"The work doesn't end when you come home-it begins."

These were the words of Nancy Stohlman, member of the Colorado Campaign for Mid East Peace, who presented a vivid account of her human shield experience in Palestine, just after the Israeli invasion began in late March. The presentation was given  Wednesday, May 8th at The University of Utah Student Union Building at 7p.m. It was sponsored by the Hetradox Economics Student Association of the University of Utah. Approximately 120 people attended.


Stohlman went to Palestine to be a "human shield" as part of the International Solidarity Movement, whose mission is to end the illegal occupation of Palestine.

She began her presentation with a poem she had written in Jerusalem after her Palestine experience.
She then described her experience in Palestine - from the moment she got there until she left. Stohlman
explained that the original intent of the "internationals" (as the group was called) was to plant olive trees and be a support to Palestinian residents. This quickly changed, however, when the attacks began. The group was now in a position to visit refugee camps instead.

Stohlman told of her experience climbing over checkpoints and roadblocks and traveling by taxi to Bethlehem from Tel Aviv. The group was taken to the Bethlehem Star Motel. From there they traveled to Aida Camp, outside of Bethelem. Upon arriving to the camp, the group gathered in the Community Building where they were placed with families. The family with whom Stohlman stayed was very gracious, insisting that
she drink tea with them when arriving to the house.

Stohlman described the fear she felt when the gun shots began. The next two nights were filled with sleepless fear. Still suffering from jet lag, Stohlman stayed up those nights with her host family while they described their far from normal life in the camp.

Stohlman decided that she would be better served back in Bethlem so she and several others in her group
decided to walk back from the camp. "That was the longest walk I have ever taken," stated Stohlman.
Fearing for their lives the entire way, they finally arrived back at the motel in Bethlehem. For the next 1 1/2 weeks the residents of the motel were subject to the curfew that had been put into place. They had to ration their food and store their water. Each day brought with it the anticipation that the motel would be invaded (it was later revealed that the Israeli Defense Force did talke occupation of the building.).

The people in the building occupied themselves by writing, discussing, and visiting with each other.

After 1 1/2 weeks the group with which Stohlman had traveled decided to take their luggage and leave.
Fearful for their lives, they walked until they came to the checkpoint they had originally climbed over and
safely climbed back. Their lives will never be the same, according to Stohlman.

After her verbal account, Stohlman shared some slides of the area she had visited. Scenes of bombs being
dropped, houses that had been demolished with residents in them, walls with pictures of Palestinian Martyrs pasted to them (Palestinians consider everyone who is killed in this invasion a Martyr), and empty streets gave a very stark picture of the reality of this situation.