Reading the morning news here in Jerusalem can often be a depressing experience. This morning, I noticed an article with the name "Kabatiya" in it. Kabatiya brings back lots of really bad memories from four years ago when serving in Operation Defensive Shield as a battlefield medic in Jenin. Kabatiya is a little hamlet? village? town? terrorist enclave? south of Jenin, and certainly as volatile and dangerous as Jenin itself.
The article "IDF kills PRC commander, 50-year-old woman in Kabatiya" depressed me. It only took 48 hours for the whole peace-fire thing to get ready to fall apart. Okay, I am really not suprised by that. It was to be expected. The Jerusalem Post reported:
"IDF troops killed a Popular Resistance Committees commander and a 50-year-old woman overnight Sunday in Kabatiya, south of Jenin.
The woman took the dead PRC commander's weapon and tried to run off, the army said, saying that troops did not immediately identify her as a woman because she was wearing trousers in pre-dawn darkness.
Senior PRC official Yaser Maza'al said that Israel should "expect revenge in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip" in the wake of the deaths, Israel Radio reported."
The
daily Haaretz though in the article entitled,
As Gaza truce holds, IDF kills 2 in W. Bank firefight, was less pessimistic. Despite the report about the PRC commander, it does seem as if the Gaza truce is still holding. Good thing or bad thing? That is up to you to decide. They further reported a summit was about to take place,
Report: Olmert, Abbas to hold summit with visiting Rice. No biggie here. No great shakes.
Normative news on a normal day in Israel.But, that name Kabatiya. That name and the nightmares. Jenin & Kabatiya. Kabatiya & Jenin. I was thrown back a few years. I went through those three weeks of war and returned home unscathed in body. My agent pushed me to write about those three weeks. The book, "
Three Weeks In Jenin" was born. That manuscript has a long and interesting history, though this is not the time or place for such a discussion.
But Jenin? Kabatiya? Those names haunt me. So here, if you wish to read on, I am going to place the Prologue of "
Three Weeks In Jenin" for your reading pleasure. Maybe then you will begin to understand a bit about
The View From Jerusalem and certainly a bit about life in Israel.
But first let us just show you a map of the area. (For some really great maps of the area mostly produced by the CIA where you can zoom in go to:
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection)
Three Weeks In Jenin
A Time To Kill & A Time To Heal
Prologue - Death With A Smile
Omnipotent. An alluring word which means having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force. It is an adjective normally used to describe an all-powerful being, though in a finite world unlimited power can occasionally prove to be an irresistible temptation.
For a moment, just for a few fleeting seconds, give in to that sacrilegious fantasy. Pretend you are graced with omnipotence. A God looking down upon the vast mosaic of creation. All-powerful. All-seeing. Guardian of the ultimate truth. Seduced by the desire of control. Whether we are atheists, true believers or just ambivalent about this whole God thing, there always comes a theopneustic instant when one looks down upon this world and assumes the omniscience that is normally bestowed upon the creator. Playing God can prove to be a daunting task. It makes one wary about the responsibility, though exercising accountability is unnecessary. God is accountable only to Himself.
To allay any fears of impinging upon the immortal realm, no miracles, profound wisdom or mystical lightening bolts are required. This exercise only entails imagination coupled with a dogmatic assurance that whatever you say will be acknowledged, without question or doubt, as being completely accurate.
Most news oriented television stations and printed journalism have made the apotheosis to divine infallibility by enveloping their unbiased and absolutely unaccountable reporting with a numinous aura. Indeed entire empires are based upon the belief that what they report, will and must be accepted as the ultimate truth. Playing God is good for business.
Objectivity is crucial. Take for example the bomb that blew up a bus in Jerusalem on June 18th, 2002. The immediate aftermath of that bomb left nineteen people dead and seventy-four injured. The international news agencies reported that bus to have been boarded by a “suspected” terrorist. At the moment Muhamed al-Ral stepped up to the pay the driver on that bus he was just an Islamic law student at An-Najah University in Nablus. When he detonated his bomb next to an eleven year old child he became “suspected” of an act of terror. Impartiality is another divine trait.
