General Situation

Although CPTers observe fewer episodes of abuse at checkpoints than they had in some months, Israeli soldiers and border police perpetrated at least two serious incidents: a beating on 8 August and a shooting on 26 August.  Israeli settlers encroached on land in the Beqa'a Valley.  Settler sponsored tours continued regularly through the souq (market) on Saturday afternoons, even in the midst of Ramadan crowds.  Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and prayer began on August 22 and continued into the following month.

It's the first Friday of Ramadan, 28 August 2009.  I'm walking on street patrol to the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City of Hebron, squeezed between hundreds of men, women, and children also making their way to the Mosque.  For them, it's time to observe the daily formal Ramadan prayers.  There's very little pushing, but also very little air.  Everyone is shoulder to shoulder, front to back, almost one unit moving ahead-slowly, surely, like a turtle on its way to the sea.