Messages from the West Bank
From Sue King, EAPPI 4 October 2024
I had the privilege of being a human rights monitor in Palestine twice, in 2019 and 2022. I lived in the West Bank for 3 months each time, living in Bethlehem, Hebron and Yatta. When I left Palestine in 2022 my friends in the West Bank asked me to be their voice, to tell their story to keep the conversation going. I usually keep that promise by sharing my eyewitness stories.
There was no “Peace” in this region on October 6th. The horrific events of October 7th and every day since then have reminded us that holding a country by military occupation (like France in WW2 and Ukraine since 2022) is not and never has been “peace”.
Today on the one year anniversary of October 7th, it is important to let Palestinians living under military occupation tell you what they think in their own words. I contacted friends in the West Bank to ask them what they would like to say to you about peace. These are people I’ve spent time with, people whose families I know, people I respect. I have to keep their names secret for their protection but this is what they wanted you to hear today:
High school teacher, husband, father – living just outside Bethlehem:
“Salam my wonderful friend
Thanks for all your support and care
My message and everyone here in Palestine we need to this war end very soon
Even today and this moment better than tomorrow
We ask to stop this genocide
Ceasefire now
Enough for killing
We are really very tired physically and mentally
No words can describe our pains to see this harmful situation in Palestine especially Gaza
And really really and believe with trust some families I know hardly find food to feed their kids
So much poverty many families
Poor literally damages them”
Father, husband, farmer, activist in South Hebron Hills, family His family displaced 6 times since 1948:
“I am tired
Cannot use phone in case army and settlers take my phone
We are in a very bad situation
I am tired
The settlers take our sheep, the settlers have all the power
The army destroy our houses
The situation is very bad, the settlers have all the power
The army closes all the roads
Inshallah, God willing, this situation will change soon”
Mother, wife, journalist, living in East Jerusalem:
“Peace is a situation of being free, not being afraid and not having to worry about anything. It requires positive and honest communication with people around you. It can only exist in the context of equality and justice. No justice, no peace.
When people are privileged they often don't realize that their privilege is founded on the inequality and injustice done to others. Everyone wants peace. Of course. But if we want it for everyone and not only for ourselves we need to push ourselves to give up some of our privileges or at least share these privileges.
You don't have to make peace with your friends, you make peace with your enemies. This takes courage. Courage to understand and empathize with the other side of the story. You have to go to the core of the problem of why there is no peace. You can not get peace by using violence. You have to overcome fear to reach peace.
Palestinians want peace but that comes with the intense longing for freedom, justice and dignity. After decades of being deprived of freedom, justice and dignity and generations of children growing up under military occupation and aggression, they have not been given the chance to feel peace. They are longing for it.
You cannot expect to have peace when you are stealing people's land and oppressing them when they ask for their rights. If you really want peace then you need to take responsibility. You cannot have peace AND occupation."
Husband, father, peace activist and charity worker – Hebron:
“Peace is the goal of every decent human being. It is the one holy mission that we should aspire to achieve. It seems that this mission is becoming more and more elusive these days. To live in freedom and dignity is what the Palestinians are asking of the world. We do not want to improve the conditions of our slavery. We want to break free.”
Husband, father, businessman - Bethlehem:
“I believe that in these conditions we live in and the restrictions imposed on us by the occupation - arrests, road closures, beatings of farmers – it is difficult to talk about peace. It has become one of the dreams that we hope will come true but it is very difficult.
Peace is not possible with the current Israeli government, when they support killing Palestinians and give weapons to illegal settlers to kill Palestinians.”
