The West Bank: A Torturing Cage for Palestinians

During the holidays the movement of people from location to location is a common and expected practice in the United States. Gas prices rise, highways block with traffic jams, state troopers position themselves at every mile marker and the dreaded security lines at the airport grow into mile long processions. According to the Bureau of Transportation, the number of long-distance trips increases 54 percent the week of Thanksgiving and the majority of these travelers are visiting their family and friends (Bureau of Transportation). Imagine having to ask permission or obtain a travel permit from the government before having the right to visit loved ones. For many people in the world the freedom of movement does not come easily and this injustice can have influences on all aspects of life, particularly identity.
Palestinian residents of the Israeli occupied territory known as the West Bank face tribulations considering movement in their everyday lives. Israeli forces have constructed numerous checkpoints and roadblocks to contain Palestinians. Every checkpoint is manned by Israeli soldiers who search every vehicle and inspect every man’s permit or identification papers. For Palestinians this is like going through airport security every time they need to go to work, to school, or to visit family. Sometimes soldiers arrest those waiting at checkpoints for no reason and send them to prison where they are tortured with no option for trial. Roadblocks are concrete masses or dirt piles that inhibit vehicular passage on Palestinian roads. They are not manned by soldiers and passage by foot is not prohibited, their sole purpose is to complicate or prevent Palestinian movement. These barriers can make typically quick trips hour long ordeals even for ambulances and fire trucks in cases of emergency (Baltzer).
Such was the case for a couple living in Dier Ballut, a Palestinian city located in the West Bank. In a few hours they lost everything they owned to a fire in their furniture factory. A fire truck was called when the fire was still small and could have easily been put out. However, fire trucks from neighboring towns could not get passed the checkpoints and the only water supply (controlled by Israel) in Dier Ballut was a mile away. Surrounding Palestinians did all they could to help by bringing buckets of water, but their effort was useless. What started out as a small fire turned into a raging blaze that destroyed their factory and their home, located on the second floor. Now they are homeless (Baltzer).
Ismael, a Palestinian farmer, has another story to tell. The majority of Palestinians are olive grove farmers who cultivate land that has been in their family for generations. Many of the olive trees harvested in the West Bank were planted hundreds of years ago. However many farmers are unable to reach their land due to checkpoints and Israeli Jewish settlements. Ismael has 500 trees that are now located within the Israeli settlement of Ariel. Even though he has a permit, soldiers often do not let him pass and Ismael must rely on the help of International Solidarity Movement volunteers to persuade the soldiers to let him through. Ismael struggles to support his family and is frustrated with the inability to walk freely on his own land (Baltzer).
To further complicate movement and to keep Palestinians out, Israel is constructing a wall that many believe is located along the border. However, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “the Wall is expected to annex approximately 14.5% of West Bank land to Israel, a percentage estimated to at least double after completion of the projected extensions and closures” (Baltzer). Munira, his wife Hani, and their six children live on the outskirts of Mas’ha, an area that is mapped out to be annexed by Israel. Munira refused to relocate his family and leave his home. In response, the Israeli army built the 25 foot concrete Wall in front of Munira’s house, separating them from their land, village, and community. The wall has left them on the Israeli side of the fence even though they are living on land far from the border. The region located between the Israel-Palestine border and the Wall is known as the Seam and Munira now finds himself caught is this area of question, trapped in his home. To keep Munira’s family from entering “Israel” there is a fence on the remaining three sides. They rely on the mercy of a soldier who guards the gate entering their small cage and most days Munira is unable to get to work. His children cannot go to school and have little contact with the outside world (Baltzer).
The holiday traveler at Christmas journeys on average 275 miles (Bureau of Transportation). Most passengers do this with complaint and impatience, uttering the whining question, “Are we there yet?” However, considering the struggle Palestinians endure everyday just to travel ten miles down the road, the American plight seems insignificant. Most Israelis consider Palestinians to be terrorists and therefore utilize the Wall, checkpoints, and roadblocks as measures of security. However, their real goal is to make the lives of Palestinians as difficult as possible, hoping that they will give up and leave the West Bank. The 18 year old soldiers patrolling Palestinian towns are often spoken to by residents as if they are their masters (Baltzer). They do this out of fear, but how long must Palestinians continue to endure daily humiliation and injustice without retaliating? Living in a fish bowl can turn someone either submissive or violent, neither being psychologically healthy. Violence seems to be a more likely option given the situation. Palestinians living in the West Bank are losing their jobs, their land, their families, and subsequently their identities. Frustration with the occupation can turn a calm, sane person with nothing left to live for into a violent retaliator. Therefore, is Israel squelching terrorists or breeding them?


