Political Tour of Jerusalem

Saturday I joined Abu Hassan of Alternative Tours on his politcal tour of Jerusalem. The tour, which is scheduled to last 3 hours, but lasted 6, focused on historical, geographic, political, and socio-economic aspects of Israeli policies in East Jerusalem. It covered the separation barrier, the Israeli checkpoint regime, and the issue of settlement and home demolitions as well as their impact on the Palestinian people's lives.

To say this wasn't a heartbreaking day, or that it didn't fill me with anger, or that I made it through the entire tour without tears would be a lie. I have dreaded trying to put into words this experience, knowing I probably won't do it justice.

I couldn't possibly do the history of the first and second intifadas justice by attempting to explain them here. Basically, I refer to “East Jerusalem” as those areas of Jerusalem which were captured in 1967 and which are inhabited by Arabs.

Israel has surrounded East Jerusalem with a security barrier. It separates East Jerusalem neighborhoods from the West Bank suburbs, all of which are under the jurisdiction of Israel and are the cause of much criticism. They are 9-foot tall cement walls topped with barbed wire. They are ugly both in appearance and in what they represent.


The tour began with a bit of history about the first and second intifadas. We quicly moved on to viewing sites, particularly travelling across East Jerusalem, viewing where refugee camps are set up, where essentially illegal settlements have been established (according to UN agreements) and where the security wall is built through the city, through neighbourhoods and through families.

While I sadly do not have a good picture of Shuafat  refugee camp to show you (I was distracted and didn't take a picture), what I was told is it was established in 1967 after housing was demolished in what is today the Western Wall plaza (open concrete space in front of the Western Wall). The residents' homes were bulldozed and they were told the camp, then made up of tents, would be temporary...just a few weeks. Fourty-three years later, the people have moved out of tents into rustic houses. What I could see is the houses are a grey contrast to the white stone buildings surrounding it. They look as though a stiff wind would topple them like a Jenga tower.

We were told over 35,000 residents live in a one square kilometre compound. The community having grown after 43 years, cannot expand. The land upon which they live is designated by the Israeli government as "green area" (public land).

Some of what we saw on the tour. The security wall. Strategically, the tour shows how the wall separates not only Israelis from Palestinians, but also Palestinians from Palestinians. The picture with the (20) sign and the house to the left was one we stopped at and ascended to the roof for a better view. The wall divides two Palestinian neighbourhoods, and one family in particular. The mother-daughter duo, while previously living basically next door to each other, must now take an hour and a half to visit eachother, passing through security. Apparently, the logic of this division of suburbs/families is seen as creating a dominion over Palestinian lands and making life in the land so undesireable that people leave.

This was a picture I took outside the apartment of the mother separated from her daughter. Children, reslilient as they are, sitting with their back to the wall playing with water guns.

While we spoke often on the tour of how today's children will prove part of the solution of the future, we also heard about the disparity between Israeli and Palestinian-granted resources. Residents of East and West Jerusalem (governed by one mayor) pay equal taxes. However resources and infrastructure funding is dispatched unevenly.

78% of water resources come from wells from the Palestinian controled-West Bank but are distributed and regulated by the Israeli government. Palestinian homes are fitted with roof-top water tanks to protect against periodic water cut off.

I have written of the garbage on the streets... this is along the highway just outside the Kolandia checkpoint...suggesting perhaps further disparity among resource management: garbage disposal and pickup is starkly contrasted between East and West Jerusalem, even with settlement (Israeli) and territory (Palestinian) within East Jerusalem.

The education system is hampered by lack of resources, funding and inability to obtain documentation giving rights of citizenship. Many children are unable to attend school due to refusal by the government to allow the construction of new buildings, even if apparently, the Palestinians fully-fund the projects.

We went through a checkpoint. Our guide has Israeli license plates, and while the guard looked into the car, we were not stopped. Coming back across the checkpoint, we were again lucky not to face any extended delay.

Abu Hassan (our guide) did note that at the Kolandia checkpoint on the way to Ramallah has seen 15 Palestinians killed, 9 of whom where under 12, since 2000. 120 women have given birth while waiting to pass through the checkpoint, with ambulances being refused passage, some/many of whom died.

Later in our tour, we stopped in Sheikh Jarrah, an area within momentary walking distance from where I live in East Jerusalem (Palestinian territory), in which 28 Palestinian families have been evicted from their homes by Israeli settlers.

What I saw and what made me cry: This family in the picture to the right, has been evicted from their home last year (shown below, notice the Israeli flags hung from the windows and the candles perched on top of the hosue). They sit across the street from the home in protest. To the right of the father (bearded man in stripes and white hat) were about 10 Israeli police monitoring for order and peace.

Notice what hangs from the tree: a Superman doll.

The man sitting on the couch behind the Superman doll is from an NGO that provides an accompanier 24-hours-day in support of the Palestinians evicted.


We also visited a house directly across the street from this one that is divided into two apartments. We were told an 85-year old Palestinian woman lived in the front apartment, her son in the back. She was evicted. The family erected a tent with some of her possessions inside as a sign of protests. She now lives with her son.

After speaking with a family member and returning to the front of the house, we faced an Israeli settler standing in front of the 85-year old's former home, with a smirk on his face. He laughed as we passed by.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a strong impulse to wipe the smirk off his face.

I did not take pictures of him or the police. It wouldn't be prudent.

Today's sermon by Dean Stephen Needs of St. George's College focused on "be still and know that I am God."

Twenty-four hours after this tour of security walls, settlements and evicted families, I had a tough time remaining still. Rather than ascend to the roof of the Austrian Hospic for a view of the beauty of the city, I took a strole through the Old City and got lost among stores, bartering merchants, tourists and my thoughts. I am having an incredibly difficult time making sense of what is called "democracy" and finding immense sympathy for the side of the story I've seen and heard so far.