sampicksolives (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} sampicksolives) wrote,@ 2006-11-11 00:58:00 |
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Picking under the army's glare
We left for the Turabi groves at six, the tension in the taxi was really high as we drove up to the land in almost silences. Rhe land in split into two parts, a lower grove about 100 metres awat from the tower down the hill and the higher grove, literally next to the watch tower.
On the first day we picked on the lower land; the groves and trees were very over grown and the land really needs ploughing and clearing. The harvest was OK but nowhere near as good as on the previous land we picked on. We started picking immediately, quickly and in almost silence. Een the children were quiet, working alongside us rather than playing in the groves like other children we worked with. There was also tension between the family: those that were determined to stay and those who felt it might be better to leave.
Two soldiers came into the grove at about 9:30 whilst we were having breakfast. The family stayed sitting down with three of us while the other two went over to talk to the army. They asked what we were doing there and how we knew the family then told us to have a nice day and went away. After this the mood of the family changed everyone relaxed and chatted and we went from fast tense picking to a more chilled out, if a bit excited day. The rest of the day picking went smoothly until early afternoon when one of the harvest team went to the higher grove near the watchtower. At this point the soldiers shouted for her to leave and that no one was allowed that close to the watchtower.
After this the father of family became quite upset and wanted to leave, although his wife convinced him to stay. The family were reluctant to come back the following day to pick near the watchtower as they felt they would be sent away and the time and money spent getting to the grove would be wasted. They asked us if we would go to the watchtower to ask the soldiers if we could pick the next day. After some discussion between us and the family it was decided noy ask the soldiers, who would just say no anyway, and instead to phone the DCO (the army coordination office)and the Rabbis to try to get some assurance we could pick there, although we made it clear that we would pick with them regardless of the outcome of this. We also offered to cover the cost of the taxi up to the grove. We explained this would be paid for by our organization as they refused to take money from us personally.
By the evening there was some division within the family: the mother and daughters wanted to try and pick anyway, but the father was refusing to agree until we got some news from either the Rabbis or the DCO. We finally spoke to Arik at about 11pm, who told us the DCO said there would be no problem picking there.
We woke up early and told them the news we received the night before. We tallked about what to do if the army did come and tried to convince Hadim, the 4 year old son that he shouldn't come. Hadim had other ideas however and when crying didn't work, put on his shoes and sat in the taxi refusing to move. We decided with this attitude he might be an asset so took him anyway.
The family was extremely tense on the way up to the grove and once we got to the trees we were picking as quickly as possible. We had no contact with the soldiers for some time although they were clearly watching us through binoculars. They also started playing loud music and waving out the windows! At about 12pm about 5 soldiers came down to tell us we were picking too close to the tower and had to leave. The Palestinians were unwilling to talk to them and instead asked us to negotiate. We called the DCO and the Rabbis and showed them copies of the law in Hebrew. They told us we needed a permit and that this was a closed military zone which we disagreed with. They also told us that if they let us stay Hamas might see people were picking and use us as a cover to attack thre watchtower. I think even they didn't really have enough faith to keep up this line of arguing so we reverted back to buearactic wrangling - you need to show us this paper, no we don't you need to show us this one etc etc.
The negotiation went on for almost an hour, but after half an hour the Palestinians decided to negotiate and came over. He asked if the soldiers spoke arabic and they all said no - but undissuade he launched into an long argument that no one seemed to understand! One of the soldiers started to walk through the groves, looking at bags etc. We followed him around until he just gave up and rejoined the others. The rest of the family continued to pick with the other two volunteers. The soldiers were joined by three more, but it was eventually decided we could pick and all but three of them went back to the watchtower. They did check everyone’s Huwwias (but not the passports) and took two of them away (from the young men) to check. They were all returned.
By the time the negotiations had finished the family had picked all their trees and were ready to leave anyway. They were delighted to get their olives and that they had ‘won’ the argument with the army and we had quite a festive atmosphere on the way home!
Its such an amazing deeling when things go well. People came round to see what happened and they phoned family members to let them know they were safe. Everyone was chatting and laughing and it was such a relief to finally see the warm, funny and welcoming family they actually are once the tension had evaporated.
Before we left to join another family some boys came round to see us. They had heard what had happened that day and wanted to know if we could pick with them near the same watchtower. As we already had an arrangement for the next day we couldn't but agreed to try and go up the following day.
Leaving the family was really sad, we fely really close to them after the events of the previous couple of days.. all the tension and anxiety and the relif at things going well. I hope they can continue to get the dupport they need to really get that land working for them again, land they need to enable them to keep sending their daughters to university and give the rest of the kids the options and opportunities they never had themselves.