Works Cited

Bureau of Transportation. "U.S. Holiday Travel." Bureau of Transportation Statistics. 2009 .

Baltzer, Anna. Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American woman in the occupied territories. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers, 2007.

Nazario Lecture

Monday, November 16th I attended the lecture on Enrique’s Journey given by the author Sonia Nazario for the Honors College. For about an hour Nazario spoke about her experience while writing the book, how she came up with the idea, and the people she met along the way. Afterward there was a question and answer session open to everyone in the audience. Hearing the author of Enrique’s Journey speak in person about the hardships of immigrants and respond to questions made the contents of the book seem even more like a reality.
However, having read Enrique’s Journey like most other honors students, I was disappointed that much of Nazario’s lecture was a synopsis of the story and its introduction. She did add some other tidbits of information on immigration that were interesting, such as current statistics and immigration in relevance to North Carolina. Nazario’s mention of the Obama Administration’s plan to control immigration was also interesting and I would have preferred her speak about that issue for the majority of her time. I was shocked that our President (whose platform during election was all about change) is pursuing the same plan previous Presidents have chosen. Build a big wall. Clearly this is not an effective strategy considering that immigrants from Central America are still pouring in. I liked Nazario’s plan she proposed during her lecture. She suggests that the United States help countries in Central America create jobs so that there would be no need for their citizens to risk their lives coming to the U.S. To me, as well as many others, this seems like a clearly plausible plan that would have more of an effect. My hope is that awareness will spread through Nazario’s book Enrique’s Journey and this plan to eliminate the hardships of Central American immigrants will become clear to politicians in power.

My Education, My Plan

My freshman year of high school I took a class that helped me discover what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. The class was called “Apparel Development” and was taught by Mrs. Martin, a strict but inspiring woman. In reality, the class was just a simple variation of what many know as “Home Economics.” It had a focus on apparel construction and our main assignment of the class was to sew a set of pajamas in four months. This seemed like a fairly simple task at first, however, my classmates and I soon learned that Mrs. Martin’s standards of quality were exceptionally superior and sent many of us back to our machines to start over again on a daily basis. By the end of the semester I had a new found respect for anyone who could sew and found myself wondering if I could be a part of the apparel industry one day. Since my pajamas were close to un-wearable, I started to look into the behind-the-scenes element of fashion and uncovered a fast-paced, glamorous, and competitive industry that intrigued me. Since then, I have been working towards my dream of a career in fashion.
Along with my enthusiasm for fashion, I am also interested in the French language. Learning about the French language and culture has led me to research other cultures as well. My interest in International studies and the opportunity to be in the Lloyd International Honors Program were some of the deciding factors for choosing UNC Greensboro. Currently my major is Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies with a concentration in Global, Apparel, and Related Industries and a minor in French. With the combination of CARS, International and Global Studies, and Honors classes, I hope to leave college with a well rounded education that will help me pursue a career in the international apparel industry.
After learning about the current issues with major apparel companies using sweat shops to manufacture their garments, I have narrowed down my goals. In many cases, companies are unaware or choose to ignore the abuse that is taking place. I find this issue inhuman and a great injustice that occurs all over the world as well as in our own country. I want to become a sourcing consultant for the apparel industry assisting companies pick overseas contractors who respect the quality specifications, regulations, and human rights laws set by the United States. Hopefully I can help prevent apparel companies from associating themselves with contractors who abuse their employee’s rights and harbor unhealthy working conditions.
For the next three years here at UNCG I plan on taking several practical steps towards achieving my goal. Outlined in my course requirements for both my major and minor are classes in consumer, apparel, and retail, International and Global studies, and the French language. I also plan to take courses offered in the honors department throughout the next three years. I am particularly fascinated by classes concerning philosophy and ethical principles. During the spring semester of 2011 I am planning a study abroad trip to Lyon, France. There I hope to utilize my skills in French and take international business classes that will contribute to my major as well as my minor. The summer before my senior year I am required to find an internship. My goal is to locate an apparel company that is considerably involved in international relations. Interning for a company such as this and performing well could lead to an opportunity in the type of position I want after graduation with the same company.
If I do succeed in a career as a sourcing consultant then it would be essential that I know the traditional customs, language, and social norms of different countries. Respectfully interacting with business associates all over the world is important. The learning plan I have outlined will help me understand these ideas better and assist me in becoming an effective activist for the issue I am concerned with.
However, I realize that this plan that I have constructed for myself is only a set of helpful guidelines and not an exact framework of how my life will play out. It took my mother twelve years to finally land her dream job after college graduation and I know that like her, I may have to follow some unplanned paths until I can get back to my ultimate goal. I also know that a lot can change over the course of a few years and my goals now may not be the same goals I have in the future. My degree from UNCG could take me in many different directions and it would be wise to take advantage of any interesting opportunities that present themselves. Right now my goal is to become a sourcing consultant and ameliorate the human rights issues in the apparel industry. These aspirations may change in the future, but my goal to be happy will never alter.

