flyingears
flyingears
I guess I haven’t written for awhile. There have been so many things I wanted to get down in words but I haven’t sat down and written them. Now I don’t really know where to begin. I had a class in Askar camp this evening. It went pretty well; we discussed a poem by M. Scott Momaday and I think that, by the end of the class, people had a pretty good understanding of it.
After class I went with some friends and we sat and drank coffee and talked about the world and about music and a bunch of stuff. It was good.
A few days ago I was in Askar and ended up going with some friends from the class over to one of the student’s homes. We watched parts of some movies up in this very small cinderblock bedroom on the roof. We watched some Clint Eastwood, I think maybe The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. And talked and drank coffee. It was really fun. At one point we heard a single gunshot, very loud and near. I looked around and then at Saed (whose room we were in—the room is just big enough for a bed with about two feet of space paralleling the bed) who said “arab.” So, no problem, he meant. Then there was a loud burst of automatic fire. Saed looked up and said “not arab!”
I left late that night, about midnight. The streets were empty and silent. The people I was with were calling around, trying to find a ride or taxi when we saw lights coming down the street. It was a taxi and it pulled over to us. They knew the people in the car and spoke for a few minutes and then I got in and took off. The man in the backseat had an AK-47. They were “wanted men,” wanted by Israel. We talked as we drove, about each other, about Nablus, about the Israeli military, about America, about people volunteering in Palestine, and about Askar camp. They were looking out for any signs of the military and then were going to go to bed. They dropped me off, after refusing to accept any money for the ride, and I went up to the apartment where I am staying.
A couple of nights ago two Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military. They were members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. They were “wanted men” and the Israeli military targeted and executed them. I was told that they were killed in a village near Nablus; their bodies were found in the mountains nearby, after the military called the ambulances. Apparently, the soldiers killed them and dropped the bodies there. Meanwhile, Israel declares that it is observing a ceasefire and has decided to end selective killings. Someone told me that the military had been calling the cellphone of one of the wanted men, telling him things like ‘we know where you are and one night we will kill you.’
A boy was killed the same day, also near Nablus. He was involved in a demonstration against the wall. The Israeli military said he was throwing stones at military jeeps. Another boy was wounded.
I looked for mention of the above incidents in the mass media but found nothing. No CNN, no New York Times, no Reuters. I did find articles describing how Israel has decided to suspend targeted executions.
Several days ago, some fighters in Gaza launched some homemade rockets into an Israeli community. I heard that this was breaking the ceasefire. What many news sources failed to mention (although some did, briefly) was that a Palestinian man was killed hours before. Hamas claimed that the rockets were in retaliation.
I have been having a really good time hanging out with people here. I have been able to see some friends in Askar from last year, as well as meet and get to know some other very kind people. Said and Saed, whose family’s place we watched the movie at, are really cool people. I guess I don’t have a way to really talk about it in this medium but friends know what I mean, I think. Just really sincere, warm people.
I want to say more but it is late and I really could use some sleep.
I guess I haven’t written for awhile. There have been so many things I wanted to get down in words but I haven’t sat down and written them. Now I don’t really know where to begin. I had a class in Askar camp this evening. It went pretty well; we discussed a poem by M. Scott Momaday and I think that, by the end of the class, people had a pretty good understanding of it.
After class I went with some friends and we sat and drank coffee and talked about the world and about music and a bunch of stuff. It was good.
A few days ago I was in Askar and ended up going with some friends from the class over to one of the student’s homes. We watched parts of some movies up in this very small cinderblock bedroom on the roof. We watched some Clint Eastwood, I think maybe The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. And talked and drank coffee. It was really fun. At one point we heard a single gunshot, very loud and near. I looked around and then at Saed (whose room we were in—the room is just big enough for a bed with about two feet of space paralleling the bed) who said “arab.” So, no problem, he meant. Then there was a loud burst of automatic fire. Saed looked up and said “not arab!”
I left late that night, about midnight. The streets were empty and silent. The people I was with were calling around, trying to find a ride or taxi when we saw lights coming down the street. It was a taxi and it pulled over to us. They knew the people in the car and spoke for a few minutes and then I got in and took off. The man in the backseat had an AK-47. They were “wanted men,” wanted by Israel. We talked as we drove, about each other, about Nablus, about the Israeli military, about America, about people volunteering in Palestine, and about Askar camp. They were looking out for any signs of the military and then were going to go to bed. They dropped me off, after refusing to accept any money for the ride, and I went up to the apartment where I am staying.
A couple of nights ago two Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military. They were members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. They were “wanted men” and the Israeli military targeted and executed them. I was told that they were killed in a village near Nablus; their bodies were found in the mountains nearby, after the military called the ambulances. Apparently, the soldiers killed them and dropped the bodies there. Meanwhile, Israel declares that it is observing a ceasefire and has decided to end selective killings. Someone told me that the military had been calling the cellphone of one of the wanted men, telling him things like ‘we know where you are and one night we will kill you.’
A boy was killed the same day, also near Nablus. He was involved in a demonstration against the wall. The Israeli military said he was throwing stones at military jeeps. Another boy was wounded.
I looked for mention of the above incidents in the mass media but found nothing. No CNN, no New York Times, no Reuters. I did find articles describing how Israel has decided to suspend targeted executions.
Several days ago, some fighters in Gaza launched some homemade rockets into an Israeli community. I heard that this was breaking the ceasefire. What many news sources failed to mention (although some did, briefly) was that a Palestinian man was killed hours before. Hamas claimed that the rockets were in retaliation.
I have been having a really good time hanging out with people here. I have been able to see some friends in Askar from last year, as well as meet and get to know some other very kind people. Said and Saed, whose family’s place we watched the movie at, are really cool people. I guess I don’t have a way to really talk about it in this medium but friends know what I mean, I think. Just really sincere, warm people.
I want to say more but it is late and I really could use some sleep.
posted by matt iv at 4:01 PM
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