Entries this day: Bil'in crazy_stuff_tonight zzzz

Bil'in

6:17am IST Friday 04 November 2005

I almost typed November 1997, the date of my Mankind Project training.

Ben and I are in the servis from Damascus to Qalandia, with plans to reach Bil'in to document the stuff that will begin at 7am.

We left the Faisal with Jason, but his friend gave him a lift. When we arrived at the servis place, only 2 other people were there and no servis's.

7:11

Magically, after declining the 100NIS taxi offer to Bil'in, standing in the cold calling ISM Media Office, Eisa, Hisham, and Mohammed, following Mohammed's directions to find a car in the middle of Ramallah to ask for a ride to Bil'in....

A servis drove up and stopped while I was on the phone to Mohammed.

"Bil'in?" the driver and I asked simultaneously.

"Khumseh shekl" he replied

Magic. 5 NIS each.

9:33 05/11/4

The crowd is being noisy, but basically peaceful. The 8-10 year old kids are actually being the most aggressive toward the soldiers taunting them with song and dance.

The theme for today seems to be play, as in "let the children play;" a slide has been brought, and noisemakers and toy cars ad trucks and little dogs with heads that bob around.

For the younger kids, a little Fisher Price looking ball rolling toy tower thing.

I've grown a bit bored and am sitting with Ben over on the side. We had been on the other side, but when a little kid came walking up along the wall, everyone started to encroach on our territory, trying to get photos of the kid.

He was given a brave soldier's welcome when he arrived, but he seemed nonplussed.

Ben and I arrived in plenty of time, compared to the activists who were getting ready with their L shaped tubes for covering their forearms and locking themselves to support poles on the wall construction line.

Francois got a pic with Suzanne, who said basically, "we'll chain ourselves to the poles, spend about five minutes being taken off, and that's it."

Soon thereafter we were ready to go. Piled into cars and caravanned to the site, and ran to the posts to try and beat the soldiers to the site.

Ben and I laughed at the ludicrous situation; we were able to just come early before the soldiers were out and do a surprise chaining.

The first guy was extracted from his chains in about five seconds, though he stayed in place while the soldiers took his L shaped tube and went to work unhooking the others.

None of the activists were attached particularly tightly, and the most durable connection lasted about 2 minutes.

Two people were hauled to the soldiers' side of the wall (*) and out of sight, but the rest were deposited on the Palestinian side, as gently as they heeded the soldiers' attempts to move them.

I'd guess about 8 activists had chained themselves, or attempted to chain themselves to the poles. No injuries due to soldiers, but a couple of people slipped on their own accord while crossing a ditch.

9:57am

still chillin'

2:05pm JST Monday 12 December 2005

(*) It turns out they are building a fence in this area, not an 8 meter wall. But, as written by my friend Sarah:

       we headed to Bel'in for the weekly demo against the separation
       barrier in their 'hood. In this case it is in fact a fence,
       which does not look so unsightly, but is actually worse than
       the wall cos it takes up MORE space: it's a fence, with
       electric sensors, and a tracer road on one side (a dirt road
       kept smooth so that footprints can be detected easily), then
       the fence, then a patrol road, then another tracer
       road. Mintox.
 
       The Fence has been routed to not only enclose an illegal
       settlement (case in point, they are all illegal under
       international law, and the armistice agreements Israel signed
       back in the day), but also to annex the village's fertile
       grounds specifically to allow the enlargement of that
       settlement. Pah!
 
       I can't even summon the energy anymore for righteous
       indignation. This is just so ingrained and normal and
       inevitable and happening in so many places.... and I am worried
       that after only 2 months I am so used to the sight of The Wall
       that I forget to be appalled. Abnormal becomes normal, might is
       right. cliche, cliche, who cares?

crazy stuff tonight

7:56pm IST Friday 04 November 2005

At 15:50 we heard several soundbomb explosions outside Damascus Gate
in East Jerusalem.  We went outside to investigate, following where
the soldiers had gone up Nablus Road.  Video footage and images show a
soundbomb thrown by Israeli Border Police into a street crowded with
civilians.  video
(3.3 MB)

A photo journalist confronts the commanding officer of the Israeli
Border Police outside Damascus Gate.  A Hasidic Jew who said he was
hit in the face with a stone expresses his concern and poses for
photos. video
(3.1 MB)

These are the two writeups that we'll probably put on indymedia.com or some such. I had no idea such a site existed, but Ed mentioned it and says we have enough evidence to make a court case against the soldier who threw the sound bomb. I'm not sure we have enough proof to say *who* it was that threw it, but certainly the video I got shows it thrown ridiculously close to little kids.

8:23pm

Ed uploaded the videos to his site, but I uploaded them to my site as well. He had to change the longer filename because Windows couldn't handle it.

http://www.lucidlondon.co.uk/Nablus_Road,_East_Jerusalem_soundbomb_kids_4_nov_2005.mov http://www.lucidlondon.co.uk/Damascus_Gate_East_Jerusalem_aftermath_4_nov_2005.mov

Because I shot these videos, there's a little part of me that is all hoping these vids will become famous...

zzzz

1:24am IST Saturday 05 November 2005

Went to Jerusalem Hotel with Rochelle, Serena, Marisa, Ed and Keemah (sp; I've never really learned his name), but they were all booked with a wedding party so we headed over to Philadelphia, but ended up at a gas station that had food and hookah pipes.

Marisa helped me get a picture of Francois smoking, though ironically I didn't get a photo of the group. Serena was on my left, with Rochelle on her left. Marisa on my right with Ed on her right and then K-man opposite me. We spoke a lot of politics as viewed from different countries.

Back to the Faisal with Rochelle keeping warm by linking arms with both Serena and me. We tried a circular connection, but didn't make it too far like that. "We'll just spin around in circles and not actually go anywhere..."

Back to the Faisal I sat around another hookah pipe for a bit and then chatted with Rochelle (while giving her a bit of a massage) until she fell asleep.

Tonight is Serena and Rochelle's last night at the Faisal for a while; they are excited to be heading into Gaza tomorrow! This trip is beginning after 9 months of preparation.

I am sure tomorrow Ben and I will speak fondly of them both.