Ramallah: On the morning of Friday 29 of March, and after midnight, people in Ramallah were awakened by the sharp squeak of Israeli tanks and troop carriers. The roar of moving tanks was deafening and frightening. Moments later the bombardment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) compound was begun. People in Ramallah began to realize that their already besieged city was reoccupied by Israeli colonial troops.
Grave developments began to accelerate. Over 60 American-made tanks began to bombard the gates and walls of the PNA compound. Clashes between unequals - PNA presidential guards and Israeli tanks - took place between. Then the Israeli colonial army began to demolish seven building that included PNA civilian and security offices. Later on, President Yasser Arafat was encircled and besieged along with a group of PNA employees and a handful of guards. After a few hours of Israeli reoccupation, the compound was turned into piles of rubble. After disconnecting telephone and electricity lines, an Israeli military bulldozer dug and destroyed the water network. Later on, Arafat was confined to two rooms and the Israeli colonial government intends to keep him isolated and humiliated until he capitulates to Israel's colonial dictates.
At night, we watched Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, declare: "Israel's hand is stretched to peace". The Israeli government met and principally decided upon wide-range military activity in area A. He added that "the government will act to subdue the terror network. Arafat is an enemy and heads a coalition of terrorists. At this stage he will be isolated." Sharon informed the Israeli public that the government decided on a partial call up of the military reserves. He concluded by calling for unity and responsibility. Defence Minister Ben-Eliezer declared that "Israel will not harm Arafat but will keep him in isolation".
Afterwards, the implementation of "stage two" began to take place. The "victorious" Israeli colonial army turned its military machine against the civilian population and a strict curfew was imposed. Meanwhile, more than 30,000 Ramallah residents were glued to their TV and radio sets. And scanty news began to flow from local television and radio stations. But, owing to the immobility of their correspondents, both the local television and radio stations began to function as radio stations. Then, the Israeli colonial troops occupied four local television stations and detained a number of their staff. Later on, we were greatly shocked while switching between our local TV stations. On two of the local TV stations, the colonial occupiers began to televise pornographic movies. We wandered, was this a sick joke or a policy! However, this incomprehensible and uninvited Israeli "service" was stopped on the fourth day. On the second day, water, electricity and telephone communications were disrupted. About 80 per cent of the residents were denied these services.
On the second day, we heard that troops had ransacked the Cairo-Aman Bank. Customers' safes were broken and Jewellery was stolen. Another Jordanian-owned company was ransacked. While the residents were suffering under the strict curfew, Israeli soldiers were seen breaking into Palestinian supermarkets and plundering food and soft drinks. Apparently, the army supply of food rations was not functioning properly. At least seven multi-storey buildings were occupied by snipers. Other buildings were set on fire. The Israeli troops occupied also the fire brigade station in order to prevent the putting out of fires. Moreover, a number of houses were occupied by the troops and the civilians were all cramped into one room. Later on troops would search the houses, steal money, gold, jewellery and small electric appliances, smash furniture and electric appliances, then use the houses to sleep and live in.
While scattered clashes continued in the centre of Ramallah, Israeli tanks kept rumbling inside the narrow streets of this small city, apparently patrolling it. On Saturday 30 March an Israeli military bulldozer drove down the hill of our neighbourhood and three tanks gave it cover from the top of the hill. Later on we learnt that the bulldozer dug a deep tunnel across the road that connects Betunia and Ramallah. This method of isolating the city was repeated elsewhere in Ramallah.
In the first nine days of the Israeli occupation, tanks were still trailing ambulances, TV vehicles and civilians. A large tank ran over the low edge of our neighbours' shacks and an old woman was rescued from being run over by the tank.
Since the beginning of the Israeli onslaught, the Israeli colonial army adopted a racist and systematic policy of obstructing the normal activities of the Palestinian health service. Tanks surrounded the major hospital and invaded another; water, electricity and telephone lines were cut from the city, including hospitals; ambulances were shot at and held up by tanks for over one hour and their free access to the wounded and to hospitals was obstructed in a brutal manner. These inhuman acts constitute gross violations of the laws of war and specifically the 1949 Geneva conventions. They constitute war crimes. The following is a chronology of major violations in the field of health.
Saturday 30 March
1. Israeli tanks surrounded Ramallah hospital and prevented the free access of ambulances and civilians.
2 Water supply and electricity were cut from the Hospital.
3. Israeli troops occupied the Al-Ri'aya Hospital in Al-Bireh. They gathered the physicians and staff in one room and searched the hospital
Sunday 31 March
1. Palestinian health officials say that Israeli troops expropriated six ambulances and arrested nine ambulance staff inside Ramallah.
2. The bodies of twenty-five Palestinians were gathered in the Ramallah hospital and hospital officials could not bury them due to the Israeli-imposed curfew.
3. Three out of eight ambulances were put out of order by the Israeli army in occupied Bethlehem.
4. Ramallah hospital ran out of O+ and O- blood types. The hospital administration called upon the residents of Ramallah to come to the hospital to donate blood. No one dared to go to the Hospital for fear of being shot and killed by the trigger-happy Israeli soldiers.
5. The administration of Ramallah hospital confirmed that it
is about to run out of medicine. It called upon the world to help
supply the hospital with the necessary medicines.
