. this 'living' includes being free from violence and oppression and is so basic. Mahmoud said more than once 'we are humans, just like all people. and we want to live, we want peace just like all humans.' the sense that much of the world does not think Palestinians are human was very evident. it was very difficult (impossible fully) to understand what it would be like to grow up with these realities. i sat there hanging out with people about my age and i tried putting it into perspective. it is fucked up. they told me that they grew up during the first intifada and that now they want to help make something for the children. that was very important to them both and that's why they are so involved. both are working with project hope, and one works with another Palestinian youth organization and at a youth hospital. there was much said that made sense but i don't feel like i should write down everything and bore you, hopefully this has been enough--i feel like i shouldn't leave anything out but i can't remember everything anyway and, besides, i hope people actually read this and to write a book here might be a little intimidating. Nablus was once the industrial capital of the West Bank but now it is so shut down and oppressed that that recognition doesn't make any sense. Both Mahmoud and Issam said that they do have hope and that no one will quit fighting, 'and i don't mean fighting,' Mahmoud said while showing with his hands that he did not mean violence, 'but fighting for change.'
anyway, there is much more to say but hopefully this gives you a bit of an idea what's going on. hopefully it is clear enough and without too much confusion. i should get going so i can round up some food for dinner. i hope everything is going well with everyone. i feel kind of silly writing something like this....like i am assuming that people should take the time to read when there is so much to do. i don't know. i guess i should just post it and you all can do with it as you like. i really hope everyone is doing well.
matt iv
i am in the city of Nablus now. Nablus is a large city in about the middle of the West Bank. two refugee camps, Balata and Askar, are located on the edge of the city. right now, Nablus is basically completely closed. it is surrounded by Israeli military checkpoints and they are not allowing any foreigners inside. i got a ride from Jerusalem to Kalandia checkpoint and then to Zatara checkpoint. from Ramallah i got a ride to Huwara checkpoint which is outside of Nablus and is notoriously difficult for people to get through. i walked up to the checkpoint (Palestinian vehicles are not allowed to pass) and spoke with the Israeli soldiers. the first soldier to talk said 'hey man, you got a joint?' i was a bit surprized at the joking attitude. a second soldier came up and asked where i was from. i told him and he said he was from Boston. he seemed to want to help me out when i told him i was going to nablus; i said i was there to work at the university an-Najah (it sounds more official, maybe). he said they weren't supposed to let any foreigners through but that he would check it out. he went and spoke with another soldier and then came back and said that he was sorry but there was nothing he could do. he suggested talking to the u.s. consulate.
i then talked with a contact in nablus who set up an alternative route--through the mountains near nablus. a man picked me up and we drove through many villages and turned what would have been a 1km trip from Huwara to Nablus into a 50km trip. we went through a village that quarries stones, another that is famous for its olive oil (and is appropriately called Zata), and another that has the arabic word funduq, which means hotel. then we passed through Qalqilya. somewhere along the drive, the man explained that he had to stop at a mosque to go to the bathroom. he was struggling to explain why he was stopping and then pointed at a certain part of his body and said yanni (you know) when you drink and then water? then i understood and we both had a good laugh. we stopped at an overlook and could see Beit Eba, another checkpoint into Nablus that we thought maybe i could get through but we could see that there were problems there. so he told me about the mountain route. he said 'you have to be very fast, one minute only. i stop, get out, very fast.' then we turned onto a road that is for Israelis only, no Palestinians allowed. we drove pretty fast until we saw another taxi coming the other way. the driver flashed the taxi's headlights at us and waved his hand out the window. Jamil, the man driving, said 'he tells us to slow down because they are coming down the mountain.' so he slows down and asks if i am ready. i say yeah and we take a curve in the road, going slow. four Palestinians are running down the side of the mountain and another is part of the way upslope, watching. Jamil stops and says 'go!' i jump out, grab my bags, and run from the road to the slope and up the slope. the others pass me on their way down and greet me while the other man waits for me above. when i reach him, he grabs my daypack and we continue along a little path until we see a van driving down a two-track towards us. the man says 'that is my friend, he is good but crazy.' we get in the van, turn around and head towards a second van parked not too far away. the two of us get in that van and drive off. as we continued the two-track road got pretty crazy and at one point we stopped and the driver put big stones from the mountain in the back of the van for traction. i really was surprized this beat up thrashed van could make it on roads like that. but it did and we eventually came into nablus, after passing through a village called Tel that was the driver's home village. i can't remember this guy's name but he smiled a lot and was very friendly.
