The Art of Resistance

"Even in the smallest places, can a garden grow..."
 - Noah Gundersen
We saw this little guy growing on the segregated, stolen Israeli settler road within the city of Hebron

Time-out on the poetry for a sec.  Forget the metaphors.
Straight up.


Language can powerfully shape our perceptions and understanding. My small hope is that I might help break down walls of ignorance and apathy regarding the horrifying reality of the colonization of Palestine. Soaked with hospitality and creative non-violent resistance, Palestine is a place (though not perfect like any other people group) that is inspiring to the rest of the world. We must break down misrepresentations and pay attention - not only so that we may humble ourselves to learn to be creatively active in our own countries against forces of oppression, but so that we may stop literally paying their own oppressor.

I have spent the last two weeks meandering a bit around Palestine (often referred to as the West Bank/Gaza) and Israel proper, while based in the village of Deir Istyia (pop 4000) in the Salfit region of Palestine (see middle of map, south of Nablus).  I am working with a grassroots non-violent group of women (International Women's Peace Service) who use their status as internationals to document and attempt to discourage the ever constant human rights abuses against Palestinians, who illegally have significantly less rights.

The systematic occupation and colonization of Palestine comes not only in the forms of physical violence against civilians through settler/colonizer abuse and murder, and military harassment, but in forms of economic, cultural, environmental, spiritual, etc. repression. The ethnic cleansing of Palestine is intricate and horrific, and we must see how we are funding and supporting this modern colonization as Canadians (and Americans, etc.) (Canada: a colonizer state on more than one level? Let's never forget the people's land we ourselves are on, and not always point the finger at others...).

Let's call and know the language for what it is:

The Wall and Checkpoint in Bethlehem
Notice the "Peace" sign... does this look like a wall that brings peace? 
Through separation, harassment, dehumanization, and reenforcing fear and hatred between people?

Checkpoints: where Palestinians have to line up often for
hours a day; women die giving birth in line; people
are forced to carry the corpses of their dead loved ones
through the line and body scanner out to funerals in other
towns; people are harassed, mistreated and denied
...everyday.

"Security Barrier/Fence" = Annexation/Apartheid Wall 
(built within and around Palestine (kind of like swiss cheese) with segregated road systems and checkpoints cutting through land and sections of the walls and towns…seen in the map above)

Wall and army truck in East Jerusalem

View from Israeli side of the Apartheid wall in Jerusalem, 
looking over the barbed wire, valley, and concrete wall to 
the Palestinian side, where living conditions and human 
rights are by NO means similar, and the same taxes 
are paid.

Border Police

"Rubber Bullets" = Plastic Coated Steel Bullets

The suffocating "security tools" used daily by the military occupying force all over Palestine against the non-violent actions of singing elderly women's choirs, teenagers dancing the Dakba, Children bearing Olive tree branches, fathers and mothers carrying swimsuits and food - all trying to get to their land to harvest their food, drink from and swim in their springs, share meals with everyone until they are full... and be free.

Part of an Illegal Settler Colony, built on
Palestinian farm land

"Settlements" = Illegal Colonies

"Outposts" which are when
Settlers decide they want
a certain patch of Palestinian
land, and set up camp, until they
eventually turn it into building
cities...

Colonizers who came to Wadi Qana on May 1, 
the day when 2000 Olive trees were scheduled to
be bulldozed, arguing for their
"rights" to destroy the stolen land with 
Deir Istyia mayor.

Illegal Israeli Settler (on the same day in Wadi 
Qana), required to
carry a gun, when no Palestinians
are ever allowed weapons
anywhere for any reason.

"Arab-Israeli" = Palestinians with Israeli ID

Palestinian kids within the old city of Nazareth, Israel.  Many Palestinians who were allowed to remain in Israel are referred to as "Arab-Israeli" and their identity as Palestinian is often squashed.  There are many amazing peace efforts in Nazareth to hold onto this identity.

Warm Cinnamon Walnut drink at a cafe where Palestinian and Jewish men in Nazareth have been gathering since the early 1900's to play batgamman.  Still they play, in friendship and in peace - each new generation growing up with their fathers and eventually passing on the tradition to their own sons...

