Early last night the news started to spread that Israeli troops will withdraw later in the evening. Meetings were held last night between representatives from the PNA and the Israelis to discuss the procedure of handing back the district to the full control of the Palestinian Authority. Of course, the Israeli occupation forces have not left the area entirely; Bethlehem is still surrounded by the military, we just do not have the curfew imposed upon us now and we do not have the occupation forces driving through the streets.
Early last night the news started to spread that Israeli troops will withdraw later in the evening. Meetings were held last night between representatives from the PNA and the Israelis to discuss the procedure of handing back the district to the full control of the Palestinian Authority. Of course, the Israeli occupation forces have not left the area entirely; Bethlehem is still surrounded by the military, we just do not have the curfew imposed upon us now and we do not have the occupation forces driving through the streets.
Early this morning we all noticed the increased noise out in the streets; cars, trucks and people have been out since early in the morning, trying to catch up on the many lost days that were spent under the Israeli curfews. According to this morning’s Al Quds newspaper, one hundred Palestinian policemen have arrived from Jericho and have taken up positions throughout the city to ensure security. We have suffered mass destruction from the repeated invasions and occupation of the area and our infrastructure has been decimated. Thirty percent of the Palestinian security forces are martyrs or prisoners. It will take a long time for us to rebuild and recover from the devastation. Discussions are also underway to reopen the DCO (District Coordinating Officer) in Beit Jala where Palestinian and Israeli security forces work alongside each other.
In reality though, what hope does this offer us? I do not know. We do know that the siege imposed since the beginning of the Intifada forbids us from freedom of movement into other Palestinian areas as well as Israel. Without full withdrawal, by which I mean an end to the occupation of all our land, our life will not change. Trade will still be restricted and controlled, check points will still prevent us from moving freely between towns and cities, Palestinians will still be abused and humiliated. And what of the other areas which are under occupation and curfew? How long will it take before we see the Israeli occupation forces move out of those areas?
But we can at least hope that students can have an atmosphere more conducive to study where they can go to schools and colleges regularly with out the fear of closure or imposed curfews.
We will keep you updated on the new situation and how things progress. We need to get used to a new routine now since we have been under almost constant Israeli invasion and curfew since March, 2002. Despite this so-called withdrawal, we are not free; our lives are still under the direct control of the Israelis. I am sure people would expect us to be more positive, and to be expressing some feelings of joy that the Israeli occupation forces have withdrawn, but until we have true freedom and real justice, we have nothing to celebrate.
Suzan Sahori
