I woke this morning at 1130 and after a shower of sorts, water is short in Bilyin due to the closeness fo the settlement that appears to do very well for water, I wonder why(Icant find the question mark on this computer so if I need to use one I will use the hash # mark).Had a chat with the coordinator and she said she needed two people to go the Hebron in the south. So me and M the Danish guy volunteered and got the Servise bus into Ramallah and then another one to Hebron which is about an hour and a half from Ramallah. We were to be met in Hebron by another Danish guy M. This may seem a little clandestine, the use of initials but although ISM is allowed to operate in the Occupied Territories plenty of internationals have been and continue to be deported if they are arrested and can be connected to ISM not becuase of their involvement you understand, its always for Visa expiry!Which is obviously bollocks (Sorry Elz) and as this an open blog I cant put people at risk so the the two Danish Ms will from here on be known as D1 and D2- D1 is the one who I did the training with and D2 the one in Hebron, all clear#.
So we travelled to Hebron and were met by D2 who walked us to the apartment used by ISM, this entailed going through an Israeli checkpoint which wasnt a problem.
Hebron- A background. Hebron is in Palestine, Hebron is Palestinian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebron
Hebron is divided into H1 and H2 areas, H1 area is Palestinian controlled and H2 is IOF controlled, and now here is the good bit, since the second intifada in 2002 the IOF are in H1 as well, checkpoints, squaddies everywhere, disrupting the daily lives of the Palestininans. In the hour and a half we were walking we got stopped and asked questions 4 times, my first direct experience of the IOF. We walked through the Old Market distict which as D2 said is like aghost town, the steets deserted, dogs in skips, squaddies with automatic weapons and us. Why is like this# The big problem in Hebron is Settlers, they are regarded as the looniest of the loons, I am trying to be polite because you dont kbnow who is reading this! Fucking nutters really, the settlers whose houses surrounded the old market were throwing washing machines, shooting people, chucking pooh and wee,basically making the market unusable which it now is. There are around 8,500 settlers in and around Hebron and it appears that their reason fro living is to make it as difficult and unpleasant as possible for the Palestinians in the hope that they will leave and all beacuse some guy called Abraham lived here, or visited here 3,800 years ago! Dont ya just religion!
Our job here is multi faceted, night raid are common, settler violence more so and breaches of the Oslo agreements by the IOF not uncommon so we are to monitor, document where we can, de escalate where possible and to escort the kids to school as they cross checkpoints, how shit is that#stopping kids 3 or 4 times as they go to school, and I am not talking about teenages here, this is infant school age kids and international volunteers are having to guarentee their safety. So as I sit in the aprtment waiting for the call to come for an incursion it feel very much like being on nights at work! Yes, I can still remember that....just!
Till next time, tata
Monday 28 September 2009
Israeli OccupationForce V JCD Match postponed
Training completed and locations to be decided we traipsed from the hotel to ISM office in the centre ofRamallah and as reports had been coming in that there was a strong possibility of a night raid in the village of Bilyin to the North West of Ramallah and the internationals there could do with more if possible. Why would the IOF raid the houses of Palestinians in the middle of the night asthey have been doing for months (Check ISM Web for video). Well those nasty Palestinians have had the termerity to hold weekly peaceful demonstrations against the building of the apartheid wall that has seen huge tracts of their land stolen, and well the IOF cant have demonstratins with a comeback hence the night raids. The demos are organised by the villages Popular Committee (Parish Council with teeth!). The village know the consequence of continued demonstrations but continue they do in the face of hostile armed squaddies pitching up and arresting the youngsters in the village,taking themaway and holding in "Administrative Detention", which is held without charge or trail for up to 6 months which can be extended by a Military Court for another 6 months ad infinitum.Pleasant people the Israelis!
Anyway we arrived at the apartment in Bilyin and got the brief, we would watch for an incursion from midnight until 4 at various locations throughout the village, if the IOF were to drive we would do all we could, peacefully to de-escalate and de-arrest any Palestinians nabbed. This we did and thats why I was a roof of house under contruction from midnight till 4 sat with 5 internationals and 3 members of the Popular Committee, chatting and smoking without a sign, not thats not true the IOF did send one jeep along the road by the Wall, I think they were just making sure my pulse rate rose.
At the end of the 4 hours we walked bak to the apartment where I fell asleep to the sound of Prayers being called.
As a foot note one of the Internations at Bilyin was on the pre travel training I did for ISM back in February, she has been here since April and in Bilyin for 3 months and has been on every nightwatch since-Respect!
