Drinking Tea in Al-Ein Camp

After writing and publicly ackowledging my procrastination yesterday I had a sudden burst of enthusiasm and managed to complete the majority of my essay. I have in all honesty found it an interesting topic that has made me think deeply about what I believe. Being here whilst writing it has also added something to the discussion. When I first began studying human rights my ideals were shattered and I was left with very little hope. We were told we would be broken down and (hopefully) built back up again. I'm not sure if the course has built my belief in human rights back up again but being here most certainly has. When people here ask me what I do and I mention human rights they seem to have an immediate respect. Perhaps those that dimiss them so easily are those that don't know what it feels like not to have them. I hate how the term 'human rights' has become a dirty phrase in the UK as if treating people with a certain level of respect because they are human beings is somehow wrong. Obviously lawyers will try to use whatever tools are at their disposal to win their clients case and twist the truth but that doesn't necessarilly mean there is anything wrong with the tool itself. I now believe more strongly in human rights than ever because I believe that there are some values that are common to all people and regardless of the culture or circumstances never change. I think those that argue for state sovereignty and not interfering with this are missing the point as it is often the powerful who speak for cultures and impose their will on others. Have the Shia women in Afghanistan been asked if they would like a law to be passed that allows there husbands to rape them?Further to this when does one culture start and another begin?

Getting back to reality instead of the abstract... my advanced class today was a little disheartening as I only had two students (plus one who showed up about ten minutes before the end of the 2hr session, why I'll never know). I decided I would still do the class anyway as the two had waited 20min to see if anyone else would show and I didn't just want to send them away. It went quite well in the end and I managed to modify what I was doing enough so as to give the pair a worthwhile English lesson. After we had finished I was expecting an evening of doing little in the Project Hope flat. My friend from Friday emailed (I haven't brought a phone...) and asked if I would like to meet him in the city. (I still refrain from naming people as I don't feel the need. Were the individuals concerned to read this blog they would recognise themselves without needing to see their names).

We walked around aimlessly for a bit and talked until our conversation got round to Al-Ein camp. I hadn't been there before though it had seen it on a teachers TV programme back home. Never having been meant of course that we would have to go. Firstly we would call at the house of some of the other students that I taught during the summer and who I will meet up with on Thursday. They were both well and it was nice to catch up and talk about how Nablus has changed in the past year. It's much quieter here now than it was before. We also talked about football and it was a little old being told by a Palestinian what is happening in the UK. After this we went for an ice cream and made our way towards Al-Ein.

It is a very small camp that can be seen from the window of Project Hope. The organisation doesn't do any work there as the committees tend to be less organised than in the other camps. Sometimes no one shows up for a class, sometimes far too many. I hadn't realised quite how small the camp is. Everything about it is small from the area it covers to the gaps between the houses. Cars cannot drive into the camp like they can at Askhar for example. The alleyways being just about wide enough for two people abreast at the widest point. The walls are riddled with bullet holes and the camp itself is a maze of these narrow alleyways. My friend always has a friend that we need to meet wherever we go and here was no exception. This time however he had neither his phone number or knew where he lived. No problem. A few conversations with the various people hanging around and before we knew it we were at his house in the centre of the maze. I feel very lucky to have spent the evening I have with the people I have. On my own I could never have just wandered around the place and if I did it would be a pretty pointless endeavour.

We were welcomed into the home and soon sat down drinking and talking. If I could show pictures of the inside of homes in the camps compared to pictures of outside no one would ever accept they are of the same place. The outside drab, grey, concrete the inside bright, colourful clean. I have not yet been into a home that wasn't like this. On the wall was a spectacular picture of a man. This was our guests brother who died when the building he was in was attacked by rockets from an apache helicopter. 6 others also died inside and 2 children outside. My host lost part of his fingers and has burns all over his body. He had another brother who was killed just outside of where we were sitting. As we leave he shows me the bullet hole in the wall and a picture of his brother at his funeral on his phone. He too had been a fighter and spent years in and out of the prisons.

On the way back I ask my friend about the fighters. Have they all gone? Why don't they fight anymore? The main reason he replies is the police they pick people up for any minor misdemeanour to get them off the streets. People here are also tired of the Fatah/ Hamas split. Why bother to be a fighter if you will be fighting amongst yourselves rather than the Occupation? I also learn that the IOF when they invade the camps regularly pick up males between 16-18. It is possible that this age group are the most likely to be reckless and throw stones at the soldiers but it is more likely that they want to scare the youngsters before they have a chance to become fighters. They want them to know that they know where the live and what they are up to.

All of this is frustrating but the most frustrating thing is not being able to leave Palestine. Many of the people I speak to love the place but wish they could leave if only for a few years just to have a break from being continually ground down. I have an idea what that feels like being here myself but this doesn't come close to being born here and spending my entire life here like many of the residents do. I'm starting to realise that I have placed myself into a catch-22 situation by coming here. I do not wish that I had never come. I am glad that I have seen things for myself but now that I know people and the situation I will never be able to escape from it. It will never not bother me as long as things don't improve. The status quo is as heartbreaking as an invasion would be. The options here are be painfully, slowly strangled to death or be killed instantly by massive force. I no longer know what the best contribution I can make is. Teach more English so more people can leave? That won't help. Get people out of Palestine to the UK? Tell more people about the situation here? Everytime I come here someone is making a film about the place.

Nevertheless I am looking forward to tomorrow. The radio interview were I get to talk about human rights will be fun. The host is an interesting character and I'm sure we will have a good discussion. As for my class... I have no idea yet. I doubt many will show up and if they do I doubt I will get them to do very much. Kafka could have written loads about this place.