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CounterPunch
September
4, 2002
Lockdown at
Palestinian Schools
Perfecting the Violence of Curfew
by Sam Bahour
The sophistication in the methods used by Israel
in its systematic destruction of Palestinian society today struck
a raw cord with every Palestinian parent and child.
Only four days has passed since the beginning
of the Palestinian school year, where over one million Palestinian
students returned to their classrooms after a summer of living
under the direct physical, emotional and mental distress of Israeli
military rule. For the last four days the world community closely
watched to see whether Israel would lift the 24-hour curfew/lockdown
that has become routine across the West Bank. Israel did lift
the total curfew from 6am-6pm to allow the school season to start
and in order to avoid international criticism. But the world's
eye has barely blinked and Israel is already escalating its violent
practice of curfew.
Today Palestinian children and parents
were exposed to the latest cruelty of the Israel military occupation.
For the last four days parents prepared their children for school,
my wife Abeer and I included. Our eight-year-old daughter Areen
anxiously put on her school uniform and had breakfast. For her,
today was an important day because the textbooks that were delayed
the first day of school (because of military closures and travel
restrictions) were supposed to arrive and be  distributed to the students. Areen couldn't
wait for her English reading book. At 7:30am we headed to school.
At 7:45am and with a big kiss, I dropped Areen off at the Friends
School and headed to an 8:00am business meeting I had outside
of my office. As I usually do in business meetings I turned off
my mobile phone in order not to be disturbed. I will not turn
it off again.
At 9:15am one of the persons in our meeting
interrupted to advise us that he received word that Israeli tanks
and jeeps had entered the city center and were announcing that
the cities of Ramallah and Al-Bireh were under total military
curfew. Israeli jeeps roamed the streets announcing that anyone
caught in public would be arrested. By the time I turned on
my phone to call my wife three other persons in my meeting were
already on their mobile phones assessing the situation. Abeer,
who was at home with our two-year-old daughter, was frantic.
She had been trying to call me after seeing and hearing an Israeli
armored personnel carrier on our street announcing the closure.
Was Areen in danger? Who should go pick her up from school? How
could we go out, given the curfew and military vehicles in the
streets? Has the school administration advised the students of
the situation? How is Areen, who is very emotionally sensitive,
reacting? Is school still in session? These and a hundred other
questions rush to the mind in such predicaments.
Abeer turned on Israeli radio and heard
the Israeli plan. The radio newscast announced that the Israeli
military had put Ramallah under full curfew starting from 9:00am
and would only lift the curfew from 1:00pm-3:00pm in order for
parents to leave their workplaces and take their children home.
As if the recent months of varying degrees
of Israeli military curfews were not enough violence to terrorize
the Palestinian society as a whole, the Israeli government created
a new and improved curfew--one that would ensure that the violence
of occupation would come between every child and parent.
After getting through to the Friends
School's hotline we were assured that the gates of the school
had been secured and that the school day was going to continue
as scheduled. Although still a little nervous, we trusted the
school administration and knew that if they felt the children
were in any immediate danger they would advise us. I agreed
with Abeer that I would pick up Areen at 2:15pm and the meeting
I was in was called back into session, albeit slightly less focused.
After the meeting I headed to the office for an hour of work.
I had two other engagements planned for today, a training session
for the Commercial Arbitration Center being established and a
seminar titled, From Re-occupation to Reform. Both were cancelled.
At 1:45pm we closed our office and everyone
headed out to pick up their children. I headed home instead to
pick up Nadine, Areen's little sister. When we left the house
this morning Nadine asked if I would promise to pick her up to
go get Areen from school and both Areen and I agreed with her
that I would. I'll be damned if I'm going to let an illegal foreign
military occupation make me break a promise to my daughters.
Nadine was waiting for me at the front porch window. She rushed
downstairs wearing her new pink tennis shoes, a pink hat and
had a pink purse strapped across her chest. She was ready to
hit the town.
Nadine and I arrived at Areen's school
a little early and I had the opportunity to chat with some of
the other parents that were also waiting. In twenty minutes we
all vented our anger and frustration, discussed the political
situation, and we even joked that all the Israelis had left to
do now was to publish a daily ad in the newspaper with names
of specific people that the curfew would be applied to on any
specific day.
As the end of day bell rang the students
rushed, as always, to the main gate. The older students knew
what was going on, the younger ones did not. Areen came out of
her building with a smile from ear to ear and her bright pink
Jansport backpack on her back. She waved a big bulky book in
the air. It was her new English reading book. Nadine gave her
sister a big hug and kiss and we were on our way. While walking
to the car I asked Areen if she heard what was happening with
the curfew. She had not. She told me that they probably did not
tell them so they would not be scared. She asked if she could
buy an ice cream cone for her and her sister before going home.
After quickly stopping for three ice cream cones we headed straight
home. We pulled in the driveway at 2:40pm and as we got out of
the car an Israeli jeep passed on the main Jerusalem Street next
to our home yelling through a loud speaker, "To the people
of Ramallah, the curfew is applied. Anyone in the streets will
be arrested".
So as the world causally watches the
entire Palestinian people be terrorized by the most sophisticated
form of violence possible--Israeli occupation--life goes on.
And as the Israeli military generals dream up new ways to batter
Palestinians into submission and strip away every sense of public
and personal security, I will be reading with my daughter the
first three pages her new English reading book wondering about
tomorrow's curfew schedule.
Note: This essay is a follow-up to "The Violence of Curfew,"
published at CounterPunch on August 28.
Sam Bahour
is a Palestinian-American businessman living in the besieged
Palestinian City of Al-Bireh in the West Bank. He is co-author
of HOMELAND:
Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians (1994).
He can be reached at sbahour@palnet.com.
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