Anyway we arrived at the apartment in Bilyin and got the brief, we would watch for an incursion from midnight until 4 at various locations throughout the village, if the IOF were to drive we would do all we could, peacefully to de-escalate and de-arrest any Palestinians nabbed. This we did and thats why I was a roof of house under contruction from midnight till 4 sat with 5 internationals and 3 members of the Popular Committee, chatting and smoking without a sign, not thats not true the IOF did send one jeep along the road by the Wall, I think they were just making sure my pulse rate rose.
At the end of the 4 hours we walked bak to the apartment where I fell asleep to the sound of Prayers being called.
As a foot note one of the Internations at Bilyin was on the pre travel training I did for ISM back in February, she has been here since April and in Bilyin for 3 months and has been on every nightwatch since-Respect!
Saturday 26 September 2009
The work begins
Thanks for all the messages of support, there have been too many to reply to so please accept my thanks en masse.
It has been remiss of me not to thank the SW FBU Regional Committee for their support and to the Regional Officials who will be covering for me over the next few weeks, thanks comrades.
Last night was a nightmare regarding the hostel I stayed in, the noise was constant and try as Imight I couldnt get to sleep until around 4! I was up at 8.30 and off to Ramallah for the start of the mandatory training for two days. Our Palestinian contact turned up wearing a Celtic shirt with his name on the back...classic, I issued the "Hands off Coyle" warning and no more was said.
The journey from Jerusalem to Ramallah was uneventful although the crossing from East Jerusalem into the Occupied territories was frightening due to the amount of military hardware on display and the state of the illegal apartheid wall. Where is the International outrage at a structure that has been condemned by International Law and the UN. I dont see many countries tabling motions at the UN calling for military action against Israel for this wall that seprates families from families, farmers from their land and kids from their schools,the sheer scale of it is an afront to humanity.
There are 6 of us on the training this weekend. 1 German, 1 Italian, 1 American (who is 71), a Dane, an Austrian and me. It has really shown the true international support for the Palestinians and makes for interesting discussions during breaks.
The training itself is intense and covers subjects as cultural issues, ISM structures, weapons recognition, self care and many other headings. The main tutor is a 21 year old american who has been here over a year and has an understanding of the issues facing "first timers" (We used to call them "sprogs" in the mob) and has been superb. I will try to get her to our next Union school but Torquay may seem a bit tame after 12 months here! Ism is a non heirachical organisation but obviously the first timers do look to the "long termers" for assistance and guidance during the first few days, no doubt there will be more on this later in the week.
This will continue tomorrow when we will be given a regional update and given the locations where we will be working for the next few days.
The olive harvest starts in a couple of weeks and more internationals are expected then as there are less than twenty here at the moment.
Impressions are that ISM is a professional looking organisation, with clear aims and objectives although staffed by volunteers. I am sure that this will be a fantastic opportunity to show solidarity with the Palestinian people who have been illegally occupied for over 60 years. We have been give some stats which will take a while to sink in and I may blog some of them later.
Before I go a negative and a positive: The negative? Burnley got thrashed 5-0 by Spurs. The positive? You can smoke in the hotel!
Take care all and thanks for following! I am not sure where I will be after tomorrow so it may be a couple of days before my next post....then again it may not be
It has been remiss of me not to thank the SW FBU Regional Committee for their support and to the Regional Officials who will be covering for me over the next few weeks, thanks comrades.
Last night was a nightmare regarding the hostel I stayed in, the noise was constant and try as Imight I couldnt get to sleep until around 4! I was up at 8.30 and off to Ramallah for the start of the mandatory training for two days. Our Palestinian contact turned up wearing a Celtic shirt with his name on the back...classic, I issued the "Hands off Coyle" warning and no more was said.
The journey from Jerusalem to Ramallah was uneventful although the crossing from East Jerusalem into the Occupied territories was frightening due to the amount of military hardware on display and the state of the illegal apartheid wall. Where is the International outrage at a structure that has been condemned by International Law and the UN. I dont see many countries tabling motions at the UN calling for military action against Israel for this wall that seprates families from families, farmers from their land and kids from their schools,the sheer scale of it is an afront to humanity.
There are 6 of us on the training this weekend. 1 German, 1 Italian, 1 American (who is 71), a Dane, an Austrian and me. It has really shown the true international support for the Palestinians and makes for interesting discussions during breaks.
