Update from Nablus, August 3
from CCMEP Delegate Samantha Messier

Nablus is under yet another day of full military occupation. The streets of this city of 100,000 people are deserted except for tanks, APC's, jeeps, and groups of soldiers.  More than 20 internationals are present in Nablus witnessing house searches, detentions of  Palestinians, and the occupation of civilian houses by the Israeli military. There  are reports of 4-5 houses having been demolished in the past 48 hours. Internationals witnessed a very recently destroyed upper floor of an apartment building. Possessions of the family living inside were scattered throughout the street below among broken glass and concrete.  Several  families invited Internationals inside where they witnessed evidence of destruction by the Israeli military including broken windows, overturned furniture, and a basement that was set on fire still filling the house with smoke.

On several streets almost every store front was severely damaged by the Israeli military. Locks were broken, doors bent and broken, and goods inside tossed around and damaged.

Israeli soldiers searched Palestinian homes throughout the day. During these searches, entire families were forced to wait outside in the street.  One of these many families, including several children and one infant, were forced to wait outside for at least 5 hours.  While internationals were witnessing this, the soldires continually trained their guns on the children. Internationals including Samantha Messier and Jill Dreier of Colorado attempted to enter one house where 3 families were being held at gunpoint in a courtyard.  The family appeared very frightened. An older woman in the courtyard appeared extremely ill and was clutching her heart. The soldiers agreed to let her be moved inside out of the sun.  The internationals were then physically forced out of the courtyard back onto the street.

Internationals encountered a house that had been occupied by soldiers with part of the family still inside.  The men were being forced to wait outside, while the rest of the family was inside with the soldiers.

In addition to house searches, many shops were being searched. Internationals witnessed soldiers using a Palestinian man as a human shield as they went to open doors (they have a videotape of this witnessing [AS]).

In one of the grimmer incidents, internationals removed a dead body from a building yesterday and today cleaned up the blood at the request of the family. The man who was killed was shot by a sniper while standing on the roof of his own house.  The family was afraid to go on the roof because of an enforced curfew.  The blood had been there for two days.

Tonight 7 internationals are staying in houses under imminent threat of demolition.

A sound bomb was thrown at internationals while they were sitting peacefully in the courtyard of the mosque in the old city.

Samantha Messier  011 972 6727 8105
Jill Dreier  011 972 5892 0564


Additional Comments from Sam re: phone conversation with Ann:

Nablus remains under full military occupation.  The streets and the city, of over 100,000 people remain deserted except APCs, tanks and soldiers.  Roads are deeply rutted with tank treads, bullet shells are all over the streets.

Internationals witnessed 3 Palestinian men being detained [there was an explosion over the phone as Sam was talking].  Two children were grabbing on to one man, their father, and were extremely upset.

Internationals have seen no signs of rubber bullets being used, only live fire bullets as evidenced by shells in the street.  [there was another explosion over the phone].  [As Sam was talking, a strong smell of powder was in the air, you could hear tanks and APCs driving around.  Also, Sam heard IDF soldiers using a sledge hammer to break into someone's shop down the street.]

For several days last week, the people of Nablus had been peaceably breaking curfew.  Currently, they are no longer breaking curfew.  However, if no soldiers are around, people will come stand in the street, talk, and visit neighbors.  The sky of Nablus is filled with kites flying above the roofs - this is a of freedom for the people.