Blog entries 2011

Dread and loathing at the airport Last night I purged my belongings of almost all evidence that I had been on the West Bank or… Read More »January 16, 2011 Final Thoughts

I thought my last day in Ramallah would be a reflective, low key day to catch up, finish blogging, look at my 700+ emails, and… Read More »January 15, 2011 My last quiet day

For the second week of the delegation, we divide into different interest groups and the medical folks are based in Nablus, working with Palestinian Medical… Read More »January 14, 2011 An NGO is not a health care system

Qalqilyia, a bulge of land protruding westward against the Green Line, was the first city in 2002 to be fully enclosed by the separation wall,… Read More »January 10, 2011 Qalqilyia: On a clear day I can see Tel Aviv

What is this, delusional? We were in the midst of a political tour of East Jerusalem with journalist and activist Abu Hassan, trying to comprehend… Read More »January 09, 2011 East Jerusalem

This is a cozy scene. Three members of the delegation are bent over a Ravensburger Puzzle, Crystals of Enchantment, sorting through the thousand tiny pieces… Read More »January 08, 2011 Pieces of the puzzle

If you are going to be tear gassed, I strongly suggest you rub Vicks Vapor Rub in your nostrils, bring an onion to smell, or… Read More »January 07, 2011 Tear gassed in the Holy Land

A torrential rain sweeps through Nablus, the city of hills, and the street is briefly turned into a rushing river as we come to meet… Read More »January 07, 2011 Breaking the siege of Gaza with SKYPE

As we learn more about the BDS movement, a critical question emerges: what companies are involved with which activities that ultimately sustain the occupation? In… Read More »January 06, 2011 Who profits from the occupation?

I have been reading about the Israeli governmental criticism and talk of censorship of left wing academics in Israel and I am eager to meet… Read More »January 06, 2011 The skeletons in the closet

I have to confess, we were not prepared. We were not even aware of the white-faced American mostly Jewish privileged skin in which we were… Read More »January 06, 2011 How I became a human smuggler

Because most Israelis are opposed to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanction movement, I am very interested in hearing from Kobi Snitz, a thin, intense man active… Read More »January 06, 2011 The nuances of BDS, How can Israelis boycott themselves?

The Yaffa Guest House in the Balata Refugee Camp just outside of Nablus is new. There are quarters for men and for women, a well… Read More »January 06, 2011 Balata Refugee Camp, Existence is Resistance

Many US activists are becoming increasingly involved in the boycott, divestment, and sanction movement as a nonviolent tactic to change Israeli policy through economic and… Read More »January 05, 2011 Settlement products: Boycott PA style

We return from Ramallah to East Jerusalem to join the health and human rights delegation and once again I am taken aback by the daily… Read More »January 04, 2011 The very arbitrary, extreme banality of power