Away from the gunfire....

This week we have heard of the two Palestinian attacks on Israelis resulting in the deaths of ten people. However, the 43 deaths of Palestinians over the past three weeks have not been considered newsworthy. Away from the gunfire, a psychological warfare is being waged. Where the occupation imposing curfews, roadblocks and checkpoints deny Palestinians their basic human needs such as the distribution of food, medical supplies and education. Contravening International Law under the Geneva Convention. I have returned from Deir Ibzya, a small village near Ramallah consisting of 1500 people. Deir Ibzya is easy to fall in love with. Set in the mountains, surrounded by rolling hills, which on a clear day you can see the light bouncing off the sea all the way in Tel Aviv. It is hard to imagine that only two weeks ago, this village had the physical presence of tanks, APC's and soldiers looming over the hills, suffocating Deir Ibzya's economy and threatening its people. The infrastructure of Deir Ibzya's economy relies on it quick and easy access to Ramallah. However, what used to be a 15-minute drive to Ramallah, is now thanks to the checkpoints and roadblocks - a 4 hour journey. The imposition of the curfew renders mobility between Deir Ibzya and Ramallah obsolete. This has many harsh effects on the livelihood of Deir Ibzya, as people can't get to work, thus they have no money. Food is even more difficult to distribute, thus it costs more money. The repercussions of immobility know no end, from the small details of not obtaining any chicken feed, resulting the death of the trade of meat and eggs, as well as contributing to the lack of food. To the diminishing hope of the inhabitants under the occupation, whose morale sinks lower and lower, as they live under the constant fear of attack starvation and imprisonment in their own homes.

Blackouts are common, either due to the electricity supply being cut off, or the generators being so old yet the village is unable to replace. Israeli aircraft adds to the terror, as F16's become a regular occurance, and the sound of gunshots in other towns carry over the hills. To heighten the isolation of this small village, are the illegal settlements that surround Deir Ibzya on two adjacent sides. In my time there I was involved in a summer camp, catering for anything up to 150-250 children. The summer camp was arranged by a local man named Deeb Kamal, and provided English lessons, Art classes, Sports, Dancing and singing sessions.

I had the good fortune of taking the art class, which consisted of 25-30 kids between the ages of 11-15. It was the most rewarding experience of my whole life. I wanted the kids to create some images of how they felt about Palestine, if possible to explore their feelings in a context of hope and not suffering. On the first day, I set the project 'What I love about Palestine'. I managed to communicate this idea without the help of a translator; it took a lot of gesticulating and physical demonstrations before anyone knew what to do. However, once these kids understood the project- nothing could stop them. They were bursting at the seams with creative energy. I got beautiful images of mountains, trees, rivers and seas with fishes, and candles inscribed with the word 'peace'. Its hard to imagine that just two weeks before this, they were not even allowed to leave the house. Deeb Kamal, the director of the camp claimed that before this was set up you would rarely catch any of these village children smile.

It is clear to me that these kids had a desperate need for expression, as once they understood the project they we're so self -directed. They produced some amazingly colourful images of what they idealised about Palestine, although there were a few images of refugee camps with people carrying shahid's (those killed by Isreali's). I didn't quite know what to say about these. Another project that was given to this class was to create an image of how they idealize themselves in the future. These kids have dreams just like the rest of us- I saw images of dentists, doctors and art teachers- to name a few. It is so clear to me that all these kids need is a chance. The situation they are finding themselves in is abysmal. They are being deprived of their basic needs. Their education is constantly undermined by the occupation. This is particularly evident when the IDF broke into a school to vandalize.* The small village is further isolated by surrounding illegal settlements. During my stay in Deir Ibzya there was another blackout, which coincided with the helicopters settling over Ramallah and the sound of firing. The next day, I discovered that occurrences like that were part of these peoples every day lives. They were so accustomed to the sound of attack they didn't seem to notice or surprise them anymore.

Although the tanks have left the hills of Deir Ibzya, occasionally soldiers still pass through the village, fuelling people's sense of feeling unsafe within their own homes. Under the occupation people are unable to live their lives. The most they can do is sit at home and panic. When they chance on watching the news, it is they who are being portrayed as the persecutors, further isolating them from the rest of the world. This is why an international presence, such as the ISM have such significant implications.

As it denies the IDF to persecute whilst the world isn't watching. It also helps to boost the morale of the Palestinian people, many of which believe the world is against them. It seems that there is a difference between knocking people down and keeping them down. The Isreali's have succeeded in breaking Palestinian morale, now what they are striving to achieve using psychological warfare is leaving them with no hope. In the many interviews I had taken, when asked 'What hope do you have for the future?', the answer is always negative. Even when the physical presence of the soldiers is not there, Palestinian people are forced to live under its shadow.

Ayesha

*This is described in more detail in the interview with Nadia

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