The Coat Hanger Project

Wednesday, November 4th I attended a documentary entitled The Coat Hanger Project. The film was a feminist look on the issue of abortion and the concept of reproductive justice. Before viewing the film I was unclear as to what the coat hanger symbolizes. I learned from the film that due to illegalization of abortion, millions of women die or suffer from permanent injury from attempts to self abort using coat hangers or knitting needles. Since the landmark case of Roe v. Wade in 1973 abortion has been legal in most states. However, every year proposals are brought forth in legislation to ban abortion. Therefore, the fight for reproductive justice still continues.
The term reproductive justice was coined by Loretta Ross who has also started the Reproductive Justice Movement. The definition of reproductive justice is the “complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic well being of women and girls, based on the full achievement and protection of women’s human rights.” This includes the right to have a child and the right to not have a child. Today many pro-choice activists participate in counter-protests to help protect their right for reproductive justice. In 2006 South Dakota legislature made an attempt to ban abortion without an exception for rape, incest, or risk to a woman’s health. Luckily the bill was overturned. However, this is one example that women must continue to fight to keep legal abortions.
Many people think that abortion is killing potential lives and therefore should be illegal. However, it is my opinion that the government shouldn’t dictate what a woman can or cannot do to her own body. Women should have the right to make their own decisions. I think this documentary further solidified my stance on the issue. Many women have died from trying to perform their own abortions. If abortion was illegal then women would still find ways to have abortions. However, they would be considerably less safe abortions. A pro-choice activist interviewed in the documentary said it best. “I’m not saying that potential lives are not valuable, but are they more valuable than the lives that are already here?”

Peace is Every Step

Tuesday, November 3rd, I viewed a documentary entitled Peace is every Step. The film was a biography on Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, poet, and peace activist. Thich Nhat Hanh is most famous for his peace efforts during the Vietnam War and for founding the School of Youth for Social Services in Saigon. His organization rebuilt bombed villages set up schools and established medical centers. Today, he travels the world lecturing on world peace and teaching his practices of “mindfulness” and “interbeing.”
Before beginning the documentary, Dr. Grieve a professor of religious studies led us in a meditation. The meditation exemplified the act of “mindfulness” through the process of eating an orange. Our goal throughout the meditation was to concentrate on the orange and rid our minds of all other thoughts. After the film started I learned from Thich Nhat Hanh that “mindfulness” is being aware of your own experience in the world and being completely present at all times. His practice of mindfulness also corresponds to his practice of interbeing. To interbe is to be aware of the inter-connected-ness of all things. “It is impossible to be alone, you must interbe.” Thich Nhat Hanh especially stresses the interbeing between humans and nature as well as the interbeing between countries. Thich Nhat Hanh believes that all conflicts should be resolved with peace.
I found Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings very interesting and applicable in my own life. Taking a few minutes out of my day to meditate and clear my mind could help me be mindful of my experiences in the world and interbe with the nature around me. “Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.”

