Internationals for Justice in Palestine

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Delergation Report Backs - Tracy02

So we have finished 6 days in the Northern cities of Qalkilya, Tulkarem, Jenin, Arraba, Beit Fureek and Nablus.

The prisoners’ hunger strike has gotten a huge outcry of support from the general population, which is one of the main things that we have been seeing here in the West Bank. We have also been able to visit with the families of martyrs and prisoners.

The resistance in the north is much stronger because of the more dire situation that can be seen in places like Arraba and Beit Fureek. Because of the resistance, we also saw and heard more stories of Israeli Occupation Forces upping their response, and the terror that they reign upon the Palestinian population in those areas. For example, the Apartheid Wall is taller in Qalkilya than in other places, the checkpoints are more tedious to navigate, as more Palestinians are tortured/beaten at them.

Visiting the families of martyrs also showed the collective punishment measures that Israel employs to scare the families—sometimes by blowing up their houses, usually in front of the whole village or town.

We have also seen the good work of Palestinian-run organizations like Youth Centers and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees. Both have the goal of educating their respective populations to help them understand their rights, and to ensure that there are active participants in the national struggle.

We look forward now to going to Jerusalem and seeing the complex reality of a capital divided (and as Israel tries to steal it from the Palestinians). From Jerusalem we will go to the south and see Hebron, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, and Bethlehem.

In Solidarity, Struggle and Resistance,

Tracy
Internationals for Justice in Palestine—A delegation project of the Palestine Solidarity Group