During my research methods class last Wednesday evening, we received news that Hamas’s military leader, Ahmed Jabari, had been assassinated by an Israeli air strike. As the conflict between Gaza militants and Israel escalated over the next day, my friends and I decided to move ahead with our weekend plans to go to Jerusalem. We reassured ourselves that we would be safe in the center of the country and reminded ourselves that, as all Israelis and Palestinians know, we couldn’t just stop living because of a remote threat.
After Friday afternoon prayers ended in Jerusalem’s Old City, I joined a huge mass of people moving out of Damascus Gate into East Jerusalem to see what kind of demonstration against Israeli action in Gaza might ensue.
I thought some kind of demonstration was in the works because riot police had been loitering outside the Old City for several hours. Maybe 20 people were chanting, but most people – myself included – were just trying to move away from the demonstrators. For a few minutes, Palestinians chanted, an IDF surveillance helicopter circled overhead, and Israeli riot police and members of the press observed from a distance.
I have no idea how the violence started. All it takes is one person to feel physically threatened and shove someone else, and things begin to escalate. There’s no way I can accurately interpret the actions of either side, so I’ll just stick to what I witnessed as objectively as I can. Young, unarmed Palestinian men trying to run away from the demonstration were apprehended by police officers in full riot gear (helmets, body armor, batons, guns, sound grenades), usually three or four officers to a protester.
Many of the Palestinian women present got close to these scuffles to yell at the officers, and when they were knocked down, the crowd got angrier. At one point, a girl a few feet away from me was elbowed in the face by a police officer wrestling with a protester; later, I saw an elderly Palestinian couple get knocked down by a crowd swarming toward a young man being arrested.
By the time the protest quieted down, I had seen probably four or five young men being frog-marched to the nearby jail.
I don’t think the behavior I observed was significantly different from riot police conduct anywhere else in the world, but I wonder about what contributed to the violence. What would have happened if the riot police officer hadn’t been close enough to the crowd to get shoved – why couldn’t he watch from a distance? What makes a teenage boy so blindly mad that he charges three or four fully armed soldiers who weren’t directly provoking him? Why are nearly one hundred Israeli officers in riot gear so paranoid about twenty shouting Palestinians?
(On a more apolitical note, why are all Israeli police horses big, black, and Friesian-y?)
We returned to the Old City a couple hours later to see the Shabbat celebrations begin at the Western Wall. A few minutes after sundown, we heard Jerusalem’s first air raid sirens since 1970, followed by several explosions in the distance. (Rumor has it that I shouted some expletives at that point, but I can’t imagine myself ever using foul language). My friends and I held hands and ran with the crowd of panicked tourists and worshippers to the closest form of shelter, which was a small cave on the opposite side of the plaza from the Western Wall.
We inadvertently picked the cave that was filled with hysterical teenage girls, but I can’t say I was more composed than any of them. I clung to my friends and thought about what my mom would say if she could see me now, just a few hours after I had promised her there was no way a rocket could reach Jerusalem. I thought about how completely vulnerable I was, and how the true terror came from having no clue what was going on. Were there more rockets coming? Had they been intercepted by Israel’s defense system? Had they caused any casualties? Were we in the right kind of shelter?
After a few minutes, everyone in our cave started to dash across the plaza to a more fortified tunnel, and we followed. We crowded together in the tunnel waiting for information – at this point we learned that a rocket had landed near the Gush Etzion settlement in the West Bank, but there were no casualties. Totally shaken, we decided to head for Bethlehem, which seemed as safe as anywhere else we could get to on Shabbat after Israeli transportation shuts down.
Our friends in Bethlehem told us that lots of young men were rushing to the Separation Wall to protest the Israeli operation in Gaza. They were throwing rocks, and the IDF soldiers were responding with tear gas and rubber bullets. Several times during the two days in Bethlehem, we heard Palestinian ambulances rushing injured protesters to hospitals. I, however, had had enough of protests for a few days and spent my time in Bethlehem catching up with some dear friends. If you’re reading this, please take a bit of time from reading news of Gaza and south Israel to learn about protests in the West Bank. Hundreds have been arrested (including this unconscious young man in Nabi Saleh, who was simultaneously denied medical attention), and many Palestinians have been injured.
(Marian, Kate, Emma and I had quite the bonding experience this weekend).
I am now completely out of rocket distance in Haifa, but still find myself struggling to process my thoughts about this weekend (and now you, reader, have the great joy of watching me try and do it!).
