Now no longer keep up with what is happening in Hebron

While our new admirer adds up to strengthen trade and tourism in relationship to Israel, declare at the same time Israel Norwegian observers and companions for the civilian population of unwanted in the occupied Hebron.

the OBSERVER: Kristine Grønnestad. Show more

It is a very common on Tuesday morning one autumn day in Hebron. The clock is seven and the city is in the process of waking up. We approach the military checkpoint with the number 56. Just as we enter the massive revolving door of iron, snapping a little girl of three-four years past us. She goes experienced speaker over to the two soldiers standing inside the checkpoint in full mundur with machine guns. The girl reaches up his hands to show that she doesn't have any sharp objects with them, before she runs through the metalldetektoren.

We are coming out in Shuhadagaten on the other side of the checkpoint at about the same time with her. A crowd of soldiers with skarpladde weapons comes walking toward us, the heavy military vehicles thunder past in the narrow street. The little girl stops and takes my hand, fearful. I lift her up and carry her further. A few hundred metres further ahead we come to a new checkpoint. The soldiers that are there will ensure that no palestinians go no further than here. Do they do it, they are shot. After arriving at the checkpoint I put from me the girl and she runs up the old steintrappen. She turns and waves to us before she snaps into the port. Behind it is the nursery of her.

NUMBER 56: As we enter the massive revolving door of iron at the military checkpoint number 56, snapping a little girl of three-four years past us. Photo: Kristine Grønnestad Show more

This is the everyday life of children in the occupied part of Hebron, a life which consists in the fact that armed soldiers and israeli settlers harass them verbally and in some cases even attacking them physically.

One of the last remnants of the Oslo agreement, the international observatørkorpset TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron) that since the Hebron massacre in 1994 has monitored and reported the situation for the civilian population here, was in last week's story. Then decided the Israel government states that the TIPH must leave Hebron. Thus, it is enough a stone in the fragile fredsbyggverket from the 90's weathered. Regardless of what one might mean about the realism of the Oslo accords, gave observatørkorpsets presence and reports to the utenverdenen a certain security for sivilbefolkningens rights and a certain guarantee against to suffer overload.

It is time for the options. Netanyahu sends observers headlong out Comment

in Parallel with the TIPHs presence has Kirkenes Center had an international ledsagerprogram in Hebron, coordinated by the Norwegian Church Aid, in which volunteers from several countries have followed and assisted the population in their everyday lives. After that TIPH has been declared unwanted, also has the Town Center, decided to leave Hebron.

I the last Norwegian participant who participated in this ledsagerprogrammet in hebron's old town, in the autumn of 2018. I am deeply concerned about what will happen with the palestinians who live there.

In Hebron is Israel occupation for most definitions of the word. What the population here experience daily, one understands not the right before you see it. I came to Hebron without previous experience of work in international conflict zones, but we had been the course well in advance in the tasks we needed to accomplish and situations we could conceivably end up in. But even the best courses can prepare one on how it is to reside in the occupied old city over time, or what the civilian population daily applied by small and large difficulties and violations. Pretty soon it becomes harder and harder to see some form of equality in the israeli-palestinian conflict. Even the who acknowledge Israel's very eksistensrett will quickly get problems when she sees how a in all ways superior power system going forward.

one of the most challenging to be a companion, were the numerous meetings with the extreme settlers who lived there. We were thrown stones at, spat at, shot up in the face, threatened with beating, kløpet, kicked, and daily decried loudly and called nazis and jødedrepere. We were also several times witnesses that the settlers entered palestinian properties and tore down the fences that the palestinians had set up, they tagged the walls of the house, their expressions of abuse, they threw the waste, urine and excrement in the gardens their and said down olive trees their out in the fields.

Should follow the children to school, but was denied entry to Israel

one of the most important we did, was probably to accompany the school children and kindergarten children. To go along with them gave them a minimum of protection. We had, of course, not allowed to intervene in situations, but our very presence was to get the soldiers and settlers to besinne. We took pictures and filmed. When the actions can be imagined to be documented and made known in the rest of the world, add to this a damper on the exercising of power and violence.

Still, we were often witness to horrific breaches, as when a ten-year-old boy was run over intentionally. The boy came walking out from one of the many military checkpoints, then a build came running straight towards the boy and brushed against him with the corner of the car. The car with the bosetteren drove on without stopping. The boy was fortunately only minor injuries.

From now on, there is no longer any neutral, international observers is watching how the israeli soldiers and settlers are doing in Hebron.

back home again states that it is the courage, the humour and the hospitality of the palestinians in Hebron, which, nevertheless, has made the deepest impression. They lived after the palestinian concept of "soumoud", which means that one is steadfast and not allow themselves to expel from the land and property is his, no matter how unbearable the situation had become. But they were clear that they needed international support and verdenssamfunnets presence for to clear this. When the world can be told what is happening, provides this warranty for a minimum of protection and security.

Our new government adopted recently in Granavolden platform that trade and tourism with Israel should be increased. This despite the fact that the Government is well aware of Israel's violations of human rights and international law every single day. After Israel threw the international observatørkorpset TIPH – which in addition is led by Norway – out of Hebron, the Government has continued to proceed with caution in the doors. But one should not reward uforsonlighet and oppression with understanding and benevolence.

* the Views expressed in this the piece are personal and do not express necessarily the views of Kirkenes Center, ledsagerprogrammet or the Norwegian senderorganisasjonene.

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