Tony Davies

by Tony Davies

6 February 2004

Visited Yasser Arafat in his compound in Ramallah with a retired doctor from England, who runs a peace foundation here, and three young Americans who are doing church work with Palestinians. He gave us a warm welcome.

I greeted him on behalf of the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and said that we are doing all we can to inform people at home about the conditions the Palestinians are living under. I told him about the shop in Edinburgh, Hadeel, which sells Palestinian handcrafts, helping employment.

by Tony Davies

1 December 2002

A funeral cortege passed as I left Gaza City to move down to Khan Yunis. Last night the Israeli army destroyed three houses to the north east of the city, injured 20 people and killed two. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, the body of one of the victims, a 70-year-old man who was deaf, was discovered among the ruins of his house. The other victim was shot dead for no apparent reason while travelling home in his car. One of the destroyed houses was of five storeys, accommodating five families totalling 60 people of whom 35 were children. They are now in tents. 60 tanks were used in the incursion.

by Tony Davies

Nov 2nd 2002

We joined the Christian Peacemaker Team school patrol at 7 am. Soldiers told us that no children could go to school because of the curfew. However, after discussion, they did let though a girl we were accompanying and other girls were also allowed to go to school.

When we got near the boys' school, boys were running out into the road, encouraged by the headmaster. Then two tear gas shells were fired about 70 yards from an armoured vehicle at one end of the street, and another two came from the other end. Two vehicles rushed along the street a couple of times. They go fast partly to scare people but also to reduce the chance of being hit by the stones and bottles which the boys throw at them.

from: Tony Davies

1 November 2002

This morning we joined CPTers walking round town. Curfew was being observed in the centre, but further out to the north many people were out and even taxis were running. We asked some boys about curfew. They said they were breaking it because they were so fed up with being indoors. It is Friday, so there is no school today. It is so wrong that the Palestinians in Hebron are having to remain indoors.

Shops were open by the hospital so we bought some food. Someone had been out earlier and had not found anywhere open. This is the only government hospital for 160,000 people living in Hebron. There are only 23 medical beds, and 40 surgical beds. There are also two private hospitals but they are beyond the means of most people, though they are able to deal with injuries inflicted by the soldiers and settlers as the costs are covered by the Palestinian Authority.

from: Tony Davies

Oct 31st 2002.

With three other Quakers from Britain, I took a minibus from East Jerusalem to Hebron. When we reached the turning into the town there were surly settlers with guns who ordered us out of the minibus and demanded the ID cards of the Palestinians. When they let us back in, one of the settlers saw me getting my camera ready on my lap and demanded it. When it was explained that I had not taken a photo he was placated. He asked if I was a journalist. I said no and he let us go on our way. The settlers have no right to do this, but the law here is gun law. The settlements, of which we passed a number on the way from Jerusalem, occupy a large area of the Occupied Territories and are all illegal under international law, built on land stolen from the Palestinians by force.