lunes, 30 de junio de 2008

en vrac














action in Tamun.


if you go towards the settlement, army may shoot you, even if you have your field nearby...










fire put on by settlers in Bureen.

100 settlers came : put fire on palestinian fields, throwed stoned at palestinian houses.
Army intervened, threw teargas in Palestinian houses, prevented palestinian farmers to estinguish the fire on their lands.









settlers harassing an israeli activist in Hebron.

We have been violently prevented to access the old city, despite all the authorizations we had. Neither the army nor the police was willing to enforce law...










painting on the wall in Azlat' Isa.

Seven families remain isolated behind this wall.

viernes, 20 de junio de 2008

apartheid in the desert

If you are a Bedouin in the Jordan valley, it may mean that you leave in a tent with almost nothing, in a desertic area. You may depend on any water supply to maintain a few crops and provide the necessary for your family and cattle.

















But if you are Bedouin under Israeli occupation you may not be allowed to dig a well, you may not be allowed to access the existing water supply system. You may even not be allowed to live on your land and your tent may be demolished, by a buldozer.

an oasis in the desert? just one more israeli settlement

A few hundred meters away, your ‘neighbours’ have permanent water supply, trees, quantity of green houses producing vegetables for exportation....of course it is an israeli settlement.



Abu Adam, infatigable political converser, welcomed us in his tent. He already suffered demolition several times but still persist and remains in his land.
















In a close village from the same area, tap water has been locked, no tap water for palestinians...who can still deny this is apartheid???

miércoles, 11 de junio de 2008

farmers without fields

Today I visited Qaffin village. People explained us how the wall separate the village from their fields.
2 gates have been installed to allow farmers to pass. what a kind attention... The reality is that one of the gate has been closed for the last 5 years. The other one obliges farmers to a 2 hours walk, (if ever they have permit). Israelian army opens the gate 2 or 3 times a week for a few hours. What a kind attention...

the never-ending fence, Qaffin


Yesterday a fire burnt hundreds of their olive trees. Who put the fire? we will never know. But we know that neither the farmers nor palestinians firemens were able to reach the land and estinguish the fire. Farmers could only wait and look from the other side their main source of income burning.
Last week, Fatia went to her crop on the "very palestinian" side of the fence with her 3 young kids. She had to run away, the soldiers pointing at her with their guns.

We went to one of the gate. Soldiers seeing our camaras inmediatly came and tried to prevent us to take pictures. Would they have something to be ashamed of?


at least this time they did not throw tear gas, just lies

domingo, 4 de mayo de 2008

Salam aleikum

Not even one week I am in Palestine and already so many impressions, so much anger and curiosity. I guess it’s "time to take time"and share a little bit of what I have seen so far.
I am in Haris, small quiet village between Ramallah and Naplouse surrounded by a few israeli settlements. (Not so many photos yet but hopefully I will improve that).
my first day in Jerusalem: after spending 3h30 at the airport security, answering indiscreet and suspicious questions, it is time to have a look at the hold city. I go through the eastern part (Palestinian occupied) . some Israeli flags identify Israeli settlements inside east Jerusalem. Palestinian people are shopping and chatting in the souk when a group of young traditional Jewish Israeli arrive, singing loudly, dancing and claiming Jerusalem is theirs. Palestinian families watch them silently. Several similar manifestations happen this same day, celebrating the 41th anniversary of Jerusalem occupation... Provocation and humiliation is so obvious, but it seems I am the only one surprised... this was my first-impressive- contact with Jerusalem, I hope to come back soon and seen a happier side of the city, Inch'Allah.

view from Bil'In: the road ( with fences along) separates the village from its lands

Yesterday I went to Bil’In, a village close to Ramallah who resists the occupation on a non violent way, as many villages in the West Bank. Bil’In has reached international support and has organised these days an international grassroots resistance conference. Luisa Morgantini (European parliament vice president) is here, as well as delegations of solidarity movements from France, Italy, USA, Israel.... On the last day the whole conference accompanies the village in its weekly demonstration in front of the fence ( barrier, wall, call it as you like). this fence passes through there lands, preventing them to access their cultures. We can see the soldiers watching at us from the other side. In front of the fence people start singing“ free Palestine”, clapping or raising their hands as a sign of non violence...
After 10-15 minutes, suddenly, soldiers raise their arms and shout. gas canister. not in the air but directly to the crowd. no warning. no reason. Several people injured are evacuated to Ramallah, among them an Italian judge from the delegation. Are you surprised? I am. Are you shocked? I am.
but this is daily life here, nothing new.


demonstration just before shoots start, Bil'In

Exceptionally and because L. Morgantini issued immediately a press release which has been published by international medias, the incident appeared in the national press, with a rather interesting version : “The IDF ( Israeli Defence Forces) said that about 70 Palestinians and left-wing activists took part in the protest and hurled stones at security forces, who used crowd dispersal means in response. Regarding Morgantini's condition, the army said that "those who take part in such protests and violate a closed military zone order should not be surprised to see the IDF respond with tear gas." (...)The army noted that the weekly protest forces it to divert troops from other tasks such as counter-terror operations and defence missions This is great journalism, no?