Letter from Bethlehem (44)
Toine van Teeffelen
January 4, 2003
On Tuesday December 31 the Justice and Peace march is held. After
nightly showers, we are lucky to have dry weather. Some hundreds of people are
waiting for the heads of churches who are delayed at the Bethlehem-Jerusalem
checkpoint. They are followed by three buses of Italian pilgrims, including
bishops and a cardinal from Toscany, who all join the march. While walking the
crowd slowly swells to a size of - I and some journalists estimate (and as
always the estimations vary widely) - about 1000 demonstrators. Later on some
people leave early while others join the crowd attracted by the sight of people
carrying colourful red-white hats, balloons, and banners with political or
political-religious slogans such as "Let's turn the checkpoint into a
prayer place." Some youth say that they prefer not to carry any banners as
they are concerned that later on they might be refused a permit to travel
abroad. In fact, in advance of the march I had heard from several persons in my
environment that they were afraid to come for fear of reprisals. Mary's sisters
and their children join but say that they stay at the end of the march. I carry
Jara on my shoulders so as to give her a good look at the people.
The army does not let us walk for long. After 1 kilometer we are stopped
for the first time but are allowed to continue. The second time, near Rachel's
Tomb, we can't proceed further. We all stand together in front of a street-wide
row of soldiers. There is almost no tension in the air. Some kids of the
neighbouring 'Azza camp start talking with the soldiers who respond not
unfriendly, knowing that the cameras are directed at them. The church leaders,
a Moslem leader and the governor of Bethlehem hold speeches; Patriarch Michel
Sabbah also addresses the Israeli soldiers. Jara whispers in my ear that she
likes one soldier's face. Apparently the soldier looks like a class friend of
hers. Next day, when Mary and her sister in an offhand remark wish the Israelis
to go to the moon, referring to the unpredictability of curfews, Jara takes it
literally and says "No! Not all of them. Not the Israeli soldier I
saw.") In the march, one youth says that non-violent actions are
definitely the best way of protesting but that we should stay longer in front
of the soldiers and that people should sit down while the heads of churches and
mosques are conducting prayers. TV and photo journalists would then have a
better view of what is happening. After all, visuals are more important for the
media than speeches. Otherwise, there is a good feeling among all the
organizers, not just because the march went largely according to plan but also
because it provided an opportunity for people to raise their heads and spirits.
Afterwards, Mary and her sisters from Paris want to pass the soldiers to
do shopping. While watching the soldiers, Mary recognizes one of them who
belonged to the group that searched our family in law's house, and also damaged
ours, during the siege of the Nativity Church. First Mary and her family are
not allowed to pass. Mary offers a soldier her hat with the sign "Open
Jerusalem" on it, and asks him to give it to Sharon "so as to cheer
him up." The soldier laughs and changes his mind. But the relaxed
atmosphere of the march is quickly forgotten. In the evening at 21:00 a curfew
is installed driving people back home from their New Year's eve celebrations.
Mockingly, the military jeep announcing the curfew imitates the honking of
football supporters who celebrate a victory.
*
* *
Next day, January 1, it is big feast. At least, so we want it to be.
Tamer will have his baptism and people here celebrate this extensively, even
with a reception. We had chosen the day of January 1 presuming that this day
would not be curfewed. But early in the morning it looks there is curfew, then,
to Mary's relief, the lifting of the curfew is announced on TV. However, two
tanks drive up and down the main Bethlehem roads announcing the curfew. So what
is happening? Mary calls around, and nobody – even not the governor –
understands what is going on. Local TV announces that the Israeli army
headquarters are reconfirming that the curfew is lifted but outside on the
street the two tanks are still chasing cars and people from the street. Perhaps
the tanks do it without authorization in order to play with the nerves of the
people, it is speculated. Sitting in front of the telephone, Mary is in tears.
She had first told the restaurant that the reception for 90 persons was
cancelled, then that it was on, and now she doesn't know anymore what to do.
Finally, in a burst of determination, and after getting some good advice, she
says, "Khalas [let's finish it], if the Israelis don't know what
they are doing, we should know what we do, whether curfew or not." So we
go ahead. Jara offers the suggestion that, going to the church, we should keep
on our hats with the signs "Open Jerusalem" and "End
Occupation" and give them to soldiers so that they let us pass. She is
clearly inspired by Mary's little act of defiance yesterday. The restaurant
owner cooperates but needs one hour more to prepare the food. We delay the
baptism with an hour. The bakery calls for the cake, he doesn't want to bring
it to the restaurant because the two tanks are still passing by. I take a taxi
to the bakery, where the baker quickly sprays "Tamer's baptism
1/1/2003" on the cake, and move to the restaurant opposite the Church of
Nativity. Inviting me in, the restaurant owner sighs, with a gesture of
resignation, "See how we live."
The baptism turns out to be the feast we wished it to be. During the
ceremony, so many video and photo cameras are in action that Tamer almost looks
a media hero. When he bubbles out his salva, Fr Peter of Bethlehem University,
who leads the baptism, says he is "full of holiness" and we all
laugh. As Fr Peter says afterwards, the baptism was an event rather than a
routine. The families and friends enjoy the reception (a colleague of Mary
said, "everything uplifting is good for us"). We make a group picture
of the families Salman and Morcos laughing brightly as if living in better
times. Some family and friends advise Mary not to allow the people to kiss
Tamer as he would risk to be influenced by the evil eye, the more so because he
looks so pretty and some people may feel a hint of jealousy (which is according
to tradition the source of the evil eye).
Also the following days we live in continuous uncertainty. On Thursday a
curfew is announced without any prior warning on the middle of the day, at
14:00. Classes at Bethlehem University are abruptly broken off. A university
teacher tells me that a student in her class heard by phone about the curfew
and that then everything had to stop. I see the students flocking outside the
buildings, waiting for the buses. At the market the salesmen and peddlers try
to still sell something of their products by lowering the prices enormously but
people rush homewards. While standing at the top of the university hill, I
suddenly feel a deep pity for all those common people who are driven in and out
of their homes like animals. Are there any particular reasons for this cruel
experiment in which people have to cope with increasing doses of uncertainty?
We can only guess. Norma saw some young children burning a tire near Cinema
square; and there is the rumour that somebody shot at Road 60 between Jerusalem
and Bethlehem. During the night from Friday to Saturday we hear explosions.
Arrests have been made, and three houses blown up by the army. Perhaps the
making of arrests is linked to the curfews but the arrests are primarily made
during the evening and night, it seems. Also Saturday morning, the situation is
unclear. I bring Jara to the place where the school bus picks her up but
bystanders tell that it's again curfew. The jeeps had announced it at 1:30 in
the night. So it looks now policy to create confusion about the curfew times,
to make sudden, last-minute, ambiguous or changing announcements which keep
people guessing. As if we all walk on a dark unknown road with contradictory signs