‘’My name is Ahmed and im a Farmer’’

So work sent me on a mission with a couple of my colleagues to carry out what they call an ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ basically it looks at the impact of measures such as the wall and checkpoints on the 172 barrier / Apartheid Wall effected communities in Palestine – you see the wall cuts through land that splits families, farmers from their land, children from their schools whilst taking up valuable land illegally that Palestinians have been working and living off for years.

This whole experience of going out to villages and carrying out these assessments was eye opening to say the least – we went to two villages; Izbat Salman and Azun Atmeh both in Qalqilya District with a population of less than 3000 between them. They were both mainly farming communities. Qalqilya  is a district surrounded by the wall with only one way in and one way out – 100,000 people in total – the biggest open prison on earth...... after Gaza perhaps.

The visit and assessment explored a number of things with the farmers and measured the effect of a number of measures that were forced upon these communities; the barrier cutting through farming land, the checkpoints and access gates where only certain items can be carried through, the number of olive and citrus trees removed to construct the wall, sewage and waste disposal implications with sewage flooding land from settlements, if any legal action had been taken and what was the result.

One thing that I could not understand personally was that all the people we visited in the village councils were happy. They smiled, they welcomed us and they talked about their stories and experiences with laughter; perhaps partially because they feel powerless to do anything and partially because they cannot believe what is actually happening.  I never drink coffee and these guys everywhere we went drowned us in the strongest Arabic coffee in the world which was like Redbull on crack – typically, like all Palestinians, they were very hospitable. 

Nothing is Coincidence, Madness, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari (R.A) and Al-aqsa

To all you eager beavers who have been complaining about my lack of blog posting these past two weeks – the delay has been more due to not knowing how to say something rather than not have something to say. This country is MADNESS.... but im blessed to be here and blessed to be experiencing what I’m experiencing; sat here writing this I can think of more deserving people that could have benefitted from this trip – Why me?. Nothing is coincidence I guess; every action, every step, every meeting, every flight, every fall – all is part of a bigger portrait and we’re drifting outside the gallery with a leaflet on what we may see inside.

Last weekend I made the trip to Jerusalem from Ramallah for two reasons; one to visit the family of  a Naqsbandi Sheikh, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari (RA) who passed a couple of years ago (http://jerusalempeacemakers2008.jerusalempeacemakers.org/bukhari/index.html)  and two to visit Al-Aqsa. The distance is not further than 10 miles but the checkpoint at Qallandiya makes the journey a little bit of a killer. You basically travel to the checkpoint, wait to be let in, take off your shoes, belt and empty all your belongings onto a tray and pass through a metal detector before having t show your passport. Border Police: “Where are from” Me: “England” Border Police: “No, I said where are you from?!” Me:England! ..... the woman next to the officer informed that that although I was brown I was born in England - Border Police: Ok. Go through. This experience was a first hand eye opener too -  a young girl with what appeared to be a broken leg was being carried through the checkpoint by her father. She went through the same hassle. This is MADNESS.

I arrived at Damascus gate and made my way into the old city and proceeded to find my way to the house. The old city is like a maze! But the people I met were helpful and I soon found the house. Literally a few metres away from Al-Aqsa. I had spoke to the Sheikhs Wife ‘Khala’ on the phone the day before and informed them that i would be coming; she was welcoming on the phone and even more welcoming in person. 

The house although simple was very beautiful and I was made to feel very welcome; I spent a good few hours there and we spoke about a lot of things; life, death, her husband and his work; the peace process and life in Palestine. It was sad to hear about the difficulties she faced visiting her daughter who is married in Gaza. We spent our time together with Khalas Aunt who although did not speak a word of English took me on a tour of the guestroom (See photos below); this room was literally a museum in the sense that it charted a full century of history of Palestine and the family and the move from Uzbekistan. It was used by the sheikh for guests etc It also had a number of photos of the sheikh and his family, people that he had met and places where he had been carrying out his diversity and peace work. One of the most touching things in the room was a Photo of Sheikh Nazim (May Allah give them a long life and good health) next to a Photo of Ghandi (May Allah reward them for their good deeds). Living in a secular society in England we don’t see these outward manifestations of integration, acceptance and ultimately love. This is MADNESS.