The training itself is intense and covers subjects as cultural issues, ISM structures, weapons recognition, self care and many other headings. The main tutor is a 21 year old american who has been here over a year and has an understanding of the issues facing "first timers" (We used to call them "sprogs" in the mob) and has been superb. I will try to get her to our next Union school but Torquay may seem a bit tame after 12 months here! Ism is a non heirachical organisation but obviously the first timers do look to the "long termers" for assistance and guidance during the first few days, no doubt there will be more on this later in the week.
This will continue tomorrow when we will be given a regional update and given the locations where we will be working for the next few days.
The olive harvest starts in a couple of weeks and more internationals are expected then as there are less than twenty here at the moment.
Impressions are that ISM is a professional looking organisation, with clear aims and objectives although staffed by volunteers. I am sure that this will be a fantastic opportunity to show solidarity with the Palestinian people who have been illegally occupied for over 60 years. We have been give some stats which will take a while to sink in and I may blog some of them later.
Before I go a negative and a positive: The negative? Burnley got thrashed 5-0 by Spurs. The positive? You can smoke in the hotel!
Take care all and thanks for following! I am not sure where I will be after tomorrow so it may be a couple of days before my next post....then again it may not be
Friday 25 September 2009
I am in!
After being dropped off at Brizzle airport, Thanks Tam, the flight to Amsterdam was uneventful, though I did find a smoking cupboard which will help on the 7 hour transfer on my way home! The flight to Tel Acic was a tad more lively due to 2/3 rds of it being under the age of 3, including one sat next to me who spent the entire flight testing my bloody patience! Though I can expect moreof that later I guess.
Arrived at the airport with my cover story going over and over in my head just in case, got to passport control and chose the most bored looking bugger I could see and Voila! No probs at all. Straight through and my rucksack was first off!
Got the Nesher taxi to Jerusalem along highways that are well maintained, well lit and with several lanes, I couldnt help compare this to what I am espexting on the West Bank.
I got dropped off by Damascus Gate in the Old city around 5.30 just as morning prayers were being called. I found my hostel and the room wouldnt be ready until around 10 this morning so after a coffee that blew my whiskers off I has a stroll around and breakfast of humous, pitta bread and orange juice (what have I done????) and got chatting to the owner who had a great deal to say about the proposed MEPP.
My first thoughts are that it is really hard to try not to be cynical about all Israelis as there are some very good peace activists and making assumptions about the entire race is just wrong, but difficult and I must keep reminding myself of that. Bizarrley the FBU Motion at TUC has not been mentioned yet, its only a matter of time.
I rang my ISM contact and unbeleivably he is based at the place I am staying tonight. The plan is to go to the WB tomorrow morning so I have the day to acclimatise.
Apologies for the spelling mistakes as I have been up 26 hours and all the print has worn off ther keyboard.
Its time to check in and my bed beckons.
Arrived at the airport with my cover story going over and over in my head just in case, got to passport control and chose the most bored looking bugger I could see and Voila! No probs at all. Straight through and my rucksack was first off!
Got the Nesher taxi to Jerusalem along highways that are well maintained, well lit and with several lanes, I couldnt help compare this to what I am espexting on the West Bank.
I got dropped off by Damascus Gate in the Old city around 5.30 just as morning prayers were being called. I found my hostel and the room wouldnt be ready until around 10 this morning so after a coffee that blew my whiskers off I has a stroll around and breakfast of humous, pitta bread and orange juice (what have I done????) and got chatting to the owner who had a great deal to say about the proposed MEPP.
My first thoughts are that it is really hard to try not to be cynical about all Israelis as there are some very good peace activists and making assumptions about the entire race is just wrong, but difficult and I must keep reminding myself of that. Bizarrley the FBU Motion at TUC has not been mentioned yet, its only a matter of time.
I rang my ISM contact and unbeleivably he is based at the place I am staying tonight. The plan is to go to the WB tomorrow morning so I have the day to acclimatise.
Apologies for the spelling mistakes as I have been up 26 hours and all the print has worn off ther keyboard.
Its time to check in and my bed beckons.
Thursday 24 September 2009
Why Palestinian issues are not a million miles away from your fire station
Anyone who watched the events over Christmas and New Year 2008/2009 of the Israeli attacks on Gaza could not have helped but be moved to tears to see the power and might of a US backed state unleash such large scale devastation on such a small area, targeting an entire people despite international laws that ban “collective punishment”.
It is beyond the comprehension of anyone who has not faced such attacks to put themselves in the place of another human being who has to deal with the suffering, pain and loss of hope that must surely go hand in hand. The fact that is it so far away and viewed whilst one eats and drinks in the comfort of a western home, with heat, light and shelter and the safety of a society that doesn’t have to countenance the possibility of another state sending tanks, armored personnel carriers and soldiers with high powered rifles into communities to root out perceived wrong doers, makes the scenes surreal and distant. But imagine that you knew someone in Gaza, as you may know someone serving in Afghanistan; does that make it more real, more important, more relative to you?
