Well I have arrived back in Jerusalem tonight after visiting my dear, dear friends in the Camps in Bethlehem.

 

I think the past is now beginning to catch up with me, I mean the tiredness. I am so very tired.

 

I walked down Damascus Gate tonight to find an Israeli Policewoman and a Border Policeman pushing 3 young Palestinian boys.  I stood and witnessed and let them see I was watching them when the Border Policeman suddenly pushed the young boys against the wall and made them spread their legs.  He publicly humilated them and I wondered why, until I saw about 30 young Israeli Settlers walking by pointing at them and laughing.

 

You know me, I cannot keep my mouth shut and demanded why the Police were doing what they were doing and the Palestinians are not a spectacle for the Israeli Settlers.

 

She told me to go away but of course I had an asthma attack (not) just let them prove it and sat down. 

 

She told me she was doing her job and of course the usual reply to that is 'That is what the Germans said and they are war criminals now'.  Within 2 minutes the boys were left to go and we walked up the Old City together laughing and joking.

 

They asked me why more people did not come over.   If you are reading this, please ask yourself why can you not come over?

 

Of course not everyone can, some people have a young family, commitments but think about it please. 

 

Well my feelings about Jerusalem are still the same, it is not a place I particularly like.  For me the people here are not like the people in the West Bank. 

 

For instance tonight I went to the shop and something was on the t.v. about Nablus.  I asked the shopkeeper what happened and his reply was

 

'YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT, BECAUSE FOREIGNERS DO NOT GO THERE, IT IS TOO DANGEROUS.

 

WHEN I TOLD HIM OUR CAMPAIGN MEMBERS ALWAYS GO THERE AND LIVE THERE, HE SAID WE WERE STUPID TO PUT OUR LIVES IN DANGER.  

 

THEN AGAIN, HE HAS NEVER BEEN SO HE IS LISTENING TO WHAT THE ISRAELI'S SAY, A BIT LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN BRITAIN.

 

YOU HAVE NEVER HAD A WELCOME IN PALESTINE UNTIL YOU GO TO BALATA REFUGEE CAMP, NABLUS