Arjan El Fassed

Leveling Gaza

Arjan El Fassed Rafah, Palestine 11 February 2002

Two little girls, Manar and Sabine are showing us around blocks O and J of Rafah refugee camp, the site of Israel’s largest home demolition operation since the start of the uprising in September 2000. “What’s your name?”, I asked a little guy walking around the rubble of demolished homes in Rafah’s refugee camp. “I am Mahmoud,” he said. The boy, perhaps 10-years-old, looks disturbed. 

Moving across checkpoints

Arjan El Fassed Qalandia, Palestine 1 March 2002

When we reached Kalandia, four Israeli soldiers on each side of the checkpoint were facing in the direction of the entrance, blocking anyone who dared even to go near. We heard shots at the end of the checkpoint, the direction of Ramallah, as Israeli soldiers shot at Palestinian cars that were approaching the checkpoint to see whether they could get through. 

They want total quiet while they continue to make our lives miserable

Arjan El Fassed Ram, Palestine 29 June 2001

“After nine months of killings, great suffering, excessive force, liquidation, collective punishments, detentions and torture, destruction and demolition and on top of that shelling and bombings, Palestinians are expected to remain silent. After 53 years of dispossession, expulsion and discrimination, 34 years of military occupation, colonialism and another form of Apartheid, the international community, run by the United States, expects total quiet.” 

Waking up the European governments

Arjan El Fassed Ram, Palestine 24 June 2001

“Ending the occupation and demanding an end to Israel’s gross human rights violations that are an unavoidable byproduct of military regimes will also end the current humanitarian crisis, defuse the situation and thereby prevent any escalation of violence. The governments of Europe need to wake up and recognise that nothing else will make a difference.” 

Bethlehem and Beit Sahour

Arjan El Fassed Ram, Palestine 16 June 2001

“Since the Intifada erupted on 29 September 2000, Israeli shells and heavy gunfire have completely destroyed a total of 3,669 residential buildings. In the past few months alone, more than 200 residential homes have been damaged to various degrees.” 

The 'cease-fire'

Arjan El Fassed Ram, Palestine 12 June 2001

“The current “ceasefire” does not include the cessation of devastating violations of human rights in all aspects of daily life, including deaths resulting from denial of access to humanitarian aid and services…Since Israel “unilaterally imposed a ceasefire” thirteen Palestinians have been killed.” 

Feeling the closure

Arjan El Fassed Ram, Palestine 8 June 2001

“It’s not just that roads are cut off by military checkpoints — entire villages have been cut off. The worst situation is in the rural areas, where villages are completely isolated and beseiged in spite of the announcements in the media that ‘Israel is easing the closure’.”