[NuovoLaboratorio] FW: [iwps-pal-reports] IWPS Report 46: Salfit Women Resist the Wall

Author: Giovanna Caviglione
Date:
Subject: [NuovoLaboratorio] FW: [iwps-pal-reports] IWPS Report 46: Salfit Women Resist the Wall

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ricevo e inoltro.
non ho tempo di tradurre!
giovanna caviglione

----------
Da: IWPS <iwps@???>
Risposta: IWPS <iwps@???>
Data: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 09:20:04 +0200
A: iwps-pal-reports@???
Oggetto: [iwps-pal-reports] IWPS Report 46: Salfit Women Resist the Wall

Salfit Women Resist the Apartheid Wall

Since the beginning of September, IWPS has been supporting Palestinian wome=
n
in the district of Salfit to mobilize in opposition to the Apartheid Wall.
The wall's second phase will sever access to land for most of the villages
in this district. The work began out of an idea hatched by our members and
long time Palestinian activist Fatima Khaldi. The idea was that IWPS would
create an exhibit using some of the photos and other documentation we've
collected about the wall, which could then be used during the meetings of
various women's committees as an educational and organizing tool. The
exhibit was created and then gave rise to informational meetings about the
wall, solidarity visits by women from Salfit to families affected by the
wall, and ultimately the formation of a women's committee against the wall
in Salfit. Over 400 women from 11 villages in the Salfit district have
participated in the activities of the women's committee. According to
organizer Fatima Khaldi, this is the only district-wide activist project
undertaken by the women of Salfit during the second Intifada.

=20

The philosophy of the women's committee is that nonviolent action is the
most strategic way to make gains and oppose the Israeli Occupation and the
wall. Additionally, the committee believes that women have an active role
to play in organizing against the wall in this district. They are committe=
d
to utilizing the media to bring attention to their efforts and to the impac=
t
of the wall. They are also committed to promoting the idea of collective
action and resistance on a grand scale to the occupation and its new face,
the wall. =20

=20

The committee's first public action was planned for the International Day o=
f
Action Against the Wall, November 9. The newly formed Women's Committee
Against the Wall, Salfit District, chose this date to respond to the call t=
o
action against the wall all over Palestine and the rest of the world. They
chose Mas'ha as the site for the demonstration, since this small village in
our district, only 6 km East of the Green Line, has seen some 70% of its
land be devoured by the wall. Mas'ha is currently the southernmost point o=
f
the snaking path of the wall. Women from the villages of Rafat, Bidya,
Mas=92ha, Qarawat Bani Hassan, Marda, Yasouf, Iskaka, Qira and Hares met in
Mas=92ha order to express opposition to the wall that is disrupting their
village and their lives.

=20

Fifty women and 15 men gathered at the municipality building, and using
consensus, went over the plan for the day, getting input from each woman an=
d
man. The group then proceeded to walk in a silent procession, as previousl=
y
agreed, along the fence of the wall. We walked hand in hand, in two rows,
toward our finally rallying point, a house that is isolated on the other
side of the wall from the village, and is now completely fenced in between =
a
settlement and the wall. As we mounted the hill we saw the photographers
and journalists waiting for us at the top. We were met at the top of the
hill by soldiers who told us we could not walk through the gate to get to
the isolated house. Palestinian and international negotiators demanded
access and we stood our ground. Finally, due to the pressure of the
peaceful demonstrators and the eagerly watching media, the soldiers stood
aside as we walked through to meet the house's owners, Munira and Hani
A'amer, who were overcome with emotions.

=20

After we arrived, the joyous group stood in a circle outside the house of
Munira and Hani in the shadow of the wall. Fatima spoke the about the
commitment of women and men in the district to rise up against the wall.
Everyone sang together, people crying as they sang. The women returned hom=
e
with the feeling that they had taken a first step toward holding their head=
s
up. Those that had been unsure about their participation in the morning
left at the end of the day asking about the committee's future plans. They
left the signs they had brought on Munira=92s house, as a reminder that the
family still has friends and neighbors, even though they cannot see them.

