Awards ceremony

This morning, Zleikha- a very passionate and committed kindegarten teacher and who helps run kids' programs during the summer- invited ISMers for a ceremony in the morning.

Today was the final ceremony for TIPH* funded project, called "communities free from violence". As can be imagined, the Israeli military occupation in Hebron is the cause of a lot of suffering.
It was held in Natsheh Hall, a place where the community of the Old City often comes together for special events.

Palestinians in the city regularly experience checkpoints, beatings, humiliations, and even killings. Even now, as things seem to be more quiet in the parts of the city we are allowed to operate, we hear of nightly raids and problems in other parts where we don't yet have the necessary connections to establish a presence. Many of the problems also take part in the "closed military zones", parts of the city cordoned off by soldiers where entering is difficult for even internationals.
The violence of course affects children and families, helping to contribute to violence in homes and the streets.
A theatre company started touring H2 and also parts of H1, putting on a production about two families and how they deal with the situation- one in a destructive way that tears itself apart and another in a dignified way that builds itself and others up.
People responded very well to the shows, and good discussions followed, according to what Zleikha told me. After the show, there were awards given to people who helped out in the community, and ISM was also was one of these groups. It was a pleasure and privilege to receive it on behalf of my organization.

Before leaving, we also had a chance to look at the artwork of some of the children Zleikha works with. They show what life in Hebron looks like through their eyes, both the peaceful and the violent.



*TIPH stands for Temporary International Presence in Hebron. They are observers from EU countries, and are paid very well for their work. Although they do some good things, like helping with this very worthwhile endeavour, they also do little to challenge the occupation and the reports they write are confidential and shared only with the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority. Because of this and some other reasons, many Palestinians see them as useless.