Democratic Palestine : 27 (ص 24)
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- Democratic Palestine : 27 (ص 24)
- المحتوى
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how to sacrifice their peaceful life in order to share in the
struggle. We also discussed the importance of the woman’s
work with the husbands. In that period most of the people were
quite traditional. It was difficult for women to be involved.
For example, women never slept outside their homes, but
parents began to allow this at the time that the armed struggle
increased, for this gave a push to the participation of women.
When the situation was most difficult, we found people
becoming more free. However, when there was a lull in the
struggle, people returned to thinking of the traditions.
WANTED!
In July 1968, several women comrades were arrested. On
July 25th, I learned that I was wanted by the occupation
authorities. I was accused of being the recipient of a bag sent
from Jordan by one of those arrested. The next day, the
Israelis came to my house, but I was already gone. The day
before I had cleaned the house of all documents and told my
mother I would sleep elsewhere - It was the first time I slept
outside the home. I told her to tell anyone who came to ask for
me that I would be back.
I went to all the comrades to tell them about the arrests. To
be careful, I stopped the taxi away from their houses and
walked from house to house. Then I went to the house of an
old women who was a dressmaker. Since she had guests, I said
I had come to try on a dress and that my brother would pick me
up. Of course, he did not come and it became late, so I could
sleep there. The next day I sent a woman to tell my mother
that I would be leaving. I told her that if anyone was there, to
just say she had come to pick up my gradebooks - it was the
end of the year and I needed to record the students’ grades. She
didn’t come back so I sent another friend who found my house
surrounded by Israeli forces. She pretended she was just pass-
ing on the way to somewhere else, but they stopped her and
asked if she knew anyone from the house. She said no; she
understood something was wrong. That day I had had an ap-
pointment to go to Nablus with another woman, and she was
arrested when she came to my house. .
When I learned of these things, I began walking on the road
to Ramallah. It was very hot and there was no car, bus or taxi.
Finally a friend stopped in a pickup truck with another
person. I told him I wanted to visit his home and pressed his
hand hard, so he would know there was something urgent. He
dropped off the other person and returned and drove me to
Ramallah. I went to the UNRWA office to collect my salary.
Ironically, while I was there the Israelis called to inquire about
me, but the person at UNRWA said I had a training course at
the teachers’ center. I waited in the office of a friend from
Fatah for a comrade to come, so I could tell him to warn peo-
ple not to go to my house. Then he told me where to go and I
took a taxi to Nablus. I stayed with a family. After a week,
there was heavy knocking on the door. The girl who opened the
door was afraid the Israelis were looking for me, but it turned
out they were asking about someone else. Still I was afraid, so I
contacted the comrades to find a new place to stay. They ar-
ranged for me to stay with a middle-aged couple. I stayed there
for 19 days; it was like being in prison; I stayed in a locked
room and couldn’t see anything but a cemetery from the win-
dow. Also, the woman asked so many questions that I felt
24
uneasy. Finally I left and arranged for another place to stay,
telling this woman I was leaving for Jordan the next day
anyway.
From the next house I stayed in, we organized a strike and
demonstration, and sent petitions to the United Nations, pro-
testing the arrests of the three women in Ramallah and
Jerusalem. Of course, I and the comrade I was staying with
couldn’t go ourselves. Nobody knew I was there and she
pretended to be sick. At this time I began planning how to
leave the West Bank. I thought of trying to stay, for example
working as a servant in someone’s house in order not to be
discovered, but the comrades decided that I should leave. A
friend gave me West Bank identity papers which were different
than those for Jerusalem. I went to a photographer to have
pictures taken, saying I needed them to send to my fiancee in
Jordan with someone who was traveling right away. One pic-
ture was for him and another was with my disguise - wig and
glasses. The photographer was displeased because the picture
was unclear, but I said I was in a hurry, and a friend got mea
travel permit with the unclear picture.
I took a taxi to the Damia bridge. I had to wait one hour to
get past the border. It was the longest hour of my life. I felt
every Israeli soldier was looking at me. I played with the
children of other people who were also waiting in order to keep
my head down and turned away from the soldiers. Finally |
passed the control and took a car to the Jordanian side. This
was August 29, 1968. In Jordan, I went into the tent to register,
saying I was coming to stay with my brother and giving a false
name and address for him. The Jordanian policeman
recognized me. By unlucky coincidence, he was one of those
who had arrested me from my home in 1966. I insisted that it
was not me, and finally he gave up. I entered Jordan and con-
tacted our comrades there.
All the time I was wanted, I was careful not to endanger
those who helped me hide. I never let my family know where I
was Since it was better for them really not to know if they were
interrogated. I sent messages to Jordan which were then sent
back to them in Jerusalem. In fact, no one I stayed with was
arrested, but my mother and sisters were detained. My brother
was held for four months although he had nothing to do with
our work. The Israelis were waiting to see if I would return.
Several friends who were not organized were arrested when
they came to my house unawares after I left. One of them was
an older man. The Israelis beat him so badly that when he came
out, he said, «Now I am organized!» Later he joined the
struggle. When I left the West Bank, there were over seventy
women working with us in the Jerusalem and Ramallah area.
Of course, the struggle has grown since then, despite arrests
and deportations. - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 27
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