Gabe's Journal, Sept. 20th 2003

A Rochester Activists Journal depicting his observations and experiences in Palestine. Gabe is currently working with the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine.

I awoke from my rooftop perch at 6:30 this morning, partly because my watch began beeping on schedule and partly because I felt cold - for the first time since my arrival in Palestine. I have been anxious to observe and document more on the difficulty of movement caused by the prison walls around Qalqilia, so I began the 15-20 minute trek to the southern gate (also called Habla Gate). I arrived at 7:00 to find some men trying to pass with their donkeys. They passed through the gate with no problem. Actually there are now four gates in succession at this one spot for added "security." As the men passed through the gate, the soldiers emerged from their rest spot in the trees and blocked the men from passing. The men returned back to Qalqilia and from what I heard they said the soldiers stated the gate was open from 5:30-5:45AM and will again be open at noon.. Several other men tried to cross and were denied in similar fashion. Then a group of 20 women arrived and walked through the gate and several donkeys hauling their owners and carts soon followed. I could hear as the group tried to negotiate with the soldiers. The soldier explained in english the following times: 5:30-5:45AM, 12:00-12:10PM and 4:20-4:35PM. He also said "I am sorry, this is the last time the times will change," implying that the times had changed. (Note: I went back at 4:30PM and spoke with the soldiers as they were closing the gate and found out the times will change tomorrow despite their promise.)
Everyone returned and complained of the times continually changing. I watched until about 8:15AM and saw absolutely no one cross successfully. As I was preparing to leave, a man approached and spoke to me in english. He explained he was a dentist and had a clinic in the village beyond this gate. He asked me to cross with him thinking I could facilitate his crossing. I said I could not do this because I was alone and would be stranded if I got stuck on the other side, especially since my phone was stolen. He then approached the soldiers on his own and of course did not negotiate his way across. I decided to walk back with him as no one else was at the gate. He explained how he had studied dentistry in Croatia and now lives in Habla (the town across the gate) six days a week to work in his clinic. He comes back to Qalqilia once a week to spend time with his family. Keep in mind that he decides to live in a town 2 or 3 kilometers from Qalqilia instead of traveling between Habla and Qalqilia everyday because traveling that short distance is too much of a hastle. We of course discussed the current situation, and one of his comments stuck with me.. I said opening a gate three times a day for 15 minutes is not enough.. His reply: "Three times a day, like antibiotics."

I'll leave my frustrating afternoon discussion with the soldiers out of this e-mail. I hope you are all well.

Gabriel