Palestinians Suffer Under Curfew
Tue Jul 16, 4:58 AM ET
By JAMIE TARABAY, Associated Press Writer
HEBRON, West Bank (AP) - Abdel Wahab Karaki slumps into an armchair as some of the more than 70 children crammed into his family's walled compound squeal past, trapped inside by a seemingly endless Israeli army curfew.
"Every time I think it couldn't get worse, it does," said Karaki, 56, wiping the sweat from his brow. His mother, Behaija, 85, swats at the children with a weak wrist. They giggle and run away, their hair matted and dusty, their knees scuffed and dirty.
The rest of her seven grown sons file slowly into the living room. They've spent days watching television, talking among themselves, hardly moving inside the cramped Hebron home. Anyone caught violating the curfew is ordered back inside by Israeli soldiers patrolling the streets, and could risk being detained.
Most of the men had jobs in Israel as laborers or worked in nearby factories before Israeli security measures prevented them from leaving the West Bank shortly after the current round of violence erupted in September 2000.
Israel said it imposed the restrictions to stop militants from entering Israel and launching attacks, including suicide bombings. The measures have decimated the Palestinian economy and angered Palestinians, who say Israel seeks to punish the population as a whole.
As in other cities and towns in the West Bank, Israeli forces control Hebron and enforce an around-the-clock curfew, confining residents of their homes. The curfew is lifted for a few hours once or twice a week to allow people to buy food.
Israeli forces moved into seven of the eight main Palestinian population centers after back-to-back suicide bombing attacks in Jerusalem killed 26 Israelis last month.
For many in Hebron, home to about 140,000 Palestinians, it's just more of the same. Hebron is the only West Bank city divided into Israeli and Palestinian zones. The center of the city, where about 400 Israeli settlers live, is under Israeli control. The 30,000 Palestinians in the Israeli-controlled zone, including the Karaki family, have been under curfew during most of the 21-month-long conflict.
"We were stuck inside for 220 out of the last 360 days," said Fahmi Wahab, 51. "How do I know? We've got nothing to do but count the days."
The Israeli-controlled zone includes the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a holy site revered by Muslims, Jews and Christians as the traditional burial spot of the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
There has been near-constant tension in Hebron because of the close proximity of the Israelis and Palestinians who live there, with tensions flaring on both sides even in times of relative peace.
The Karaki clan lives in a walled compound, isolated from the Israeli settlers and the ever-present soldiers. In the back yard, the children can play soccer and tag, screaming as they ran after each other. The ages of the Karaki children range from 34 years to six months. They are the children of Behaija's seven sons. One of her sons has 16 children.
The curfew has frayed already stretched nerves.
"When the children go and play in the back, I lock myself up in another part of the house. I can't stand the screaming," said Behaija Karaki.
Being stuck in the house with screaming kids--wouldn't that make YOU want to go out and kill some Jews?
The "moral equivalence" attempts of the media are becoming more and more desperate.
The ages of the Karaki children range from 34 years to six months.
At what age does a Palestinian cease to be a child?
YEAH! The palestinians wouldnt be blowing up all these innocents if they had any other choice. But, they dont have tanks and planes and all the fancy artillery that Israel has. So they have to use islama-bombs. If we would just give them the proper tools all this suicide bombing would stop. Of course the deaths of innocents wont stop, but the suicides would...thats my point. (/sarcasm)
pro-israel bump
17:09
Fatah military wing claims responsibility for attack near Immanuel (Army Radio)
Yasser's group.
NEVER.
How mature are a people who think they can loose five wars, never negotiate a peace, and then get everything back?