Manara Massacre

I am perturbed and highly disturbed by yesterday's display of provocation in Ramallah's manara, which left three Palestinians dead and 35 injured. One of the injured is a good friend of ours, who sustained stitches from the shrapnel of an IDF bullet to the head, and he was "lucky". The manara is the center of town we all go during the day to take care of daily business such as shopping in the souk, to take public transportation and where school children are regularly seen walking to and from school.

Two things strike me at this outright demonstration of aggression. One thing is that Israel's hope for civil war is not happening soon enough in the West Bank. Their dreams of being able to "rescue Palestinians from each other", would be Palestinians ultimate disgrace, and an ideal PR opportunity for Israel. However, this clear attempt at provocation is destined to have the opposite effect, bringing the warring factions together. Done hiding behind the smokescreen of Olmert's visit to the US - while pleading his case for unilateral action, where he exploits the mourning of an Israeli family of suicide bombers - bullets were flying in a densely populated Palestinian civilian center. Now that even the US is urging against unilateralism, it seems that the hope for negotiations is back on the table. What the media should be seriously asking is, where is the Israeli partner for Palestinians?

Meanwhile Israeli Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, on Sunday approved the expansion of four new West Bank settlements, or over one hundred additional acres of Palestinian land! If you are a Jew from Australia, or a Russian Christian that pretends to be a Jew, you can come live here for free in a big beautiful house, with large swimming pools in lovely, over-watered, living quarters with all the weapons and ammunition your heart desires, surrounded by the world's ugliest wall to ensure your protection from the indigenous people whom you occupy, as a colonialist settler.

Simultaneously, it is widely known that policy is being put in place to deny people from entering Palestine, several people we know have already been denied. By refusing to allow people to stay longer than their 3 month visitor visa, (which is now how so many people are able to live & work here) since getting a working visa is near impossible. If Israel has it their way, we will no longer be afforded this opportunity to live in this country. One can only assume by doing this their will be the purposeful effect of minimal witnesses from outside to report the reality on the ground. It is well enough perhaps, as we prepare to leave here. No longer do I feel as I did before, that Ramallah is our safe haven in the West Bank. But I guess that's all part of the plan.

Noura Khouri
Occupied Palestine