Report from Bethlehem on 3/31

3/31 Report From Bethlehem mike burke Mar 31, 2002 09:20 PST

Below is the latest report from Kristen in Bethlehem... this can also
be read on the NYC Indymedia site along with audio interviews and
older reports from members of the NYC delegation.

Bethlehem, Palestine
31 March 2002

Last night, 30 March 2002, 20 of us stayed in Al Azzeh refugee camp of
5,000 inside of Bethlehem with several families expecting an invasion
by the Israeli military. We went two to a house. There is no land to
build on, so any new homes are built atop existing ones. At the house
I stayed in, we watched Arfat on television most of the night giving a
press conference inside his compound in Ramallah. At 10pm he was given
one hour to surrender by Israeli military or they would go in
shooting. This has not yet happened and he has said he will not go
alive.

Television stations showed five dead, shot at point blank range inside
Arafat's compound. The family I was with stays up most of the night
and sleeps during the morning daylight hours. The shooting at nights
requires them to quickly move from one room to the next, and to always
be ready. They do not jump when they hear the popping of F-16s. They
simply get up and move as the noise becomes louder.

There was a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. The bomber was from Nablus,
which is further north from Bethlehem. The families inside of Al Azzeh
refugee camp expected Israeli military to invade the camp and
disappear all of the men aged 16 to 50 years old. Israeli snipers
continued to fire into the camp throughout the night. They fired at
Palestinians and internationals alike as we scurried across roads to
get inside of the houses, which are litered with bullet holes. Many of
the windows are protected by bags of sand. We met the mother of a 14
year old Palestinian girl who was shot by Israeli snipers as she
opened the front door of her house inside the camp two weeks ago. I
was expected to address a conference at Columbia University in NYC via
telephone at 3:30 am Palestinian time, but my cel phone was unable to
function.

All international media has been asked to leave Bethlehem. Now the
Palestinian people need all people from around the globe as much as
ever. I write this quickly to you all from Dehesha refugee camp
because invasion of Bethlehem is now imminent. It is expected within
the next two hours. It is now 1:30 pm. We are told that if Arafat is
assasinated the Israeli military will fully re-occupy the entire West
Bank, of which Bethlehem is a part. We will return to Al Azzeh camp
within the hour to stand in solidarity with our Palestinian families
as the invasion unfolds. Yesterday Beit Jala, the town without lights
at night that stands across the valley from an Israel settlement fully
lit conected by a bridge that only Israelis are allowed to use, was
invaded in order to be at the highest point surrounding
Bethlehem. Parts of Beit Jala are under curfew. It is still impossible
to get to Ramallah, where Palestinians and internationals are asking
for assistance. Some are blocking tanks, others defied the curfew by
donating blood. As here in Bethlehem, in Ramallah internationals are
also riding along inside of ambulences.

We are here in solidarity with the Palestinian peoplein order to bring
attention to the brutal military occupation, sanctions, killings, and
daily humiliation Palestinians face at the hands of Israeli military
and government.

Bethelehem, according to those who live there, is virtually deserted.
Streets that once swarmed with life are mostly shut down now. All
schools are evacuated. Teachers say they are not afraid. Many
Palestinians say all they have left is their will.

We have been thanked and fed and described as peace prophets. Our
presence is necessary and deeply appreciated. We request that as many
of you who receive this help in any way you can. I can only ask that
we all please raise awarness of this situation, work on divestment
campaigns, and tell Bush and the US government that their funding of
the Israeli military is a terrorist atrocity which must not be stood
for. We will update you as much as possible.

Thank you so much for your caring and interest. A suicide bomber has
just hit Haifa, which is about 90 km from Tel Aviv.

Salaam,

Kristen Schurr
Bethlehem, Palestine 31 March 2002