When I returned to Hebron after our too long four month absence, there had been dramatic changes with respect to closure and confiscation at or around almost every Israeli controlled entrance leading into and out of the Old City. For example, in response to a couple of non fatal but close call attacks on border guards at Gate Six, the one leading from the Old City into the Ibrahimi Mosque special security zone, the military have established a system of chutes and electronically operated turnstiles. Their consequence has been to effectively stopper down the often considerable foot traffic (headed for instance to and from the Mosque at noon prayer time) to an easily regulated carefully scrutinized and controlled one person at a time trickle. The short passageway leading up to Gate Six has been divided down the middle by a sturdy metal fence -- much like those used to protect West Bank and Gaza settlements -- into outgoing and incoming lanes. To leave the Old City one must pass through two sets of turnstiles set about fifty feet apart. Each is encased in a tall metal cage. Only one person is allowed to pass through the two turnstile/cages at a time. Entrancing and exiting each cage is electronically controlled by the push of a button operated by an experientially wary armed guard staring attentively at each person passing through.
One can't make the turnstile revolve in order to even enter the first cage until the guard pushes the button. Then once inside one is trapped there as soon as the guard breaks the connection. That is done when he lifts his or her finger off the button. When the person inside is finally allowed out by another push of the button, the guard has three more opportunities to carefully scrutinize -- at his or her own speed (or whim) -- that person's attempt to enter the Mosque zone. First as he or she pushes out of the initial turnstile and then passes through a metal detector that is just like those found these days in most airports. Second as that person waits to be allowed into the second cage. And finally the third which is when he or she once again is locked inside that last cage waiting for the guard to push the release button for the last time. People returning from the Mosque security zone into the Old City get a big break; they only have to make their way through one set of turnstile/cages…and no metal detector.
I suppose I am not the only one who being obliged to cue up and participate in the inescapable process, does not for a fleeting instant feel like one of those laboratory mice being persistently conditioned to move docilely through a maze. God knows what tiny Palestinian kids with their little backpacks must think about all this as they try to make their unharassed way to school each day; although I can guess.
Nevertheless, I do know what two tiny Palestinian youngsters probably around three or four years old thought the other day as they came bouncing cheerfully into the security zone. One of the border police guards - just for laughs -- pointed his gun at the kids and made the gun sound. Aaah, aaah, aaah he bellowed. Terrified the kids fled into a nearby house. A Jewish friend was so incensed that she strode up to the policeman to complain. Despite the fact that the kids obviously had been scared out of their skulls, the guard shrugged off his myopic obliviousness by insisting that the kids "know I don't mean it." Later when our friend complained to the guard's commander, the culprit denied that the incident ever took place.
Meanwhile around the corner from the Ibrahimi Mosque and down settler-only Shuhada Street the military have blocked the entrance to Gate Four so that only one person may pass through it at a time -- but in a much less elaborate fashion. Israeli authorities have simply moved the four foot square by seven feet high metal block house that used to sit in the small plaza leading to the gate into the entrance itself thus, leaving only a narrow two and a half foot space between the block house and the gate to squeeze through. And that space is bridged by a waist high metal gate that can also be locked at any time.
Further along, a second barrier blocking access to Shuhada Street from the street leading out of the Old City past the CPT apartment has been installed recently. In addition to the heavy metal always locked fence/gate that has stood right outside the CPT apartment entrance for several years, now we are confronted by new barrier. It's made up of thick eight foot high by about three and a half feet wide concrete slabs that have been set up about fifteen feet closer to the road.
And at the heavily guarded Beit Romano entrance to the Old City the relentless detention of Palestinian young and old, women and children in order to check their IDs continues to be an occupation hazard and way of life. And for first time since I have been coming here, starting way back in 1986, the intersection was actually closed to pedestrian traffic for a few days. This was before and during Passover. To get in or out of the Old City people were obliged to work their way around the checkpoint by trudging a couple of blocks up the hill on the east side of the street and then make their way to wherever they were going through the system of ancient Ottoman era vaulted passages; they parallel the usual more direct route running down below through the souk..
Also recently, soldiers during their frequent patrols through the Old City have been rounding up young men as they go. Then they force march them to the "detention wall" at the Beit Romano checkpoint. Then instead of just obliging them to wait patiently while their IDs are checked, they are first blindfolded and handcuffed and made to sit or squat until the check is completed. (See also From The Inside Looking Out Repot #4: Looking For The Big Fish datelined Hebron August 8, 2002 for an earlier account of those kind of checkpoint detentions.)
Meanwhile, up a hill to the west of the Beit Romano checkpoint above Shuhada Street, the handful of constantly harassing settlers living in Tel Rumeida -- the smallest but most virulent of the settlements - continue to be be abetted by settler allies from elsewhere and also ominously diffident soldiers assigned to protect them. Recently they began stepping up their campaign of harassment against the handful of Palestinians still "daring" to live in their ancient homes in the shadow of Tel settlers' intrusive caravans and brand new apartment building. These settlers have also ratcheted up their menacing of Palestinian children trying to make their way safely each day to and from Qurtuba elementary girl's school located in the same area. During this past week, CPTers on school patrol have been punched and shoved by settlers during those stepped up incidents, culminating just this morning with CPTers setting out on school patrol being denied entrance to the street through the last of the checkpoints blocking entry into the Old City -- the one at Duboyya Street. And that hasn't happened to any of us for awhile.
The fallout of the increase in vituperative settler activity around Tel Rumeida, affecting CPT's primary effort to be a helpful presence to threatened young and old Palestinians. That is because the attacks are clearly due to the settlers' on going attempts (as always ultimately supported by the military in one way or another) to further isolate those few Palestinians still living insistently in the area; the settlers' aim being to finally coerce every Palestinian to get up and leave: thus turning the entire area by default over to the Israelis.
The effect of all these closures and continued confiscations and attempts to confiscate both massive and small is to complement and speed the obviously deliberate process of diminishing Palestinian existence and expectations. For instance our long time friend, Jamal, who despite the fact that his Old City business selling handicrafts has been devastated since the second uprising began has unaccountably stopped complaining, which until now has been the way he most often has reacted to his unrelenting misfortune. Suddenly he has quite dramatically changed his tune. No more complaining. Just cheerful smiling (really) determination.
"You know," he has said more than once during the short time I have been back, "the settlers want us to leave the Old City so they can have it all. And the army is helping them. They want to ruin us so we will leave. But I'm not going to do it. We are not going to do it. We are going to stay. We will show them that they can't make us leave." Meanwhile up the hill around Tel Rumeida the Palestinian remnant living there, as well as the plucky but warily cautions school children and their determined obliged to run the mean spirited and often terrifying gauntlet of screaming, spitting and sometimes shoving settlers are, hanging on too.
But it's not easy. (Details on their courageous effort to withstand the never ending efforts by ultra nationalist ultra orthodox settlers to convince them forcefully to pick up and leave in my next report.)