One thing I know is that life is hard in Gaza. From 2007 until 2010, Gaza was under such a strict blockade that the import of a ridiculous array of goods was forbidden. It’s true that Israel eased the blockade in 2010, but this has done little to change the very low quality of life in Gaza. Schools are overcrowded, freedom of movement is severely limited, unemployment is high, no building materials have been allowed in since Operation Cast Lead decimated infrastructure in 2009, and the process of getting permission to leave Gaza for medical treatment continues to be inefficient and deadly. Israeli civilians and soldiers have the security of advanced military technology – a defense shield that stops nearly all missiles headed for populated areas and fortified shelters stocked with supplies in or near most homes – while Gazan civilians have none of these luxuries. They are undeniably more vulnerable than their Israeli counterparts. It’s hard to see how these conditions that are so closely linked to Israeli policies foster anything but animosity for Israel.
I wouldn’t have written this two months ago, but I do think that Israel has a dilemma here – on a different scale from the difficulties Gazans face just trying to live every day, but a dilemma nonetheless. The Israeli government has made some peaceful overtures toward Gaza: it withdrew settlers in 2006, and eased its blockade in 2010. As many Israelis see it, these concessions have been met with more and more rockets being launched into southern Israel. I think many Israelis feel exasperated – they hate seeing Israel dragged through the mud in the international media, but they don’t know another way for the Israeli government to stop the rockets. My Israeli friends aren’t warmongers, and they’re legitimately scared for their friends and family who have been called to active duty near the Gaza border.
The conversations I’ve had about these issues since returning to Haifa have been emotional, to say the least. Often, talking about life in Gaza is incorrectly interpreted as a denial that Israel has a right to self-defense. Friends whose political beliefs I respect are blindly re-posting political cartoons that are racist, de-humanizing oversimplifications of a tragic and deeply complex issue. It is appallingly stupid to suggest that Jews in Kiryat Malachi died because they are Zionist occupiers, or that the four children of the al Dalou family died because their parents didn’t love them enough to move them away from Hamas militants.
Discussing possible alternatives to Jabari’s assassination or the military operation is immediately written off as anti-Israel. I don’t know the answers – nobody does – but for the life of me, I can’t see how this operation in Gaza is a sustainable form of self-defense for Israel. Hamas will regroup after this bombardment, it will gain more support from civilians in Gaza and from international actors, and it will strike Israel again. Laying the framework for future attacks isn’t self-defense, and it endangers civilians in Israel and in Gaza. I don’t believe all nonviolent options for peace are exhausted, and I don’t accept that the killing of Hamas operatives is ever so imperative that targeting errors resulting in the death of innocent civilians should be tolerated.
Yours in peace/salaam/shalom,
Nora
PS. I have some really smart friends here, and you should check out their blogs for other takes on what happened this weekend and some cool ideas in general: Lauren and Aaron were both in Tel Aviv/Jaffa; Emma was with me.
circles in the sky 
Nora, first glad you are safe and I so much appreciate your perspective on the complexity of this horrible continued violence. thanks/shukran/todah
Cannot stop thinking about you, how you’re doing, what you’re seeing and experiencing. Thank you for the update and for letting us be a part of your continued learning. So grateful to have your contemplative correspondence. Please stay safe and keep updating, love you so much!
i also pray for end of conflict
Nora, thanks for sharing this experience. LeAnn and I think about you (and your safety) everyday, moreso now with the threat of an incursion. Thanks too for your efforts at “balanced” reporting–impossible of course, but admirable, helpful nonetheless. — Bill and LeAnn
Hi, Nora. Thank you for your recent entries (and photos!); it sounds like the things you are there to learn about have suddenly become more immediate, more real. I’m glad both that you’re usually in Haifa, but also had the chance to be in Jerusalem and Bethlehem at this time, as long as you continue to be safe. I imagine that locally people are talking about little else, and it’s hard to see how a long-term compromise may be reached given where each side is at right now. But we’ll keep hoping for peace. Take good care! Bruce
EXCELLENT!!! God Bless and take care…
I can’t wait until religious and cultural issues are tossed aside and the world becomes more of a global cooperative society, instead of competitive nations all striving to thwart each other. We are all humans and we all deserve the same basic rights and freedoms, so why must we separate ourselves and make enemies of those who could be our brethren?
I cannot see the elimination of religious and cultural issues as the means of purification of the human heart and soul. Take away those things and we will most likely find some other outlet for the desire to be selfish and self serving and hateful.