Monday 1 April
1. Israeli troops opened fire on a convoy of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) vehicles carrying food and medicines for Ramallah hospital. The convoy came to Ramallah during the lifting of the curfew for two hours.
2. Israeli police in West Jerusalem stopped and searched an ambulance which came to Jerusalem from Nazareth. It was loaded with medicines that were donated by residents of Nazareth to Al-Maqassed hospital in East Jerusalem. The police threw the medical supplies on the street and made the ambulance drive back to Nazareth.
3. Today in the afternoon, when the curfew was lifted, few of the relatives of the 27 who were killed in Ramallah and kept in Ramallah hospital attended the burial of their dear ones. They utilized the two hours when the curfew was lifted to bury the dead inside the hospital parking area because Israeli tanks and troops prevented their proper burial in the cemetery. We did not know the names or the ages of the dead.
4. Today, we were extremely worried about the expected delivery of a pregnant Palestinian woman. We tried our best to secure a free and safe access to hospital so she can deliver her first baby. I am sure there are many other pregnant women and sick and wounded civilians who cannot reach the hospital.
5. Signs of dwindling food provision are beginning to appear in Ramallah. People are suffering from lack of food, water, electricity, telephone contact, medicines and hospital care.
Tuesday 2 April
1. The invading Israeli army expropriated the only ambulance
run by the Jenin hospital and the hospital was bombarded for several
hours, making it impossible to function.
2. A Palestinian health official said today that water supply was cut from Ramallah hospital and the hospital staff began to collect rain water in order to meet their needs.
Through its consistent obstruction of normal Palestinian health activities, the Israeli colonial army is deliberately trying to maximize Palestinian suffering and human losses. The wounded are kept lying in the streets and inside buildings without any access to medical care Obviously, the army's intention is to "let them bleed to death".
Today, the Israeli colonial army lifted the curfew for few hours. This move coincided with US envoy General Anthony Zinni's visit and meeting with Arafat. We went out and saw the devastation and wanton destruction brought about by Israeli tanks. Several electricity and telephone poles were knocked down, several buildings were burnt down or ruined and several shops were ransacked. We realized that food provisions were beginning to dwindle. There is no milk nor dairy products nor vegetables. We could not buy much food. Drinking water is running down, but we learnt to share our water with our neighbours. In short, the human situation has deteriorated further.
Palestinian casualties in the West Bank have exceeded 110 dead and countless wounded. Mass arrests are still taking place and the torture of the detainees by soldiers is widespread. Heavy fighting is taking place in cities and refugee camps. The Sharon-Peres onslaught is continuing.
The right-wing Sharon-Peres coalition government has dealt a deadly blow to the PNA, and the Oslo peace process is in a coma. Arafat is a captive leader and General Sharon is intent on deporting him. Under the pretext of "Palestinian terrorism" Israel's political objectives in the occupied Palestinian territories are being dictated by tanks, helicopter gunships, devastation and fire. In addition to Arafat, the entire Palestinian civil society has become captive. The acute suffering, the carnage, the indiscriminate killing, the extra-judicial assassinations, the denial of necessary services and the national humiliation are all intended to generate heavy pressure on 3.5 million Palestinians in an attempt to bring about the capitulation of the PNA and Arafat.
As a result of Israel's colonial onslaught, over 110 Palestinians have been killed. The number will increase. Israeli casualties have so far been at least 11 dead soldiers. Israel's colonial onslaught continues and General Sharon is running his war of aggression with the assistance and political support of the right-wing US administration and Israel's phoney Zionist left.
On the other hand, the Israeli colonialists are trying to impose a colonial solution for a colonial problem. They are using the archaic colonial policy of scorched earth to fight our people. They have committed gross war crimes. In its drive to push us back to the stone age, the Israeli colonial army has ruined our infrastructure and brought severe suffering to the civilian population. It have caused suffering, insecurity and economic devastation to both peoples. It have caused the fascisation of Israel's public opinion. They use the issue of "terrorism" as a feeble cloak to cover up their unreadiness to pay the price of decolonisation. In order to divert attention away from the real issue, Arafat is being demonized and the colonial conflict with the Palestinians is being personalized through Arafat. Through the use of old Roman methods, the Israeli military trio of Sharon, Ben-Eliezer and Mofaz are exerting futile attempts to replace the Palestinian leadership with Palestinian lackeys and vassals. The colonial fanatics of Israel are trying to manufacture a situation that serves best their colonial interests inside the occupied Palestinian territories. At the same time, they are trying to obstruct the development of Palestinian national self-determination. They do not realize that colonial questions cannot be solved by tanks and the colonized cannot be subdued forever.
However, in spite of the devastation and loss of life, the Palestinians have a strong desire to continue the national struggle for independence. We have reached the point of no return and we will not capitulate to Israel's colonial dictate. We are determined to continue the struggle until complete liberation. Despite our captivity, we feel that the popular masses in the Arab World, the Third World and European and American leftists and peace-loving people do support our national cause. Therefore, we are steadfast, optimistic, patient and have a strong resolve to end Israeli colonial rule through continued national war of liberation.
*Zuhair Sabbagh teaches sociology at Bir Zeit University in the occupied West Bank.