Ready for anything

Israeli tear gas canisters,  rubber bullets, and  sound bomb

I truly feel ready for anything after completing my International Solidarity Movement training today. We handled (with tissues, so as not to pick up any powder residue) the various weapons that Israeli Defense Forces use to quell non-violent protests: tear gas canisters, rubber bullets, and sound bombs. We also learned about pepper spray and skunk water. For all the weapons, we were taught how to cope with them and minimize their effects. One trainer told us he was hit in the stomach by a rubber bullet fired from 40 yards and only received a bruise. Another reported he was dizzy after a barrage of 30 or 40 sound bombs.

We then had hands-on training in resisting arrest or rescuing someone who was being arrested. We took turns being soldiers or police and international demonstrators, really getting into the acting, and learned the best protective holds and  body language.

The training was completed with instructions for preparing articles and reports for the ISM website http://www.palsolidarity.org/ and tips for watching out for each other and avoiding PTSD.

ISM martyr Rachel Corrie

I will spend the night at the ISM's Ramallah dorm with some other volunteers before heading to a demonstration tomorrow.  Among the posters on the wall was a picture of Rachel Corrie, the ISM volunteer who was killed by a bulldozer in Gaza in 2003. Her parents, Cindy and Craig, were with me on the recent IFPB Olive Harvest Delegation. They lost their lawsuit to make Israel accept responsibility for their daughter's death.





Her are some of the house rules for this drop-in dorm:

Al-Amari Refugee Camp

This afternoon I took a walk in Ramallah and peeked in the Al-Amari refugee camp, which I understand  houses some 6,000 Palestinian refugees. This reminded me of the plight of the internally displaced persons, who are deprived of their internationally mandated right of return.

Poster of Arafat at refugee camp