Friday, May 9th
Randy Report
It may come to you as no surprise that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has decided to implement a policy of 'forced transfer' of Peace Activists working for the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

Earlier today the IDF raided an ISM office located within the Beit Sahoura camp near Bethlehem. The IDF claims that the internationals working within this camp were 'illegally' residing within the country. They are also trying to draw a connection between terrorism and activism. One of their claims is that the recent bombing in Tel Aviv was commited by internationals that entered Israel as peace activists (See Haaretz Article for source). This is absolutely false and an unsuccessful attempt to justify the detainment of innocent internationals that are working for nothing more than the basic protection of Palestinian civilians from the grotesque policies of collective punishment imposed by the IDF within the Occupied Territories of the West Bank and Gaza. It is a well known fact that the Israeli airport is most unfriendly to any individual attempting to enter the country as an activist of any sort. In fact, activists are not permitted to enter the country. How then could the alleged terrorists have entered the country as activists as is claimed by the IDF?

Nevertheless, the effect of the raid was enough to force several of us working within the West Bank to consider leaving the camp until a safer moment. One member of our group failed to work under consensus (an integral part of our work here) and was frightened enough to leave. The remaining members discussed the potential risks and benefits of either staying within the camp or moving out into a safer location. After intense dialogue and open communication, we decided to remain within the camp. Our decision was based on the fact that the Palestinian people deserve our courage and solidarity. Our commitment to the protection and support of the Palestinian people demands that we stay unless new information emerges that might compel us to move in a new direction. Whether or not the raid is a foreshadow of what is to come to the other ISM chapters working within Palestine is unclear at this time and until such clarity is achieved, our decision will be to remain working within the Balata Camp.

We are aware of the risks of deportation and believe that the effects of 'mass transfer' of activists within Palestine will only produce greater criticism of the IDF and raise serious questions regarding the actions of the IDF as a legitimate source of security. Furthermore, it is clear that such a move (forced transfer/kidnapping) would only spark greater interest of the public into the nature of the situation within Palestine and expose the gross violations of human rights that occur here on a daily basis. We will continue to report any information that we receive and share our thoughts and motivations with our supporters and audience. Thank you for your support.
--Peace and Love. Michael Vicente Perez and Randy Bond (ISM)

Thursday, May 8th
Randy Report
Michael and I left Mas'ha camp this morning and returned to Balata. Everthing went well, no problems with check points or taxis. As we walked towards the main intersection to Balata camp, We saw people running and shouting Jeash! Jeash! (soldiers! soldiers!) and up the street to our left came a tank and armoured personel carrier (APC). We ducked into a shop and watched from there with our cameras out. The tank and APC stopped at the main intersection. The area was full of ambulances, press people and bystanders. The tank and APC were met with a hail of stones thrown by young boys. The boys were on the roofs of buildings, in the streets and every where. The military vehicles turned left headed towards the Beit Furiq check point. They then stopped and the pelting of stones continued. The boys would run into the street, get into range and throw their stones. It sounded like a hail storm. The tank kept threatening with its turret and machine gun. The boys would heave their stones then duck out of the way. The tank and APC continued to stay near the intersection and occasionally would drive aways down the street, stop and drive back to the intersection, provoking more stone attacks. The press people were in helmets, flack jackets and bright green vest. The Red Cresent had three ambulances there and medics standing by with stretchers. Finally the tank opened fire on the kids with its machine gun and the ambulances scrambled to where the injured were. Then the tank and APC came closer to the intersection and the APC drove a short ways done the main street of the camp. Meanwhile 2 armoured jeeps came and stopped near the tank. They to were greeted with a hail storm of stones. When the APC returned , the tank and APC laid down a fog of smoke to try and drive people away. Then the tank opened fire again on the boys. By this time the intersection is full of stones and debris that had been thrown at the military vehicles. Finally the vehicles left under a final barrage of stones. Game over, five injured two critical. Tank, APC and jeeps unharmed. So goes the war in Palestine.

The military has no reason to be driving through these camp areas, they know they will provoke this kind of response from the children, and use it as an excuse to shoot at childern. This deadly game goes on almost every week with similar results.
--Randy ISM Nablus

Sunday, May 4, 2003
Randy report via Kay
I am going to the village of Yanun Saturday morning. This is the village that Michael has been at the last two days. It is a village that is being harrassed by settlers, and Sat. is the day that needs to be covered the most. Another Mike and I will go and be with Michael and a women named Mary who is not an ISMer.

