Women's Peace Work
(May /
June 2001)
Closures and killings re the focus of Jerusalem and the whole country at this time. Although you will not read in the press - including the Israeli press (even Ha'aretz - of the protest activities described in this article, the internet keeps us informed. Act Left, Bat Shalom and the Gush Shalom e-mail lists are the network for the Jewish and Israeli left and peace groups, both in Israel and the Diaspora.
Post-International Women's Day may be an opportunity to track "women's peace work" (pun intended). When I write of peace work I include groups that hold the following minimum principles: an end to the occupation, two states for two nations, sharing Jerusalem as the capital of two states, and working towards a just peace - for example, negotiating fair use of resources and fair solution to issues such as the refugee problem.
Among the peace groups, Bat Shalom is the grandmother, having introduced these concepts into Israeli discourse. Women in Black works with Bat Shalom's support, as does the Coalition for a Just Peace, and Machsom (Checkpoint) Watch. The Women's Coalition has organized some very successful rallies, and many women belong to these groups, drinking coffee and sending e- ails from Bat Shalom's office. The Four Mothers has been the most successful, in that they were crucial in changing Israeli attitudes toward the Israeli occupation of Lebanon. Their influence was decisive in bringing about he decision to pull our troops out of Lebanon. (The end of the Lebanon occupation, after 18 years of bloodshed, is to Barak's credit - perhaps his only credit.)
All this activity is in reaction to the closures imposed on the West Bank and Gaza. Settlements, including connecting and bypass roads, have been viewed by Israeli governments across party lines as determining the size of our state as well as Palestinian dependence on Israel. Israel's war on Palestine is based on protection of the settlements. Pogroms by settlers and / or the army are poorly reported in the press. The Israeli human rights group B'tselem attempts to expose these occurrences and initiate investigations within the army, usually with resulting silence by the press and the army. Lately, however, the increase in killings and destruction of orchards and crops has befgun to find its way into the press. Two examples are the murder of a six-year old Palestinian boy by Nachum Koram, who received a six-month suspended sentence for the crime, and the rampage of settlers after the murder of Kach leader Binyamin Kahane.
Like the settlements, the practice of closure crosses party lines and is not a new phenomenon. Closures and curfews have been an ongoing part of Palestinian life. What is new here is the encirclement of villages and entire cities by army-made barricades composed of concrete and earth, or two-meter-deep trenches. This siege has contributed to the closing of schools and other institutions, impoverishment of the Palestinian population, and the deaths of ill or wounded people unable to reach a hospital.
Although the newspapers quote Prime Minister Sharon, Foreign Minister Peres, and Defence Minister Ben Eliezer promising to ease the closures, this is not what I see. Checkpoints, through which Palestinians must pass in order to go to work, hospitals, schools, and family visits, or simply to the sore for bread and milk, continue to operate oppressively. They change location and / or severity without notice. A checkpoint can be moved overnight-often encroaching on Palestinian property-from one town to the next. This past week the Abu Dis checkpoint was moved to Ras El Amud, changing the location of the traffic lineup.
He rules of the checkpoint can also change: hour-long line-ups of cares, or no cars allowed at all, or only quick spot-checks. This can change from hour to hour. Does a Palestinian have to leave home today at 5:30 am with his children in order to get them to school by 9am, normally a 20-minutes ride; will todays' checkpoint only take an extra 20 minutes; or will he have to turn around and go home with the children-no school today? Who knows which roundabout broken road a Palestinian might be lucky enough to travel as settlers are waved through, or use protected, exclusive roads?
In response to this harassment, a group of women have begun another initiative called Machsom (Checkpoint) Watch. Based on my experience working in Guatemala to protect indigenous people form the Guatemalan army by providing foreign physical presence and international coverage, it seemed this idea could be applied at the checkpoints.
Begun two months ago, we are now almost 30 Jerusalem women who go to the checkpoints in teams of two to dice women. It is our view that soldiers will react less aggressively to women than to men. So far this appears to be so. We observe the checkpoints either in the morning when Palestinians go to work, or around 5pm when they return home. Our hope is that our presences as observers may protect Palestinian civilians form the excesses of young, bored soldiers, and that both Palestinians and soldiers see that there are Israelis who are committed to acting on behalf of justice. We also expect to be able to summon medical or legal help in an emergency, as well as report to the media.
The most important lesson I have learned so far is that the closures and checkpoints do not contribute to Israeli security. The checking by the army is random, and for some inexplicable reason sometimes more punitive to the Palestinians on their way back into Palestine than on their way into Israel. Checks are not thorough-very few people are body-checked; car doors and seats are not examined. On some days hundreds of young workers pass through unchecked. It appears that the closures and checkpoints create the illusion of protection for Israelis while confronting the Palestinian population with Israeli control.
An interesting crack has opened in the army's stance of victimization and justification. There are signs of discord between the legal arm of the army (army justice system) and the fighting units. Ha'aretz carried a front page article (Jan 11) quoting senior IDF officers s urging Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz to stop all unauthorized shootings and other violence by soldiers in Palestinian territories. However, the offices note that clear orders are problematic, as they would be an admission of improper treatment of Palestinians by soldiers.
The army's firing at the Latin Vice Patriack, and their insulting behaviour to him at a checkpoint near Jenin on January 9th, drew international condemnation. A similar incident occurred more recently involving a Catholic Bishop. These incidents received wide media coverage, thereby informing the outside world and gaining support for the peace camp.
The awarding of the UN Peace Prize to Women in Black gave a boost of international attention to the Friday demonstrations that have been ongoing since 1988 in French Square here in Jerusalem. The recognizable sign of these events is the black hand (hamsa) with the words "Stop the Occupation". After each demonstration people gather to talk, visit, and wish each other a Shabbat Shalom. Foreign visitors are very welcome, and we often have support groups from Italy and France joining us.