Don’t get me wrong, eliminating religion certainly won’t instantly purify the world. I do think it is, however, a big step towards a better future. Imagine a world where everyone has questioned their beliefs, and realigned themselves with what truly seems correct from an unbiased standpoint. When the citizens of the world are in this state, who knows what they might think about; maybe they would even vote for competent leaders who have everyone’s best interests at heart.
99.9% of people deep down are compassionate and want the world to be a better place for everyone. Unfortunately 99.9% also don’t really critically think about what’s best for the world AND act on these beliefs. This leaves about 0.01% of people who are both self-serving and willing to act on it and fool everyone who doesn’t think into playing along. Once the majority of people become thinkers, per se, then we will see the dissolve of corporations who exist to profit off of war, we’ll see the end of wars based on oil, and we’ll see the end of self-serving leaders. When the people decide what they want and act on it, we’ll be able to stop self-serving people from, well, serving themselves at the world’s expense, but not until then.
Has religion and been around since the dawn of mankind? Did life start with it? We must have lived a different way before it. We must have had ample opportunity not to choose it in the first place. Yet here we are.
We did have opportunity to not choose/synthesize religions. At the time, however, it was the best way of explaining the world which we could come up with. Unfortunately it has stuck(for many reasons), but it would be advantageous if we took off our “god goggles”(theoreticalbullshit term) and saw the world for what it really is. That is what I am saying. I am not saying that religion is the origin of all evil.
You girls are so brave! Take care and assimilate this experience into personal growth!
Thanks for sharing!
I am really impressed with you objectivity. It takes a really open mind to be able to see both sides, so thank you. And I’ve recently reverted to blog posts instead of watching the news; I’ve found it to be 100% more reliable. Please keep blogging, your work is fab! Stay safe!
“On a more apolitical note, why are all Israeli police horses big, black, and Friesian-y?” I was noticing that too.
I would never mentally survive in any place of possible deathly physical conflict.
When talking about the “blockade” of Gaza, one should mention that (1) no country is obligated to have open borders with all of its neighbours (Lebanon and Syria don’t have open borders with Israel and the US-Mexican border is also quite tightly controlled) and that (2) Gaza has a border with Egypt.
Israel, as the regime that occupied Gaza until 2006, has more responsibility towards Palestinians in Gaza than Egypt does. Israel controls exports from Gaza, and it controls Gaza’s air and naval space. Furthermore, even if Egypt and Israel bore equal responsibility for the blockade, the situation for people in Gaza would still be untenable. It’s still in Israel’s interest (as the vastly more functional government) to ease the blockade.
1) Israel left the Gaza strip completely in 2005. I don’t see how a country that is no longer there and that is being shot at from Gaza has any responsibility towards that territory other than those dictated by the laws of conflict. Certainly nobody has an obligation to keep an open border and have free trade. Heck, even the UK doesn’t have an open border to the rest of the EU.
2) The border between Egypt and Gaza is completely under Egypt’s control and it is not lawless. Sinai is Egypt. There are tons of Egyptian police.
3) I think the sense of the opening and closing of borders can be discussed and there are arguments to both sides, but I don’t see why when Gaza strip has borders to two countries, only one of them gets singled out for criticism, especially when the other one which imposes a similar blockade is “an Arab brother nation” who loves to talk about Palestinians every Friday.
My point about Sinai (and Egyptian police) is that corruption is still rampant – should have articulated that better, sorry. It’s unreasonable to think that Gaza can rely on Egyptian tunnels for the import of humanitarian goods when it’s far more lucrative to import weapons. Israel, as the self-proclaimed “beacon of democracy” in the Middle East, might be more capable of this, no? Another reason why I hold it to greater responsibility. Also, since 1948, Egypt has only supported Palestinians when it serves Egyptian/pan-Arab interests – the Egyptian government “loves” to talk about Palestinians, but since Mubarek came to power, it hasn’t been substantiated with real action. (And keeping Gaza’s borders closed during Operation Cast Lead was as appalling as the Israeli bombardment was). I hope this can change under Morsi, but for now, sure, criticize the Egyptian government as much as you want.
My argument about it being in Israel’s security interest to ease the blockade on Gaza still stands, and that’s the vastly more important point. That’s the crux of why I believe Israel should ease the blockade – which is a far cry from “open borders.” (For that matter, I also believe it’s in the United States’ interest to legalize marijuana so that drug trade from Mexico can be regulated – this will help stop the spread of violence from Mexican border areas into US cities). And I also highly doubt it’s in Israel’s interest for Hamas to be foraging a closer relationship with the Egyptian government…
Legalizing marijuana in the U.S. would do little if anything to quell the violence involved with the mexican drug trade within the United States. Dealings in cocaine and heroin are where a vast majority of the drug violence takes place. Although whether or not legalizing marijuana would increase or decrease the flow of harder drugs is probably a good debate for another day. (A little off topic, but since you mentioned it).