Paris Dancing in the 1920s: Two by Cocteau

On Friday, October 30th I attended Paris Dancing in the 1920s: Two by Cocteau at the UNCG Department of Dance Theatre. The performance included two dance adaptations of scenes written by Jean Cocteau entitled Le Boeuf sur le Toit (1920) and Le Train Bleu (1924). Jean Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, playwright, and filmmaker. He was considered a surrealist during his time and is known for experimenting with verbal codes, mise en scene language and modern technologies in his works. The dance department’s performance of his two pieces illustrated these aspects, but with a modern twist.
The first piece performed, Le Boeuf sur le Toit, was Cocteau’s idea of a farce about American prohibition. The scene took place in an American “speakeasy” and included a bar fight, a couple of flappers, and a suspicious policeman. However, the performance was presented more as a dramatic mime and didn’t incorporate much dance technique. The second scene, Le Train Bleu, took place on the coast of the French Riviera and was rewritten considerably to fit the cast and to appeal to current audiences. The action included tennis players, swimmers, and two media thirsty characters known as “The Queen” and “The Music Hall Star.” This performance incorporated much more dance to convey the action and was my favorite of the two scenes. However, the musical interlude presented between the two scenes was the greatest performance of the evening in my opinion. The interlude included a tap number and vocalist that reflected on the spirit of the 20’s as well as the popular music of the time.
Overall, I thought it was a wonderful performance that encompassed some of my favorite things: dance, French culture, and music. Having danced for twelve years I paid close attention to the technique and could appreciate the talent of the performers. I also love the French language and culture and plan to do study abroad in Lyon, France in the spring of 2011. Watching this performance reminded me of my future plans and left me excited about my upcoming international experience.

Martha Graham Dance Company Performance

Saturday, October 24th I attended the Martha Graham Dance Company performance at the Aycock Auditorium on campus. The performance was a chronology of Martha Graham’s works through history including her most famous pieces. A narrator introduced each piece and described Graham‘s inspiration behind them while incorporating film clips and recordings of Martha Graham herself.
Martha Graham is recognized as a prominent figure in the artistic world during the 20th century alongside Pablo Picasso and Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1998, TIME magazine named Martha as the “Dancer of the Century.” She is known for creating unconventional, modern ballets where the technique is rooted in the basic human movement and the elemental movements of contradiction and release. Martha Graham’s dancing and choreography exposes the depths of human emotions such as in her most famous pieces Serenata Morisca ,Lamentations, and Errand into the maze. This innovative concept forever changed the dance world and continues to be an inspiration for future generations.
Steps in the Street is an anti-war piece written in 1936 in response to World War II and was my favorite number in the performance. The piece included three movements beginning with “Devastation” then moving into “Homelessness” and ending with “Exile.” The ensemble was classified into soldiers and civilians not by their costumes which were simple black dresses, but by their movements. The “soldiers” were characterized by their stiff, jerky movements, while the “civilians” threw their hands up in submission and moved across the stage like they were being taken off to an unknown destination. Of course this is just my interpretation. All of Martha Graham’s choreography is abstract and therefore the storyline is left up to the imagination of the viewer. However, knowing beforehand what the inspiration was behind the creation I found myself clearly developing a story around Nazi Germany and the Holocaust in my mind.
Even though Steps in the Street was written in 1936, the piece is timeless and can still be relatable in today’s society. This performance could easily be translated into the civil war in The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the religious conflict in Israel, or even the United States’ war in Iraq. Martha Graham’s work is certainly admirable in the sense that her choreography challenges the imagination while displaying basic human emotions that will always be appreciated by audiences.

