March 3rd. The Veterans For Peace delegation in the West Bank was attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh today.
"We had spent the night with popular resistance leader Bassem al Tamimi, who gave us a rundown on the history of settler and Israeli Defense Forces violence in the village. Until seven months ago, there were weekly protests on Fridays against the encroachment of the nearby settlement. He described how people met every Tuesday to plan actions and chose three people to plan and lead each week. Having a standing committee of the same people planning everything “would be like another government,” he said.
The village has been under siege from the settlement of Halemish and the military that protects it since 1977. In 2001, they adopted the nearby spring as a symbol of the struggle, since it encompasses many issues, like control of water resources and the occupation."
Read More of the delegation's vist to Nabi Saleh
March 2nd
Veterans For Peace delegation also spent six hours at the Tent of Nations, a private farm on a hilltop overlooking the village of Na-Haleen, on the outskirts of Bethlehem. The village is surrounded by hilltops, all but one of which are occupied by illegal Israeli settlements, the exception being the farm, known to locals as “Daher’s Vineyard.” The farm was started in 1916 by the Nassar family, which has deeds signed by Ottoman authorities at its founding, and subsequently by British Authorities during the protectorate and by the Jordanian authorities in the Transjordan period. We were greeted by Daher Nassar, a grandson of the founder, one of three brothers who continue to operate the farm.
Read Ken Mayer's reflection on their time at Tent of Nations.
March 1st
The VFP Delegation went to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and stood outside with their VFP banners, making security very nervous.
See Ellen's pictures from the day.
Feb 28th
Report from Ellen Davidson:
Our Veterans For Peace delegation to the West Bank met with three Palestinian members of the Knesset (Israeli parliament). They gave us a thorough overview of the conditions faced by Palestinians within Israel's formal borders, including house demolitions and, as Haneen Zoaby put it, 95 separate racist laws. As a side note, Miko Peled, who set up the meetings, told us not to wear anything political, not even a plain VFP shirt, much less the special edition "Free Palestine" shirts we had made for this trip. Tarak noticed that he had forgotten to remove a small metal bracelet that said "Palestine" and had Palestinian flags. He handed it off to me, and I wrapped it around my telephoto lens, which was inside a separate leather carrying case. When we went through security, they not only made me take the other lens off my camera (and sent them both through the x-ray without covers), but they took the telephoto out of the case. After it went through the x-ray, they took the bracelet off, and sent it through again. They told me I couldn't bring the bracelet inside and gave me a receipt for it. Apparently, even the word "Palestine" is not allowed inside the Knesset.
Here are the photos from our visit to the Knesset yesterday (where they would not allow in a small bracelet with the word "Palestine" on it lest it contaminate those hallowed halls).
Feb. 27th
Report and Video by Will Griffin
Veterans For Peace participated in the popular resistance movement in Hebron for the 23rd anniversary protest of the Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre, where an American-Jewish Settler opened fire and killed 29 Palestinians and wounding over 120 more. The resistance was met by Israeli Defense Forces who shot tear gas and flashbang grenades at an unarmed crowd.
Feb. 25th and 26th
We met with Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Sabaaneh in Ramallah, who showed us many of his detailed and nuanced illustrations. Then we went to the Stop the Wall offices to meet Jamal Juma'a, who gave us a rundown on the roots of BDS and also the Israeli strategy of expanding Jerusalem to include the surrounding settlements and then using the wall to exclude and cut off Palestinian villages. We had a tour around the area and saw many demolished homes. When we returned to Jerusalem, we had a delightful chance encounter with whistleblower Vanunu Mordechai, who exposed to the world the fact that Israel was producing nuclear weapons, What a pleasure and an honor to run into this man, who paid a heavy price for heeding this conscience.
See Ellen Davidson's pictures of the day in Ramallah
They visited the Bedouin village of Al Araqib in the Negev. It has been demolished more than 100 times, but still the residents offer hospitality to the Veterans For Peace delegation.
-report from Ken Mayers
Our Veterans For Peace delegation met with a gentleman who is one of the leaders of the resistance to the wall. He took us to visit one of the areas targeted by the government for “maximum geography, minimum demography” described above. In this neighborhood seven homes and two apartment buildings had been demolished. Demolition crews — caterpillar D9 bulldozers (made in America) protected by police and/or soldiers come in the middle of the night and give residents ten minutes to take what belongs they can carry and vacate the house. In a few hours, there is nothing left but rubble.