From the top of this hill in Nazareth, my new German friends and I could see Haifa and the Mediterranean, Jordan, the area where the Sea of Galilee is, the West Bank, and Jordan... such a jam-packed, small part of the world...

"Conflict/cycle of violence" = Illegal Occupation/Illegal Apartheid

The horrific power of the ideology of Zionism - be informed! Let me know if you want resources.

Wha??!
This caption is stamped along the deserted Apartheid and stolen street in Hebron (a city in Palestine), where around 500 Israeli settlers have illegally stolen and taken over homes and roads within the city and are protected by over 1200 soldiers.

Road taken over by Settlers/Colonizers in Hebron, where Palestinians were driven from their homes and stores and are not allowed to use the now deserted, Israeli only road - from within their own city.

Apartheid road in Hebron: Caleb (left) walking on the Palestinian side, and Seth (right) walking on the Israeli only side of the street.  Much of the Palestinian side is the size of a sidewalk, whereas the Settler side is deserted and significantly larger, for only 500 settlers within a city of over 160 000 Palestinians.

Market with cage covering overtop of the Palestinian market to keep the trash from being thrown onto people below from Settlers who have taken over the upper parts of buildings.

More Settler trash being thrown from above 

More barbed wire and garbage

Left and Right: The tower of "Terror" and the tower of Terror.

“And do you have a sense or feeling for the future?”

“The future is… unknown, and scary…”

“Why is it scary?”

“It's scary If no one fights back anymore… yet if they do, and if they don't, it means I am raising my children for prison”

Boys watching the village of Burquin's kindergarten graduation - quite the demonstration... will write about it later

The above conversation was with one of the leaders of Deir Istyia.  Of course this is one man’s opinion amongst an ocean beliefs and desires within Palestine and Israel, but it counts.  I have been learning more and more about how capitalism has been pervasively also invading Palestine. As a force of our dominant empires today, many of the political and economic actions of and between the West and Israel can be attributed to Global neo-liberal action - action we are connected to.

Palestinians can be arrested and held captive under "Administrative Detention" - aka for no reason whatsoever, with no trial, lawyer, explanation.  Often, on the last day, before release, the prisoner will have a renewed sentence under "Administrative Detention" - for up to 5 years without cause, representation, or trial.

The pull of apathy washes over populations in waves that do not refresh, but drown and silence. The following pictures portray inspiring non-violent resistance, which happens on more than a weekly basis all over Palestine. 

Constant Creative, Non-Violent Resistance...

A great guy in Deir Istyia who is very active in the community and peaceful resistance.  He taught himself how to draw in prison...

This picture represents Palestine within the hearts of the prisoners, drawn on the back of cardboard.

Women's choir from Scotland who came to show solidarity with Palestinians in Nabih Saleh, Palestine, where the village is kept from their land and spring/water resource.  Known for its violent military actions and active female resistors, the main purpose of the weekly demonstration at Nabih Saleh is to make it to their water to have a picnic and swimming party.  The soldier's plastic-coated steel bullets and skunk water ensure they do not make it.  The soldiers made no hesitation about firing against these women, many of whom are over retirement age - literally fired at by resisting through song.

This is a random group of young people from all over Palestine who mobilize once every few weeks and organize busses from all over the West Bank to go and protest through a few forms of non-violence: walking, eating, chanting/singing... the right to eat and share...

...clearly I was struggling with whether or not to join in a demo with warm pita and amazing hummus ;)...

Trying to encourage the movement of non-violent revolutions...

Picnic on Palestinian farmland that the Israeli military is attempting to claim

Some of the Mobile group at this particular eating/walking solidarity demonstration

The sweet group singing (BEAUTifully) under the shade of the orange grove...

Fertile farm Land planned to be confiscated by the State of Israel, taking some of the most vitally important farm land to this region

Pomegranate!

Set to be bulldozed...

...

Girls using the spring in the Wadi Kana land that is threatened to be confiscated.

More of the land in Wadi Kana with orders to uproot over 2000 Olive Trees.  International support has been working in suppressing these demolition orders... keep up the work!!

Graffiti in Nablus, one of the major Palestinian cities in the north

Instead of backyards, many people have these gorgeous courtyards ... I just wanted to put this in because they are so beautiful.  Let's keep bringing this to K-W, shall we?

- C