What follows is a report by Randy on Sunday by phone to Kay: Yanun is actually two very small farming villages, upper and lower Yanun.Each village has nine or ten families. They are about a quarter mile apart.They are so remote that they have not had electricity. They only source of power is a generator provided for them by the United Nations. This generator is run only from 7pm to midnight. As with all Palestinian farms, the people live in the village surrounded by their land. This is a very rich valley. There are wheat fields and olive groves. On the higher mountains surrounding Yanun are several Israeli settlements. From this village I can see the guard towers and barbed wire a few out buildings and the yard lights. The feeling is as if Yanun is a prison. The farmers say they canonly use about a third of their normal grazing land for the sheep. If they go anymore than a third of the way up the mountain, they are shot at by settlers. This area is in zone c under the Oslo Agreement. It is under the control of Israel. The Israeli government does nothing the protect the farmers from the aggression and antagonizing of the settlers according to the farmers.

Yesterday, a truck driven by settlers drove though the village and we went out and photographed and video taped them so they are aware of the presences of internationals.

At one point the harassment was so unbearable the farmers fled with their families. However, things have been peaceful since internationals have been here. A french group is supposed to be sending people to cover this village but in the mean time ISM is covering.

We went to visit the school today. There are fifteen students and three teachers. The English teacher gave us a history lesson. He said this village dates back two thousand years to the time of Roman occupation. There is the ruins of an ancient mosque. There were boys and girls in school together which in some areas there are separate schools.

In the evening, the men gather and try to engage the internationals but language makes it very elementary. In the mornings, we are provided with large hot homemade pita and olive oil with spices. The temperature climbs to around 90 F. in the afternoon.

Tell people to send prayers and thoughts for more people to show up with ISM. Next week is going to be a real crunch in Nablus as we will be only about 5 people. The threats by the Israeli government to deport internationals working with ISM so far are only threats.

Thursday, May 1st.
Report from Randy
Beit Furuiq check point
Three of us went to the Beit Furuiq check point again this afternoon. When we got there about 25 men were waiting to get thru and to their homes in the village of Beit Fururiq. But the soldiers at the check point were adamant that no man under 40 could go through. Women and childern were allowed through. The soldiers would not give us a reason. Some of the men had been waiting 5 hours when we arrived at approx. 3pm.

Later we began to hear that there were clashes in the village. Before we left for the checkpoint in the afternoon two of our people who had spent the night there said that they saw IDF snipers on roof tops. And when we got to the check point 3 French internationals came through from the village and said they did not think the village was under curfew. It was all very confusing.

Later we heard that 2 Palestinains had been wounded in fighting in the village. A half hour later 2 ambulances came through the check point headed from Beit Furuiq to Nablus with lights and sirens on. They were allowed through with only a quick search of the ambulance by the soldiers. A few minutes later an other ambulance with lights and siren came from Nablus and again was allowed through and headed for Beit Furuiq. We met up with 2 french internationals walking towards the checkpoint heading to the village. One of their group was a doctor and was on the last ambulance. We asked if more internationals were needed there, they called and said the doctors felt internationals were not needed. So we walked back to Balata. Our efforts at trying to get information as to what was happening was frustrating. The NGO Hamoked which is usually good at getting us info. was not able to do so. We tried calling the DCO which is the military liason with civilians but hit a wall with them as well. Meanwhile the Palestinians set and wait for hours. Finally all the men waiting left and headed for Nablus, but I also saw several men setting on the roof of an abandoned house where I suppose they spent the night hoping things will chance by morning. So goes life for the people of Palestine. Collective punishment is hell and is completely counter productive.
Peace, Shalom, Salam
Randy

Sunday, April 27th
Report from Randy in Nablus
- Azmut check point
Today Sunday the 27th, four of us from the Michigan Peaceteam went along with our Palestinian coordinator to the Azmut check point. We usually start by standing next to a gate located about 100 meters from where the tank and soldiers are.

As we stood there two soldiers from the tank came walking up to us. They started yelling and acting very beligerent to us. Several Palestinian women were waiting near us waiting for their turn to cross the check point. The soldiers shouted in our faces and pushed up against us with their rifles. They were trying to intimidate us and provoke us to respond. We all stood firm and said nothing to them in response. They then went to the women and started to make obcene gestures and according to our Palestinian team member they were saying to the women "we want to fuck you". The women were very disturbed and on the verge of crying. Then a jeep

Azmut check point -- called the check point from Hell

with several soldiers in came and added to the intimidation. The two out of control soldiers then started to harrass our Palestinian companion. Making him pull up his shirt, turn around and pull up the back of the shirt. They then threatened him and made him leave. Joan accompianied him up the road out of siight of the soldiers. Finaly all the soldiers went back to the tank and started letting people through.

