Ramallah

Last night Rachel Corrie's parents visited the ISM hostel in Jerusalem I was at for a New Years party. It's kind of eerie to think that these people are famous because their daughter was killed. People talk about Cindy Corrie like she is a celebrity with that wide eyed look about their faces like someone who is speaking about a brush with fame.

After leaving Jerusalem I took a bus to the ISM media office in Ramallah. Leaving Jerusalem and traveling into the West Bank now involves crossing onto the other side of The Wall, the biggest change since I was last here. I was totally shocked the first time I saw it this morning. I've seen many photos of course but up close, at the checkpoint it was just really unnerving. The checkpoint is really ugly, it's full of razor wire and concrete. I didn't get a chance to take any photos because we were in a hurry but I have plans for some murals and I promised Corey I'd tag a Flatline Transmissions logo on it.

Today was spent at the ISM media office in Ramallah learning about principles of non-violent direct action and about how these tactics are currently used to resist the occupation. I thought I knew a good deal about the situation here but today really opened my eyes. Palestine does not need another UN Resolution, because we know from experience that UN Resolutions mean nothing. The fact that they mean nothing makes people here feel like they have been abandoned by the world. Just by reading this you are helping because it means someone else in another part of the world is listening and paying attention. I've met a lot of really brave and inspiring people so far and have started on some sketches for postcards.



The above photo was taken as I was walking down the street in Ramallah. Just by chance we ran into the annual Fatah parade. At first I thought the noise was just fireworks a day late, but no, it was celebratory gunfire ! You can look at more photos from this set at http://www.flickr.com/photos/moomin13/sets/1716903/.