ISM: Experiences in Violence vs Kindness/ Reports from Tulkarem/Jenin and Bethlehem
1) From an Ambulance In Palestine _ Lisa Beth
2) Update from Jenin: Situation intensified _ Tobias Karlsson
3) Experiences in Violence vs Kindness _ Megan
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1) From An Ambulance In Palestine (second installment)
Date: February 18, 2003
Author: Lisa Beth
Area: Tulkarem
Two nights ago we transported a six year old boy, accompanied by his mother, from his home in a nearby village to Dr.
Thabit Thabit Hospital in Tulkarem. This boy had a seizure earlier in the evening; he had no history of seizures, but
his parents remembered that he had fallen the week before without apparent cause, and had been somewhat confused after
that fall. At the beginning of the transport, this boy did not interact much with his mother and at times had a "fixed
gaze" to the right, both signs of probable brain injury or abnormality. Although his behavior became more normal by the
time we reached the hospital, it was clear that he needed doctors who have access to specialized diagnostic equipment.
When we returned to the ambulance dispatch center, i asked one of the managers--who happened this evening to be
dispatching--if the Tulkarem hospital has the diagnostic equipment this patient needs. He informed me that this
equipment, as well as appropriately trained personnel, are not avay
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2) Situation in Jenin intensified. Seven arrested, one injured and ISM-activists shot upon / More on the case of Esma
Seba'ana Date: February 17, 2003
Author: Tobias Karlsson
Area: Jenin
After a relativly quiet week, the situation in Jenin has intensified over the last 24 hours, begining yesterday at 6 pm,
when a number of tanks, APCs and jeeps entered the refugee camp overlooked by at least one Apache helicopter.
Live amunition was fired by snipers, by soldiers on the ground and by the apache. The targets were both palestinian
fighters in the camp, who returned the fire, and groups of civilians gathering on the border of the camp.
Three ISM activists were at the border of the camp with a group including local journalists - one of them wearing a
bulletproof west with "TV" written highly visible on front and back - and 30 to 40 civilians. Among them several
children. The ISM activists were standing in the middle of the street with their hands defensively in the air, when a
tank shot 15 to 20 rounds of live ammunition upon them. None got injured in that specific episode.
During the two hours the israeli soldiers were present in the camp, two Palestianians were arrested and one man was
injured in the leg.
Monday morning the soldiers entered central Jenin two times. First time around 6 am, when five to six tanks arrived and
five palestinians were arrested. Second time at 11 am. This time no shooting and arrests were reported.
The following medical report has been sent to HR-groups and media today.
Today we got some new information on the Medical condition on Esma Seba'ana, detained by the Israelis since Tuesday 11.
We met Doctor Jamal Nassar, the last physician to examine her condition. He informed us that Esma was treatened for her
Brain-tumor the first time almost ten years ago. She then had a surgery in the Makhassah' hospital in jerusalem, where
they removed the tumor. It turned out not to be Maligint, the kind that spreads fast through your body, but maningioma,
a slowly growing type. A few years after the removal the tumor grew back in the same place and she was subject to
another operation in the same hospital. This time they also had to perfome a Bone-graft (bone transplant) to replace the
original bone where they entered her brain for the surgery.
Since then she has been free from symthoms until a month ago when she contacted Doctor Jamal Nassar, suffering from a
severe headache and with swollen periorbital and frontal region. He performed an X-ray examination that failed to
determine the reason behind her symthoms and he appointed her to a CT-scan, a more reliable method of discovering
tumors, in the end of this week.
Since she is now detained she will probably not get the opportunity to get her condition suffitiently examined. DR
Nassar claims that he has prior experience of patients being detained in the process of treatment/examintion. His
feedback from these patients, when released, is that the Israelis has eiter neglected their condition or given improper
and/or delayed treatment.
His oppinion on Esma's condition based on the incomplete examination he has done is that she etither has a serious
infection in the area of the performed bone-graft or that the tumor has started to grow back. In any case it is of great
importance that she recieves proper treatment, an infection in the brain area poses a great risk and if it is a tumor
the risk of it tuning malignant increases with time. Even if it doesn't a Meningioma tumor is very serious and it can,
if it is allowed to grow cause sudden death.
If you are interested in Esmas condition contact us and we can provide contact information for Dr Nasar and Esmas
Lawyer, Taofhi Bassoul
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Information below is provided by MSN Health;
What is adult brain tumor?
Adult brain tumor is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells begin to grow in the tissues of the brain. The brain
controls memory and learning, senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch), and emotion. It also controls other
parts of the body, including muscles, organs, and blood vessels.
