de l'autre côté du mur

cleaning Jerusalem from Arabs

2009-12-01T23:09:00.000-08:00

Israel revoked the residency of 4,577 Arab Jerusalemites in 2008, 21 times the average of the previous 40 years.
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1132170.html

circus in Ramallah

2009-11-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

Behind the wall, there are also young dynamic great artists, such as the Palestinian circus school.

checkpoint life

2009-11-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

Today on my way back from Ramallah to Jerusalem, while I was waiting and freezing at the checkpoint I saw an arab ambulance crossing. It parked next to an Israeli one. I thought a sick person may have gotten a permit to be taken to Jerusalem hospital. I look for my camera to document the moment. Then I understand that there is no sick person to transfer, just a dead one.
Dead Palestinians can apparently get a permit to Jerusalem.
no picture.

Walking from the bus station to home, I run into a group of arab children playing. They put a big stick and ropes accross the sidewalk : -"Chu Ismek?" (What's your name?). "Dominique". The little girl opens the gate with a large smile : "Domenik Domenik!!". That was definitely the friendliest checkpoint ever... wish they find soon other games to play though.

again and again

2009-11-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

2 more Palestinian houses demolished today in Jerusalem....
and 900 new settlement homes approved.

2 maisons palestiniennes de plus détruites aujourd'hui à Jérusalem..
et 900 nouvelles habitations en marche dans les colonies.

http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=240659

week end in occupied Golan and South Lebanon

2009-11-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome !

wonderful landscapes....

the best chicken barbecue ever...

apples and apples everywhere

the Holy Sea of Galilee

winter sports activities...

But also....

typical landscape

typical house from Majdal shams, one the 5 Syrian villages remaining ( from 164 prior 1967)

with its now typical decoration...

friendly atmosphere

Why would they keep the Mosque if barely all Muslims have been forcibly displaced....

What about international law about the protection of religious buildings ? I guess some countries are above law.

typical scene of an ambulance delayed at a check point. This village is situated on the very border with Lebanon.

As usual, Israeli occupation and colonization means families separated. The white house on the background is under Syrian control. Inhabitants use to communicate through megaphones from one side to the other with their relatives, friends...

and of course discrimination in access to water (and its implications for farmers), building permits, land stealing, history denial, arbitrary detentions...

2009-11-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

Friday, day off. I am not joining the crowd going to the prayer Al Aqsa. just wandering in the old city, and trying to open my eyes.

This building, in the middle of a Muslim quarter is now property of Ateret Cohanim, israeli organization acting for the "judaïsation" of the old city. One of these appartements was attributed to...Ariel Sharon.

Walking in the old city you may meet one of these guys, settlers' ecurity guards.

These armed guards work for private companies funded by public taxes as "protection of holy places".
Colonisation in Jerusalem, especially in the old city is a house per house struggle.

Did you know that this esplanade in front of the wailing Wall used to be the Marroqui quarter, neighbourhood completely erased just after the 6 days war. This place is now used for worshippers and tourists but also hosts frequent military ceremonies

Souvenirs, souvenirs...?

(IDF= Israeli Defence Forces)

today in Jerusalem

2009-11-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

When talking about Palestine and Palestinian's rights it is difficult to decide where to start. So I will just tell you about my day of today.

9:39am: I am drinking my second cup of tea, trying to do my arabic homework, (last minute as usual) when I got a text message “ DWG alert : demolition ongoing of a structure in Abu Tur in East Jerusalem. For further info call xxx”. I ring the number, try to get info about this address and figure out if it is still time to get there or if everything is already over.

I jump into a taxi, and start grumbling against Jerusalem's traffic. When we reach Abu Tur, a truck blocks the street. I get out the taxi, decided to find the place walking. But I realize I am in a very Jewish and “bourgeois” neighborhood. Obviously nobody is going to demolish anything here. Did I misunderstood the indication? Did the taxi driver make a bad joke? I get down the hill looking for buldozers. Finally the neighbourhood's look changes. Smaller houses, pourer, narrow streets. Much more arabic looking. And suddenly 4 soldiers heavily equipped. They stare at me. I don't look very local. “Where are you going?” “I'm visiting” “Visiting whom? “nobody, just looking for a nice place to take photos” “Passport?”

10:25am: After checking my passport they let me go through. I hate them but at least I know I am on the right way now. And a few hundreds meters further I reach the crime scene. The house, I mean the rubble.

A woman crying, another shouting her anger. Buldozers and police left a few minutes ago. Men from the family and neighbours are already active trying to clean the place. They received an order from the municipal representative to clear out all the rubble that used to be their home within a week, otherwise they would receive a fine.

The few belongings the family managed to save are piled on the street. A children bike, books, a cupboard, toys, kitchen items. That's it. 2 houses, 16 persons just lost their all house, home, history, dignity, hope.

The father of the family fainted twice during the demolition, and was hospitalized.

Atmosphere is oppressive. A few people taking pictures, a few journalists. I meet people from Icahd, the ngo I volunteer with. Closed faces. What can we do or say? I don't know and feel ashamed and sad.

11am: Time to go. I'm already late for my arabic class though I promised myself I would not miss any.

During an hour and half I try to focus on grammar. I don't feel comfortable to speak about much with other students. This is life in Israel. Deal with ignorance at the best, and hate at the worst in your daily life.But I am the lucky one, I can go from one side to the other.

13h50: I am at Icahd' office in West Jerusalem. I am determined to focus on the advocacy document I am supposed to work on.

14h: phone call: new house demolition in Beit Hanina. We try to get more information before jumping into a taxi again, an arab one preferably cause others usually refuse to go to this part of Jerusalem.

14h30 : still in the taxi, tens of phone calls to try to locate the house.

15h : we found it. Again to late. Buldozers left half an hour ago. 22 persons homeless. A family with 10 children, plus grand-children. This house was built seven years ago. They have already payed 42000 shekels ( more than 8000 euros) as fines to 'regularize' their situation. Yesterday, the court ruled it was illegal. This morning the family received demolition order. this afternoon the buldozers.

Some families live years under demolition order. Not them. You never know when and where they are going to demolish one of the thousands of houses declared illegal. And one day, you see the buldozers coming, you have ten minutes to pack and then it's over. A woman from the family fainted when she saw the buldozers. The army called an ambulance. The ambulance treated her. Then the army gave the family the bill for the ambulance... They will then receive the bill for the demolition cost. Arrogance, cynism have no limit here.

A few months ago, the municipality told the family that if they would destroy by themselves the small annex they have, they would not touch the main house. The owner did it. He took off the roof and walls of the adjacent small building. Now he has absolutely nothing.

Is it necessary to add that it is raining and cold winter has just started.

I am there with an israeli activist from Icahd. Communication is therefore in hebrew. I can just take a few pictures. The only one smiling here is the little girl, maybe 4 years old. She asks me “Leish?” showing the destroyed house. This, I understand : “Why?”. I cannot answer anything, in whatever language.

After a few months of pause, the municipality of Jerusalem has clearly reinstated its illegal and racist policy of house demolitions in East Jerusalem. 11 within the last 3 weeks. These houses are ruled illegal by a municipality which does not grant any construction permits to Arabs but who promotes illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.

My day is not over but it's enough for now, Masalama.

en vrac

2008-06-30T12:37:00.001-07:00

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.

apartheid in the desert

2008-06-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

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???

farmers without fields

2008-06-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

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

Salam aleikum

2008-05-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

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?