Grassroots Solidarity Against the Occupation

On October 17th the Israeli military issued a demolition order on the school and ordered that the building be removed before Novemmber 29th. Back in Brighton there is a sense of disbelief and outrage that this could happen, but for the Palestinians there is no disbelief. This is the grim reality of everyday life in the Occupied West Bank, and has been for decades. The interminable onslaught of the Israeli occupying forces has deprived Palestinians of their land, homes, livelihoods, education, resources and freedom of movement; there is simply no area of Palestinian life that has not been shattered by the occupation. The response to the latest demolition order in Fasayil is typical of the quiet strength and courage of the Palestinian people – ‘They can knock our school down as often as they want. We cannot stop them from doing so. We will build the school again and again and again. They cannot destroy our determination to give proper education to our children. Our childrens’ education is our future. They will not succeed in their attempts to drive us from our land’.

There are currently ten people from Brighton in Tubas, the second large delegation this year. The group will consolidate links already made with organisations such as the Tubas Red Crescent, agricultural cooperatives, students’ unions, Tubas womens’ group, local trades unions and schools. Its aim is not charity but solidarity. When asked, Palestinians say that what they want is for their stories to be heard, for the truth of their situation to be taken to the outside world. On a recent visit to Brighton by three Palestinians from Tubas they stated unequivocally that while money is needed to run any campaign, they are not interested in attempts to make this occupation more comfortable for Palestinians, but in an end to the occupation.

The delegation will build on projects begun with many of the above organisations, as well as documenting the daily human rights abuses against Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army. Information will be gathered on the activities of Carmel Agrexco, Israel’s largest exporter of produce to British supermarkets from illegal settlements in the West Bank.

The Brighton Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group was set up in March 2006. As well as organising delegations to Palestine, the group sells soap and handicrafts from a women’s group in Tubas, has hosted a group of Palestinians from Tubas in Brighton, has funded and helped to build a school in the Jordan Valley and plans to send a nurse to work in the area in December.

Personal blogs will be written by the group during their visit.

On their return they will be giving presentations and film shows documenting the realities of life under military occupation in Tubas. To read the blogs go to www.brightonpalestine.org/blog