Christmas cards from the Holy Land

Welcome to my Christmas Cards from the Holy Land photoessay. These are all photos I took while working in Israel/Palestine as a human rights accompanier with www.eappi.org   Then, two weeks ago, I attended a talk in Dublin by 3 Palestinian christian leaders, who concluded by pointing out that while Christmas in the West paints as a land of twinkling stars, shepherds, donkeys etc.....the reality is of a land and a people under subjugation. The actual original christian population of the "Holy Land" continues to dwindle, while Israel celebrates the support of Christian Evangelical supporters of Israel, for whom the rights of the Palestinian people, christian and muslim, are of no import.

These photos are taken mostly in Hebron, 30 km south of Jerusalem, part of that territory defined as illegally  occupied under international law. Some are from Bethlehem, others are from Jerusalem, and more north, Ramallah. I have also some videos on the youtube channel "teamhebron." If you have any comments or questions, or suggestions, please email me on fitzgibbong@gmail.com

School picnic in ancient Tel Rumeida overlooking the mosque of Abraham

 

School kids and Israeli soldiers at a Checkpoint

Teachers and children each day like outlaws in their own city

The Annexation wall in Jerusalem

  

The Wall which seals off Little old Bethlehem from its lands

The Structural Violence of Checkpoints - here Qualandia, north of  Jerusalem

 

The grave of Arafat, in Ramallah, criticised by many Palestinians, yet still respected by them as a leader.

Arafats Monument in Ramallah

Kathinka Minzinga photo captures the casualness of the occupation

The checkpoint on entering Beit Ummar, 10 km south of Bethlehem

The "security" fence which surrounds the settlement of Karmi Zur, seizing yet more land from Palestinian farmers

The Israeli settlement of Karmi Zur, close to Beit Ummar, built on land expropriated from Palestinian farmers.

Palestinian peace activist and Jewish American Michael in Hebron

Palestinian engineer Issa and Israeli filmmaker Michael work together in the community house of Tel Rumeida

Micha'el from Breaking the Silence, Israeli ex-soldier & human rights activist

Palestinians at Friday prayer at the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron. IDF in background

Incursion by Israeli soldiers into Hebron

Incursion by Israeli soldiers into Palestinian controlled part of Hebron, this time to allow Israeli settlers "celebrate" a historic site. The orange marches in Northern Ireland come to mind.

To protect 500 settlers in Hebron the Israeli army just shut down the centre of historic Hebron, destroying the livelihoods of 1000s of palestinians. "Chevron" is pure injustice.

checks stops searches, all a part of daily life in occupied Hebron.

Settler mural in Hebron showing a very different perspective - return & liberation!!! Great, any chance the Palestinians refugees of 1948 can return to their homes in Israel?

forced closures have devastated the centre of old Hebron. Once the commecial heart of the whole West Bank,

In Hebron's old souk, settler's live overhead, hence the wire netting, to prevent trash being thrown down.

 

I visited this water reservoir belonging to the Sultan family on the outskirts of Hebron. One morning in June 2009, the Israeli army came along and destroyed it. Because they didn't have a permit to build it (they would never get one if they applied!) This sort of thing goes on all across the West Bank. It is state sponsored vandalism, and is part of the low intensity silent warfare directed against the civilian population of the Palestine.

     

SETTLER TOUR 1: Visitors from all over Israel and beyond come to visit "Chevron" to witness the wonderful act of liberation and relcaiming. So they patrol through the streets of the old Souk, in provokative fashion, with an army patrol. Many Palestinians I spoke to said "we have not problem with Jewish people living in Hebron. But let them purchase their houses, and let us also return to the homes stolen from us in 1948."

SETTLER TOUR 2: these tours are the cause of regular incidents

There was a continual Jewish presence in Hebron until 1929, when during the riots, 69 were killed. Many were saved by their arab neighbours, but the rest soon after left. This is one of the homes of the original residents. The new Israeli settlers are not related to the original inhabitants.

The new settlers make their mark: Palestinian Abdel Karim and his son look out from their house at the makeshift settler synagogue which has been erected on his land. Event the Israeli courts have called for it to be removed. Yet each time, it is rebuilt, with protection from the Israeli army. Abdel Karim and his family, who i visited many times, are prisoners in their own homes. The road to their own house has become a settler only road. Residents need to apply for a permit to use their own road!! They refuse to apply for permits to travel their own roads.