Before I left, Khala and her daughter Daniya invited me to Daniyas school where a Mawlid (Birthday of the Prophet  Muhammed peace and blessing be upon him) celebration was being held next weekend. They didn’t have to do this and I was very touched by this. We said our salaams to each other and Khalas daughter (the best 11 year old tour guide of Jerusalem) showed me the way to Masjid Al-Aqsa and what began as a beautiful day in Jerusalem; continued.

Masjid Al-Aqsa is an experience to say the least. If you make it past the machine gun carrying Israeli Defence Force soldiers and the cheap Chinese radio carrying Palestinian police the shear spirituality of the place hits you one time. It is beautiful – not only the Dome Of The Rock – Masjid As-Sakhrah but the whole complex. I was lucky to come on a day it was quiet and I got to make the most of the day taking in everything and feeling anything. Have a look at the photos below. This is one of them situations where words are not enough to describe how I felt.

Whilst I was in Masjid As-Sakhrah i met a guy form Ashton there, Nav who was on a mission there for a week of seclusion - was hearing a northern voice from another 'proper bro' he was heezer and a half! lol - "These wobblers here are off it brooo!" hahaha lol. 

 This is a must visit place – to everyone reading this don’t talk about it be about it - make the intention – book the flight and come here; they may send you back at the airport, they may not let you into the Al-Aqsa complex and they may stamp your passport so its hard to travel anywhere else in the world!.......but its worth it. Trust me. 

Life in Ramallah, Bethlehem and Work at the UN Barrier Monitoring Unit....

After a few days of being too lazy to blog I thought I should write something.....

Ramallah

After a week Jerusalem it was time to move on to Ramallah and start my project. For those who don’t know – Ramallah is the ‘capital’ of the West Bank and is nothing like you think; nothing like what you see on the news typically and nothing like you would expect; its full of internationals, NGO’s and a shed load of development agencies (The guys that come in and do good nice things here). A positive sign for the area is the fact that it is a building site full of new things being constructed; Ramallah however has been described by so many people as a ‘bubble’ that is unreflective of the rest of the region.  

Freezing!

Ramallah is FREEZING no doubt! You’d be surprised how cold it is – it’s like a freezing day in England without any snow or ice. The accommodation where I am staying is also freezing; it’s not designed for the winter I guess and only for the hot middle eastern summers; guess i came at the wrong time of the year! They have though given me an extra warm fake mink blanket (Kamball) to keep me warm. Views are amazing though; this place beautiful.

UN Barrier Monitoring Unit

Works going pretty well, the team there is pretty cool; I’m working with an ex stock broker (Andrea) and an economist (Imad) who worked for the Italian government – let’s just say economics wise they know there stuff. The project in particular is measuring the financial and economic impact the Barrier / Wall around the West Bank had had in terms of cost to the international community and the UN; if you’ve got refugees, jobless farmers who have had land confiscated and a wrath of related issues – someone has to pay. The Question is how much has it cost and is it sustainable?? Interesting fact –in my research i have seen that the Gaddafi Development Fund made a substantial contribution to the UNWRA budget last year....I guess his money was not deemed to be blood stained at this point??

Bethlehem and the Wall

Khadar a Christian Palestinian form work took us all out to see the wall and tour Bethlehem on Sunday; very nice peaceful place – Bethlehem that is – not the wall. If you have seen pictures of the wall I can assure you that in the concrete flesh it is HUGE and much bigger than you can imagine!

A positive and encouraging sign is the amount of support all over the wall from all around the world; i swear if the wall could be turned into an art museum it would make a fortune! A could swear half the messages on the wall are from the Irish (RESPECT!).

The true impact of the wall in Bethlehem is probably best seen through the eyes of Imad one of the guys I am working with on the barrier economics project. He travels from Bethlehem everyday and this takes him an hour and a half if not longer some days for a journey that took him previously 20 minutes. The distance is not even that far. He well into his fifties, the same age of many of our parents, an old man; he shouldn’t need to do this; he shouldn’t need to be put through this. This is madness. 

