May 9, 2002 — Mudeif Productions

Zababdeh's "martyr" is found among the "martyr" posters pasted up on walls and business doors around town.

*A blurry image of an Israeli tank parked in the fields outside Zababdeh.*

The big news at school today was the tank parked out in the fields. The Israeli army has a training camp next to Zababdeh (the scene of frequent shooting - either practice or skirmishes, we're never sure, but unsettling nonetheless), and during the recent incursions, tanks have been based out of the camp. "Area A" designation (within which Zababdeh falls), created in Oslo for Palestinian autonomous areas, has become largely irrelevent, and Israeli tanks coming and going through the area is one clear sign of that. This one was parked in somebody's field of hummus (the word not only for chick pea dip, but also the beans themselves), an Israeli flag prominently waving over it.

*Two more Israeli tanks arrive outside Zababdeh.*

Everyone is still nervous, but until now, there's been no overwhelming reprisal for yesterday's attack - just a bunch of little ones. The Bethlehem stand-off still continues, with the bizarre twist of the Italians not knowing they were to receive exiles. This also means that hundreds of people are stuck in their homes nearby (including some friends of ours). Enough.

Late in the afternoon, as we sat out on our porch with a student from the University, two tanks went rumbling along through the fields - the sound of their grinding motors is unmistakable. They then headed up the hill, probably on their way to Qabatiya. One isn't sure of much these days.