The olive harvest is an important part of living in the West Bank that comes with each October. Unfortunately, as illegal Israeli settlements increase in size, so does the difficulty of local farmers to get to their olives.

Usually the most violence comes from the illegal settlers themselves… who commit violence and murder against the Palestinians living in towns they’ve occupied for generations. In Asira, near Nablus, there is an illegal settlement full of Ethiopian expats who regularly terrorize the local population to the extent that when I went there to help harvest they wouldn’t even harvest if there was line of site between the olive trees and the settlement for fear of being shot.

Last week I went to Kufur Kadum (LAT 32.2201 N, LONG 35.1521 E) to help. Kufur Kadum, a Palestinian village has recently suffered, because the Israelis have decided to create a “militarized zone” in the area to protect their illegal settlement. When we arrived there were news cameras, and Israeli soldiers.

Despite the fact this land the day before belonged to the very people we were there to help, we were told we were in a military area and had to leave. When we asked why we were being made to leave, and why the illegal settlers were allowed to remain we were told as soon as we’d vacated the area the settlers would be told to leave. Right.

When Israel wants to take Palestinian’s land, they first set up a “military zone.” After a couple of years, the outpost begins to be dotted with trailers… and then houses, and civilian population. Basically the men with guns come to take the land from the owners, then “Israeli Citizens” from Russia, Poland, the USA, Ethiopia, are given subsidized housing and guns so they can hold onto it.

After a short protest, we were forced out of the area, and told to give at least 200 meters between us and the newly stolen “military outpost.” We walked about 1/2 a mile from the site, and tried to help some farmers, relatives of the mayor of Kufur Kadume, to pick olives. After about 10 minutes the Israeli army showed up. It appears they were not only lying about the fact they’d remove the illegal settlers after we left, but also about the fact that it wasn’t the 200 meters berth they wanted… what they wanted was for the Palestinians living there to have trouble with their olive harvest.

In fact, I felt bad because it seemed we sort of “brought” the soldiers with us when we attempted to help. About 8 of them showed up and told the farmer he would be detained unless he told us to leave. Since he had no choice, and had already been hassled by the illegal settlers themselves, we had to leave.

When we got back to the bus we’d been given a 250 INS parking ticket even though we obeyed all orders.

The illegal settlers commit acts of unprovoked violence, the army backs them up. In this way the army can deny involvement in the violence, yet protect the illegal settlers who commit it by turning a blind eye.

In the gallery you can find a picture of my f-ed up Israeli visa. Notice how they actually wrote over the 3 in months of visa with a ballpoint pen, and change it to a 1. Almost all my problems in Israel thus far are the result of the flick of a ballpoint pen. Days of waiting, and weeks of uncertainty were created in less than a second.

Also in the gallery notice my new Jordanian visa. The Jordanians have an interesting idea when it comes to Israel. Just ignore it’s existence. In any case, it makes my life simpler.

Instead of going to Tel Aviv and dealing with the hassle there, God knows what that would have been… I find out there is a Jordanian embassy in Ramallah. I was in and out of there in 10 minutes, and now have a multiple entry visa for Jordan. With any luck I can go to Jordan for a few days, come back in via the Allenby bridge and get a brand new Israel visa… So I can do what? That’s right, stay in Palestine.

“Fish Jam’a il Yom” (There is No Univerisity Today) says a student draped with a red kefiyeh, sometimes the sign of PFLP or Hamas affiliation as I try to walk past the burning tires and boulders blocking the road up to Bir Zeit University. The students shut down the university due to a 25% tuition hike. Pictures in the gallery.