Pictures from Palestine/Israel

I’m still a bit uncertain about posting photos into the blog. Both because I’m uncertain about digital photography in general and because I know they take a lot of space/time for people with slow connections to get access to. So I uploaded them onto my home website and shall provide links here.
Here goes.
Here are photos from my visit to the Jabaliya camp Islamic preschool, in Gaza, as described in my Salon article on the Hamas women: classroom scene, phys ed session, teachers doing puppets, writing teacher.
Here are two views– taken by the talented Laila el-Haddad– of the Salah Foundation Girls’ School in Deir al-Balah (also described in the Salon article): the school’s mosque and library building, and a classroom block.
Here is the truly 1984-ish crossing point from Ramallah to Jerusalem, at Qalandiya: first, the general approach from the Ramallah side, then some of the graffiti— a work by Banksy on the left and a nice image of Gandhi on the right.
You can only see one, 30-foot-high concrete-clad Israeli watchtower in that first picture…. So you’ve arrived at Qalandiya from Ramallah or el-Bireh, most likely in a car or a share-taxi– you can see these vehicles all turning around there at the crossing point. Then you go on foot with all your bags or sick granny or whatever through a break in this wall just to the left of the watch-tower and then traverse the weird lunarscape of gashed-into rock and earth beyond it, walking 100 yards to the under-construction “terminal” there, which has complex gate systems that lead you to a no-man’s land on the other side. The lunarscape and the no-man’s land are also studded with two or three free-standing watchtowers, 30-feet and 40-feet high. And there’s also a lot of other construction there. You walk along a trash-strewn walkway to another short segment of wall, beyond which are the vehicles that take you to locations within the next sections of wall– either al-Ram, walled in right ahead of you to the left, or to Jerusalem itself, for which you dip down to a little place on the right where small buses wait to gather people who have the favored Jeusalem passbooks. The bus then inscribes a huge arc to the southwest– on “Israelis only” roads in this completely apartheided road system– and then arrives to the bus depot on Jerusalem’s Nablus Road.
These are some scenes I noted in Tel Aviv/Jaffa when I took the walk described in this JWN post: the seaside monument to Jewish illegal immigration into Palestine, IDF female soldiers slouching toward Jaffa with their guns, a mosque in the shadow of the David Intercontinental Hotel,a display on Deir Yassin in the Irgun Museum, exterior view of the Irgun Museum, and a small slice of Old Jaffa.
Three pics from Jerusalem: the Damascus Gate to the Old City, with some IOF soldiers visible over to the right; Palestinian herb vendors at the Damascus Gate– notice the beautiful embroidered dresses some wear for their daily work!– and finally just a little view through a postern in the middle of a busy shoopping street– with a T-shirt vendor to the right.
Here are some pics from the showroom of the Atfaluna (“our children”) school and project for the deaf in Gaza City, which is an oasis of calm and focused industry right there on Filasteen Street: embroidered bags, embroidered cushions, and a general view of the shop/showroom there. If anyone wants to buy some of their beautiful products (and help their project and their clients by doing so) then I can assure you their goods are beautifully made, beautifully finished, and their order fulfillment/distribution system is little short of miraculous.

27 thoughts on “Pictures from Palestine/Israel”

  3. Helena is again spelling “IDF” wrong.
    And now she is apparently deleting posts when I call her out on such immature actions!

  4. Joshua, sweetie, I’d like to know just why you think it’s “immature” to point out that Israeli troops deployed in occupied territories should not be referred to as such?
    Would you think we should call the US troops in Iraq a “defense force”?
    Maybe you do. I don’t know. But you’ve made your point on this IOF issue many times before on JWN– and nearly always in this same decidedly non-courteous, patronizing way. Enough already.
    Israeli troops deployed anywhere outside the internationally recognized borders of Israel are an occupation force. I would say that trying to deny that fact is pretty “immature”. But then, Israel’s territorial aggrandizers and their suppporters have been indulged like spoiled babies for many years now, so perhaps it’s not surprising if they (and you?) continue to behave that way.
    So no, you don’t need to make your point again. Also, if you come onto my blog and purport to refer to me, please address me directly rather than in this childish, grandstanding way by referring to me in the third person.

  5. Helena,
    Israel can defend itself by occupying adjacent territory. There is no actual term “occupation force.” It is clearly not a definitive term, but a childish insult on your part. And it is no way discourteous to point out, certainly no less discourteous than the use of the term in the first place.
    I would also question whether the old city of Jerusalem is “occupied.”

