Silvia Cattori is an independent journalist. she lives in Switzerland. thanks to spread its testimony.

Jenin under hatred (translated by v.i.)

Silvia Cattori April 2003 Occupied Palestine

To get to Jenine , there is no other way but to drive across Calandia. We have to take a ‘taxi service’ after the checkpoint at the junction between Ramallah and Jerusalem.

I took the last seat left in a mini van .I glanced at my 8 companions: they were young , modest and looked shy. The driver was just about to start off the engine when suddenly , a police jeep came out of nowhere , followed by another with a loudspeaker: They shouted in arabic that everyone had to stay still.

In the mean time , a crowd of silent Palestinians was moving down and up the dirty street that no one ever cleans.

I could clearly see the policemen, of course they were Israeli ;they took the men’ s- of suitable age- identity cards .My companions did not utter a word. With the Ids in hands ; the policemen moved back in their bullet-proof vehicle. The men , still full of dignity , were forced to stand under the rain until their papers were given back to them while the policemen were laughing at the humiliation. Were they going to arrest them or let them go?

In one year only , tens of thousands of Palestinians have been kidnapped this way. They have been thrown in jail illegally. I learned the other day that in Sharon’s time, 35 000 Palestinians have been jailed for different length of time.7 500 are still behind bars. What were they feeling , all these men who always keep their emotions to themselves ,when they were taken away?

The trip was fascinating and difficult at the same time. Fascinating because my companions gave me a spontaneous and warm welcome. Difficult because of the sadness they bore of having their land stolen.

We barely see any Palestinian on the road. It gives you an idea of how efficient and harsh the restrictions are set up on the population. We only see Jewish settlers and military vehicles with Israeli flags.

In the countryside , when we arrived near a checkpoint , the men seemed to apprehend , but they got ready to show their IDs once again. Their gestures became slower , their eyes sadder and their faces froze. They came out of the van with their arms high above their heads , defeated..

I knew I had to hide the fact that I was going where I was actually going (…). They are obsessed and have very strong suspicions over Jenine and the people who want to get to it..

I was still in the van when the soldiers asked the men to get undressed. So they did right away. Except one. They took off their jackets , their shirts and timidly pulled down their trousers .

The Israelis pointed their guns at them while one was walking towards the men with a threatening attitude. None of the men put their eyes down ; they kept looking at the hostile soldier. There was a real magnetic strength mixed with humility in this look. My eyes came across the stubborn man’s. I understood he would not give in. May be my presence helped him. he had not been any unpleasant to me , he had even tried to get my sympathy.

When the soldier threatened him with his gun and asked his colleagues to take him away , I pulled on the last and unique rope left and hope that he would find , deep in his heart , something that would look like a sense of humanity.

I don’t know how or why , but the atmosphere gradually turned. While they were searching them, they found a little painted box made of cardboard. It intrigued the soldier who stepped backwards as if he had been threatened by God knows what. He ordered its owner to open it up. A tiny chick showed its head out. Easter was near. The soldier looked silly. The Palestinian with his baby bird had succeeded in one second, in disarming the soldier. The atmosphere was less tense. When the van drove off , each one of us was a lot more appeased ..

When we reached Jenine , I felt my companions worried and apprehensive. The driver whom I learned to really appreciate in these anguishing minutes tried to get some information here and there. I understood then , that we were in an army patrolled zone. Soon enough ,the driver saw a tank and soldiers in position.

Before they even ordered him anything , he turned the engine off , went out of the van arms high above his head , our IDs in hand and his shirt wide opened. He walked slowly , his pace showed fear.

It was not a check , it was worse. It was one of those antechambers of death like many others in Palestine. That’s why we could not possibly bump into many people. Jenine is still under siege .Its children can not get in and out without risking their life. It’s unbearable. Soldiers are not belonging to an army but to a gang. They are gangsters.

Among the Ids , there was my passport. Soldiers knew that there was a foreigner on board. There was a threatening tone in their voice , their faces were scary. The driver examined them with fear.

