Forgotten landmines

’In this moment, in all of the world, only the Palestinian people, they did not given them freedom.’

‘That is why I am here, to tell the people to pressure their governments. I am only one voice, but many people may listen to me. But you and I, we can do things, small things. We need to tell everything.’

This exchange of words was at the end of a meeting with the village council of the village of Husan, in the Bethlehem region.

‘There are thirty dunums of land mines, they are on fields in the outskirts of the village. At this moment the Israeli government did not bother to take them away. They are not even allowing the Roots of Peace (a non-governmental organization) to remove them. The Roots of Peace offered to take away but the Israeli will not allow them to do anything. The Palestinian authority could not either because it is in Area C under Israeli control. The USA wanted to take them from the land as well. Still the bombs are still there, and you do not know when they will go away.’

When I asked our local contacts from the United Nations Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross, they were both aware of the landmines. My colleague and I on the other hand, were very surprise and decided to view the area. As a previous team had reported on them several years ago, we had assumed that they would have been long gone, because landmines would receive a high level of attention, or so we thought.

Taha, a member of the village council is pointing at a field in between three blocks of houses, without a fence or sign of warning. On the other side of the road there is a larger piece of land, and small yellow signs of warning. The landmines are remnants from the Jordan times, and nobody has died from walking on them since 1954. Yet they remain, and prevent the Palestinians from using the precious pieces of land they have. My colleague Mary and I are both looking with disbelief at the field and are terrified with the thought of a child trying to play on the field. The stress of knowing that the landmines remain must be a constant burden for the villagers in Husan. That there is land full of landmines in the region of Bethlehem – it shows the needs to continue our work for peace.

International presence - appreciated or unwanted?

“Most people do not like that you are here. They think of you as Israeli, for them you all look the same, and they do not understand what you are doing here.” 

This was the answer by a local contact in the little village of Qusra, when I asked what the 5000 people in the village thought about our presence there. The previous day we had been providing protective presence as settlers from a nearby outpost attempted to use land owned by the village. The soldiers had quickly come to secure the area, and it had eventually become a standoff between soldiers and Palestinians, with us sitting on the sidelines with the Palestinians.

We, my colleagues and I, who have all been placed in different parts of the West Bank, have felt very welcomed by the Palestinian people. The hospitality and generosity are both very striking. For example, today it is my birthday, and a family I have never met before had prepared a great meal, including birthday cake with candles and a present.

Generally speaking there are several ways of looking upon our presence. Some do say that we are most welcome, and are very happy that we are present in solidarity with the Palestinian people.  The Qusra facebook page, has posted pictures with us, with comments such as “Thank you dear EAPPI” and “Thanks for being there.” The idea is that our presence is an active way to show that we are interested in what happens on the ground, and that we will report if there are any breaches to international humanitarian law or human rights. We make it safer for the Palestinians to assert their rights, as well as providing accurate information, preventing the soldiers from being accused of excessive violence. We practice principled impartiality, and do not take sides for or against any party, but instead proclaim to be in favor of human rights and international humanitarian law – for all, equally. 

Of course many of the people who are affected by the conflict, even though they work with us, may consider our presence unwanted. A villager from Al Walaja says: “You are most welcome to our home, but I do not like that you are here. That you are here, it means that something is wrong; you should not have to be here. I would like for you to be here only to visit, but not for internationals to come and help. When we do not need your help, when we can help ourselves, then I am happy that you are here.”

Our intentions are always to be a part of the solution, instead of becoming a part of the problem. We try to include the local people  and avoid villages where our presence is not appreciated by the majority of the people. Yet to provide protective presence and observe the human rights situation on the ground, requires a certain level of accommodation by the Palestinians. They have to tolerate us as we are trying to help, even when we may not be able to produce tangible results. We have to accept their frustration with our flaws, and the limits of our mandate.

Regarding the land owned by the village of Qusra, we may not be able to change the facts on the ground. However by being able to report first hand about the situation on the ground, trying to get media to come to the site at the time, and talk to them about what is going on, we can at least actively raise awareness and advocate for change.  And I can tell you that yesterday I saw how settlers were allowed by the Israeli government to start building a new outpost (which is illegal according to Israeli law and international law) on Palestinian owned land, under the protection of the Israeli military. I can also say, see for yourselves.