This is how we face oppression and occupation

I really enjoyed today’s readings, especially Saud Amery’s writings. Both stories from Sharon and My Mother-in-Law were very interesting and described issues facing Palestinians in their daily lives. “The Promised Gas Masks” reminded me in the years 2002-2004 during the curfews and siege of Ramallah. The longest curfew I remember was in 2002 and was imposed for over 35 days straight. We did not go to school, no cars were moving, no stores were open, the phones were cut off, and most people did not have electricity for over 20 days.

But still, people did not give up or surrender. The same kind of humor in “The Promised Gas Masks” was found in every house. People were not scared from the military tanks or helicopters or the armed soldiers, in fact, although they were highly armed, they were frightened even from the young children. We disregarded the curfew almost every night and walked to my grandmother’s house were all the neighbors met and discussed the situations and exchanged whatever they had from food to candles to even note books and pens.

I remember the first days of the Intifada I was 10 years old, I used to get frightened when I heard the shooting and the helicopters and the bombings. The tanks went back and forth between the houses and every time it would shake the house as if there was an earthquake. My father and mother were always smiling and never showed us that they are afraid, whenever they saw me or my sister scared, they simply told us what do you think they can do to us? Is there anything worse than this? No there isn’t so what are you afraid of happening? And my mother always reminded us that we are in much better situation than most of the other people and should not be scared and should be brave.

The disrespectful and humiliating treatment by the solders on checkpoints and the bridge with Jordan is even much worse than what Suad described. But again, people do not have any respect and do not fear at all the occupying solders. That’s why even the young children make fun of the solders and try to get out of the humiliation they are in by laughing and being sarcastic.

I’m not sure about Galit Hasan-Rokem’s article and did not understand her point behind it. I felt that she did not like the fact that people speak about Jerusalem and describe it in a female status such as mother or daughter or sister. I personally feel that because people value Jerusalem so much, they give it the same status as the most valuable things or people in their lives such as a person’s mother or daughter or wife…

Questions for Galit Hasan-Rokem’s:

1. How do you vision the future of Jerusalem?

2. Do you think that the Peace Process was able to achieve anything for the people or made us closer to reaching a just and fair solution?

3. What is your opinion about the settlements and the Wall in Jerusalem and the West Bank and how do you think Palestinians should fight these policies and stop them?