The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation
The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation
The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation
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put in was the s<strong>to</strong>ne from the Berlin Wall. My husb<strong>and</strong> said, you are not<br />
allowed <strong>to</strong> bring in s<strong>to</strong>nes, remember, the Intifada is going on.<br />
When I arrived at the bridge, I saw an Israeli soldier face <strong>to</strong> face for the<br />
first time – with mixed feelings. I was happy <strong>to</strong> go <strong>to</strong> the l<strong>and</strong> I had<br />
dreamt <strong>of</strong> all my life. Everybody <strong>to</strong>ld me how wonderful it was. But I<br />
was shocked at how the soldiers were checking my luggage, <strong>and</strong> how<br />
they treated me, like an insect, without respect. This was after the Oslo<br />
Treaty. I was unable <strong>to</strong> define my feelings about the soldiers.<br />
On the bridge, the soldiers asked us <strong>to</strong> step out <strong>of</strong> the bus, <strong>and</strong> I looked<br />
at one <strong>of</strong> them, <strong>and</strong> the thought flashed through my mind, “This man<br />
has <strong>to</strong> be killed”. <strong>The</strong>n I woke up, <strong>and</strong> thought, what a crazy idea, just<br />
enjoy coming home. My husb<strong>and</strong> had accompanied me; he saw my feel -<br />
ings <strong>and</strong> calmed me down. After these procedures, we found my<br />
brother-in-law <strong>and</strong> went <strong>to</strong> Jericho. I expected <strong>to</strong> see the Dead Sea, but<br />
I did not see it. I expected <strong>to</strong> see rich fields in the valley, but I did not<br />
see that either <strong>and</strong> I started <strong>to</strong> become disappointed. This was not what<br />
my gr<strong>and</strong>mother <strong>and</strong> my mother had talked about, <strong>and</strong> I got calmer <strong>and</strong><br />
calmer, <strong>and</strong> did not say a word. My husb<strong>and</strong> saw the tears in my eyes<br />
<strong>and</strong> said: “What is with you? You are in Palestine!” I replied: “But this<br />
is a desert; this is not the Palestine they have been talking about.” I had<br />
expected <strong>to</strong> see green l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> water on the way <strong>to</strong> Nablus, as my mother-in-law<br />
had <strong>to</strong>ld me. All these mixed feelings made me start crying.<br />
We reached Nablus, <strong>and</strong> the city was still full <strong>of</strong> soldiers. When we arrived<br />
back home, I had forgotten all the disappointments. This was my<br />
first encounter with my homel<strong>and</strong>. At that time, my father lived in<br />
Vienna. When he called me I <strong>to</strong>ld him that this is not the l<strong>and</strong> I had been<br />
<strong>to</strong>ld about, <strong>and</strong> that I had expected.<br />
We restarted our lives, we looked for jobs. <strong>The</strong> Intifada was still going<br />
on, <strong>and</strong> there were no jobs. A few days after arrival, my husb<strong>and</strong> was<br />
arrested for several hours. We went <strong>to</strong> the city centre, trying <strong>to</strong> find<br />
out where they had put him. Children threw s<strong>to</strong>nes at the soldiers, <strong>and</strong><br />
I was following my mother-in-law, like a child, running <strong>to</strong> a police station.<br />
<strong>The</strong> men taken prisoner were there; <strong>and</strong> many women were in<br />
the station, <strong>to</strong>o, watching the soldiers. Meanwhile the soldiers were<br />
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