Funeral Accompaniment & Roadblock Removal by Hand

by Jill Dreier in Nablus

August 11, 2002

Hi all,

Today was the funeral for the two men killed last week during the siege of Nablus.  We were going to hang back and keep an eye out for any soldiers.  Yesterday in Tulkarem there was a funeral and the army invaded and injured some people. Geez, people can't even have a funeral without them comin' in and shootin' up the place.

Here, in Nablus they carried the bodies around the center and then into the mosque.  We followed in the back.  Then we waited a bit and got a call to go near the cemetery to wait for the actual procession from the mosque to the cemetery. (5 min. walk)  So after a bit, we heard the crowd coming around the corner, no army in sight so we figured this funeral would happen without incident...and it did!  There were about 500-600 people (mostly men of course) in this procession.  Powerful and sad.

During our wait, I heard that the curfew was lifted for 3 or 4 hours today...basically it has been a 24 hour curfew since JUNE 21!!!   Right now the streets are packed with people, especially around the old city. So, it is weird to walk by the intersection where now fruit and veggies are being sold and 3-4 days ago (I forgot exactly as the days are jumbled) the army was shooting up the place in the same intersection.

After the funeral, one of the doctors said to all, 'we have an action to do'. so we walked up the main street a block or two from the cemetery and started to remove a roadblock ...by hand.  Then an ambulance pulled up and delivered 5 shovels, a pick and a hoe.  There were a lot of people who jumped right it, being careful not to get a pick in the head.  (but of course, some of the internationals just stand there. Typical, they did the same when I was in Chiapas. 'oh it's hard to squeeze in and help'...whatever.)  Some of us got blisters (wish I had my garden gloves) and then I fell (there's dirt, parts of street, parts of buildings and even parts of trees!)...not bad though.  We whipped thru two roadblocks in about 1 and 1/2 hours!!

Most folks are leaving Jerusalem tomorrow and I decided to too, so, inshallah, I should be back in Denver sometime next week.

I got a lot of good photos here and some good video too....we will be download the video today at Ibrahim's sis's house, great family!  Look for it on www.ccmep.org, inshallah.

peace out - jill

* Jill Dreier is one of two members of the Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace in Palestine. They've joined hundreds of internationals with the International Solidarity Movement in solidarity with Palestinians using nonviolent direct action to end Israel's illegal military occupation. More on her trip at: www.ccmep.org/palestine.html