A Teacher In Ramallah: Rough Day

Today was a rough day in Ramallah. There have been protests all over the occupied territories against the negotiations in Annapolis; Palestinians are fearful that their rights will be negotiated away, particularly the right of return. Their fears are not without merit--negotiating final status issues while still under occupation is a bit like negotiating with a kidnapper to free you when your hands are tied and a gun is to your temple--you are negotiating from a place of extreme weakness.

The Palestinian Authority has banned protests against the negotiations in Annapolis, so when I heard that there was a demo planned at noon, I was worried that there would be trouble, partially due to the ban, and partially due to the new barricades that have been installed in the square. II considered going during lunch, then decided to continue on with my work. I didn't want to get stuck behind a barricade if things got ugly. They did. PA Police and the Presidential guards ended up using batons and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Then, later in the afternoon, at around 2:00 or so, I heard gunfire close by. Turns out that it was another group of people at the mosque near the school having a demonstration. According to the news reports, the police broke up that demonstration by shooting live bullets into the air and more tear gas. That went on for about a half hour.

All in all, about 30 people were injured, some badly, and about 200 people were detained. In neither of these cases was there a need for tear gas or other forms of force.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, there has been more gunfire, but only sporadically and it sounds farther away.

Needless to say, I've been a bit rattled today. Both of these demonstrations were minutes away from the school. The mosque is literally just around the corner, and I walk by it at least once a day when I go to the market for fruit or vegetables, and al Manara Square is about a 5 minute walk from the school. I feel relatively safe on campus--it's separated from the surrounding buildings by walls and there is a guard 24 hours a day--but tonight I wasn't in a "going out" kind of mood.

I am a bit worried to see how things change as the week goes on. It's pretty clear that the PA is trying to assert as much control as possible in order to prove who is in charge, and it's also clear that there is widespread dissent against the conference. I'm having a hard time imagining this ending well. A long, drawn out negotiation process probably will mean continued unrest between the various political factions in Palestine for the duration.

Feeling a little blue just thinking about it.