=20

The demonstration comes at a crucial time for the Salfit district. As Phas=
e
I devastated Qalqilya, Phase 2 will carve Salfit up into dozens of tiny
islands, cut off from one another and from the land which sustains them.
Salfit is the unfortunate home of Ariel, the largest settlement in the West
Bank, which stretches from the village of Marda in the east to the village
of Hares in the west. Fifty trees in Kifl Hares, directly across from the
entrance to Ariel, were cut down several months ago to make a =93security
zone=94 and the entrance to the village, which includes a popular plant shop,
was declared a closed military zone. The villages of Refat, Deir Balut and
Azawiye are to be isolated from the rest of Palestine, in between the Wall
and the Green Line. Some of the participants in the demonstration from
these villages had not seen the wall before Nov. 9, and the concrete wall i=
n
Munira=92s front yard vividly showed them how important it is to take action.

=20

These demonstrations are a call to the world community to condemn and take
responsibility for the human rights crisis in Palestine and its latest
manifestation in the form of the Apartheid Wall. As they women continue to
organize a grassroots movement against the wall in this area, they open a
new chapter in the annals of the second Intifada.

=20

Text by Nijmie=20

for photos check out www.womenspeacepalestine.org/iwpsreports.html
<http://www.womenspeacepalestine.org/iwpsreports.html>

=20

Copyright =A9 2003 by IWPS. All rights reserved.

This copyright protects IWPS's right to future publication of our work.
Nonprofit, activist, and educational groups may circulate these reports and
photos (forward them, reprint them, translate them, post them, or reproduce
them) for nonprofit uses consistent with the goals of IWPS and the
Palestinian liberation movement. Please do not change any part of it withou=
t
permission.=20

To receive IWPS reports email iwps-pal-reports-subscribe@???.
To unsubscribe email iwps-pal-reports-unsubscribe@???. For
more information about International Women's Peace Service in Hares, email
iwps@palnet.

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<TITLE>FW: [iwps-pal-reports] IWPS Report 46: Salfit Women Resist the Wall<=
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<BODY>
ricevo e inoltro. 
non ho tempo di tradurre! 
giovanna caviglione 
 
---------- 
Da: IWPS <iwps@???> 
Risposta: IWPS <iwps@???> 
Data: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 09:20:04 +0200 
A: iwps-pal-reports@??? 
Oggetto: [iwps-pal-reports] IWPS Report 46: Salfit Women Resist the =
Wall 
 
Salfit Women Resist the Apartheid Wall<=
FONT SIZE=3D"2"> 
 
Since the beginning of September, IWPS has been supporting Palestini=
an women in the district of Salfit to mobilize in opposition to the Aparthei=
d Wall.  The wall's second phase will sever access to land for most of =
the villages in this district.  The work began out of an idea hatched b=
y our members and long time Palestinian activist Fatima Khaldi.  The id=
ea was that IWPS would create an exhibit using some of the photos and other =
documentation we've collected about the wall, which could then be used durin=
g the meetings of various women's committees as an educational and organizin=
g tool.  The exhibit was created and then gave rise to informational me=
etings about the wall, solidarity visits by women from Salfit to families af=
fected by the wall, and ultimately the formation of a women's committee agai=
nst the wall in Salfit.  Over 400 women from 11 villages in the Salfit =
district have participated in the activities of the women's committee. &nbsp=
;According to organizer Fatima Khaldi, this is the only district-wide activi=
st project undertaken by the women of Salfit during the second Intifada.<FON=
T SIZE=3D"2"> 
 
 
 
The philosophy of the women's committee is that nonviolent action is=
the most strategic way to make gains and oppose the Israeli Occupation and =
the wall.  Additionally, the committee believes that women have an acti=
ve role to play in organizing against the wall in this district.  They =
are committed to utilizing the media to bring attention to their efforts and=
to the impact of the wall.  They are also committed to promoting the i=
dea of collective action and resistance on a grand scale to the occupation a=
nd its new face, the wall.   
 
