The following report was submitted by Jade Orgill, an SACC-trained Ecumenical Accompanier who is based in Tulkarem.

The West Bank is divided into 11 Governates or provinces. Found in the north, Tulkarem is one of the major administrative and agricultural centres for the Palestinian people living there. A bustling city of approximately 60,000 people, all of whom greet you as you walk by with a warm, “Ahlan wa Sahlan”, which means “Welcome” in Arabic. In fact, you feel welcome everywhere you go in the West Bank. However, it is quite a trek getting to Tulkarem. From Jerusalem you have to take a service, which is a kind of minibus taxi similar to what we have in South Africa, to Ramallah, and then change to another service to get to Tulkarem. The journey is approximately two and a half hours, which is strange because Jerusalem is only 85 km away. One of the first things you begin to understand about travelling in the West Bank is the amount of time it takes to get yourself from A to B. The restriction of movement imposed by the occupation is debilitating. There are a multitude of military checkpoints on the roads from village to village and city to city.

The rolling hills that make up this land are beautiful and are filled with hundreds of olive trees and greenhouses hosting the cucumbers and tomatoes that will become my staple diet for the next three months. The markets here are quite spectacular. They are bright with fresh fruits and vegetables, and loud with the deep voices of salesman shouting out the best deal you can find. Bread is made right in front of your eyes, in all different shapes and sizes, mostly white. Butchers hack through lamb and beef hanging in their stores, most of which have been slaughtered that very morning. It comes prepared with all the seasoning you need, to save you the trouble at home. The food and the people are my cup of tea, or should I say Arabic coffee.

Life is simple for most in the West Bank. There is many a small village to be found atop many a rolling hill. In the valleys lie the farm lands, tended to by the families that own them. Some are subsistence farmers; some grow enough crops to sell in cities like Tulkarem. However, there is no real potential for export.

In spite of the region's rich culture, residents of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) must endure numerous restrictions and forms of oppression: house demolitions, restrictions of movement, the separation barrier, checkpoints, settler violence, permit systems and political arrests to name a few. After six decades of occupation, the issue that burdens the people of Tulkarem the most is the restricted access to their land, the impact the separation barrier has on the lives of its inhabitants and the resulting restrictions of movement. These are not mutually exclusive. They connect to each other in a systematic way to achieve what many consider ethnic cleansing.

The Separation Barrier

Construction on the separation barrier started in 2002 and by late 2003 it had been completed in the Tulkarem area. It snakes through farm lands, cuts family members off from one another, destroys crops and demolishes houses in its path. For example, in the village of Faroun, eight houses have already been demolished and one has a demolition order. The barrier also destroys the economies of cities and villages alike, blocking not only Palestinians from entering Israel, but also Israeli Arabs from continuing to support the local communities from which they used to purchase goods and services. At the moment the unemployment rate in most villages is about 80%; in the city of Tulkarem, it is around 50%. The snaking of this barrier runs far from the 1949 armistice line, what is considered the Green Line, in fact, 85% of the separation barrier lies within the West Bank. Around 413km of the barrier is already constructed, 73km is under construction and 223km is planned. When complete, the length will total 709km. The completed works come in the form of a wall or fence. The width of the fence is around 50 m inmost areas.

If it’s a “security fence” then why not build it on the green line? The question is often asked, and the easy answer is that it is not simply a security fence although it does of course serve this purpose to some degree. One reason would be to annex the settlement blocks that have been and are still being built since 1967 within the West Bank. "Everybody has to move, run and grab as many (Palestinian) hilltops as they can to enlarge the (Jewish) settlements because everything we take now will stay ours...everything we don't grab will go to them." -- Ariel Sharon, Israeli Foreign Minister, addressing a meeting of the Tsomet Party, Agence France Presse, Nov. 15, 1998. 