  7. Joshua, you “would question” whether whether the Old City of Jerusalem is occupied. Well, that puts you in a distinct minority, global-wise, doesn’t it, since the UN, the ICRC, and all the governments of the world except Israel, Costa Rica– oh and let’s not forget Micronesia!– happen to disagree with you.
    Also, occupying someone else’s land for nearly 39 years is not a recipe for any state’s defense. Ever hear of Immanuel Kant?

  8. Helena,
    I read the article that you had on Salon. I suppose that this may be a bit odd, but is there a way to donate books, colouring utensils (crayons and the such) and school supplies to the children that were mentioned in the article. For all of the faults of the parents, the children should not be punished for them. I on principle do not give moneies to organisations (I find it difficult to track exactly where my money goes) but I would love to find a way to donate something that would go directly to the children and would beneift their education endeavours.
    Sincerely,
    Michelle Shaffer

  9. If the relevant individuals in question have been trying to kill you for 50+ years, and absolutely refuse any reasonable negotiation or settlement, then perhaps occupation is necessary.
    Personally, I think that Israel has defended itself pretty well. Puerile barbs from Helena don’t really affect its security.
    I’d like to see less deaths, on both sides, so I’d like to see a negotiated agreement. In the meantime, I hope the soldiers who defend Israel, including those who patrol the Old City, do their jobs in the most effective and moral way that is possible when dealing with the enemy that they must confront.
    Just to clarify Helena. Do you consider any land that Jordan ethnically cleansed of Jews and annexed to now be “Palestinian land?”

  10. Yes I am, Joshua, just as I am prepared to consider that areas that the yishuv and Israel ethnically cleansed of far greater numbers of Palestinians to be “Israeli land.”
    As you’ll know if you’ve read my writings carefully, I could see either a two-state or a one-state final outcome west of the river. But either way, there has to be mutuality. You can’t just whine about the ethnic cleansing of a relatively small number of Jews from the West Bank without seeking rectification or compensation for everyone ethnically cleansed in and after the 1948 fighting. At least, you can’t, if you believe in the fundamental equality of all people.

  11. Joshua,
    You are quite correct. It is immature and childish. It is also unprofessional in the case of a journalist. Best to ignore it.

  12. rectification or compensation
    If you consider the lost opportunities for economic growth caused by the Arab-Israeli conflict I think you’ll have to agree they may easily exceed the financial value of properties lost by the Arabs in 1948.
    The material costs of “no peace, no recognition, no negotiation” include:

    1. All the money spent on armaments, tanks and jets.
    2. All the costs of walls and checkpoints and lost time.
    3. Economic value of human lives lost, educations wasted.
    4. Generations of Palestinians with little or no education.
    5. World economic costs of oil boycotts.
    6. Economic lossses due to strikes, closures.
    7. whatever I’ve left out.

    As an investment adviser, Yassir Arafat has to go down as one of the worst in history. If the Palestinians had simply negotiated for participation in a part of the Israeli economy (jobs, education, trade, joint projects) they would immeasurably more prosperous and numerous and would have surpassed the loss of property values of 1948.
    Plus, there is the incalculable loss of life on both sides with the grief and anger it causes.

  13. Just a technical note. For photos you might want to consider setting up an account at http://www.flickr.com/ It’s a great, really user friendly site to use and you don’t have to worry about resizing photos or playing around with photoshop. It works really well for people with dial-up or broadband access.

  14. Warren W, I’m afraid that once again you reveal how little you know about the actual situation when you write about Generations of Palestinians with little or no education. Why do you bother to render grandiose opinions on topics you know so little about?
    I agree, however, with the general point that the perpetuation of the conflict has been extremely damaging to both Arabs and Israelis, though far less so to Israelis, many of whom have profited very nicely out of it, thank you (development of massive arms industry; arms sales throughout the world; creation of US-subsidized, Jews-only settlements in stolen land; etc, etc.)
    Israel has had many chances to settle all aspects of its conflict with its Arab neighbors since about 1974– on the basis prescribed in international law, which is “the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force.” It could have settled with Syria on this basis, the same way it did with Egypt. Re the WB and Gaza, it could have settled on this basis with (at one time) King Hussein, or later with Yasser Araft. But it has consistently chosen not to do this, preferring to hang onto occupied territories and its illegal settlements therein, rather than to sign on to a final, non-aggrandizing peace settlement.
    Why the hostility that you and nearly all other pro-Israeli commentators express here to the strictures of international law regarding this conflict? Can it be true that you think some people are “more equal” than others? Say it ain’t so!

