I am back.
If anyone follows my blog and my pictures, then you must have to understand that I am back in Palestine after a long break.
It is always a strange feeling returning here, a mix between happyness to find back friends and what has become my home, and a more anxious feeling about the overall situation. Will I be able to face it, overcome anger and frustration to be able to be constructive? Will I become stressed and drained just after one week and lose the benefit of my break?
The situation remains the same, but as expected only deteriorating. In Jerusalem, the ethnic cleansing continues. Despite the mobilization, the families of Palestinian sheikh jarrah find themselves homeless. The situation has changed since my departure 4 months ago, another house has been conquered by the settlers.
The Israeli police and the army are trying to suppress any dissidcnce. Protesters were arrested arrested, some have even been charged. Palestinians build and strengthen the popular resistance? The organizers are starting also to be all arrested. With a handful of internationals on Thursday night, we stayed in Al Ma'sara, a village south of Bethlehem, also the theater as in Bil'in and Nil'in of weekly demonstrations against the Wall that is strangling the village and swallows his land. The leaders of the demonstrations were arrested, in May. They were subsequently released under bail but they still have legal proceedings against them. More recently they were clearly threatened so it was decided that an international presence will be a good thing.
The nocturnal raids continue, Israeli soldiers returning every evening in these villages which dare to resist. One of the major players of the popular resistance, Mohammed Katib Bil'in has just been arrested.
The settlers continue their conquest of the west Bank and Jerusalem. They walk around with with defiance. Yesterday settlers just took over the house of a 80 year-old Palestinian women and locked themselves inside.
No, my return is not very cheerful.
But should we give up yet? Cannot we find some hope in the determined eyes of the Palestinians in demonstrations, in the shoutings of Israeli activists who despite numerous arrests are always present, in the press articles that are multiplying on the rise of popular resistance, in the progress of the boycott everywhere, and in the rising of other villages such as Nabi Saleh?
I had a new strange feeling in the demonstrations on Friday,. Perhaps a long break has given me more wisdom and strength, but I felt almost serene. I watched calmy at all the soldiers, the member of the police and settlers, and I thought: you do not manage to make us afraid. One day, I am sure you will not be longer here since you have nothing to do in this place except to sow the seeds of your own destruction.
En voyant mes photos, vous avez du comprendre que je suis de retour en Palestine.
On a toujours une drole d'impression en rentrant ici. La situation est toujours la meme, mais non en fait elle empire. A Jerusalem, le nettoyage ethnique continue. Malgre la grande mobilisation, les familles palestiniennes de sheikh jarrah se retrouvent a la rue. La situation a change depuis mon depart il y a 4 mois, une autre maison a ete conquise par les colons.
La police et l'armee tentent de reprimer toute dissidcnce, les manifestants sont arretes, certains ont meme ete inculpes. Des Palestiniens construisent et consolident la resistance populaire? Les organisateurs commencent a etre tous arretes. Du coup avec une poignee d'internationaux, jeudi soir nous sommes restes couches a Al Masara, un village au sud de Bethleem, theatre aussi comme a Bil'in, et a Nil'in de manifestations hebdomadaires contre le Mur qui etrangle le village et avale ses terres. Les leaders de la manifestations ont deja ete arretes, ils ont encore des procedures legales contre eux, mais ils sont menaces a nouveau. Les raids noctures continuent, les soldats israeliens rentrent tous les soirs dans ces villages qui resistent. Un des acteurs majeurs de la resistance populaire, Mohammed Katib de Bil'in vient tout juste d'etre arrete.
Les colons quant a eux marchent tete haute avec defiance, ils savent qu'ils ne seront pas inquietes. Des colons sont aujourd'hui rentres dans une maison d'une palestinienne de 80 ans et se sont barricades a l'interieur.
Non, mon retour n'est pas tres joyeux.
Mais faut-il pourtant baisser les bras? Ne peut-on pas trouver de l'espoir dans les regards determines des palestiniens dans les manifestations, dans les cris des activistes israeliens qui malgre les arrestations repondent presents, dans les articles de presse qui se multiplient sur la montee en puissance de la resistance populaire, dans les avancees du boycott, dans l'avenement de nouvelles manifestations comme a nabi saleh?
J'ai eu un drole de sentiment nouveau dans les manifestations, peut-etre que apres un long sejour m'a donne de la sagesse ou de la force, mais je me sentais presque sereine. Je regardais tous les soldats, tous les policiers, et je pensais: vous ne nous faites pas peur. Un jour, j'en suis persuadee, vous ne serez plus la puisque vous n'avez rien a faire ici sinon que de semer les graines de votre propre destruction.
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