Letters from Palestine: Bombs, Curfews, and What’s for Dinner?

By Jehad Al-Iweiwi

Today is the first day of a city-wide curfew imposed on Khalil (Hebron) as a result of the last bomb attack in Jerusalem. The bomber is from Khalil. This was a first for me.

I had forgotten how difficult it is to stay inside, especially with so many children. It’s amazing how parents are trained to keep children entertained and busy. Normally children play outside; today they are all inside.

My parents’ house is a daycare gone mad. My brother Kifah is skilled at playing with the children, the kind of games that will exhaust you. Outside, the Israeli occupation forces ensure people's compliance with the orders to stay indoors. It’s been a while since I lived under curfew.

I think this is the first time since I left here 15 years ago. It’s not easy. People's views on the bombing itself are diverse. Some say, “What do they expect? They had it coming,” in reference to the assassination attempt on Abdel Aziz Rantisi, one of Hamas’ leading spokespersons. Others say it’s not helpful, and we are sending our bright young men and women to die for no reason.

People, however, think that because it came a day after the attempt on Rantisi's life, the bombing serves as a reminder to Israel that it can not get away with its actions.

A debate about the strategy of Palestinian resistance in general is taking place. Each Palestinian says with conviction that no matter what Palestinians do, Israel is not happy. Short from killing each other and letting go of Jerusalem, the right of return, and accepting settlements, Israel will continue to cry out Palestinian terror. Israel knows better. For each road they close, ten others are found. Each home they demolish, the community builds it again and again. Israel has failed to crush the Palestinians.

Two days ago I went to Bethlehem to visit family and friends' families. Each time I cross the checkpoint I come a step closer to insanity. I changed cars four times and walked over three checkpoints. You see men, women with children and groceries, students with their backpacks; and you hear the children’s laughter. The distance between the two ends of a closure varies. Sometimes it is 100 meters apart; at other places the checkpoints are within 10 meters of each other.

People go through it with remarkable regularity and grace. It’s just simply, I repeat, unimaginable. I know there is nothing that can justify this, absolutely nothing, even if only one person is innocent in the entire West Bank. The family of the young bomber has been arrested and relatives are scrambling to empty the content of the house. It will be demolished by dawn tomorrow.

In the meantime, at my parents’ house today, the serious discussion is about a favorite topic of mine -- dinner. “What should we cook today?” my mom inquires. I for one will be happy with anything. It’s amazing how tedious daily affairs of a household become so normally intertwined with bombs, home demolition, and curfews.

This is the third in a series of letters from Palestine by Jehad Al-Iweiwi, a founding member of the Muslim Canadian Congress.

Letter 2: Babies and Blockades