CPTnet
November 22, 2000

HEBRON: When Will the Occupation End?
by Rich Meyer

A few Sundays ago I stopped in to visit a
friend in Jerusalem. Ten days before I had
picked olives with his family at their land
near Hebron. Anwar had not been with them.

"No, I couldn't come to pick olives," he said.
"If I'm caught [by the army], it's a 10,000
shekel fine [about US$2500]. I haven't been
home for six weeks. Look, this is no life: if
I were dead, I couldn't see my family; now, I
can't see my family. It's the same as if I
were dead. Seven years they talk peace, what
peace?"

I agreed, the last seven years had not been
good. Oslo was not peace, it was an attempt by
Israel to solidify control from a position of
superior power.

"When can we talk about peace?" I asked.

"After the occupation," he replied. "Look, I
come and take your house. Now I am living in
your house, I say, 'Let's talk about peace?'
No, first you get out of my house, then we can
talk peace."

"All right," I say, "then when Israel
withdraws from the occupied territories.
Maybe six or seven years?"

"Seven more years like this?" Anwar said. "I
have to work here. but I'm afraid now to go
back and forth to Hebron. They could catch me
at the checkpoint. Tomorrow my parents leave
Hebron for Jordan, then Saudi Arabia. I want
to say good-bye to them tonight, but I can't."

I agreed that seven years would seem pretty
long. "How about three months? If the
occupation ends in three months?" "Yes, that
would be great." "OK, so we have a range.
Somewhere between three months and seven
years." We laughed.

I said, "Anwar, tomorrow I'm going to be with
an Israeli woman who has worked hard for years
to end the occupation. She wants to come to
Hebron tomorrow to meet with Palestinians
whose homes have been shot at by the IDF. What
do you think she should do now?"

"The first thing is, stop killing our
children. Go ahead and shoot anyone with a
gun, but they should stop killing the kids who
only have stones."

"But Anwar, SHE isn't killing the kids. She
doesn't have a gun. What do you want me to
tell HER from you?"

"That's hard. I'll need to think."

"OK," I said, "I'll stop back next week, you
can tell me then. Now, if I'm giving you an
assignment, you can give me one. What question
should I try to answer by next week?"

"Tell me when the occupation will end."

"Three months to seven years isn't good
enough?"

"No. Three months is OK, seven years is too
long. I want to know exactly when the
occupation will end."

A few days ago, the curfew in Hebron was
lifted and the shops downstairs were allowed
to open -- because the IDF said so. Then they
imposed the curfew again. This is a military
occupation, and the Intifada is about ending
the occupation. Any conversation about what
is happening in this Intifada, about who is
doing what or who needs to do what, needs to
begin here. And Anwar is still awaiting an
answer -- when will the occupation end?