August 4, 2003

Checkpoints and roadblocks are an everyday part of Palestinian life these days.

"Did you hear what happened to 'Barbara'?" asked "Karen." "She was standing at Qalandia, sketching the scene in her notebook when the police detained her. She spent 6 hours in a detention facility!" Apparently one of our fellow Birzeit students was suspected of spying at the checkpoint. Police pulled her aside and took her passport. Lucky for Barbara, she had been there with some women from Machsom-Watch (an Israeli organization which monitors and seeks to prevent human rights violations at checkpoints). Barbara was able to give her cellphone to them before she was taken away. Barbara is sure that they were influential in making contacts pressuring for her release.

At the facility, Barbara could hear the police discussing her, proposing that she was working with Hamas, collecting information for terrorist activities. Barbara spoke up in her defense, asserting her innocence. Astonished that she knew Hebrew, the police turned to questioning her, a process which wore on and on, and which took decidedly harassing turns (you have a boyfriend? how do you make love to him?). Finally, after pressure from Israeli friends, Barbara was released, assured that no permanent file was created in her name, and that she should not have problems with security because of this event. The assurances were oral, leaving Barbara nervous about future dealings with security (at checkpoints, at the airport, etc).