This man was doing this job so well; fighting each day on the road to pay his new van back and feed his young family who have to put up with the permanent soldiers’ threat .

The others, like him ,were workers and were going back home to see their family in Jenine. Because they were from Jenine , they had to incline and accept the idea that they could eventually be shot at, their integrity , identity and body could be threatened at any time .

It’s unacceptable, why no one understands that we all have a moral duty to protect the Palestinians against all these death squads?

It was obscene. They made us all get out. They threw our belongings on the floor, they kicked it. The Palestinians were watching them silently. They did not move an inch , maybe asking themselves to what extend they would go time now that a foreigner was witnessing it.

At that point , it was clear to me human that these humanlike robots driven by the hate of a race had a mission: Eradicate. They were educated to hurt for the sake of hurting . Nothing to stop them and that is the reason why they were so dangerous.

Everything went fine as they gave us a sign to leave.

In the van , we kept quiet. The pressure had been intense, it had taken all our energy.

When we separated , they felt they had to thank me. I watch them with sadness as they got in their poor homes. Their life is insecure . Tomorrow , we will be gone.

As soon as I entered Jenine, I saw tanks and other scary vehicles. Invisible soldiers started to shoot with real bullets at anyone who was unlucky enough to be in their firing line. Then , they threw tear gas and deadening grenades. It was panic everywhere, ambulance’s sirens were screaming, people were yelling. It was terrifying. They then announced the curfew through loudspeakers.

Witnessing this cruelty , their ability to destroy , one can only be revolted and disgusted and ask oneself when will Israelis stop invading the Palestinians’ home? When ?

Jenine is covered with a thick cloud of white dust that winds uphold by waves. Everything is sadder and more devastated than last year. One can not breathe in there. The West could have helped it; it would have been enough. But nothing happened. Everything is just the way it was and worse. 4 000 Palestinians have been thrown out in the street after their houses had been destroyed in April 2002.They are still in distress.

I met Tobias , an ISM member based in Jenine 6 months ago. He is depressed: His visa is ending soon and the idea of having to leave is very hard for him to take. He is now bounded to the population and is very concerned by the situation.

Tobias was with Brian Avery , the 24 years old American young man to whom the Israeli soldier disfigured half the face. Brian who underwent surgery after surgery is still in a fine mood; even if he has to stay in Haifa’s hospital for one year for more surgery.

To the growing violence towards the internationals and the harsh life here , Tobias gently answers " What is happening here is atrocious. Palestinians bear a very heavy burden. I only help them to bear part of it. My pain is nothing compare to theirs after 38 years of continuous and daily hardship. I would very much like to stay here. I want to go on and be part of it even if sometimes I am submerged with powerlessness". Tobias is nearly 30, he is reserved. Everyone knows in the ISM that we can count on him. He is even an essential link.

About Sweden , his country , his future; he says :"Swedish or Palestinian ; it makes no difference for me. Anywhere we come from , when one really believes in something, one can easily contributes , any way he can , to changing life."

About death that is part of the daily life here , he replies :" I feel quite down these days. I will be forced to leave and it saddens me very much. What we may feel here is nothing compare to what the Palestinians endure. Yes , I do believe that the dead and the injured I saw shocked me. I saw 38 people die before my eyes. I would not be human if I said it did not affect me. But I would like to tell everyone that anyone who comes here can help change the situation. I admire the volunteers who , after having come here , go to tell the rest of the world of what they have witnessed."

About the generosity of the Palestinians , Tobias says with emotion : " In Jenine , people are poor. They collected school books to send to the Iraqi children . They already suffered a lot and when they saw the Iraqis under the US shelling , it affected them a lot .

At that moment of the conversation , Tobias raised from his chair as he heard tanks. As usual , he peeks through the window to see where they came from this time. We then heard helicopters and planes flying over Jenine. And we looked at the infra red balls of light hanging in the sky ,lighting up the night so much so that it felt like it was daytime.

We felt great sadness for the Palestinians that those machines were targeting and hunting down.

 silviacattori@yahoo.it