Ni’lin: The Broken Wing…

Thousands of hectares of land have been confiscated, hundreds of olive trees were uprooted, and tens of thousands of trees were burned at the hands of Israeli occupying forces. In Palestinian villages, where social and economic development is sustained from the land, the villagers are left asking: What’s left for next generations?!

The olive harvest in Palestine is one of the few occasions in Palestinian life that reveals the importance of the land and the olive tree in the past, present and the future of Palestinians. Palestinians depend on the olive harvest, and it has come to reflect a wonderful image of self-sufficiency and Palestinian social unity.

For 500 years my family has harvested olives. Our trees have been passed from one generation to the next. Each year, generations of my family have gathered to pick from our trees. Each generation, like each branch that grows from our family’s trees, is considered a gift.

But nowadays, the olive harvest in my village, Ni’lin, is no more that wonderful occasion for families to come together and express their deep relation of solidarity and love for each other and for their land.
Throughout Palestine the olive harvest is changing. It is no longer that beautiful chance for children to play with their toys under the green olive trees, to have their meals in the shade and comfort provided by the toil of their ancestors, it is no longer that occasion which might sometimes be the only source of their innocent joy and entertainment.

The olive harvest has become a source of sorrow and worries for many Palestinians- not only because of the Wall of apartheid , which cuts through our villages, standing as a barrier preventing us from reaching our beloved and holy trees- but because of the barbarism of armed settlers, who have destroyed the nature of the harvest by attacking olive farmers and their families.

Volunteers and first aid teams have played an important role during the many years of occupation and they are still playing a major part in the popular struggle. But now, without the support of first aid teams and volunteers many Palestinians would be unable to reach their olives.

On October 10th , I joined the ambulances of Red Crescent and Palestinian Medical Relief Committees while they worked to protect residents of Ni’lin during the first day of the olive harvest.

The ambulances and medical teams were not allowed to enter the village as dozens of Israeli Occupying Forces blocked the entrance to the village, declaring Ni’lin a closed military zone. This is the standard declaration when Israeli Occupying Forces want to close a village, and even though we were there to administer aid, as doctors and first aid workers, we are not guaranteed access to the wounded, nor are we protected by the same laws that protect international humanitarian aid workers, because we carry a Palestinian ID.

We succeed in entering the village by taking another, longer way to reach a back entrance, but this caused us to lose precious time and energy.
As the villagers approached the trees that are close to the site of the wall, the soldiers launched tear gas grenades from all directions. As a result, we treated many cases of suffocation by inhalation of tear gas, causes irritation of the nose and upper respiratory track, causing breathing difficulties, severe tearing and eye irritation, inability to stand and walk, and/or general weakness.

Many residents and activists suffered these effects. After inhaling the gas, a young boy who was picking olives with his family fell out of a tree. He was transferred to the hospital in Ramallah for further investigations.
The other serious danger tear gas poses is that you can be hit by a tear gas canisters, which are fired from guns, in the face, arm or the abdomen. This was the case of an Israeli activist; the canister struck his arm and abdomen with double impact causing bruises, scratches and superficial burns. We performed a right arm X-ray to rule out possible fractures.

But despite the violence of the Israeli Occupying Forces, one of the biggest problems the first aid teams faced was the relatively long distance to major health care centers of the village, which is further complicated by having to travel through rough bumpy agricultural roads, which means it takes more time to reach the health care center and poses a serious risk to aggravate the head and back of people who are already injured. Palestinian aid teams and ambulances are also routinely stopped, inspected, interrogated and delayed from reaching their destination, which not only discourages workers in the field, but also poses a serious risk to the patients in need of transport and urgent care.

First aid workers are also commonly used as human shields. On the first day of the olive harvest in Ni’lin the ambulances I was working with were attacked, and we were used as human shields to protect the soldiers as they fired on the villagers. We wanted to leave the area but we were threatened by the force of guns to stop the ambulances and to stay in front of soldiers.

We underwent interrogation and the soldiers inspected the vehicles, looking for injured people and villagers inside the ambulance. Finally, we were asked to leave the area and not to come back again.

Working in the medical field in Palestine is not an easy and safe mission. On top of the difficulties we face, the lack of equipment, and many other obstacles, we also confront the pain of our Palestinian body; but this pain is also a joy. It is the eternal feeling of pride to this land and the passion to its soil and sky, it is the source of resistance for the sons and daughters of Palestine to stand and wipe its tears away till the joyous day where we can claim our home.

The olive tree will stay the sign of peace for every Palestinian and a witness of crimes of this occupation.

When blood is mixed with tears there is the call of duty and humanity waiting for all of you as doctors, paramedics, and first aid workers because you are the last hope for broken wings to fly…

Abdallah Mesleh

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Solidarity with Nil’in’s Peaceful Struggle Against the Apartheid Wall

Ni’lin is a village located in the West Bank 27 km to the west of Ramallah city, which is currently resisting the building of the wall of apartheid through their agricultural land. Since May of 2008, with first peaceful demonstrations against the wall in Ni’lin, the Israeli Occupying Forces have been responsible for curfews, closures, daily invasions and thousands of violent incidences, including the death of two young boys, who were both shot dead in the head. Hundreds more have been injured by rubber coated steel bullets, live ammunition, and physical aggression by the Israeli soldiers. Hundreds of women and children have been treated for tear gas inhalation as the result of tear gas grenades being launched through the windows and into their homes. The village clinic has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli fire.

This post was submitted by Abdallah Mesleh.