Jordanian Democratic Popular Party on Palestine

On November 27 Global Exchange (GX) Middle East War and Displacement Delegation met with members of the Jordanian Democratic Popular Party in Amman, Jordan, including journalist, Ahmed Abu Shawar, and General Secretary Ahmed Yusif.

Ahmed Abu Shawar welcomed us, and said, "we are thankful for your presence and interest in Palestine. Solidarity is the tool to solve humanitarian problems in the world."

We learned that 60% of Jordanians are Palestinian. The "right of return" to Old Palestine is of utmost concern to the party, its members and most Jordanian Palestinians.

Ahmed Abu Shawar started his story discussing the Balfour Declaration of 1917. "The British mandate was used to extend influence in this area of the world, [the Middle East]. Palestine was important to Britain, geographically and militarily." Mr. Shawar continued, "The British Empire organized with Zionists to move Jewish people from around the world."

Mr. Shawar indicated that the British government tried to diminish the viability of the Palestinians by manipulating the prices of their crops; when there was a high yield, prices would be driven upwards. When there was a low yield, prices would be lowered. This is the opposite of normal market trends. Palestinians who opposed these policies were punished.

General Secretary Ahmed Yusif explained that there were three revolutions: 1921, 1936, and 1939. These revolutions were crushed by surrounding them with troops.

Palestine was an advanced society and highly productive since the 1920's. They had an active textile industry and leather works. At one time Palestine was the sixth largest producer of citrus fruits.

Palestinians continually support peoples' revolutions against dictators and for international workers' rights, i.e. opposition to Spain's Franco, supporting oilworkers' strikes in Iran in the 1930s-50s, and opposition to the Nazis.

Before 1948 Jews and Palestinians lived side by side in the neighborhoods where Israel now stands. our GX group leader and interpreter, Khalid Jarrar, said his Palestinian grandmother still remembers the songs she learned in Hebrew as a child, playing with her Jewish neighbors.

In 1948, Palestinians called for a multi religious state with Jews, Christians and Muslims. the British stopped this. Instead, something changed, said journalist Shawar, "Zionist gangs, armed by the British Empire, massacred Palestinian civilians."

"British planes and tanks helped Zionists destroy 531 villages. About 800,000 Palestinians were forced to flee. The United Nations resolved to divide Palestine: 47% for Palestinians, 53% for Jews. The Jewish people comprised 6% of the population at this time."

Mr. Shawar and Mr. Yusif cited many examples of massecres on Palestinians in the farm fields during Ramadan, in the mosque, and in their villages. This was a systematic ehtnic cleansing of the Palestinians.

To Be Continued

What happened in Fallujah

Our Global Exchange delegation, now in Damascas Syria met with Mr. Makki Nazzal, a late-middle-aged journalist who spoke openly and passionately about the two battles in Fallujah, Iraq in 2003 and 2004. He lived through the bloody battles in this city of just 9km in diameter.

In April, 2003, US forces began the tactic of stationing themselves on rooftops and spying on the women in their homes. In Fallujah, there was strong objection to this because the women were not properly dressed for the eyes of strangers. Hundreds marched peacefully to the US headquarters in a local schoolhouse to ask US forces to end this obtrusive practice. The US responded with gunfire, killing 17 Fallujans and wounding another 70.

Reistance fighters began to battle US forces. The US seemed to enjoy the challenge because it would legitimized their violence against the people of Fallujah. The US was soon surprised at the huge resistance. Fighting continued through the summer of 2003.

On June 30, a huge explosion at a mosque killed Sheikh Laith Khalil and eight others. The US eventually pulled back forces and totally withdrew by the end of 2003.

The following April '04, two four-wheel drive SUVs entered Fallujah. Mr Nazzal said that the people were surprised because US forces had withdrawn from Fallujah and there was no justification for this intrusion. The vehicles were identified as Blackwater, US military contractors. Unidentified gunman ambushed the vehicles killing four contractors.

US General Paul Bremer vowed vengence. Mr. Nazzal assured us that the killers were outsiders, not Fallujahns. 1,250 people of Fallujah were killed for the deaths of these four soldiers.

In June of 2004 Makki Nazzal was part of a negotiating team with the US. In the agreement the US agreed not to bomb private homes. The agreement was broken the next day by US bombs.

Throughout his experience with soldiers, Mr. Nazzal was surprised by the general lack of respect from the US soldiers even before violence broke out. He would walk by them and greet them in the Arabic word for hello, "Marhaba." The soldiers would reply, "Yeah, Fuck you too." They may have not known he could understand English.

War-related birth defects in Fallujah 
http://www.presstv. com/detail. aspx?id=57875& sectionid= 351020201

Meeting with UN High Commissioner Office on Refugees

The 2003 Invasion of Iraq by the US and UK was well announced, giving the UNCHR time to prepare for the expected outflow of Iraqi refugees into Jordan, Syria, and Turkey. The expected migration into Jordan did not occur in great numbers in the immediate aftermath of the invasion. Jordon saw only a few hundred refugees. The UNHCR scaled back its preparations.