We left for the Turabi groves at six, the tension in the taxi was really high as we drove up to the land in almost silences. Rhe land in split into two parts, a lower grove about 100 metres awat from the tower down the hill and the higher grove, literally next to the watch tower.
On the first day we picked on the lower land; the groves and trees were very over grown and the land really needs ploughing and clearing. The harvest was OK but nowhere near as good as on the previous land we picked on. We started picking immediately, quickly and in almost silence. Een the children were quiet, working alongside us rather than playing in the groves like other children we worked with. There was also tension between the family: those that were determined to stay and those who felt it might be better to leave.
Two soldiers came into the grove at about 9:30 whilst we were having breakfast. The family stayed sitting down with three of us while the other two went over to talk to the army. They asked what we were doing there and how we knew the family then told us to have a nice day and went away. After this the mood of the family changed everyone relaxed and chatted and we went from fast tense picking to a more chilled out, if a bit excited day. The rest of the day picking went smoothly until early afternoon when one of the harvest team went to the higher grove near the watchtower. At this point the soldiers shouted for her to leave and that no one was allowed that close to the watchtower.
After this the father of family became quite upset and wanted to leave, although his wife convinced him to stay. The family were reluctant to come back the following day to pick near the watchtower as they felt they would be sent away and the time and money spent getting to the grove would be wasted. They asked us if we would go to the watchtower to ask the soldiers if we could pick the next day. After some discussion between us and the family it was decided noy ask the soldiers, who would just say no anyway, and instead to phone the DCO (the army coordination office)and the Rabbis to try to get some assurance we could pick there, although we made it clear that we would pick with them regardless of the outcome of this. We also offered to cover the cost of the taxi up to the grove. We explained this would be paid for by our organization as they refused to take money from us personally.
By the evening there was some division within the family: the mother and daughters wanted to try and pick anyway, but the father was refusing to agree until we got some news from either the Rabbis or the DCO. We finally spoke to Arik at about 11pm, who told us the DCO said there would be no problem picking there.
We woke up early and told them the news we received the night before. We tallked about what to do if the army did come and tried to convince Hadim, the 4 year old son that he shouldn't come. Hadim had other ideas however and when crying didn't work, put on his shoes and sat in the taxi refusing to move. We decided with this attitude he might be an asset so took him anyway.
The family was extremely tense on the way up to the grove and once we got to the trees we were picking as quickly as possible. We had no contact with the soldiers for some time although they were clearly watching us through binoculars. They also started playing loud music and waving out the windows! At about 12pm about 5 soldiers came down to tell us we were picking too close to the tower and had to leave. The Palestinians were unwilling to talk to them and instead asked us to negotiate. We called the DCO and the Rabbis and showed them copies of the law in Hebrew. They told us we needed a permit and that this was a closed military zone which we disagreed with. They also told us that if they let us stay Hamas might see people were picking and use us as a cover to attack thre watchtower. I think even they didn't really have enough faith to keep up this line of arguing so we reverted back to buearactic wrangling - you need to show us this paper, no we don't you need to show us this one etc etc.
The negotiation went on for almost an hour, but after half an hour the Palestinians decided to negotiate and came over. He asked if the soldiers spoke arabic and they all said no - but undissuade he launched into an long argument that no one seemed to understand! One of the soldiers started to walk through the groves, looking at bags etc. We followed him around until he just gave up and rejoined the others. The rest of the family continued to pick with the other two volunteers. The soldiers were joined by three more, but it was eventually decided we could pick and all but three of them went back to the watchtower. They did check everyone’s Huwwias (but not the passports) and took two of them away (from the young men) to check. They were all returned.
By the time the negotiations had finished the family had picked all their trees and were ready to leave anyway. They were delighted to get their olives and that they had ‘won’ the argument with the army and we had quite a festive atmosphere on the way home!
Its such an amazing deeling when things go well. People came round to see what happened and they phoned family members to let them know they were safe. Everyone was chatting and laughing and it was such a relief to finally see the warm, funny and welcoming family they actually are once the tension had evaporated.
Before we left to join another family some boys came round to see us. They had heard what had happened that day and wanted to know if we could pick with them near the same watchtower. As we already had an arrangement for the next day we couldn't but agreed to try and go up the following day.
Leaving the family was really sad, we fely really close to them after the events of the previous couple of days.. all the tension and anxiety and the relif at things going well. I hope they can continue to get the dupport they need to really get that land working for them again, land they need to enable them to keep sending their daughters to university and give the rest of the kids the options and opportunities they never had themselves.