It has been asked times why the Fire Brigades Union gets involved in matter outside of the Fire and Rescue Service, particularly international matters when there is so much to do within our own union? Why does our members monies get “wasted” on things that are of no concern to firefighters on stations and workplaces around the country? These questions are valid and explanations are needed if all members are to understand the reasons why and the see the benefit for all of us who work in the Fire and Rescue Service and serve our communities so unfailingly.
We have all heard the phrase “Unity is Strength” and we use this to show that we are stronger when we are together than as individuals, but who benefits from this collectivism and who can be part of the “group” that is stronger when together? Is it members of a watch? A station? A Brigade? The union? All Unions? Or all working people who are exploited or being downtrodden at work and in their lives wherever they are on the planet?
We have all felt the effect of the crash of the global financial system to a lesser or greater extent, within the public sector we are going to feel the shockwaves a lot more in the coming years as the public purse strings are tightened and the politicians look to squeeze out more productivity, more effective use of resources and more bang for their buck! This as a result of a mouse click in a bank in the USA, so to say we are not all connected to events in far away places is clearly wrong, the big question is just how connected are we to events in Palestine?
In 2004 I was lucky enough to be a part of a delegation that travelled from Preston to Palestine organised by a local Councillor in Preston, Michael Lavallette. We travelled around the West Bank and met many people who all had their stories to tell. But the ones whose stories hit home were the firefighters in Nablus who welcomed me and Steve Harman, Brigade Secretary of Lancashire as fellow firefighters. In the many hours we spent in their company it became clear that we shared the same professional concerns, more and better training, equipment difficulties, duty systems that gave more time off, pay and other conditions of service but mainly an underlying belief that our job made a real difference to the lives of the people we served no matter what our gripes with the job were. We shared a compassion for those in need and a desire to help people no matter from what background they came. The real difference between the Palestinian Firefighters and British Firefighters were the situations faced when leaving the station whether on a shout or at the end of duty. To my knowledge no British firefighter has ever been stopped on the way to a shout by the Army demanding a full search of the fire appliance before allowing it to proceed to an incident, no British firefighter has ever been arrested and kept without being charged or tried for over 2 years, no British firefighter has ever been shot by the Army whilst returning from a shout to deliver water to a hospital that has its water supply shut off by the Army. Yet this is the lot of a Palestinian firefighter.
All firefighters felt personally on 9/11 for the New York firefighters who perished as a result of a terrorist attack, we knew what they were trying to do in rescuing the people trapped in the Twin Towers, we knew they job they were trying to do was no different from the job that we would have done had the attacks taken place on “our patch”. So we do feel connected to events in the wider world. Most firefighters have at some point in their careers have done an event for a charity that is not connected to the Fire and Rescue Service, whether as an individual or as a watch/station. What was the reason for doing events for charities? Is it not to try and help someone less fortunate; is it not as a result of feeling “connected” to whatever charity the event is for? So the arguments for the FBU being involved in International issues is because we do feel connected, we do feel compassion, we do feel that it is right to stand up for the oppressed, to fight for the underdog, to try and make a positive difference no matter how small in the lives of others.
The FBU has previously sent over members and officials on delegations to the West Bank to show solidarity to the Palestinian people and to try and provide real help. My aim on this trip is, whilst complying with the aims and objectives of the International Solidarity Movement is to try and make a positive difference to the lives of working class people and gain a greater understanding of what it is like to live in an occupied country with all that this entails. Of course getting the information out is also vital to a greater understanding and to this end I have started a blog at
http://viewfromthewall-jcd.blogspot.com/
This will be regularly updated and I hope that this will stimulate debate, inform and encourage other people to get involved in a struggle that involves us all. After all, Palestine is not a million miles from your fire station.
It is beyond the comprehension of anyone who has not faced such attacks to put themselves in the place of another human being who has to deal with the suffering, pain and loss of hope that must surely go hand in hand. The fact that is it so far away and viewed whilst one eats and drinks in the comfort of a western home, with heat, light and shelter and the safety of a society that doesn’t have to countenance the possibility of another state sending tanks, armored personnel carriers and soldiers with high powered rifles into communities to root out perceived wrong doers, makes the scenes surreal and distant. But imagine that you knew someone in Gaza, as you may know someone serving in Afghanistan; does that make it more real, more important, more relative to you?