 

Overshadowed by the settlement of Kyriat Arba on the outskirts of Hebron (pop est 5000 people), is the house of the Abu Saifan family in the valley of Wadi al Hussein. While there I visited this family regularly. They gave us video evidence of how they were constantly attacked by the settlers nearby.

Brothers Hashen and Jamal Abu Saifan - Hashem works in the Palestinian education ministry in Hebron and speaks good English. Jamal is unemployed but is a peace activists, and  volunteer with Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.

The Abu Saifan family are already refugees from the Nakba in 1948. Now, once again, there are forced to live like outlaws in their own homes, with no rights, and with complete impunity for their oppressors. I told them I would tell their story

Close up of the Abu Saifan household, beneath Kyriat Arba. Another trick of the setters is to give lovely biblical to the sites that they annex. You will find reference to Kyriat Arba in the Bible. Nothing to do with this though. Apart from the fact that many of todays settlers do actually think in biblical terms.

This is a road block north of Hebron, which we encountered on our way to visit the Maswade family. This causes local families to have to make a detour of 4 km over rough ground.

Another example of a roadblock, this time from the centre of Hebron, between the Palestinian Authority area, and the centre under Israeli army control. Such blocks are part of what human rights defenders call the structural violence of the occupation.

Now, I wonder why one would put a metal grill over your solar panels?.....mmmmm Ah yes, its because of the horrid neighbours, who are squatting on the lands next door, keep throwing stones and and attacking and vandalising your property. OK CALL THE POLICE. aye, here's the thing, the army come along AND PROTECT THE SQUATTERS!!! The settler movement, is a squatter movement, accomodated, funded and supported by the Israeli state.

 

Along with Michael, a Jewish American human rights observer with eappi, we visited the Maswade family north of Hebron. As the photo shows, they have replaced the windows at the front of the house with palets, due to the windows being constantly broken. Again, impunity applies. Occasionally the Red Crescent or some international group, or Palestinian or Israeli activists visit. After that, they are on their own. Victims of the international community turning a blind eye to the plight of the Palestinian civilian community.

Michael from Eappi, pictured at the Maswade house. Close up of the palet windows.

I took this picture on my way north to Ramallah to attend the Quaker ceremony there. It shows the olive grove destroyed for security reasons

Close up of the destroyed olive grove.

"Its Different Here" - It sure is - Photos from Hebron

Writing about my work as a human rights observer in the West Bank/Occupied Palestinian Territories, throws up unexpected challenges, that perhaps don’t apply to other conflicts. To describe in detail the nature of the occupation I’ve witnessed here, leaves you open to charges of biais and favouring one side.

Israeli soldier does a "security" check on a Palestinian boy.

Like the answer of the Israeli soldier Daniel, when we question him about why he has decided to search the bag of every school child on the way to Cordoba school in occupied Hebron: “You don’t understand, it’s different here.”

Israeli soldiers question a Palestinian with Israeli reg car in Hebron H1.

Lereon, an Israeli soldier originally from Albany in the USA, has a witty sense of humour. “Hey, I’m just trying to get through this so I can get to go to college here.” We have met quite a few nice guys like Daniel and Lereon, during the hours that we spend standing at checkpoints here. Having lived among Palestinian people, bought in their markets, ate in their homes, experienced their generousity and rich culture, the phrase “its different here” doesn’t convince.

This photo shows the contrast between the busy market and the closed streets

It doesn’t convince in Hebron, the Palestinian city of 170,000 people where I’ve lived for the last 3 months, and where the security zone around 700 Israeli settlers who’ve decided to live in the centre of that city, deprives 40,000 Palestinians who live in that zone of many of their basic rights.

October '09 Israeli soldiers incursion into Hebron H1

One occasionally has the opportunity to speak to Jews visiting these areas from other parts of the world, who can drive up through the centre of the old city, where Palestinians haven’t been allowed to walk or drive in 7 years. Some wax lyrical about the special place 'Hevron' has for Jewish people the world over, as the burial place of Abraham, the father of their faith. Any mention of the rights of Palestinians either ends this conversation, or brings you back to that same phrase: “You don’t understand, it’s different here.” It certainly is.

Soldiers at the checkpoint near the Ibrahimi Mosque detain a young Palestinian, forcing him to stand with his t-shirt raised.