Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2003 05:45:05 -0600

hi everybody, with a special thanks to Cassie for those articles on Jenin camp invasion, i read one and will read the others. "Ground zero" of that camp invasion is a 5 minute walk from our apartment, i walk thru it everyday and am piecing together a good picture of those events as i meet more folks here, and in the camp in particular. i won't write a big thing about it yet, but one is definitely on the way when i feel informed enough to add to the reports one can find online etc. to be sure it was a truly horrific event, it is eerie to work in that area at times, though the resilience of folk here outweights the eerieness. last night a local guy drove me up to the high point from which Sharo# observed the invasion. by all accounts it was a horrific experience for all involved, with the possible exception of sharo# himself. there are many accounts of idf soldiers laying down, covering their ears and crying, shooting at their own helicopters for obeying orders to refuse to evacuate them, shooting themselves in the legs to get out alive, etc. activities such as what they did hear are not natural for humans, it would seem. besides the brutality and overwelming force used by the idf, the most stunning thing is the fierceness of the resistance here, as well as its effectiveness in relative terms. i will go into this further at a later time as i learn more.there is a film called "Jenin Jenin" which is incredible, i showed it several times back home. i know it can be purchased online for about $40.curfew is back on, has been since the middle of the night. last night though we got to see Jenin as it should be, a Palestinian town with folks going about their business, it was REALLY cool. its a cool town when its allowed to be.today there have been tanks rolling around town non-stop, as a show of force on this day, the third anniversary of the Second Intifad#. at some point we realized they were not conducting operations, just patrolling and reminding. at that point we stopped trying to keep track of them and went back home. we are out of water, our entire building, since last night. the guy with the water pump truck sensibly won't come, he said he thinks they will shoot him, he's probably right. so, we're roughin it for now, and as for conditions in the camp, i have to actively not think about it or its too much. talked to a guy today who has repeatedly had to feed his baby tea instead of milk due to almost constant curfews. he cried as he told me the story. this is not famine stricken Sudan, these folks are completely capable of providing materially for themselves if allowed to do so. this is not a famine, it is a prevention of day to day life. farmers look out their windows at fields they cannot plow, fields which would grow plenty of food. this is the sickest thing i've ever seen. it is so frustrating, beyond words. Yesterday the curfew was not on, but 72 elementary school kids were held at a Jenin checkpoint and prevented from going to skool{their first chance in over a week}, held there all day, and at one point forced to sing songs about the eventual chemical weapons gassing of Jenin. Forced to do so by the idf, to be clear. our intention this morning was to go to that same checkpoint and get the kids thru, but that was superfluos as curfew was re-instated in the middle of the night. At dawn a group of idf drove thru town in an armed personnel carrier, gleefully singing the words"manaan jawwal" {cufew} over their P.A. system, amidst their own laughter, which was also audible. the hatred for Palestinians is so real, so strong, it takes the breath out of my body.and i will tell you that it does not go both ways, even here in Jenin which is known as a city with an edge to it, a tough place. i am ashamed of my intellectual neutrality as it existed only 3 weeks ago. i will re-iterate that the most amazing thing about this situation is the restraint of the Palestinian people. i don't know how or why they do it, i wouldn't if i was in their shoes. In Disbelief, Ben