This PDQ summary covers tumors that start in the brain (primary brain tumors). Often cancer found in the brain has
started somewhere else in the body and has spread (metastasized) to the brain. This is called brain metastasis.
A doctor should be seen if the following symptoms appear: frequent headaches, vomiting, or difficulty walking or
speaking.
If there are symptoms, a doctor may order a computed tomographic scan, a special x-ray that uses a computer to make a
picture of the brain. A magnetic resonance imaging scan, which uses magnetic waves to make a picture of the brain, may
also be done. Often surgery is required to determine if there is a brain tumor and to see what type of tumor it is.
The chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment depend on the type of brain tumor and the patient's general
state of health.
Further information on the disease is provided on;
http://content.health.msn.com/content/healthwise/122/30341
If you didn't recieve our initial report on this case, contact ismcoordinator@yahoo.se and I will send it to you.
Tobias Karlsson ISM-Coordinator Jenin area +972 (0)67-437690
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3) Experiences in violence vs. kindness
Date: February 17, 2003
Author: Megan
Area: Bethlehem / Tulkarem
ok... here is what happened in bethlehem.
i went to Jerusalem, to the damascus gate, and took a cab to a side route into bethlehem because the town was under
curfew so no one could enter or leave. i hiked up a small rocky hill and to the other side where the cabs waited to take
the people who were sneaking back in to their homes. i was met by the trainers of the group i am working for. and not
long after went to the house i was staying at. we had made signs at the office announcing that international presence
was at the house in hopes that if the military came back they would attempt to evacuate the house before destroying it.
The military had broken into the house at midnight the evening before and tore it apart, broke all the windows and told
the family they would be back to demolish it as an extra punishment for one of the sons who had lived there who was now
in prison. the family spent the night moving their belongings into neighboring houses and distributing the women and
children to other houses in the refugee camp. at this point i would like to point out that it is illegal to punish the
families and friends of prisoners and suicide bombers and to come in and destroy their homes to punish someone who has
already been punished. i stayed in the home with another observer listening for tanks. the military never showed back
up. they often don't, they come into houses and scare the families and cause them to evacuate and then wait for months
to take any action. for the most part when they really intend to tear houses down they just arrive and shoot into the
house and give the family a few minutes to leave before they tear it dow I spent a lot of time with the women and their
children. I can't help but think what it must be like for a child to grow up with this. In a discussion with one of the
men of the camp i apologized for my horrible, and i mean horrible arabic and he said " they don't teach arabic in your
schools, they teach english in our so we should be able to talk to you but half the time our towns were under curfew and
we couldn't go to school that's why our english is so bad" this man was in his late thirties... this has been going on
for years. will the children here ever be able to go to school regularly? I spent a lot of time with the school kids in
the house helping them study their english going through their school books with them.. i wish i had been there long
enough to have really helped. i left bethlehem after two days with the family. they asked me to return before the end of
my trip but i doubt i will have time.
i am now in Tulkarem, also in the west bank. the trip here took a few hours. they had raised curfew in Bethlehem from
10am to 4pm.. this is not for the sake of being kind to the people who live there but to give the people they are
looking for a chance to return to their homes so when curfew begins again they will have a better chance of catching
them.
On the bus ride to Tulkarem we were stopped and all the men had to evacuate the bus and wait in the rain for the
military to check their id's. after they had done that a soldier entered the bus and checked out all the seats and the
women. he pointed his gun at all of us as he checked our seats then he left. the path into town was covered in mud,
horses and mules splashed mud on everyone in their attempts to get up the hill... one woman fell in a large puddle but
as is the custom here everyone stopped and helped her and held her hand the rest of the way...
i will write more about my experiences here in Tulkarem later, but would like to take a second to point out the immense
kindness of everyone i have met here. everyone knows who we are and why we are here and are thankful for it. the economy
here is in a horrible state of affairs because people cannot go to work outside of town and often with curfew people
cannot open their businesses yet when i go to the market to buy fruit and vegetables they don't want to accept my money.
anytime i have looked even close to being lost, which has been a lot, yet not as much as i expected, people are rushing
to help, to walk me or drive me to where i need to go and oddly enough for what they have to deal with here on a daily
basis they are always smiling and laughing. the mother of the house i stayed at in Bethlehem gave me a pillow covering
she embroidered and apologized for not having time to make one personally for me but having to give me one she made
months ago. her daughter embroidered my initial in it and her as well
I hope you are all well.
Megan
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