 
 
The committee's first public action was planned for the Internationa=
l Day of Action Against the Wall, November 9.  The newly formed Women's=
Committee Against the Wall, Salfit District, chose this date to respond to =
the call to action against the wall all over Palestine and the rest of the w=
orld.  They chose Mas'ha as the site for the demonstration, since this =
small village in our district, only 6 km East of the Green Line, has seen so=
me 70% of its land be devoured by the wall.  Mas'ha is currently the so=
uthernmost point of the snaking path of the wall.  Women from the villa=
ges of Rafat, Bidya, Mas=92ha, Qarawat Bani Hassan, Marda, Yasouf, Iskaka, Qir=
a and Hares met in Mas=92ha order to express opposition to the wall that is di=
srupting their village and their lives.   
 
 
 
Fifty women and 15 men gathered at the municipality building, and us=
ing consensus, went over the plan for the day, getting input from each woman=
and man.  The group then proceeded to walk in a silent procession, as =
previously agreed, along the fence of the wall.  We walked hand in hand=
, in two rows, toward our finally rallying point, a house that is isolated o=
n the other side of the wall from the village, and is now completely fenced =
in between a settlement and the wall.  As we mounted the hill we saw th=
e photographers and journalists waiting for us at the top.  We were met=
at the top of the hill by soldiers who told us we could not walk through th=
e gate to get to the isolated house.  Palestinian and international neg=
otiators demanded access and we stood our ground.  Finally, due to the =
pressure of the peaceful demonstrators and the eagerly watching media, the s=
oldiers stood aside as we walked through to meet the house's owners, Munira =
and Hani A'amer, who were overcome with emotions. 
 
 
 
After we arrived, the joyous group stood in a circle outside the hou=
se of Munira and Hani in the shadow of the wall.  Fatima spoke the abou=
t the commitment of women and men in the district to rise up against the wal=
l.  Everyone sang together, people crying as they sang.  The women=
returned home with the feeling that they had taken a first step toward hold=
ing their heads up.  Those that had been unsure about their participati=
on in the morning left at the end of the day asking about the committee's fu=
ture plans.  They left the signs they had brought on Munira=92s house, as=
a reminder that the family still has friends and neighbors, even though the=
y cannot see them. 
 
 
 
The demonstration comes at a crucial time for the Salfit district. &=
nbsp;As Phase I devastated Qalqilya, Phase 2 will carve Salfit up into dozen=
s of tiny islands, cut off from one another and from the land which sustains=
them.  Salfit is the unfortunate home of Ariel, the largest settlement=
in the West Bank, which stretches from the village of Marda in the east to =
the village of Hares in the west.  Fifty trees in Kifl Hares, directly =
across from the entrance to Ariel, were cut down several months ago to make =
a =93security zone=94 and the entrance to the village, which includes a popular =
plant shop, was declared a closed military zone. The villages of Refat, Deir=
Balut and Azawiye are to be isolated from the rest of Palestine, in between=
the Wall and the Green Line.  Some of the participants in the demonstr=
ation from these villages had not seen the wall before Nov. 9, and the concr=
ete wall in Munira=92s front yard vividly showed them how important it is to t=
ake action. 
 
 
 
These demonstrations are a call to the world community to condemn an=
d take responsibility for the human rights crisis in Palestine and its lates=
t manifestation in the form of the Apartheid Wall.  As they women conti=
nue to organize a grassroots movement against the wall in this area, they op=
en a new chapter in the annals of the second Intifada. 
 
 
 
Text by Nijmie 
 
for photos check out www.womenspeacepalestine.org/iwpsreports.html &=
lt;http://www.womenspeacepalestine.org/iwpsreports.html> 
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright =A9 2003 by IWPS. All rights reserved. 
 
This copyright protects IWPS's right to future publication of our wo=
rk.  Nonprofit, activist, and educational groups may circulate these re=
ports and photos (forward them, reprint them, translate them, post them, or =
reproduce them) for nonprofit uses consistent with the goals of IWPS and the=
Palestinian liberation movement. Please do not change any part of it withou=
t permission. 
 
To receive IWPS reports email iwps-pal-reports-subscribe@???=
p.net.  To unsubscribe email iwps-pal-reports-unsubscribe@???.=
net.  For more information about International Women's Peace Service in=
Hares, email iwps@palnet. 
 
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