Thank you for sharing your experiences, very interesting to get a first hand perspective of the conflict. Also, while you’re in Haifa, you should check out the Shrine of The Bab! (If you haven’t already)
Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s good to hear a first hand account of what has been happening over there but also really good to hear someone wrestling with the complexity of the issue rather than just dumping simplistic armchair solutions and designating the ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’. Well written too!
Many thanks for that very informative blog. Stay safe.
What a horrifing experience. Wish you girls all the best and saty safe. Thanks for the blog
Fantastically written piece, with total unbiased reporting of an incident, this is how the world media should portray things not the one sided dribble we encounter now. Stay safe.
I like that your post is unbiased. Then again, it’s not as hard for someone that’s not from Israel or Palestine to be so open minded, because you have no personal ties to the conflict or passionate arguments. I wish more Israelis and more Palestinians looked at this conflict the same way you do…. but I think that will never, ever be possible. Take care Nora. Interesting blog here, and many more interesting experiences to come 🙂
Hi Innamazing,
I am Israeli and I believe it is possible. What makes me believe it is possible, is the fact that rational people, regardless of geophysical location and personal experience should always strive to observe the evidence, and form an opinion which is ever changing based on new evidence. Or to put it differently, A Change should always be a Constant.
I am glad a truce has been called, but when will the next hostilities start? This prolonged conflict between the two nations/groups is really sad. My sincere condolences to all those who were injured or died. Be safe Nora.
Please stay safe and much peace.
Reblogged this on Bored American Tribune. and commented:
— Jackson Williams.
Hi – II’m so grateful that you’ve been Freshly Pressed so I could discover your blog. It is so great to hear first-hand reporting, and you come across as very even-handed. Thank you so much – be safe!
Your writing about your personal experiences right now with these issues is so important. I moved to Israel in 2009 for a period of time during the Gaza War and I could never quite find a way to explain to people what life there was like. Thank you so much for sharing.
There’s no such thing as ‘totally unbiased reporting’ but I think yours is a great post. Congratulations on it.
It takes two to make \war and it takes two to make peace. Hopefully someone will realise it soon.
Thank you for acknowledging that my own opinions aren’t without bias! I’m very flattered by all these lovely comments, but it’s important to remember that there’s no such thing as objectivity when it comes to current events. 🙂
I join the others in thanking you for this. It is heartening to see balance and compassion, and the evident effort to remain so, during a difficult situation. I hope you are not tested too much there, and that you are safe.
You are very brave to go for first hand news. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience.
You know! Most people around the world only get information from their local news channel and are left in the dark completely . You blog is the first blog that has given me first hand information on the serious of the violence and how innocent people everywhere in the area are subject to having their lives threatened . Hopefully peace will come and we can all breathe once more. brian
Well written post. I just wish you all peace and safety.
very balanced piece! …enjoyed reading it…made me realise why I hate mainstream media XD
I really dont commend your piece as much as the people above do.. It seems to me once again like cnn and every other media outlet that you have captured the story from a one sided point -siding with the ‘poor palestinians’ from your imagery and having attended the protest you did, it is clear what your views seem to be..
and why were there police, because for many Gazan people ideology of suicide bombing is so strong, and hatred is being taught from a young age so I believe every precaution has to be taken…UNFORTUNATELY
and last but not least
I approved this comment not because it is particularly constructive, but because it’s a good example of the response to criticism of the Israeli government that I mentioned in the blog post. Criticizing the United States’ War on Terror doesn’t make me anti-America just as criticizing Israeli policy in Gaza doesn’t make me anti-Israel. I am pro-Palestinian, and pro-Israeli, and I have never claimed to be without bias.
It goes without saying that a close-minded debate using photos from Facebook instead of thoughtful analysis isn’t going to prove anybody’s point. Therefore, I’m not going to escalate this discussion, and this will be the end of this comment thread.
this video might answer some basic questions: Owen jones BBC Question Time (Gaza)
Reblogged this on thesememorieswhich and commented:
I’ve been at home all day, pottering and writing. This blog was tweeted on twitter earlier in the evening, having just read it I think it’s more important than anything I’ve done today… Please accept this reblog for Saturday the 24th.