Jewish Israeli settlements around Tulkarem

There are 134 settlements in the West Bank (incl. East Jerusalem), with approx. 500,000 Jewish Israeli’s inhabiting them. In Tulkarem there are four such settlements. The Israeli government tells us that the separation barrier has been built to protect Israeli society from suicide bombers. Israel has a right to protect itself just as any other country, which is very plausible, and I offer no argument against this. But what I do find hard to understand is that, of these four settlements, three of them are built within the heart of Palestinian society; a society Israel will have everyone believe is full of terrorists. If one of the purposes of a government is to protect its citizens, then why put them in harm’s way?

The settlements within the Tulkarem Governate are: Avne Hefetz (est. 1991, pop. 328), Enav (1981, pop. 569), Shave Shomron (1977, pop. 650), Sal ‘it (1977, pop. 474) and Hermesh (1982, pop. 201). [Population figures are from 2007 census data.] All of these settlements are growing in population, except Hermesh whose numbers are currently declining. Israel insists that the expansion of settlements is a result of “natural growth” within the OPT.

Sal‘it settlement has been annexed to Israel; it lies within what is called the seam zone, the area of land between the Green Line and the separation barrier. The seam zone is considered a closed military zone. Neighbouring it is the Palestinian village of Khibet Jubara. This means that the people who live here have effectively been cut off from the rest of the OPT. They can travel into the West Bank, but they have to pass Jubarah checkpoint every time. I certainly struggle to imagine having to be checked every time I want to see family or do some shopping. They also have a “settler only” road cutting through the centre of the village.

What is interesting about the settlements Avne Hefetz, Enav and Shave Shomeron is how strategically they are placed within the south east of Tulkarem. They are built running horizontally east, into the OPT. First is the settlement Avne Hefetz, then Enav and finally Shave Shomeron. Shave Shomeron is about 4km from Qedumim settlement which is one of two fingers/settlement blocks that cut into the OPT, south of Tulkarem. I would suggest looking at a United Nations map that includes the separation barrier to see what is meant by finger settlements – the way the barrier moves into the West Bank looks like two fingers. It looks, to me, like these three settlements could form the third finger in the North of the OPT, possibly meant to connect one to the other through Shave Shomeron and Qedumim. There is no doubt in my mind, and many share this opinion, that there is a strategy behind Israel taking the land they believe to be theirs, and taking it by making it impossible for the Palestinians to have a contiguous state. As long and the powers that be allow Israel to continue building and expanding settlements, this is exactly what I believe will happen. The Palestinians will never have a viable state, and the longer one oppresses another, there will be no peace in this region.

Let’s imagine that what I predict becomes reality. The city of Tulkarem will be cut off completely from Nablus city, which is an economic hub just 15km east of Tulkarem. Added to that a total of 19 villages, two municipalities and one city (Qalqiliya) would be entirely enclosed, cut off. If the world allows Israel to continue building the wall and expanding settlements, this may very well happen. Currently we are monitoring a new “settler only” road being built from Shave Shomeron to link up with the Qedumim settlement. The above scenario is not farfetched by any measure. The settlements in the OPT are positioned to cut the major cities off from one another. Jenin is cut off from Tulkarem, Tulkarem from Nablus, Nablus from Salfit, Ramallah from Jericho and Bethlehem from Hebron. Qalqiliya is practically cut off already. The Palestinians believe that anything is possible, and being a witness here, I’m starting to believe it too.

Access to land

It makes sense to most that if you were to own a piece of land and choose to use the land for farming, you should be able to go there at any time of the day, cultivate your crops as you see fit, and if you decide to take your family there on a weekend, be able to enjoy that as well. Ownership of land, for me, means relatively complete control over how and when you use that land. This is not the case here for the Palestinians. In the case of these farmers, the crop the land yields is their source of income, so from season to season; it becomes imperative that the land gets enough nurturing to reap the kind of crop that will support a growing family.

But around many areas of the West Bank, and certainly around Tulkarem, access to ones land is not guaranteed. Our team monitors/accompanies farmers through two agricultural gates. The one is Gate 609 the other Gate 623. We call them Attil gate and Deir Al Ghusun gate because those are the names of the villages whose land the barrier cuts through. These gates are open three times a day, every day; morning, afternoon and night. Farm owners and workers queue up in the morning to be checked before they are allowed through the barrier. They bring donkeys and tractors and permits. They cannot access the land without a permit. In Tulkarem, permits issued cater for less than 50% of the need. So for an hour, 3 times a day the soldiers will open and decide whether or not these farm workers get to work that day. The rest of the time the gate is closed and movement restricted.

