September 30, 2002 — Mudeif Productions

We were hoping that today would be a normal school day, and it seemed like it would be. As the school bus drivers arrived at the end of the day, though, they told a different story: tanks stood at the entrance to Tubas (to the south) as well as at the old Israeli military camp (to the north), and were turning back all traffic. The school now has three buses: one to Tubas, one to Jenin, and one to Qabatia.

After some consultation, Marthame and the Vice-Principal accompanied the Jenin bus, expecting to need to negotiate through the checkpoint. One older student became nervous, since she had brought a box cutter to school for a Biology project. She showed it, and everyone was very distressed, to Marthame's surprise. Surely a threat on an airplane, the box cutter didn't seem like much to worry about in a schoolgirl's bag. Marthame took it, assuming the Israeli soldiers would be less likely to bother an American than a Palestinian for possession of a box cutter.

It turned out we worried needlessly, as the military presence had left, though the tell-tale signs of tank tracks and the like were all around. When the bus arrived in Jenin, the student asked ironically for her box cutter, "May I have my weapon back, please?" The Tubas bus passed through the checkpoint without a hitch, but the town soon went under strict curfew. We'll see if they can make it tomorrow.

*The Bedouin tent silhouetted agains the sunset.*

In the evening, we went out to the fields to visit our shepherd friend in his tent neighborhood to the East of Zababdeh. Some Norwegians are in the area volunteering with the Red Crescent Society and tagged along. As we chatted, drank tea, and watched the sunset, we also gazed at three F-16s flying overhead towards Tubas. We didn't hear any of the dreaded "booms" we expected, thankfully, but who knows what the night will bring.

For some odd reason, we ended up singing, "Can't Buy Me Love" - perhaps that's what passes for Western folk music. Our host refused to let us make our way back in the dark alone and guided our footsteps.