As a matter of fact, the challenge would be to discover any incident relating to bombs, drive-by shootings or ambushes, as having been perpetrated by anyone except a “suspected” terrorist. There seems to be no rule-of-thumb and thus no capability for a “suspected” terrorist to become a plain terrorist. Innocent until proven guilty. Or until so many body parts lay on the ground that only modern forensic science can put them back together. To bury the pieces.
On any given day a bomb explodes or open-season shooting occurs in areas packed with civilians. Those killed are not considered “suspected” deaths. Their families bear sad witness to that fact. Children left without parents. Parents suddenly bereft of children. All those deaths are just, well, just death. Yet the perpetrator always seems to be relegated into the fuzzy domain of “suspected”. Imitating God allows for a great deal of literary freedom. After all, who is going to question God?
With omniscient vision we can hover over our small, insignificant planet and concentrate on any one area. So down we go, to the Holy Land, known as Israel or Palestine, depending upon what your ultimate truth is. The place where the eyes and conscience of the world seem to return on an ever-increasing basis. An extraordinary land filled with divine inspiration from the Old Testament, New Testament and the Koran. A small country which all combined is not much bigger than the state of New Jersey. Drill down a bit more. We seek landmarks on the map. Something that has the ring of familiarity about it. Name-recognition in modern parlance.
Tiberius. A city hugging the shores of Lake Kinneret and rising with the mountainsides into the Galilee. Where Jesus was baptized by John, and then continued preaching in Capernaum on the waters of the Kinneret. Where miracles became legends that brought change to the face of humanity. The area where the revolt against the Roman Empire began, and its famous spiritual leader, Rabbi Akiva is buried. Graves reaching back thousands of years, witness to all that is magnificent and cruel in mankind’s past. The final resting place of the revered medieval lawmaker and philosopher, Maimonides. The main water source for the modern State of Israel. Go farther east and you will hit Jordan or travel up to the Golan Heights and into Syria. Tiberius is a fine landmark from which to begin our journey. A peaceful town often visited by ecstatic pilgrims seeking epiphany.
On the west side of the map nestling on the Mediterranean Sea is the port city of Haifa. One of the three largest cities in Israel. A mere sixty kilometers [37 miles] from Tiberius. Our view is now limited by two serene cities nuzzling two bodies of water.
From Haifa we go down - south and east. And from Tiberius we go down - south and west. Creating a V from both points. The lines of our V will cover around forty kilometers [25 miles] on either side. Not exactly equidistant, but close enough for our V to remain straight. Until the bottom point hits the city of Afula near the Jezreel Valley of Old Testament fame.
Less than twelve kilometers [7.5 miles] from Afula, towards the south-west, lies Megiddo. Another city of Old and New Testament fame. Revelation Chapter 16 Verses 14-16:
“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
The etymology of the word “Armageddon”, comes from late Latin, derived from Greek which in turn derived it from the Hebrew, “Har Megiddo” meaning “the mountain (region) of Megiddo”. A cursory look at the dictionary will tell us that “Armageddon” in current times refers to “a vast conflict that is marked by great slaughter and widespread destruction and that is usually so decisive as to make further or renewed conflict impossible”.
A war to end all wars. Echoes from the past, tainting the present and reaching far into the future. As recently as September 11, 2001, the word Armageddon reared its ugly head. Some speak of that prophecy in the ecstasy of fanaticism, prophesizing through eyes glowing with burning religious fervor. Others wisely whisper it in unmitigated horror.
Go south-east, towards almost the middle of the map. Another small dot. There it is. The town we seek. Less than ten kilometers from Megiddo nee Armageddon. Our center-piece. Jenin.
Yet before we allow ourselves to linger on the principal point of attention a few more landmarks might be in order. The more perspective the more ubiquitous we can be.
