David Rolstone's Letters from Palestine

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Thursday, 18 December 2003 - Dave's report from Balata camp

Hi All

I have just managed to get up to the medical centre in Nablus and will now try to give a fuller account of the last two days in Balata. It all started on Tuesday at 2:30am I was sleeping in Balata camp and was woken by the sound of an explosion and tanks moving in the distance. Eventually at 4:00am Jeeps could be heard out side and I got up and dressed, while I was dressing there was a single sound bomb outside. I could see the flash from it, by the time I got to the window everything was quiet. I then called Rachel and went up on the roof to see what was happening.

There were two jeeps at the far end of the main street towards Huwwara, they were parked outside of a tall building which I assumed they had occupied (this turned out to be true) and as they could see the roof from that building I decided that it probably was not a good place to be and returned to looking out the window. Later I saw two people outside the house opposite smoking; they then walked in to the house. They looked to me to be Palestinians. Jeeps then drove down the road announcing curfew, and shortly after that I heard noises outside and could see troops in full combat gear emerging from the house opposite and walking in single file down the road to the occupied house. They did not seem to have a prisoner with them but shortly afterwards a woman started crying and it eventually emerged that they had arrested the twin brother of a wanted man.

As soon as it was light I went out on to the streets and found the UPMRC volunteers who had arrived to back up the ambulance. By this time the jeeps were driving around provoking the children to throw stones and all hell was breaking out. Some of the jeeps and a Humvey were getting hit really hard by large stones and these were causing considerable damage; large dents were appearing in the bonnets etc.

The jeeps were now shooting at the children with live ammunition despite the presence of eventually six internationals. The 12 year old boy was hit directly in the head and everyone supposed that he was dead, but he was still breathing when he arrived in hospital and is now on a ventilator but is brain dead. When they shot the 2 ½ year old in the leg the ambulance could not reach the child because of all the obstacles that had been put in the road by the children. As I was helping the volunteers to clear a path for the ambulance the IDF deliberately tear gassed us. During the day we were tear-gassed three times. There ware 11 casualties that day and many arrests, that night the army remained in the camp occupying 5 or 6 houses with tanks positioned around the outside. Next morning things carried on much the same with the IDF now doing house to house searches. It is very surreal to be walking down the center of the road with the medical volunteers while troops in full combat gear faces blacked, carrying heavy machine guns run and move from one cover to the next. Throughout the three days there was no return fire against the IDF but they started their tactic of blowing holes from one house to the next so that they did not have to emerge on to the road. I'm not sure what the casualty figures are for Wednesday I will probably find out later today. Last night I stayed with a family whose mother was arrested and the brother shot leaving 7 young children and an aunt and an elder sister in the house with no men present.

They were very frightened that the IDF would return in the night and do more harm.

This morning the army had left the camp but was now in Nablus. By the time we arrived they had killed 5 people and withdrawn. They are expected to return tonight. I will probably stay in the UPMRC clinic in the old City to night.

More as it happens and computers allow, the peace is gone and all I can wish you is bright moments, Dave

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