David Rolstone's Letters from Palestine

Back to menu

Friday, 26 December 2003 - Dave Rolstone's Chriustmas

Hi All,

Hope that you all had a good Christmas, here as you have probably heard was another bloody Christmas day. Last year in Nablus I was caught up in the blood shed when the IDF assassinated a man early on Christmas morning, this year there were killings on both sides. A suicide bombing killed four Israelis at a bus stop east of Tel Aviv, this was claimed by The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and said to be in retaliation for the raids on Nablus in which members of the group ware killed. A half-hour before the bombing, IDF Apache gunships had fired missiles at a car travelling in the Gaza Strip, killing the head of the Islamic Jihad's military wing. Two other Jihad members were killed in the attack, as well as two bystanders.

My own day was much quieter. I traveled to Bethlehem and went to a peaceful protest march at the Shepherd's Field. The scouts here have various drumming bands and on this occasion a Pipe Band, very well turned out in immaculate uniforms with ten pipers. Not sure what he is called but they had a man with a very elaborate staff who directed their movements with intricate gestures, he could throw it up in the air to an extraordinary height and it seemed for ever before it came back down to be dexterously caught and swirled around. There were hundreds of Palestinians, and many internationals with banners and posters against the wall, which has now cut off Bethlehem from the rest of the world. Even the Wadi-al-Nar, or Valley of Fire, the only road linking Bethlehem directly to the rest of the West Bank, is controlled by Israeli checkpoints. This is the fourth Christmas like this, with long queues waiting to get in.

I eventually traveled back to Jerusalem with a bunch of internationals from France Spain and Italy; we ended up climbing over the apartheid wall at Abu Dis to get back into East Jerusalem! This was despite the presence of the border police, so much for their fucking security wall!

All for now Dave.

Back to top