Peace messages in the West Bank

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Friday September 26, 2003 11:30

by Aron Baker

baker_aron at hotmail dot com

Balata Refugee Camp, Nablus, West Bank

+353 (0)87 2895036

Messages from school children of Nablus to Israeli soldiers

Yesterday internationals and medical personnel attempted to deliver peaceful messages to soldiers at Saba Tash, Nablus

Detention at Saba Tash, Nablus

Today Thursday 25th Sept members of ISM, UPMRC and the medical relief committees, attempted to give the soldiers at Saba Tash messages from the school; children of Nablus. In order to do this the messages were printed on large pieces of paper, messages of peace such as, "Soldiers Refuse", "Why," "Remember the Humanity", "Don't kill our children", " You are the oppressor", and "Leave". We approached the area called Saba Tash, this is a large valley area, which the soldiers monitor, we made our way down the valley, spying 2 soldiers sitting about half way down the valley. Our group consisted of 10 medical relief workers, 7 internationals, a television camera and several cam corders. The soldiers ordered us to stop and trained their guns on us. They ordered us to cross the hill to them but this meant a difficult trek across an area with no path, so two of our group crossed to talk to the soldiers. They then took IDS of people before crossing over to the rest of the group. We displayed the signs which the children requested us to do with the soldiers permission. They then took everybodys' IDS, including the internationals, and ordered us at gunpoint back up the valley. When we first arrived they had just detained an old woman and two small children , we also believe they had another 50 people detained in the bottom of the valley, we were informed for the last 5-6 hours but where unable to verify this, the soldiers did briefly ask one international to go down to this lower group of detainees to bring up a woman who the soldiers said had cancer. But before we could act on this they again ordered us to follow them back up the hill towards Nablus, as we approached the top we found a jeep waiting with a more senior soldier who started screaming at us and instantly tried to arrest an international whom he had previously told not to come to this area again. We prevented this from happening but he insisted on taking someone away and he took the organizer of the action, Manal Al Tamimi, 24, a medical relief coordinator, who also works with children who have psychological problems. We were told we would get our ID's back when he could talk to Manal alone but drove off with Manal and our ID's. The remaining soldiers then ordered us to leave the area despite the fact that it is illegal to be without your ID. At the moment the 16 people are waiting at the top of the hill which the soldiers don't consider part of their patrol area. This is a large valley which belongs to many farmers but the soldiers have now decided that it is now part of their military zone, despite never producing a map to indicate this military area as required by Israeli law. This is because there is a road at the bottom of the valley which the military use and have now decided is a military road.

This is how the Israeli Occupation Force and the teenagers who carry guns for them treat those who carry messages of peace from children.oij

Friday Sept 26th

Manal was taken to an unknown military base, questioned and released several hours later at Beit Iba checkpoint, all international and Palestinians got their IDs returned to them at the edge of the Saba Tash area at about 4:30.