Though I live in another continent, am always saddened and perplexed by the violence, loss of life and the hatred around Gaza. I empathyse with all the suffering innocent there, especially children and the elderly. If all parties bring their minds together, and leave behind the hatred, guns and rockets, those menacing horses and the blunt stones, I believe a peaceful, lasting co-existence can be achieved.
A riveting observation of the conflict. I was in Israel in 1999 and it seemed so peaceful, but your piece here (and history of the area) make me feel naive. Thank you for sharing your experience to educate those of us that are so far away from this fight.
Thank you for posting this. I wish you all the best and pray you stay safe.
So great! u actually went there!!! ❤
Wonderful insight into the real action. Thank goodness you guys are safe. I only saw the guys interested in testing their ‘toys’. True negotiation and compromise are needed from both sides to reach peace.
YOU ARE AWESOME. I reiterate all of the sentiments in the above comments (excluding the remarks from Monty), and commend your photo-taking skillz. I dig the classic “smiling in the church of the nativity” photo. Did you say hi to George? I’d love to hear what folks are saying about Mursi’s “coup” (and, bien sur, what you have to say, too)!
Thank you thank you. 🙂 I said hi to George – did you FB friend him yet?!? Um, as for Morsi. So, unsurprisingly, lots of people here are really scared of Islamists. I’ve heard a number of people claim that all the revolutionaries in Egypt are Islamists, and nobody there is really interested in a liberal democracy. It’s refreshing for me to see that thousands of people in Egypt do have their eye on the liberal democracy prize, and aren’t going to let Morsi walk all over them without a fight.
Great. I had time to think about this issue owing to your post.
Any claim of bias in this blog post seems to me to be unfounded. It was unequivocally stated that the author was simply sharing what was seen firsthand. Interesting experience.
Nora, I think you did a great job of presenting a primary recollection of the events you witnessed, free from the constraints that mainstream media places on its reporters (namely, “this is our organization’s viewpoint — left/right, conservative/liberal, pro/anti-Israeli/Palestinian — and your reporting should reflect that”).
What’s interesting to note is that this conflict has been going on for, literally, thousands of years. If you are familiar with the biblical account of Abraham in Genesis, he would be the father of many nations (i.e. Judaism and Islam via Issac and Ishmael, and indirectly, Christianity). The Israelites left Egypt, and consequently conquered what were essentially Arab lands (Assyrian, Canaanite, Sumerian, what have you). So, in a way, the Palestinians are no different than any other conquered people (except in more modern times, they did not lose land as a result of war, but rather as a result of global politics and the Zionist movement. I firmly believe Israel was placed in the M.E. not only because of its historical significance to the Israelites, but also because of the geopolitical implications of having a pro-western nation in the region… but I digress).
Even more interesting is the fact that Israel has many “western” allies — most notably the United States — that seem to bolster its (aggression) courage against potential Palestinian threats. I truly wonder how Israeli policy would change — deep in the heart of a predominately Muslim region — were its western allies to retract support, or even more, adopt firm PRO-Palestinian (Arab) policies and relationships.
Again, I applaud your attempt at even-handed reporting (even though we all know complete objectivity is nearly impossible in nearly any situation). Congrats on the FP, as well. I plan on following your blog!
Love your story. Hope all is well. Please, stay safe. “}
So glad to have found this post. A well written, informative, thoughtful piece.
Interesting.
As I looked at your pictures of hundreds of ‘riot police’ and dozens of ‘friendly’ rioters, I couldn’t help but ask myself about your research methods class …..
It would seem they did not teach how to count. In the only pictures you posted of riot police, there was about an even number of ‘rioters’ to police.
And while you say they were not armed, it only takes an angry person a moment to take a gun away from the police. And if everyone had not gone to see the ‘show,’ there would have been NO SHOW …. so, your piece reads like a GREAT PR piece for how to start riots to make police look like bad guys.
IMHO.
I would love to hear more about what you can infer from this about how to start riots! Personally, I feel like this information wouldn’t be very helpful, given that I explicitly said I have no idea how the pushing and shoving started. As I stated plainly in my post, just saying what I witnessed – it’s fairly clear in my photos which protesters are being restrained and which aren’t. You learn how to read carefully, and then let’s discuss whether I have problems counting.
Just so you know, my mom spent all of Thanksgiving constantly checking the news to see if Americans had been evacuated from Israel yet. She thinks you should have been evacuated weeks ago 🙂 I am glad you are safe! Love, Stacy
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