Paint a four-pointed diamond. Something like the North, South, East and West diamond that appears on the upper right-hand corner of our map. Place Jenin on the top of the northern tip. Place Nablus on the southern tip. Tul-Kerem on the western tip. Tubas on the eastern tip. Not a large area by any means. No more than sixty kilometers [38 miles] separates any one point on our diamond from another. This four-point diamond sits in an area called the Shomron and is part of what is euphemistically known as the West bank of the Jordan River. Jenin sits on the edge of the Dotan Valley. The same valley where Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers.
In modern times the Oslo accords further complicated matters. Under the now famous “land for peace” formula, all of the territory was divided into Area A, B or C. Area A represents Arab cities under Palestinian control and Area C is for Jewish communities under Israeli control. Nablus, for instance, is in Area A. Area B, is under Palestinian jurisdiction with regard to civil matters and under joint Palestinian - Israeli control with regard to security. Jenin is in Area B but treated as Area A. Amazing how humanity can destroy such a pretty map with so many lines and borders and confusing names. Even forcing God to sigh and shake His head at the madness.
So we too, in our omniscience, will allow for a short sigh before returning our eyes to the top of the diamond. Our focal point for this journey. Jenin, a growing village-city situated only a few kilometers from major Israeli population centers.
First let us discover where the roots of this fabled city lie. The name Jenin comes from the original “Ein-Gannim”, meaning “the springs of Gannim” which appears in the Old Testament book of Joshua. The Romans also settled there, using the name of Jenai or Ginaea. This ancient city still exists in the form of a Tel, in the middle of the modern city. The area around Jenin is filled with beautiful forests, streams and waterfalls. A veritable Garden in Eden.
For the sake of clarification, while depicting Jenin we are forced to divide it up into three parts. The province of Jenin. The city of Jenin. And the Jenin refugee camp situated within the city itself. All three concern us.
The province of Jenin, according to the web site of the Jenin Chamber of Commerce, is fairly large. It spreads towards the east on our four-point diamond until Tubas. Towards the west it reaches the outskirts of Tul-Kerem. And towards the south it borders the lands of Nablus. Around seven hundred and sixty square kilometers [294 square miles]. Big piece of real estate in such a small country. Approximately two hundred and thirty-five thousand people are spread over eighty-four cities, towns and villages within Jenin province.
The city of Jenin contains around thirty-five thousand inhabitants. It is a fairly wealthy city (second only to Ramallah), with neighborhoods of large expansive villas and gardens. Running water, electricity and phone systems all exist within city boundaries. Doctors, lawyers, pharmacies, a hospital, charity organizations, schools and sports clubs are active and flourishing within Jenin according to the Jenin Chamber of Commerce.
Let us take a look at an internet site, this one belonging to the UN and more specifically, to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. There we are told as follows:.
Jenin camp was established in 1953, within the municipal boundaries of Jenin on 373 dunums. Most of the camp's residents came from villages which can be seen from the camp and which today lie inside the Green Line in Israel. Many of the refugees still maintain close ties with their relatives in those villages. While camp residents find employment in the agricultural sector around Jenin, many are still dependant on work inside Israel. After the redeployment of the Israeli army in 1995, the camp came under Palestinian Authority control.
For the sake of clarity, the refugee camp originally covered an area of less than a square kilometer or mile. It has since grown and today contains, according to the UN, a little over thirteen thousand souls, 13,055 at the last census to be exact. It is the poor neighborhood; the other side of the tracks of Jenin, over which the Palestinian Authority has complete and total control, as the group representing the united nations of the world clearly tells us.
There is just another small piece of information that should be emphasized here. The name Jenin pops up in an overwhelming majority of incidents where a “suspected” terrorist just happens to be situated at the right time and the right place when a bomb goes off in Israel. Death by “suspected” terrorists occurs every day which makes for a hell of a lot of suspects. Jenin is a name that is uttered with trepidation and fear.