We had the privilege of being escorted through the Deir Al Ghusun agricultural check point one morning. The farmers cross the 15m width of the fence area to reach the first gate. They must make sure that they enter this area one at a time. They tie their donkeys up, leave their tractors behind and proceed once signalled by a shout from the loud speaker. After the gate is a turnstile or a chicken plucker, as the Palestinians call it. Once you pass the turnstile you get to the generator run office box. You had your permit through the letter box to the soldier on the inside, who validates your details and permit on a computerised system. He will give the go ahead for you to carry on. Next is the door to the box. You can only enter when the green light shows over head. Inside, there is a table to sort through your belongings. The farmers have to remove their belts before they go through the metal detectors. As far as I know they are searched here and their permits returned if all is in order. If they came with a donkey then the armed soldiers at the crossing will check what is in the bags on the sides of the donkey before letting them pass. If they came with a tractor, the soldiers usually tap the metal with their guns and let them pass. This is a quiet day. It’s not always this easy for the farmers. Soldiers get bored sometimes. They make old men repeat their own name ten times before letting them through and laugh in their faces as they do it. Sometimes they insist upon permits for donkeys, sometime they let the donkey through and not the farmer.

Every day, these people face the complete and utter humiliation of being checked at these points. All they want is to farm their land.

Industry around Tulkarem

Near the old Turkish railway, claimed as state land, and grown just as most settlements, lies the infamous Gishory Chemical factory built in the 1980s. The factory moved from Tel Aviv to Tulkarem because its emissions did not pass environmental safety standards. In fact, it was noted to be highly toxic for human beings, and so after losing a court case in Israel, moved to the West Bank. Not only does the factory employ around 400 people from the area as cheap labour, it has also contributes to Tulkarem having the highest rate of cancer in all of the West Bank. It is located in a residential area and families around its location suffer from a disproportionately high number of respiratory tract diseases to name a few. Desperate for work, the employees of the factories accept the low pay, long hours and health risks which face them daily. It is quite interesting to note that during the month of May the factory closes. The wind is known to change direction during this time, and blows not from west to east as the rest of the year, but from east to west which means the chemical cloud blows over Israel as opposed to the West Bank.

Reflection

What I have written here is only a scratch on surface of the occupation in Tulkarem and only highlights half the factors of oppression haunting its people every day. Being here makes my shoulders heavy with doubt. I should be bringing hope, a glimmer of light to the people, signalling that the world sees their plight. In moments of darkness I ask myself, “Do we see?” and if so, “Why are we letting this carry on?”

I worry that we have all been duped. We have been forced to swallow fear and through this allowed the poisoning of our minds. We closed it off to all things different, all things rational. While we remain too lazy to search for truth, the powers that represent us get to do what they want, when they want, and with our money as well, might I add. It is so easy to generalise, to make blanket statements about people. It makes us feel safe when others give us boxes to put people in. Not all Palestinians are terrorists just as not all Israelis are Zionists, not all Germans were Nazis just as not all Europeans are anti-Semites.

Jade Orgill works for South African Council of Churches as an Ecumenical Accompanier serving on the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). The views contained in this article are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of EAPPI, the South African Council of Churches or the WCC. If you would like to publish the information contained here, or place it on a website, please first contact luke@sacc.org.za or the EAPPI Communications & Advocacy Officer (eappi-co@jrol.com) for permission.

The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) was launched in August 2002. Ecumenical accompaniers monitor and report violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, support acts of non-violent resistance alongside local Christian and Muslim Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, offer protection through non-violent presence, engage in public policy advocacy, and stand in solidarity with the churches and all those struggling against the occupation. The programme is coordinated by the World Council of Churches.

The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works co-operatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly, which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by General Secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist Church in Kenya.

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