The hardest part about starting this blog was thinking of a name for it. I think being so invested in a conflict like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can really drain one of any gleam for hope. Looking for hope becomes like a chase- and that's where this title for this blog came after. Light moves so much faster than us and looking for hope in the world around us can be equivalent to that almost impossible task. Chasing after light though is something that I don't want to give up as I live in this world. So here I am in Nablus, Palestine. It is located in the northern city of the West Bank. It’s quite beautiful and very green. Even though it's the largest city in the West Bank, it has that small town-feel. Everyone here seems to know each other. I came here as an international volunteer for the NGO, Project Hope. The organization works by sending out volunteers to various areas through out Nablus and surrounding refugee camps to provide “educational and recreational activities, medical and humanitarian relief and practical training.” I volunteer as an English teacher. The people here appear to be perplexed by me. Here I am, an international volunteer who happens to be Arab volunteering for a local NGO. They get excited when they see I'm of Syrian origin, explaining to me that Nablus is affectionately called "Little Syria." They say that there used to be a train that ran from Nablus to Damascus and as such Nabulsi people have very similar habits and customs to Damascus people. I can see that especially in the old part of Nablus.
The Unspoken Influence of Occupation
At that same time though, I can feel a major difference between the two cities. The atmosphere seems very constricted and tight comparatively. A huge part of it is the occupation. Everywhere I go throughout the city, I can see influences of the occupation-whether it's a building that still has bullet h0les into it, posters of martyrs everywhere or graffitied walls. Not as obvious though is the effect of the occupation on the psyche of the people. The other day I was in a youth center in the Balata refugee camp and saw a picture of a Palestinian child crying on the wall. I said to the local volunteer that I didn’t think it was appropriate to have such a picture hanging on the wall-that school should be an escape for students. She explained that even if that picture wasn’t up, it was still very much a part of their reality. She said, “There isn’t a single family in Palestine who doesn’t have at least one martyr in the family, had their home destroyed, seen someone die, or has had a family member go mentally insane because of the situation.” (Translation from Arabic). Amazingly enough, the people here have incredible spirit and hope. As an outsider, it’s so difficult to have any hope for the future of the conflict but hope is reinstalled when hearing it come from those directly involved in the conflict. Even so, as much as there are good times and laughs, the occupation is ever present within this background.
“Do you like Israel?”
In another camp, Askar, we were teaching a group of children the difference between “Where do you live” and “Where are you from.” To my surprise, every child was able to pinpoint the exact city from which their families were expelled out of into their present day refugee camps-even though it happened before their lifetimes. “My name is Sara. I live in Askar camp. I am from Yafa.” The idea of right to return is a very important aspect of their life and they really haven’t forgotten their origins. Although the tents have now become buildings-it is still seen as very temporary. In the back of the classroom, there was a model of Palestine that was bleeding (using red paint) with the number 63 written on it made by some local Palestinian volunteers in commemoration of Nakba Day (May 15th) to symbolize 63 years of occupation. I asked a couple of kids why it was bleeding. They responded because Palestine is occupied. Then I asked, “Do you like Israel?” And they said, “No, we don’t because they occupy us!” Then after a slight hesitation, one of the kids responded with, “But we will love Israel when they stop occupying us!” This conclusion surprised me. Yet it continues to be reaffirmed as I talk to many Palestinians. They really dislike Israel’s policy of occupation but otherwise would have little reason to hate it. There is definitely no hatred of Jewish people and a distinction between Israelis and Jewish people and the actions of the government and military.
“I was shot here”
Going back to the ever present influence of the occupation on the lives of the Palestinians, one of the local Palestinian volunteers, a young man of 20 years was guiding myself and a couple of volunteers through the city. As we turned one corner, he nonchalantly mentioned, “This is where I was shot by Israeli soldiers.”-It was the same exact place where earlier I had gone to the bank. Looking at him, he seems so incredibly shy and kind. Yet his mother explained to us how during the second intifada, it was difficult to keep him from running out and throwing rocks at the Israeli tanks that rolled though the cities. He hardly talks about it and there is no pride in his voice. On his hand, you can see the scar of one bullet. He was shot twice by rubber bullets and once by live ammunition- a young boy of 12. Although the image of a stone thrower in the face of a large military machine seems courageous, it’s actually quite sad because a child should not have to see tanks to begin with.
During an English speaking discussion class I had to substitute for, one of the students in a similar way, casually mentioned that he was imprisoned by Israel for three years in his early twenties. When another volunteer and I remarked what a long time that was, all the students interrupted to say that actually it was nothing, others have been imprisoned for decades. He said that many of his friends are still imprisoned to this day from the second intifada. He laughed it all off casually even as he said that he lost his fiancé as a result. It was a sort of nervous laughter as if he was trying not to show just how much it impacted him.
I’ve almost been here for two weeks now but it feels so much longer. So far, I’ve also visited Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Tul Karam, which I will write about in later posts. Well, thank you so much if you’ve read this far. Check out Project Hope’s site, www.projecthope.ps
This is amazing. I hope you continue and I can't wait to read the rest of your posts. Its fabulous that your doing something so beneficial. Good luck with everything!!! :D
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