REPORT #2 from JAYYOUS

The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI)

Churches in Jerusalem. The Programme aims give a voice to people whose voice is not heard, and to support local and international efforts to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and bring a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on international law and relevant UN resolutions for the benefit of both Palestinians and Israelis.

The team

The team of Ecumenical The EAPPI was set up by the World Council of Churches in 2002 at the request of the Heads ofAccompaniers (EAs) in Jayyous is one of six placed at "hotspots" around the West Bank. The others are in East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Yanoun and Tulkarem. The four members of the Jayyous team are Inger (Norway), Ewa (Sweden), Florence (Switzerland) and myself (UK). We and other EAs live in Palestinian communities, and offer protection by our being here, we monitor and report on violations of human rights and international law, listen to and report the stories of the people, and support Israeli and Palestinian groups working for peace. On our return home, we speak about what we have experienced to inform the public and our governments, and to press them to take appropriate action.

Jayyous—general

Jayyous is a village situated near Qalqilya almost on the Green Line—the pre-1967 line which is agreed internationally to be the border for a future Palestinian state on the West Bank—in the mid-West Bank with a population of around 3500. It is on the western edge of the hills of the West Bank, and Tel Aviv and Netanya are always visible to the west some 10 miles away, as is the Mediterranean on a clear day. There are maybe 400 households in the village, most of which belong to one of seven extended families or clans (my word). The culture is very traditional and Muslim, with most older women wearing hijabs and long coats—although the teenage girls seem to wear jeans with Hijabs—and a pronounced separation between men and women. So in many households my presence as a man will mean that the women will not join the group. Hospitality is also traditional and generous: if you visit a family, you will be offered a cold drink and a sweet snack followed by tea and then coffee. We have already had several large and very plentiful meals. The "international house" where we live is on a long main street with houses, small shops sometimes with the words and a recitation of the Quran on a TV screen just inside, a taxi and minibus rank, several mosques, very little traffic, donkeys braying and many children large and small who play on the street as I did when I was a child. They accompany you wherever you go shouting "hello", "what is your name?" and "where are you from?". It's fun to start with but becomes a bit wearing.

Jayyous—how things seem

People are usually welcoming and friendly. Some speak reasonable English, most a smattering or none at all. If meeting for the first time, for example at one of the Barrier gates we monitor, they usually ask where I are from. If I say "from Britain", those who can will often say "Ah Balfour—all your fault". This morning a man said instead "The people of Britain are good but your government is no good". I have to agree with both comments! However, underneath the graciousness there is always the underlying situation which here is about land and checkpoints, and the stories are heartrending. A young man with 4 children visited us the other day. He has some land on the Israeli side of the Barrier and so needs a permit to work it. He sometimes gets a permit, sometimes for a month sometimes for 6 months, but often is refused and has to apply again, the situation he's in now. He is never given a reason and the whole system seems arbitrary: it is perhaps the intention to demoralise and demean. In addition he was shot in the foot by a soldier at one point. I couldn't get the reason from him, but the upshot was a month in hospital, 6 months recuperation and a foot that doesn't work properly anymore. On the positive side, there is a lot of building going on often, we are told, with funds from Palestinians living and working abroad. This perhaps indicates some optimism—which I doubt—but more likely a "life must go on" attitude. In Ramallah there are lots of fancy commercial and apartment buildings going up. Here in Jayyous, houses are usually extended as income allows and families grow, or built for his future family when a man gets married. They are constructed of reinforced concrete as in many other Mediterranean countries and have steel bars sticking up for the next floor when required or affordable.

Jayyous - economy

The economy here is based on agriculture with trees of many kinds—olive, lemon, almond-- herbs and vegetables. Not many years ago, Jayyous was a prosperous village supplying olive oil, fruit and vegetables to the West Bank and export markets. But in 2003, Israel built the Separation Barrier, not on the Green Line but well to the east of it, taking—confiscating—land and water supplies from the West Bank into Israel including much of the land owned and farmed by the people of Jayyous and the water that lies under it. The result for Jayyous farmers is limited or no access to their lands, much reduced production of olives, fruit and vegetables, and unemployment and considerable poverty. Land in this part of Palestine is not just land that can readily be bought or sold. It is and has been passed down the generations within the families, and no Palestinian would voluntarily give up his land. The effect of losing land to the Israelis and their settlements is therefore very deep and profound, especially when you can see both land and settlements from Jayyous, a constant reminder of the loss.

Jayyous—the Separation Barrier—what it is and how it works

That Israel was concerned for the security of its citizens at the height of the 2^nd and violent intifada is understandable, but it seemed then and does now that it was also determined to take as much Palestinian land for its current and future settlements as it could. As the route of the Barrier—here a high fence with a road either side and fences and barbed wire on the outer side of each road—was announced, the villages and towns along the route organised protest marches and demonstrations, and took court action in Israel against the proposed route. Some of these protests were successful in moving the Barrier somewhat to the west, and this happened in Jayyous: the Barrier was moved leaving a wide scar on the earth, but some farmers recovered some of their land. A second re-routing in Jayyous has now been agreed by an Israeli court. This will again give some land and water back to the Jayyous farmers, but a substantial amount remains in Israeli hands. Meanwhile any farmer wishing to farm his land on the Israeli side of the Barrier has to apply for a permit to go through the agricultural gates set in the Barrier. These are open for short periods in early morning, noon and early evening, and we monitor their working regularly. Permits are granted for only a few of the farmers wanting them—some 20%--and for limited and variable periods, and maybe for only one member of the family when the work of several is required, for example, to harvest their olives in October/November. Permits may be and often are withdrawn with no reason given. The result is huge and understandable frustration and anger on the part of the farmers, as well as loss of potential work and income.

Jayyous—schools

There is 10 years of compulsory and free school attendance in Palestine, 6 years in primary school and 4 years in secondary school. Pupils can stay on for a further 2 years which is voluntary and usually leads to university. We visited the schools on Thursday morning with a Norwegian group in town. The boys school had 203 and 160 students in the primary and secondary sections respectively, the girls school 382 students in all years. The buildings were in good condition and the pupil/teacher ration better than in the UK at 10-15. The teachers seemed really enthusiastic, but equipment such a computers, science labs and sports facilities were very seriously lacking. There is also a kindergarten for 4 to 6 years olds with 145 children. This costs the equivalent of £10-16/month. Their main need is for a new bus to pick young children up from outlying villages but play facilities were also lacking. Funding for teachers is provided by the Palestinian Authority, with buildings provided by the UN and the USA with some support from Spain. Teachers are not well paid, and sometimes not paid at all. They were on strike for 1 day this week with a 3-day strike planned next week.

Mike Barnes

3 April 2010