Education as Resistance - Jordan Valley Solidarity
inminds 10 March 2012
On 4th March 2012 Itaf Njoum Karma, a Palestinian teacher and the Jordan Valley Solidarity co-ordinator for the Bedouin community of Ras Al Auja, gave a moving presentation in Brighton on life and resistance in the occupied Jordan Valley where Israel has outlawed the construction of schools for Palestinian children whilst stealing their water resources. Full video of her presentation in included below.
Itaf Njoum Karma, a Palestinian teacher and the Jordan Valley Solidarity co-ordinator
for the Bedouin community of Ras Al Auja
Jordan Valley Solidarity is a network of Palestinian grassroots community groups from all over the Jordan Valley and international supporters. Their aim is simple - to protect Palestinian existence in the Jordan Valley. They do this by supporting communities on the ground by helping them build houses and schools in an area the Israels occupation has denied Palestinians the right to build. They also monitor, record and try to prevent abuse of Palestinian human rights by the Israeli occupation and settlers.
The presentation was part of a teach-in on Palestine organised by the Brighton and Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Itaf Njoum Karma, a Palestinian teacher and the Jordan Valley Solidarity co-ordinator
for the Bedouin community of Ras Al Auja
Video: Education as Resistance
New community school in Samra
On March the 3rd 2012, a group of volunteers from Jordan Valley Solidarity joined the community of Khirbet Samra in the north of the Jordan Valley, to built a new tent school for the children in the community. There are twenty five children between the ages of 2 and 8 years old who will benefit from this new achievement. These are all children who have not been able to attend school, because the nearest one is 20 km from Samra, and the community have reported regular abuse from settlers and soldiers.
The volunteers worked since early in the morning under a rainy sky. The children offered flowers to the volunteers and the families gave their usual warm welcome and traditional food.
It was an extraordinary journey. Everybody enjoyed the day and the result is a new school in the Jordan Valley, which began classes immediately on Sunday 4th March.
This community, tucked away at the head of a valley, is surrounded, with a settlement up above it on the hill, the settlement road covering the ridge of the hill, and a massive army base at the entrance to the valley, which is frequently used for 'youth camps' and 'passing out' ceremonies.
Just under a year ago the harassment of this community intensified, with the army issuing demolition orders, creating constant fear and tension for the community, then returning repeatedly and destroying the community's buildings.
Throughout the last year volunteers from Jordan Valley Solidarity have sought to stand alongside this farming community as they stand firm against Israel's attempts to remove them from their land, and rebuild their demolished shelters.
"1763 in the Ohio river valley you got Lord Jeffrey Amherst committing to written order an instruction to his subordinate Henry Bouquet, having been defeated by Pontiac Ottawa confederacy in the field. The order essentially says that they have been defeated militarily and is therefore necessary for Amherst forces to request a peace, to sue for peace from Pontiacs people. He instructs Bouquet to convene a parlay with the Indian leadership for that purpose. And as is the custom, as is common courtesy among native populations as was known to the Brits at that time, it would be necessary for those who requested the council to give gifts to those requested to attend. Make those gifts, Amherst says, items taken from a smallpox infirmary in order, I'm going to quote directly now, this isn't a paraphrase: 'in order that we may extirpate this execrable race'. Now key is on this last word, had he said that we might eradicate the opposing combatants, their military capacity, their warriors.. what ever term he wanted to use, it would have been biological warefare. But he didn't say anything about that, he said the 'race'. His intent was to use biological means, to use disease, quite explicitly so, to eradicate an entire population group. And Bouquet was also kind enough to commit to writing in his response the next day, I have done as instructed, dispersing three blankets, two handkerchiefs and sundry other items, hopefully, he says, they will have the desired result. They did.. the lowest estimate of the number of people who died of smallpox as a result of that little gesture of friendship and goodwill is a 100,000!"