2023-10-29 08:00:00
The tragedy of Gaza finds a powerful echo in the West Bank, occupied Palestinian territory. Families and friends live in both places, but today they are unable to meet. A people is therefore separated by war and by the security measures imposed by Israel. In the West Bank, Frédéric Lacelle and Yanik Dumont Baron encountered desperate and angry Palestinians.
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Foreigners do not go unnoticed in front of the main mosque in Ramallah, in the West Bank.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
A checkpoint separates East Jerusalem from the Palestinian territories. The road to Ramallah passes close to a Jewish settlement and follows fences and walls intended to prevent entry into Israel.
In front of the city’s main mosque, strangers with microphones and cameras attract attention and arouse suspicion. We hope for better days, explains a man who will say no more. A vast public market extends into the surrounding streets. Behind a stall and with a smile, another man suggests we return to Canada.
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Tired of the current conflict, these lime sellers feel helpless.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
You will have to wait before meeting a seller who wishes to speak in public. We are surrounded! We can’t do anything, he explains, referring to the restrictions on movement for Palestinians.
This trader asks why politicians from other countries support Israel. Governments have no feelings. Innocent children are killed every day! He wants peace, but he admits that he has difficulty seeing it. People want revenge. How can they forget their dead?
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This merchant from Ramallah is exhausted by the conflict which is shaking the Middle East.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
It’s very difficult to be happy these days, admits another white-haired salesman. What he evokes sounds more like helplessness than rage. He summarizes as follows: Hamas decided to attack Israelis; ordinary people pay the price.
We are very touched by all of this. The roads are closed, my fruits and vegetables no longer come from Israel. Houses are destroyed. We don’t want any of that, we want to live in peace, to be happy with our families.
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When prayer time arrives, in the streets around the Ramallah mosque, the world stops.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
Before the prayer, the imam talks about the conflict and the victims, then denounces the lies of the West. He calls for resistance and the fight for the Palestinian nation. This sermon is relayed a few streets further by powerful loudspeakers.
At the market, only a few onlookers remain. Most are standing near the mosque. The prayer begins. The mosque is overflowing, the faithful kneel in the streets, in front of businesses. A silence envelopes the streets.
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Hundreds of demonstrators – men, women and children – calmly march through a street in Ramallah in a sign of support for Hamas.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
Suddenly, screams ring out, like words being released. There are these sellers who seek to attract customers to their stalls. And there are the demonstrators who try to rally supporters. A green Hamas flag is raised. It’s a young boy who proudly carries it at arm’s length. This is the signal. A noisy procession sets off through the streets of Ramallah. More green flags are raised; slogans are shouted. Hamas, you are our weapon; We are the balls!
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A father holding a Hamas flag walks with his daughter on his shoulders during a demonstration in Ramallah.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
The women close the procession. Most are veiled. One of them shouts her anger into the microphone, slashing the air with her index finger. Hamas protects our right to exist. We have been living under occupation for 75 years, 75 years of being killed, of being displaced. Just before, a father who was carrying his daughter on his shoulders gave the same speech. Demonstrating like this is the least we can do to help our brothers in Gaza. The attack of October 7 was the beginning of the liberation of Palestine. It’s the starting point.
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The families left the demonstration. A few onlookers chat with each other while tension rises between young Palestinians and soldiers.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
Slogans echo in the streets of Ramallah. On the walls along the procession, green graffiti, the color which represents Islam and Hamas.
The procession stops at a roundabout not far from an Israeli checkpoint. Here another type of manifestation takes place. Some young people risk throwing stones in the direction of the soldiers even if they know that the soldiers will respond by firing real bullets. Several paramedics are already on site. Journalists and onlookers too. It’s a frequent occurrence, on Fridays of overflowing anger.
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Throwing stones at soldiers is a way of drawing attention to the Palestinian cause, says a young man who has already been injured in the legs in past demonstrations.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
In this crowd, there are not only curious people. Some have thrown stones at soldiers in the past. Their skin bears the scars. A young adult approaches; A few years ago, he was injured in both legs by a bullet. He had to spend a month in bed before walking again. He smiles when asked if the people around him were proud of his sacrifice. We know that it’s not going to change much, but it’s our way of drawing the world’s attention to the Palestinian cause.
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Hit by a bullet in the leg, a Palestinian demonstrator prepares to be evacuated in an ambulance in Ramallah.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
The crowd falls silent. A man in black climbs onto a container. After some hesitation, he exposes himself and twirls his slingshot.
A sharp noise breaks the silence, followed by a heartbreaking scream. Only one bullet hit him. The pain seems sharp, shared by the crowd. A paramedic comes to his rescue. The young man will be evacuated quickly, accompanied by the loud sirens of the ambulance. This scenario will repeat itself several times.
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Wounded more than 20 years ago, a veteran of clashes with Israeli soldiers is still there for the demonstrations.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
In the background, a man holds a large onion in his hand. This is to lessen the stinging effect of tear gas. He too was injured after throwing stones at the soldiers. It was over 20 years ago. It seems that things have changed little.
It was the Israeli soldiers who made me do this. I saw young people being shot. I was angry. I had to react. He dreams of peace. But today he is losing hope. How can people forget all these deaths?
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Tear gas invades a square where, a few moments earlier, around thirty journalists who were covering the demonstration had gathered.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Frédéric Lacelle
Another young man approaches the Israeli soldiers. He hides behind a container. He hesitates, gets up but doesn’t say anything. After a few minutes of hopping, he falls back, unable to throw a stone. A military vehicle is approaching at full speed. Boom! Boom! Boom! Canisters of powerful tear gas fall near the journalists. A thick white cloud envelops the roundabout. Everyone flees to stop the pain. Most will surely return next Friday.
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