August 24th, 2002

On August 2002 Nablus has been under continuous curfew for 2 months.
In addition to the fear and to being locked up inside the houses, a continuous curfew means a complete stop to life: all movement is prohibited, receiving medical treatment is difficult, there is no provision of medications and it is not possible to renew food supplies.

The Israeli government has imposed on a whole population collective punishment of life under curfew, under the guise of a war against terrorism. Instead of searching for a way out of the vicious circle of bloodshed, the government continued to kindle the flames of hatred and to blind the hearts through closure, expulsions, land expropriations, house destructions and curfew.

Amidst all this, there are still voices in the Palestinian public calling for stopping the bloodshed, who seek to work together with the small Israeli peace camp, to raise a united voice against the curfew, the occupation, the harming of innocents, and for a just peace.

The Israeli government is attempting to hide from the public eye not only the injustices and crimes it commits, but also these voices, and continues to claim that “there is no partner”.

Thus, several hundred activists from Ta’ayush and other organizations who planned to reach Bethlehem on August 10th to demonstrate alongside several hundred Palestinians who awaited them there, were stopped by the violent barrier of the army and the police, by “instructions from above”, as they claimed. Even the existence of Palestinians prepared to demonstrate for peace is detrimental to the strategy of fear and siege which the government seeks to use on the public.

A week later we received an urgent call from our Palestinian partners in the Nablus region. We were told about a shortage of baby food and of basic food-stuffs. The shortage is so severe,they said, that for lack of milk, babies are being fed water sweetened with sugar. The shortage is another outcome of the accumulating effects of the curfew.

Due to the urgency, and in the context of another activity we were planning in the region, we decided to act as soon as possible – Saturday, 24 of August 2002. Based on requests from Nablus, we decided to bring with us baby-food, flour and medicine, and hold a joint demonstration during the curfew protesting the curfew – collective punishment for which a whole civil population is paying the price.

The Israely army and police blocked the road to Nablus, where our Palestinian partners were expecting us. At that point, 400 Ta'ayush activists cut the corner of a field, bypassing the army roadblock, and set out towards Nablus on foot. As we were approaching the village of Hawarrah, on the outskirts of Nablus, having crossed other police and army barriers, we could hear gunshots and stun grenades. The army was dispersing a peaceful demonstration against Israeli occupation that the people of Hawarrah and neighboring villages were holding. On our arrival the local demonstrators drew back together and we held a joint demonstration. Later that day the trucks with the supplies reached Nablus.

here are some links with reports on the demonstration:

Coalition of Women for Peace (English + photos)
Indymedia (Final report from Taayush action; inside Nablus / English)
Walla! (Hebrew)
Indymedia (Hebrew)
Indymedia (English)
Ha'aretz (Hebrew)
Guardian (English)
Al Bawaba (English)
The Washington Times (English)
Nadir (German)

Click here to view the photos

please wait for the photos to download - אנא המתינו לטעינת התמונות



gathering in Kufr-Qassem and choosing signs for the demonstration
מתאספים בכפר-קאסם ובוחרים שלטים להפגנה


loading the trucks - מעמיסים את המשאיות


reaching Tapuach junction - מגיעים לצומת תפוח


the soldiers in the Tapuach checkpoint prevents us from continuing to Nablus
החיילים במחסום תפוח מונעים מאיתנו להמשיך בנסיעה לשכם


negotiating with the army comanders - משא-ומתן עם מפקדי הצבא במקום


as the negotiation leads to an dead-end the 400 activists get off the busses
כשהמשא-ומתן מגיע למבוי סתום 400 הפעילים יורדים מהאוטובוסים


meanwhile, every palestinian car that drives by is being checked by the Israeli soldiers
ובינתיים - כל מכונית פלסטינית שחולפת במקום נבדקת על-ידי החיילים הישראלים





the soldiers block the junction - החיילים חוסמים בפנינו את הצומת


each activist takes a sign or some of the baby-food
כל אחד מצטייד בשלט או במזון-תינוקות




by foot we bypass the blocked junction through the feilds
ברגל אנו עוקפים את הצומת החסומה דרך השדות










marching on the main road to Nablus - צועדים על הכביש המוביל לשכם










the army tries to stop us again - הצבא מנסה שוב לעצור בעדנו


but we continue marching - אך אנו ממשיכים לצעוד




Hawarrah residents greet us - תושבי חווארה מקבלים את פנינו בברכה







some of them, who demonstrated there while we were marching towards them, but were dispressed by the army with gunshots and stun grenades, join us now
חלקם, שהפגינו במקום בעודנו צועדים לכיוונם, אך פוזרו בכוח על ידי הצבא, מצטרפים אלינו כעת


a confused soldier - חייל מבולבל




the army again tries to stop us and now more firmly
הצבא שוב מנסה לעצור בעדנו ועתה ביתר תקיפות








and once again - we manage to continue
ושוב - אנו מצליחים להמשיך בדרכנו


while one of the activists is baing held in the police vehicle, the rest are surrounding the vehicle
בזמן שאחד הפעילים מעוכב על-ידי המשטרה, שאר הפעילים מקיפים את הרכב בו הוא מעוכב

another group of demonstrators from Hawarrah is arriving for a joint demonstration with us
קבוצה נוספת של מפגינים מחווארה מגיעים להפגנה המשותפת עימנו










while the demonstration is being held, some armored vehicles are passing us on the way to Nablus
בעוד ההפגנה המשותפת נערכת, מספר משוריינים עוברים לידנו בדרך לשכם