We also got the chance to go through the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, this is more than a refugee camp put a semi-permenant village - the camp was full of art work with one simply reading "where is the world".

Just a bit of Al-Aqsa and Documentary Time

It’s come to that time of this blogging (and night) where I just want to knock out and not write anymore but today was THE day so far!

The day started with a trip down to the ‘Old City’ through Damascus gate. The place is beautiful and literally untouched- it contains holy sites for Muslims, Christians and Jews. (Just Google it if you want  to know more) Importantly for me, it contains the Al-Aqsa Complex. The Narrow alleyways and architecture in itself are an experience! After having ‘brunch’ in the old city (Hummus, Falafel, bread – thats all these guys seem to have out here!) we walked towards the Al-Aqsa Complex. There is a narrow market street with a door at the end that leads out directly in front of Qubbut-ul-Sakhra (Dome of the rock). To make the visit here and a number of other Ziyayats is one of the most important things I wanted to get out of my trip to Palestine. Unfortunately because of time constraints and arsey guards at the entrance I only managed to get a glimpse for a minute or so read a quick Dua and bounce. The feeling thought stood there is indescribable. I am blessed beyond blessed and probably not worthy of this opportunity. The whole trip is worth it for this short moment alone. It’s one of them where you have to be there to see it, to feel it, to appreciate it to understand it – I guess until you come you won’t understand. Although this was my last day in Jerusalem before moving to Ramallah I know for certain I will be back. I am hoping to come for the full weekend for Milad Shareef (The Prophet Muhammad PBUH Birthday) in a couple of weeks and a few more times atleast before I leave.

We left to go back to the office and then after some mind numbing health and safety training that was largely irrelevant the rest of the evening was spent at the French Institute and the Educational Bookshop, Jerusalem. This is sort of a hang pad for activists, journalists, development workers etc. Here I saw an amazing documentary by an Israeli Ra’anan Alexandrowicz called The law in these parts. Having studied law and understanding and appreciating the rule of law this was an eye opener to say the least. The Film / Documentary used archive footage and interviews with a number of people to show how the law has been used, abused, twisted, justified and shaped to compound a distinct policy. A part of the documentary that was particularly moving was when an ex Supreme Court Judge admitting that ‘’Of course’’ he knew of torture and abuse historically that led to convictions and thought this was okay. Many parallels perhaps can be drawn with modern day Britain and the complicity of the British Government in the Torture of its Nationals. The Guy was a heavy guy no doubt, but i couldn’t help feeling that legally no progress has been made in the past half century and that none is likely to be made anytime soon. The situation is similar to having a Ferrari that needs some work. We can polish it to make it aesthetically pleasing, we can place the finest Italian leather seats inside it to attempt to make things comfortable along with air conditioning and even oil the wheels that allow it to roll to ease the friction on the floor. What is the ultimate use though when there is no engine and there is no licence to allow it to be driven?? - #Fail. Helps perhaps put into to context the project work being carried out here by a number of different agencies, bodies and governments. One of the most optimistic and forward thinking members of the development group was even depressed and deflated towards the end; I guess the situation and helplessness just pulls it out of you. 

I spoke to Ra’anan afterwards in the question session and asked him how he saw things progressing form a legal drafting and policy perspective; he hoped the film would have the desired effect and he gave an example of how the judiciary is becoming aware that the decisions made on controversial laws would and could have implications in the future; whether this will be enough – who knows. I bought a book at the end of the end of the night I have been advised to read called ‘In Search of Fatima’ by Ghada Karmi (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!) and met the film geezer  and got off – a good, laced with sombre end to what turned out to be a long day.

"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying small stones"

Meeting at the British Consulate, Jerusalem

We met today with Edward Evans Vice Consul at the British Consulate and Jeff Tudor Deputy Head of Office for the Palestinian Programme along with a few other delegates. They provided us with a good welcome and refreshments before discussing with us the finer points of the situation and how things were progressing forward with the two state solution in mind. Without a shadow of a doubt, they understood the occupation, had been on the ground and appreciated that settler activity not only harmed the peace process but also impacted on Palestinian lives hugely. They were very much in favour of a two state solution and have worked towards this in a number of ways.