  15. I think we all agree that all humans have inherently the same worth. That also means that humans have to accept that actions have consequences, and that when they identify and fight behind a particular movement, they may suffer the setbacks of that movement.
    And Helena, I see nothing hostile in WarrenW’s remarks, even when I disagree with them. It seems that you just don’t know how to take criticism well.
    I understand that the blog is kind of a neat tool for you, where you don’t have to worry about editors toning down otherwise inflammatory or provocative language (or name calling). But you can’t expect to drop all journalistic standards here and not be criticized on it. There’s some room for informality on a weblog, but there are still standards to be met, at least if you want the courtesy and respect you demand.
    If not, then that’s ok. It’s “your house” so to speak. But then don’t be surprised if discussions devolve and comments are not to your liking.

  16. “I think we all agree that all humans have inherently the same worth.”
    The devil is in the details. It is easy to make this statement but another thing to follow through in a concrete way. I haven’t seen much in your remarks that shows you acknowledge the rights of Palestinians.
    “It seems that you just don’t know how to take criticism well.”
    Give me a break; it is Israel’s supporters that have tried to silence criticism of Israel in the U.S. by using sleezy McCarthyistic tactics. Paul Findley’s book “They Dare To Speak Out” offers a record of this history.
    “you can’t expect to drop all journalistic standards ”
    The U.S. media has been cowed by Israel’s supporters into presenting racist and biased reporting on the conflict that is pleasing to Israel. In most other countries I doubt Helena’s views would seem unusual.

  17. “Generations of Palestinians with little or no education. Why do you bother to render grandiose opinions on topics you know so little about?”
    The point still stands that the Palestinian decision to take a rejectionist point of view has cost the Palestinians a great deal in terms of eduational opportunity. The lost economic value is enormous. Most of them in camps outside Israel or the Occupied Territories have had even fewer opportunities. It is true that in the West Bank there are Palestinian universities. These did not exist until Israel was created and there are no Palestinian universities in other countries.
    My impression of the camps in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon was that educational opportunities were few. If I was wrong I am glad to be corrected.
    No, I don’t think some people are “More equal” than others. This issue is a red herring.
    “…the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force.”
    I don’t think this imaginary international law has been applied anywhere in the world to enforce the admissibility of the acquisisition of territory. There might have been one small spot here or there but I’ve never heard of it. Why should a “Law” apply to Jews and nobody else?
    The reasons that international “Law” is irrelevant, is that it is not law, and cannot be relied upon to protect Jews. It’s that simple. Certainly Israel learned this lesson well in May 1967, when Nasser removed the UN “Peacekeepers” from the Sinai, in preparation for war.

  18. WarrenW wrote
    The reasons that international “Law” is irrelevant, is that it is not law, and cannot be relied upon to protect Jews.
    “Days before Israel’s military assault on Jericho prison it warned Britain and America that it would seize Palestinians held there under an international agreement for killing an Israeli cabinet minister if the two countries withdrew their monitors.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1731814,00.html

  19. ok, as for the Jericho operation; it has/had nothing to do with a Palestinian threat or bringing someone to justice and everything to do with the upcoming Israeli elections. Get real, it was a campaign photo op to show that Olmert and Kadima were strong on security.

  20. Posted by: WarrenW “Why should a “Law” apply to Jews and nobody else?”
    umm, remember 1990-91 …. Gulf War …. Saddam … Kuwait … 500,000 US troops ….

  22. With respect to Jericho, I don’t know if it was an election ploy or not. But it seems obviously that Olmert at least had some election considerations in his head.
    And I think it’s equally obvious that Hamas, by publically demanding the prisoner’s releases on the eve of the election, was trying to put Olmert in a bind.
    I think one can question was it really necessary to raid the prison when it was done, or if there could have been further negotiations to try to delay or avoid such a step. On the other hand, no Israeli government, no matter who ran it, could NOT take action if the Palestinians were going to release the killers of an MK from prison.

  23. “IDF female soldiers slouching toward Jaffa with their guns… ”
    — um, Helena, how can you tell they’re “slouching”?

  24. p.s., I do recognise the reference, of course:
    “What rough beast, its hour come at last,
    Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?” (Yeats)

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