Dreaming in Nablus

These images are Gaza.

Good morning.
I am quite perky again today although Liz is not. It will take a long time to begin to turn the days in Gaza into some kind of sense - I am not even going to begin to try to be coherent about it yet. We met some incredible people, we were overwhelmed. We were horrified. In brief though:
1. It is a lot easier to get in to Gaza than to get out.
2. This was not due to being kidnapped.
3. It is because of Erez. Israel's very own heart of darkness. More another time. Un fucking believably evil.
4. Despite today's headlines, word in Gaza city is that Alan J is alive and well, everyone knows where he is - with a very powerful family, untouchable by the P.A, and it is about a ransom.
5. Everyone is very very pissed off with them.
6. We hope they are right.
7. Beautiful revolutionary Palestinian women in Gaza use Clarins moisturiser.
8. In a just world I will ride horses with Neda down the Gaza coastline. And no men will stop us.


Back to Nablus.
Our journey here felt very chilled indeed after Gaza, despite the checkpoints; again, eclipsed by Erez.

But I had a dream last night, which went on for hours (I have been have the most intense dreams since we arrived but will not bore you with any others). I dreamt that we were being bombed - gunfire in the streets in Gaza was routine, so I woke up unsurprised. Then Liz said she has been kept awake by the sound of explosions. Yes, Nablus was being attacked in the night. Israeli incursions here are a near daily occurrence - mostly at night, but occasionally, for variety during morning, noon or eve.

Other than that the city seems so lively and normal after Gaza, maybe anything would seem normal.

It is also very beautiful - we have just been through the old town - its maze like layout must give the Palestinians an advantage. It is also a souk in parts the roofs meeting in the middle. A little hard for tanks to bulldoze through without having buildings collapse on top of them.

Uploading images is a little tricky in Palestine - generally speaking computers are of the steam engine variety. This is inconvenient for us, but another facet of the daily grind for the locals. We have a little time on our hands this morning as a couple of people on their way up from Jerusalem to join us for a meeting are stuck at the checkpoint outside town. So the next couple of days will need to be rejiggled a little. Hey ho.

I promise that I will talk you in great detail through the 15 or so separate security processes necessary to cross Erez. Each of which could have been designed for cattle.

If you want to avoid that particular post then you can either:
1. Look out for the Erez title
or
2. Pretend you were the 4 or 5 year old Palestinian boy in front of us who had to go through it, then grit your teeth and dive in.

Over and out.

Don't go changing!
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