It has been asked times why the Fire Brigades Union gets involved in matter outside of the Fire and Rescue Service, particularly international matters when there is so much to do within our own union? Why does our members monies get “wasted” on things that are of no concern to firefighters on stations and workplaces around the country? These questions are valid and explanations are needed if all members are to understand the reasons why and the see the benefit for all of us who work in the Fire and Rescue Service and serve our communities so unfailingly.
We have all heard the phrase “Unity is Strength” and we use this to show that we are stronger when we are together than as individuals, but who benefits from this collectivism and who can be part of the “group” that is stronger when together? Is it members of a watch? A station? A Brigade? The union? All Unions? Or all working people who are exploited or being downtrodden at work and in their lives wherever they are on the planet?
We have all felt the effect of the crash of the global financial system to a lesser or greater extent, within the public sector we are going to feel the shockwaves a lot more in the coming years as the public purse strings are tightened and the politicians look to squeeze out more productivity, more effective use of resources and more bang for their buck! This as a result of a mouse click in a bank in the USA, so to say we are not all connected to events in far away places is clearly wrong, the big question is just how connected are we to events in Palestine?
In 2004 I was lucky enough to be a part of a delegation that travelled from Preston to Palestine organised by a local Councillor in Preston, Michael Lavallette. We travelled around the West Bank and met many people who all had their stories to tell. But the ones whose stories hit home were the firefighters in Nablus who welcomed me and Steve Harman, Brigade Secretary of Lancashire as fellow firefighters. In the many hours we spent in their company it became clear that we shared the same professional concerns, more and better training, equipment difficulties, duty systems that gave more time off, pay and other conditions of service but mainly an underlying belief that our job made a real difference to the lives of the people we served no matter what our gripes with the job were. We shared a compassion for those in need and a desire to help people no matter from what background they came. The real difference between the Palestinian Firefighters and British Firefighters were the situations faced when leaving the station whether on a shout or at the end of duty. To my knowledge no British firefighter has ever been stopped on the way to a shout by the Army demanding a full search of the fire appliance before allowing it to proceed to an incident, no British firefighter has ever been arrested and kept without being charged or tried for over 2 years, no British firefighter has ever been shot by the Army whilst returning from a shout to deliver water to a hospital that has its water supply shut off by the Army. Yet this is the lot of a Palestinian firefighter.
All firefighters felt personally on 9/11 for the New York firefighters who perished as a result of a terrorist attack, we knew what they were trying to do in rescuing the people trapped in the Twin Towers, we knew they job they were trying to do was no different from the job that we would have done had the attacks taken place on “our patch”. So we do feel connected to events in the wider world. Most firefighters have at some point in their careers have done an event for a charity that is not connected to the Fire and Rescue Service, whether as an individual or as a watch/station. What was the reason for doing events for charities? Is it not to try and help someone less fortunate; is it not as a result of feeling “connected” to whatever charity the event is for? So the arguments for the FBU being involved in International issues is because we do feel connected, we do feel compassion, we do feel that it is right to stand up for the oppressed, to fight for the underdog, to try and make a positive difference no matter how small in the lives of others.
The FBU has previously sent over members and officials on delegations to the West Bank to show solidarity to the Palestinian people and to try and provide real help. My aim on this trip is, whilst complying with the aims and objectives of the International Solidarity Movement is to try and make a positive difference to the lives of working class people and gain a greater understanding of what it is like to live in an occupied country with all that this entails. Of course getting the information out is also vital to a greater understanding and to this end I have started a blog at
http://viewfromthewall-jcd.blogspot.com/
This will be regularly updated and I hope that this will stimulate debate, inform and encourage other people to get involved in a struggle that involves us all. After all, Palestine is not a million miles from your fire station.
Tuesday 22 September 2009
All ready to go
Nearly, a couple of days left and a ton of washing to do, a SWTUC meeting and the Clarets are playing tonight:
Been contacted by B who I met on my training and who will be back out there next month so hope to catch up with him on the phone before Thursday for a natter.
Its time for my blog to be launced upon the tinternet thingy so if those that have read it can spread the word from Thursday that would be grand and hopefully there will be more interesting postings than the wittering of an idiot.
Next post should be at the weekend...until then.....
Been contacted by B who I met on my training and who will be back out there next month so hope to catch up with him on the phone before Thursday for a natter.
Its time for my blog to be launced upon the tinternet thingy so if those that have read it can spread the word from Thursday that would be grand and hopefully there will be more interesting postings than the wittering of an idiot.
Next post should be at the weekend...until then.....
Tuesday 8 September 2009
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