We were then told be some of the women that the soldiers were making them look at pornographic material as they were getting their passports checked. We then called a human rights organization called Hamoked, they took our complaint and contacted the DCO which is the liaison between Palestinian civilians and the Isreali military. In about an hour, the DCO showed up and a long discussion was taking place with the soldiers. Then the DCO officer came up and interviewed us to get our story. They continued to monitor the checkpoint for as long as we were there. The situation calmed and we left to return to Balata shortly before dark.
--Randy, ISM Nablus

Randy Bond Note
Saturday, April 26, 2003
Saturday, April 26th, five of us went to visit a house up the side of the mountian adjacent to Nablus. This family has had their house occupied by the Isreali military four seperate times since the Apr. 2002 invasion. The house is located in a stratgic location overlooking the city and a valley approach to the city. The family is given a half hour to get all their belongings out of the house and move into the basement. The basement was not finished yet and did not even have windows in and it was winter time. After our visit and documenting of the situation, we went to observe the checkpoint called Asira.

It is not a real checkpoint but rather a pathway down the mountain side to several villages one of which is called Asira. If the villagers were to go by way of the official checkpoints it would take them many hours more to get home at night so they take their chances on this path and taking to the trees and gullies to avoid the military which patrols the area. Many people are caught each day and detained for many hours, some imprisioned and some are yortured and beaten. At times the soldiers see them on the mountain side and shoot
at them.

So our task was to see if anyone was being detained and see what we could do if they were. We had our Palestinian coordinator Ziad with us and when we arrived at the place that everyone has to go on foot the military was there and they would not let Ziad go thru. The rest of us were told we could go but not Ziad. So we spit up and two of us Mary Jo from France and myself went to see if any people were being detained. I was choosen for this task as I was the only one of our group other than Ziad who had had any direct contact with military.

We walked down the mountain in a cold rain which was making the path slippery and not too safe. It was about a kilometer down the mountain and we were quite wet by the time we reached the bottom. At first we thought no one was there but we then saw soldiers and a large group of Palestinians be detained. There was approx. 30 men and 10 women being detained. They told us they had been held in the rain for the past 4 hours. We asked the soldiers what the problem was and they said they had been caught avoiding the official check point and were having their ID checked. We ask how long they planned to hold them and were told "not long".

We then went into the house whose yard they were being held in to try and call the rest of our group. Our cell phone was not working in the valley where we were. We were not able to call from the house either. We went back out side to talk again with the soldiers, and when we got out and into the yard the soldiers were handing the people their IDs and let them go. Three women were still being held and we ask the soldiers why. They told us one of their soldiers had left with the 3 women's IDs in his pocket and they were trying to find the guy. So we waited an other 15 min. and then a jeep drove up and returned the IDs. They were released, the soldiers left the area and we had tea with the family. We then walked back up the mountain and rejoined our group.

-- Salam, Randy

Randy Bond Note
Tuesday, April 22, 2003 (Nablus)
I wanted to write up some of my first impressions of Nablus comparing now to what we experienced last July. Nablus is no longer under continuous curfew as it was last July. People are on the streets attempting to go about their business. However we were told that the city was put under curfew during George's invasion of Iraq.The military incursions since last july have left a lot of destruction espesially in the old city and to all of the streets. The city is also still under closure which means that no vehicular traffic can enter or leave the city. And most Palestinians can not leave or enter as well. Many of the streets in the city itself are blocked with large mounds of dirt.

We are staying in the Balata Refugee Camp which is just outside Nablus. We are staying in a house that is under threat of demolition. Balata is the largest refugee camp in the West Bank pop.18,600+. It was established in 1950. The refugee camps are heavily targeted by the Isreali army as much of the resistance to the illeagal occupation comes from the frustration and deperation of the refugees. Most of the houses here in the camp have been damaged by the Isreali army. The infrasructure is in need of repair, streets are full of large pot holes.

Unemployment is more than 60% and those with jobs are under employed. Nablus has been inhabited since 2500 BC. The present population is 235,000. Most of them are Muslim and a few christians and Samaritains. One very noticable difference from last July is the increase of anti American feelings, (usually expressed as anti Bush). People are asking us, what do we think of Bush? Then they turn thumbs down and say something in Arabic which sounds rather derogitory. So far we have not had any hostility shown towards us. Only the usual generous Arab hospitality.
-- Peace Randy