A discussion was had on how international intervention and pressure is necessary for the situation to improve and the reasons why political pressure is held back.  Jeff spoke about how the barrier or wall around the west bank put up by the Israeli Administration cut farmers away from their land which they could then only access by gaining a permit. These permits are often refused on the grounds of showing ‘insufficient attachment to the land’ or ‘security concerns’. The Ottoman law still applies and if the land is not farmed for 5 years it reverts back to the state; you can see where this is going.  All was said on a ‘’personal level’’ or ‘’informally’’.

We were commended us on the work and projects that we had planned and advised us to make the most of Jerusalem. The people are very welcoming (as we have experienced) and we would learn a vast amount; we would be meeting again before we left for the UK. 

Induction and Intro to Palestine

I woke up at around 5am hearing the Adhan coming for a mosque right across the road. For the first time in about 2 years, bar the mornings in Ramadhan, I pulled myself out of bed and read Fajr – These moments would not come often in my life of being in such close proximity to a blessed place on this earth and I wasn’t about to let this opportunity to slip; I promised myself I would make a habit of it. (View from the hotel window)

The rest of the day was taken up with training at the Head Quarters of the UNAIS (United Nations Association International Service) we have been partnered with. The Country Director Khalid gave a very real and frank and honest opinion of the history of the region and the situation on the ground – systematic, planned, well backed, motivated and very saddening situation. This session left me feeling powerless and questioned the motivations behind the work that I would be doing and if it was part of a wider agenda and if it would in fact make a difference? He went through some housekeeping and by the end of the day I was drained both physically and emotionally. The information left me feeling both angry yet powerless at the same time; we live in a sick world no doubt.

The day ended with a meal which I think we got done for at a restaurant and a Shisha.

Nelson to Luton to Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

As per everything else in my life; everything was done in time although not on time – lastminute.com. One thing that I have learnt preparing for this trip is how many people out there actually care. The number of phone calls, texts, facebook messages, emails and visits overwhelmed me and has made the journey, and the indeed the next three months, easier. Thank you – You know who you are.

After a couple of hours sleep, Hussain along with Ali Chaudhary and Qasim Rauf picked me up at 4:30am -  Hussains ‘intresting’ music choice made the journey easier!. Having known about the Trip and the work that I would be involved with in the West bank for a couple of months, this was the first time I actually felt nervous; a combination of the project, the country, the length of time I will be away from home and the pressure to make sure I make the most of the journey both socially, spiritually and practically.

I met the group at the airport and made it through check-in with no issues (even though I was 3kg over!). One thing that has stuck in my mind from Luton Airport is the conversation i had with the till girl at boots. She asked me where I was going; my response was “Palestine” to which she replied “where is that”; I told her “some people call it Israel” she smiled and said – “oh yes – Have a nice Time”. The phrase ‘’nice time’’ – stuck in my head for the rest of the journey; my worries were how ‘nice’ a time would I have learning and witnessing the things that I will. What also was apparent from this conversation, although perhaps a generalisation is how ignorant the world is to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The flight was delayed and cramped but I had a heavy knock out for most of the flight, I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and got to immigration where, as expected, I was held for an hour and a half and questioned along with another member of the group; we were both Muslim, the rest went straight through – I guess a name like Muhammed Arif Khan didn’t help.. After being questioned twice and asked – who is your father? Who is your grandfather? When was the last time you went to Pakistan? Why has it been so long since you have been Pakistan? What is your occupation? And taking a mobile phone number, home telephone number and email address they let me go; I informed them before leaving that Israel cannot play football (i had watched an hour of it whilst waiting) and left them with an invite to Nelson that i assured them if they took they would not regret.

Arriving in Jerusalem there is no doubting the spirituality of this place, you could feel it in the air, you could feel it in the people.

"Sometimes you have to lose yourself in order to find yourself" - Matt Sullivan, Head of New Business @ CMS