On April 11, 2002, news of a massacre by Israeli soldiers of some five-hundred Palestinian men, women and children in the Jenin refugee camp hit the airwaves. Let us print out that number for emphasis. 500. (Nasty word. Massacre. Sends shivers up and down the spine.) It came the day after fourteen Israeli soldiers were killed in an ambush in the same camp. News wires saturated the world with reports of the massacre. That fourteen soldiers were killed that day was a fact, though the overall count would go up to twenty-three. Count their bodies. Visit their families.
Playing God we can afford to show a bit of patience. Humans have a terrible habit of rushing to determine facts. A calm period is require, giving them a chance to think and retract. The air must settle. So the UN got involved. The whole world went into a frenzy. Five hundred massacred. Big number. Even one person massacred is one too many. Yet on May 1st, two weeks after this purported incident took place this is what CNN reported.
CNN - May 1, 2002 Posted: 11:32 AM EDT (1532 GMT) Palestinians have said that Israel carried out a massacre at the Jenin camp, killing some 500 people. Those allegations have not been independently corroborated.
Israel has said that "dozens, not hundreds" were killed in intense fighting as its forces attempted to clear out what it called "the fountainhead of suicide bombers." Aid agency officials said Sunday that 52 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of the camp.
Israel lost 23 soldiers during the fighting, 13 of them in one incident. Figures compiled by aid agencies show 140 of the camp's 1,896 homes were destroyed, and another 200 were damaged. One-quarter of the camp's population of 13,000 was made homeless.
Do you see the word “suspected” anywhere? To be sure the word allegations is used. But Pandora’s box has been opened. A massacre had to have taken place. Perhaps the numbers needed some massaging, but that word, massacre, embedded itself in the consciousness of the world. Never, not once, did the word “self-defense” appear. The day before fourteen Israeli soldiers walked into an ambush while terrorists hid behind live women and children. The bodies of dead soldiers were stolen by these terrorists to use as ransom and mutilate them, and at great expense to life and limb finally brought back. Still, we were informed, positively with no shadow of doubt, that there had to have been a massacre.
Patience is a Godly attribute. Months later, on Friday, August 2, 2002, the front page of the International Herald Tribune carried this small news-header, on the right hand side towards the bottom of the page.
UN dismisses Jenin Claim
The United Nations on Thursday dismissed as unsubstantiated Palestinian claims that 500 people had been killed when Israeli forces invaded a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin in April. The UN report criticized both sides as putting Palestinian civilians at risk. The UN report supported previously published accounts that 52 Palestinians were killed in Jenin refugee camp, along with 23 Israeli soldiers.
So the original numbers remained. No massacre. Amazing how fifty-two became five hundred. Reminds one of the “doctrine of the lie”. Repeat a lie over and over again, to more and more people, it magically turns into truth. That is why omnipotence is crucial. To determine the truth. Or to create it when reality does not match our expectations. The trick is, the real God does not change facts or truth. He leaves that up to us. No need to wait for God to mess things up as we do quite a good job all on our own.
In a landscape that could one day contain sparkling streams careening down small waterfalls into dark brown woods and flourishing green fields - in the midst of this beauty lies a small city named Jenin. A place where one can experience the sweet smell of fresh blood mixed with that acrid odor of numbing fear; the sound of bombs exploding and guns firing; the sight of gaping wounds and mangled limbs; the touch of cold steel allowing less than a second of thought between killing or being killed; and the bitter taste of bile in the mouth.
Memories from three weeks in the biblical village of Ein-Gannim, known currently as Jenin. Armageddon. Encountered within a city where hate runs rampant even as the greatness of God is declared while in His name death is dispensed with a serene smile.
Posted On: The View From Jerusalem
Tags: Israel, Lebanon, Politics, Judaism, Israeli Politics, News, Current Events, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, United States & Israel, Terrorist, Bombing, Palestine, Jerusalem, anti-semitism, Zionism
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