Lumo

Thursday, October 22nd, I saw the documentary Lumo. It is a chronology of a Congolese woman’s recovery at HEAL Africa, a unique hospital for rape victims funded by UNICEF. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the midst of a civil war whose militia, rebels, and soldiers utilize the rape of women as their main form of terrorism.
“Do you know how you illness started?” This question opened up the documentary and was asked in an interview with Lumo. Lumo responds with her story of how she was raped by a group of soldiers who then proceeded to steal her family’s livestock and burn down her home. As a result from her violent rape, she suffers from fistula, a disease many rape victims develop. Lumo was sought out by Mama Miliri a counselor from HEAL Africa and has spent a year and a half there undergoing four surgeries in attempt to correct her fistula. The documentary films her fifth and final surgery as well as her recovery among other rape victims who pass their days by gossiping and singing to God. New patients of the hospital are greeted by the counselors, known as the “Mamas” who become their main cheerleaders in their recovery from fistula and emotional damage. The hospital runs on the philosophy of not only treating the organ, but the human as well.
Before viewing this film, I was not aware of the severity of the conflict in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Recently Sudan’s Darfur conflict has held more importance in the American media and civil war in DRC has been overlooked. The Student Government Association presented this film as a part of “Congo week.” The president of SGA told us to turn off our cell phones before the film began not only as a routine reminder of audience etiquette but also to inform us of Cassiterite, a mineral that is present in all cellular devices. Cassiterite is the main export of Democratic Republic of the Congo and helps fund their corrupt government as well as fuel the civil war. Many people do not know about the injustice taking place in DRC or Cassiterite. However, there is not much we can do to help the people of DRC, but we can participate in an act of awareness by turning off our cell phones daily for at least one hour. Currently, awareness is the best form of protest.

Immigration Project

This past weekend when I sat down with my Grandmother to talk about our family history, I never thought our conversation would continue for hours. She responded to all my questions and left me with more information than I could possibly comprehend. My Grandmother’s biggest hobby is Genealogy and over the years, she has collected thousands of documents, photographs, and letters that are artifacts of our family history. The rest of my family like to joke that she has done so much research that she can trace our family line all the way back to Christ, but of course this isn’t true. However, she has traced our lineage back to 19th century Germany and that is where our story really begins.
Gerhard Friedrich Bonkemeyer was born in Osnabruck, Germany on May 23, 1827. He as well as his family were tanners by trade and led a successful business. At age 27, his father died and left the business to one of his older brothers. Wanting to start a business of his own, but not wanting to compete with his own family, he decided to immigrate to America with his half brother Christoph as his companion. Luckily, they had enough money to pay for a private cabin on board the “Richard Cobden” and were able to avoid the close, unsanitary conditions of the lower deck. On December 13, 1854, they arrived at New York harbor.
Soon after their arrival, Christoph died of Cholera and Gerhard was left on his own. Gerhard traveled to Randolph County, North Carolina to start a tannery with his cousin. However, their business soon failed and Gerhard began working in a salt mill in Wilmington, North Carolina where he met his future wife. Years later, he became a Naturalized citizen of the United States in 1892.
This is only a fragment of the information my grandmother has collected over the years. I could go on for pages talking about my lineage, but I will spare you. The majority of my family, me included, find this history boring. To my Grandmother it is fascinating and her eyes immediately lit up when I brought out my list of questions. I could see out of the corner of my eye everyone else roll their eyes and start to walk away as soon as our conversation began for it is a well known fact that when my grandmother gets on the subject she never stops. However, if it weren’t for her obsessive hobby none of us would know where we came from. When I start to think about it in that perspective, I begin to appreciate her a little more.
Immigration today is a popular subject of interest and often becomes a part of heated debate in today’s society. So why doesn’t the majority of Americans consider their own family’s immigration story important? Is it because in many cases the trip happened hundreds of years ago? After reading Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario and listening to my grandmother, I realized that the two stories were similar. Our discussion then turned towards the hardships of immigration and they have not changed much over the years. This makes me wonder; if everyone in the United States knew where their family came from and the struggle they went through, then maybe the American people would become more understanding towards immigrants today.

*The image at the top left is the ship bark from the "Richard Cobden." Gehard Bonkemeyer is number 8 on the list.

*The second image is the permission from Germany to immigrate. (Equivalent of today's Visa)