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| Tulkarm |
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| Separation barrier near Tulkarm |
The city of Tulkarm, on the northwest border of the West Bank, is only about 8 miles from the Mediterranean Sea, but most of its 81,000 residents will never be able to swim in it. They are barred from crossing the Israeli separation barrier unless they have a permit for day work. I have come up to the EAPPI placement from Jerusalem for three days and will get a chance to monitor workers crossing the main checkpoint into Israel on Sunday.
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| Boy with horse cart crossing Jubara Checkpoint |
Today I saw a smaller checkpoint, Jubara, which EAs monitor because students from a village in the "seam zone" (between the Green Line and the barrier) need to come through in a bus to attend school in the West Bank.
As soon as they come through, they see some nasty concertina wire left by Israeli authorities along the road.
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| Far'un Agricultural Gate |
There are also a number of agricultural gates around Tulkarm that are monitored by EAPPI to make sure they honor their opening times. These gates are supposed to be open three days a week, and three times a day for 45 minutes, to allow farmers from the West Bank to work on their fields in the seam zone.
Back in town, we visited the only Christian church left in Tulkarm, a small Greek Orthodox church lovingly restored by Daoud Firoba and Muslim friends after it was destroyed by fire in 2006. Daoud's family, and a Catholic family, are the only two Christian families left in Tulkarm. Before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, the city had more than 1,000 Christians, but many fled to Jordan, Lebanon, and Bethlehem, according to Daoud. Today less than 2% of the West Bank population is Christian.
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| Interior of Greek Orthodox Church restored and maintained by Daoud Firoba |
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| Daoud and 18-year-old son Mitri, who wants to study law |
The church is used only occasionally for worship. Daoud and his family generally worship in other cities. They go to Bethlehem for Christmas and Jerusalem for Easter, and he says there is no problem getting permits from Israel.
Since he restored the Tulkarm church, he says he has no intention to move. His philosophy is exemplary. "I love everyone," he says. "Muslims help me and love me."
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| Tulkarm church altar |
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| Belfry |
The residents of Tulkarm and other West Bank locals once came to the Mediterranean without much difficulty and usually quite freely. What happened? A little something called suicide bombers sent by Palestinian terror groups (Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc.) This is a salient fact you seem to have not considered. Why? Is it all our fault?
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