A letter from a non-violent peace activist about Israeli attacks in Beit-Sahour, Palestine. 
Dear supporters of human rights in Palestine, 

I just had a lesson in life under Israeli 
Occupation—up close and personal. 

Beit Sahour is the city where, according to the 
Christian scripture, shepherds tending their flocks 
one night were visited by angels heralding the birth 
of the Prince of Peace. They, too, lived under a 
military occupation 

Today, the village is filled with peaceful and 
peace-loving people who suffer under an occupation 
worse than that of Rome 2000 years ago. The only 
violence is the economic violence of the repressive 
response to the Intifada (80% of the population are at 
least severely under-employed), and the constant 
threat of violence from the Israeli military, which 
has a base at the western edge of the village. 

Today, as so many times in the past 9 months, the 
threat became realized. 

As I arrived back at my host’s home about 4 pm, people 
excitedly told me that tanks had advanced into the 
village to the north, and there had been an explosion. 
With my video camera and press pass, I asked the taxi 
driver to take me to the scene. He admitted he was 
afraid, but took me as close as he dared—and refused 
payment. 

With no provocation (I reached that consclusion after 
later interviewing over 20 nearby residents), two 
tanks, two jeeps and an armored personell carrier 
invaded from Area C into Area A of Beit Sahour. Like 
the residential areas of most Palestinian villages and 
cities, Beit Sahour is divided. The Israeli military 
imposes control over a portion of the residential 
neighborhoods in these population centers with the 
excuse that this is needed to insure the safety of 
army bases or settlements. 

If there is one thing that I have learned from this 
trip—and learned from interviews with Israeli 
activists and a settler spokesman, it is that Israeli 
society is interested only in protecting Jewish rights 
and lives, and do not care if this comes at the 
expense Palestinian rights and lives. 

Area A is supposed to be under full Palestinian 
control. These areas are, in effect, the de facto 
State of Palestine and the Palestine Authority 
considers it their right to protect the sovereignty of 
those lands. Today the Israelis, in effect, invaded 
another country, and were, rightfully, resisted. 
Again, this has happened to the people of Beit Sahour 
and many other Palestinian communities many times. 

Palestinian resistance took the form of various 
elements of the Palestinian Authority police coming 
together at the top of a hill overlooking the 
intrusion of Israeli troops. Armed only with 
Egyptian-made Kalishnikov automatic weapons supplied 
under provisions of the Oslo Accords, they grouped and 
deployed on the grounds of the Beith Sahour YMCA, 
which is a walled area and near the border with Area 
C. 

By the time I arrived, I was told the Israelis had 
fired a tank once, but I found only the remains of an 
RPG—rocket propelled grenade—next to a house that had 
been hit. However, a tank had advanced nearly to the 
YMCA grounds along with an armed patrol. This was a 
civilian street, with houses on either side and 
civilians cowering in doorways and peering through 
windows. The Israelis were aiming their weapons and 
moving the tank turret around menacingly, and did so 
for another 20 minutes. When the Palestinians did not 
fire on them (I assume that’s what they were waiting 
or hoping for), they slowly retreated down the street. 
The civilians cautiously emerged from their homes to 
see. 

I made my way down the hill and took a position near 
where the tanks, jeeps and APC had gathered just 
beyond the last houses on the street. I was between 
the last house and the next one up the street and was 
filming the soldiers when gunfire erupted FROM the 
Israelis. From the sound (I could not see which 
weapon was firing), they fired a light machine gun. 
Then a tank began to move, and moments later I heard 
the pop, pop, pop of the Palestinians’ small caliber 
rifles firing in return. The tank advanced up the 
street, but not as far as before, so I was beside it. 
The tank gunned its motor and moved its turret around 
again. Once more somebody fired from the Palestinian 
side. The tank fired a clip from one of its machine 
guns and then fired a tank round up the street. 

The Palestinians did not return fire, and so the tank 
retreated, joined the other war machines, growled a 
bit more, and then, finally, the convoy left for the 
army base nearby. 

Two houses were hit. The tank blast I witnessed tore 
a large hole in the wall of a home owned by a family 
that had just left for America that morning. It was 
hit just under a window, but since the house was 
locked, and since the Palestinian police were not 
deployed on top of any houses that I could see, it is 
hard not to conclude that the house was fired upon at 
random. Another home, which did have a PA police 
presence, was raked with machine gun fire. 

So, my friends, this is a part of the Occupation that 
most of us know about, but is not much acknowledged in 
our news media. It is something that we MUST tell our 
friends, our workmates, our organizations, and the 
media. 

For those of you coming in August, be reminded that 
you are volunteering for dangerous work, but waging 
peace involves risk. Talking about peace does not 
bring it about. Peace, like war, must be waged. 

Please forward this to others, and let people know 
about the August campaign. We need as many volunteers 
as possible. 

PS: Many of you have asked about what to bring in 
August. We are preparing a list and suggestions that 
should be out to you within a day. 



===== 
Thom Saffold 
Ann Arbor, MI USA 
Free Palestine 
www.tswj.org