settlers, outposts, plowing, and pruning

I was surprised when i first saw Magid pruning his olive trees. He was sawing off huge branches instead of the small pieces one usually prunes off of trees to keep them growing in a suitable shape. Turns out it was the first time Muhammad and Magid (brothers) had been out to maintain their fields in four years (since the the second intifada).

Today I went with an Israeli activist group called rabbis for human rights on a seasonal outing: accompanying Palestinian farmers in plowing their fields and pruning in their olive groves. I went along with a few other international observers, Magid, Muhammad, his little son Jamal, and their mother to their land near the small village of Awarta near the Palestinian city of Nablus. The brothers spent all morning plowing with the help of their mule and pruning back the surrounding trees. It was tough work as it had not been tended to in four years...

It sounds like a nice afternoon and it was... until the 8 young Israeli settlers came by with guns strapped across their backs. You see, the brothers’ agricultural land is located in a fertile valley surrounded by low hills. Up on these hills, you can see a number of trailer house type things, with some electric lines protruding from the rocky landscape. If you squint your eyes, you can make out a tall wire fence with barbed wire encasing these trailers. These spots are called “outposts.” They are Israeli “pioneers” (at least that is what they usually see themselves as) who often believe they are claiming their biblical right to the land of the West Bank. Many are sure that once they create temporary housing (trailers), and start to create an infrastructure around it (electricity, water lines, roads, etc.) then the next logical step is permanent buildings and the development of an “Israeli” town. Which is what tends to happen. The only problem is that it is really in Palestinian land! And they have settled there illegally! The settlers really are the scariest people here, to me. They answer to no one (as opposed to the Israeli military) and are often violent and destructive in their efforts at keeping the Palestinians away from their land near the outposts. There are accounts of them cutting down ancient olive trees, dumping sewage into water sources, and just generally walking around with weapons and terrorizing Palestinians who are just trying to live in Palestine.

As for today, the settlers just came and went without any problems. Well no problems besides a continuous threatening presence for Palestinians. And a frightening reminder of the deep mistrust and hatred that needs to be changed to get anywhere...

*****

Just an example of the extreme kindness of the Palestinian people:
My friend left her camera in a taxi... I am pretty sure that in most places, you would have lost it for good. But she tracked it down, through a complicated network of friends, uncles, taxi drivers, etc. and found it! The three of us went to a nearby village to pick it up from the original taxi driver. But we couldn’t leave that easily. First we were invited to tea at his home, then to have coffee and meet the family of another friend, and we had to plea to get back as it was getting late.

A friend of mine describes it as “hos(tage)pitality.” And there are people who are convinced that Palestinians want nothing more than to kill others... if only they would sit down to tea and talk.