i have so much i want to say, i don't know where to begin. i feel good now that i am in Nablus because i was worried that i would not be able to get here. also, today i saw a friend i had made over a year ago, when i was here before. he did no know that i was planning to be back here so it was a big surprize. it's really good to see him. and so many people, strangers, are so kind and warm. as i walked down the street to visit Ali (the old friend), a man greeted me. i stopped and spoke with him and he asked if i would like tea or coffee. i said okay and some coffee was brought and he and some of his friends and i stood and talked on the sidewalk. the man, Zoudi, told me that he had lived in the u.s. from '79 to '84. he said he really liked it and that the people were wonderful. he told me on saturdays he would eat breakfast and then head to the beach for the day, where he would swim and eat lunch and enjoy the sun. he told me about the work that he did and we talked about Palestine and many things. he told me that he and everyone else is so tired of the situation. we want peace, he said, peace for all people. he talked a lot about this and said that he and everyone he knows just want to be able to work, to spend time with their children and spouses, to be their for their families. we don't want this, he said, waving his hand around and refering to the situation. he said you know new york? the planes? i said yeah. we don't want that either. we hate that. i want you to know that this is not okay, we hate people that do that. and he said all people can be together, can be friends together. we talked more and he said that if i ever need a ride to come here and ask for him because now he is driving a taxi. he said that he hoped for change in the very near future, that he had hope for it. this seems a little different than the last time i was hear. even then people said 'there will be peace, inshalla (hopefully),' but it was more of a holding on to hope for the sake of hope. this seems different and i have heard it already from several people. that said, people are also saying 'yes, we have hope that things will change but we see no difference on the ground.' Nablus is different in one way--yesterday, the day i arrived, was the first day that Nablus has had a police force since the intifada. from what i hear, people think this may be a positive sign. the military invaded two nights ago and a week or two ago there was an intense invasion with apache helicopters as well as soldiers and armored vehicles and lots of shooting, i guess. so, i don't know.
i hung out with two young men last night, two guys from Nablus that are with Project Hope. we sat and had tea and coffee and talked. much of the talk was about the occupation here and everyone's feelings about the future. again the talk was of hope and whether there was reason for it; Issam and Mahmoud talked about how people their age had very little hope. 'we need life,' Issam said. 'now, there is nothing. we go to the university, get a degree, and for what? there is no work, no future.' later when someone (a foreigner) said something about the international community and money, Mahmoud and Issam said 'we don't need money. we only need our land. we need to be able to make money. so someone sends medicine but that maybe only lasts for one month and then what? we need to be able to make our own medicine.' not to mention just the presence of so much violence with the military invasions. we talked about the media, of course. Issam said how unfortunate it is for the u.s. to have the current president in power. he said 'me, i've met you and i can tell what you are like and know that Americans are not all the same but for millions of people the only representation of America is Bush, they only see him on the television and this is too bad.' we talked about how many people are almost wholly ignorant of the reality of the situation here, of the occupation. people think there is only violence against Israel and do not understand the context or why it can happen. do not see the images of all of the violence and oppression on all levels against Palestinians. Mahmoud said that he chats online and when people ask where he is from, he tells them Palestine. often people ask 'where is that?' he tells them and they respond with things like 'oh, you are those terrorists who blow themselves up.' and Issam said 'do people think that everyone here wants to die? wants to blow themselves up? i want to live.' it's that 'i want to live' that came out so strongly in the conversation. this 'living' includes being free from violence and oppression and is so basic. Mahmoud said more than once 'we are humans, just like all people. and we want to live, we want peace just like all humans.' the sense that much of the world does not think Palestinians are human was very evident. it was very difficult (impossible fully) to understand what it would be like to grow up with these realities. i sat there hanging out with people about my age and i tried putting it into perspective. it is fucked up. they told me that they grew up during the first intifada and that now they want to help make something for the children. that was very important to them both and that's why they are so involved. both are working with project hope, and one works with another Palestinian youth organization and at a youth hospital. there was much said that made sense but i don't feel like i should write down everything and bore you, hopefully this has been enough--i feel like i shouldn't leave anything out but i can't remember everything anyway and, besides, i hope people actually read this and to write a book here might be a little intimidating. Nablus was once the industrial capital of the West Bank but now it is so shut down and oppressed that that recognition doesn't make any sense. Both Mahmoud and Issam said that they do have hope and that no one will quit fighting, 'and i don't mean fighting,' Mahmoud said while showing with his hands that he did not mean violence, 'but fighting for change.'
anyway, there is much more to say but hopefully this gives you a bit of an idea what's going on. hopefully it is clear enough and without too much confusion. i should get going so i can round up some food for dinner. i hope everything is going well with everyone. i feel kind of silly writing something like this....like i am assuming that people should take the time to read when there is so much to do. i don't know. i guess i should just post it and you all can do with it as you like. i really hope everyone is doing well.
matt iv
posted by matt iv at 9:13 AM
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