‘Buried alive’
10th February, 2009
Day5:
IN BETHLEHEM, the director of the Arab Educational Institute, Toine Van Teeffelen took us to meet two women who have been affected by the separations walls.
Antoinette Knesevich (pictured) and Mysara Shaker Zahdieh are both neighbours and who are both passionate about creating peace in the Holy Land.
Antoinette said she died the day the wall went up.
An Anglican Christian, her family, friends and even her work with the churches were on the other side of the wall.
And now she says she lives a lonely existence.
“I can’t live like this anymore,” she said.
“We are Christians but we are also Palestinians and both Muslims and Christians live here together peacefully. Before the wall we even lived in peace with our Jewish neighbours.
“But now I feel as though I am dead. We are buries alive and living in a tomb.
“We also have rights and if they give us our rights we will be more than happy to live in peace. This is the view of the Palestinian people.”
She added: “They want our land. I had land I inherited from my family and intended to pass on to the next generation, but I cannot access my land as it’s on the other side of this wall. After a while they Israelis will take that land for themselves and I will have nothing.”
Antoinette also expressed her anger at the massacre of innocent lives in Gaza.
She said: “Every time a Palestinian was killed in Gaza apart of my own heart died with them.
“So many women and children died and they showed no mercy, no mercy at all.
“We as Palestinians are in this together and together we mourned the deaths in Gaza.”
Antoinette also said how she saw the international support shown by communities in the UK in January during the Gaza atrocities and she thanked the British for showing solidarity.
Mysara said she will giver her heart for peace.
“We don’t even get permission to see doctors in the city.
“Many people have died at the checkpoints and they do nothing.
“One pregnant woman even had a baby at the checkpoint, still they did not let her go through to see doctors, in the end the mother died at the checkpoint. No mercy was shown.
“Many sick people die like this and we are helpless.
“We don’t need fear we need peace. We need a bridge to build peace but they are not willing to even talk to us.
“They also try to cause internal fighting with Muslims and Christians. Sometimes at the checkpoints they will call the Palestinian Christians to the front of the queue and show Christians favourism so this causes anger amongst Muslims. But we are all strong and they cannot separate us.
She added: “There are no problems between Muslims and Christians. The problem is the occupation.
“The walls have created huge barriers. Imagine you are stuck on one room all the time. You will go mad. This is what they are trying to do to us.
“For 60 years we have lived like this. But for how long can this carry on?”
Another Palestinian who lives within the walls was Claire Anastas who now runs a gift shop from her home as a means to look after herself and her three children.
The walls surround three sides of Clair’s home.
She said: “At one time we were able to look out the windows and see fields and olive trees. But now, no matter which window I look out from I see grey walls, a constant reminder of the state we are living in.”
We were then taken to Aida Refugee camp.
Aida camp was established in 1948 following the creation of the State of Israel where many Palestinians found themselves dislaced.
It lies between the towns of Bethlehem and Beit Jala. United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) installations in the camp also provide services for the refugees in Aida and nearby Beit Jibrin camp. Health services are provided by the UNRWA health centre in the sub-area office in nearby Bethlehem.
As with other camps in the West Bank, Aida camp faces severe overcrowding. There is no vacant space in the camp to build a badly needed community centre.
Tione works closely with the refugees at Aida.
He said: “The refugees first arrived in 1948. The keys to their homes and their paperwork were all taken from them
“Since then they still live in hope that they will return. A huge key structure was created and is a symbol of their hopes.
“Though when they first arrived here they lived in tents. The UN agency UNRWA then took over their care and slowly the refugees started building homes. But even to this day this is still their temporary home.”
There are 4000 refugees at Aida. Summer is often a struggle as their water supply gets cut off by the Israeli authorities.
Said Toine: “Water supply comes from the West Bank but is controlled by the Israelis and whenever there is a shortage, the refugees are the first to get effected as their supply is cut off.”
Throughout our visit we met many Palestinians telling us the same stories about how the occupation is affecting them on a daily basis.
Students feel education is the way but those who have had their education still feel there is no chance in improving their future because they still can’t get jobs.
Economically they are suffering terribly and though they try hard to be optimistic, daily life in Palestine makes them see a different future and that of continued living in occupied territories.
And how has this experience left me? As I write this it’s quite hard to compose my words. I feel hurt, upset and upon leaving the West Bank, I feel I am bereaving. I have never met these people before but they have left quite an impact on me but also the rest of the group. It’s been such an eye opener and their injustice lies right in front of us yet the solutions to the problems seem far far away.