I am not stating the death of this blog but I am taking a step back from it. I think I was a dash overzealous to think I would continue to publish stories from my time in the West Bank that concluded over a month ago while there are such serious events unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Go read about the people who are living there and writing about it!
I have some longer opinion/literary journalistic pieces I am beating away at that will be posted here and my Flickr page will continually have some new photos of the West Bank going up there – so pop in there or subscribe to my RSS.
Stay tuned – but only in a passive way
Thanks for reading up to this point
Over and out
I often ask myself whether international law actually matters. I have asked a number of thoughtful and intelligent people this question. Of course, their answers lie somewhere on the long spectrum between yes and no. I have generally thought the answer was no. If law cannot be enforced effectively then what really is the point of having it. With no enforcement, there is no respect. And it is exactly the respect for international law that is needed, especially in the occupation of Palestinian Territory.
My position on this has shifted somewhat. I have moved beyond considering these laws to be some kind of practical application. It is an ideal; an international morality. I think that does matter.
This was a demonstration I attended along with members of EAPPI and ISM on 21 Febraury 2008. Local as well as international media were present, along with a further collection of representatives from other organisations active in the West Bank. The short story is that this playground was built by donors and international donor money from such sources as USAID but due to technical and legal problems, the Israeli government had deemed the area an illegal development for reasons such as lack of a building permit and that it is built on Israeli land; in other words, Area C. They have already demolished half of the playground that lies between the towns Azzun and Jayyous.
Click here to learn more about the division of land in the West Bank in the name of Area A, B or C as a result of the Oslo Accords in 1993.
The even shorter story is that without a stop order from the Israeli supreme court, bulldozers will finish the job on 15 March 2008. This of course is not a desirable prospect for the local communities and so the protest was organised. Why exactly the Israelis would care about a children’s playground I have no idea; especially when it is in dispute whether the playground does indeed lie in the Area B or Area C, depending on who’s map you look at.