Until 2006, refugees crossed the border into Jordon in an orderly fashion, with proper visas, according to Arafat Jamal, deputy representative of the UNHCR. In 2006, when sectarian violence flared up refugee outflow into Jordan increased dramatically.

It has been estimated that there are one million Iraqi refugees in Jordan, however, Deputy Jamal only referred to those 450,000 who have registered with the nation of Jordan.

Deputy Jamal stated in strong terms that resettlement into Iraq is NOT recommended at this time. Only a few hundred have returned to their homes in Iraq from Jordan.

[blogging is highly restricted from our current location - I will continue this tomorrow, inshaallah]

Nov. 26, AM

This day at 12PM a driver for Global Exchange would pick me up and take me to the Amman Inn Hotel. I took a short walk from my current hotel. I would only walk a few blocks on the meandering streets for fear of getting lost. Then I heard, the Call to Prayer, typically heard throughout Muslim areas. I had heard it the morning also, shortly after I woke up at about 3AM. If you have not heard this religious chant, it is a most beautiful sound.  On my late morning walk, I then heard another sound. A flute maybe; a child practicing perhaps, in one of the apartments overhead. I recognized the song as "Fur Elise," but just the first few bars of Beethoven's masterpiece. I walked, and the song seemingly followed me. My mystery was finally solved when a truck came up the road filled with propane gas tanks and piping out Fur Elise over and over again. It seemed out of character to see this in an Arab country; but then again, why not, who really owns the great composers? 

Nov. 26, PM  

I finally met the other members of the Global Exchange (GX) delegation as they appeared from many places. Maruko, Jenny and David all came from San Francisco, independently, a paralegal, in advertising, and an arborist, respectively. Peter, a computer analyst from Ontario, Canada; Richard, an Episcopal minister and Anthony, both from Chicago; Lisa, a travel agent and significant other, Bill, a non-practicing physician (Calif?); Kendall, a psychologist from Reno, Nevada;  Nuriya, a Stanford University professor; and me, a letter carrier from Cleveland, Ohio comprised the delegation. We also finally met our group leader Khalid, an environmental engineer from Amman, Jordan.

Khalid Jarrar, GX group leader is originally an Iraqi Palestinian. He left Iraq in 2005. He was kidnapped in Iraq and released __ months later. Khalid was one of the first bloggers after the US invasion of Iraq. His now famous blog is www.secretsinbaghdad.blogspot.com.

Nov. 27, AM

Today we met officials from the UN High Commissioner's Office on Refugees and a Jordanian, Palestinian journalist who remembers the Nakba, the displacement of Palestinians, of 1948. This will be detailed tomorrow, inshaallah.

Our GX Delegation

Nov. 26, AM

This day at 12PM a driver for Global Exchange would pick me up and take me to the Amman Inn Hotel. I took a short walk from my current hotel. I would only walk a few blocks on the meandering streets for fear of getting lost. Then I heard, the Call to Prayer, typically heard throughout Muslim areas. I had heard it the morning also, shortly after I woke up at about 3AM. If you have not heard this religious chant, it is a most beautiful sound. On my late morning walk, I then heard another sound. A flute maybe; a child practicing perhaps, in one of the apartments overhead. I recognized the song as "Fur Elise," but just the first few bars of Beethoven's masterpiece. I walked, and the song seemingly followed me. My mystery was finally solved when a truck came up the road filled with propane gas tanks and piping out Fur Elise over and over again. It seemed out of character to see this in an Arab country; but then again, why not, who really owns the great composers?

Nov. 26, PM

I finally met the other members of the Global Exchange (GX) delegation as they appeared from many places. Maruko, Jenny and David all came from San Francisco, independently, a paralegal, in advertising, and an arborist, respectively. Peter, a computer analyst from Ontario, Canada; Richard, an Episcopal minister and Anthony, a real estate agent, both from Chicago; Lisa, a travel agent and significant other, Bill, a non-practicing physician from Sacramento CA, Kendall, a psychologist from Reno, Nevada; Nuriya, a web designer at Stanford University; and me, a letter carrier from Cleveland, Ohio comprised the delegation. We also finally met our group leader Khalid, an environmental engineer from Amman, Jordan.

Khalid Jarrar, GX group leader is originally an Iraqi Palestinian. He left Iraq in 2005. He was kidnapped in Iraq and released 2 weeks later. Khalid was one of the first bloggers after the US invasion of Iraq. His now famous blog is www.secretsinbaghdad.blogspot.com.

Nov. 27, AM

Today we met officials from the UN High Commissioner's Office on Refugees and a Jordanian, Palestinian journalist who remembers the Nakba, the displacement of Palestinians, of 1948. This will be detailed tomorrow, inshaallah.

Arrival in Amman

November 25, PM

I have joined a Global Exchange Delegation; War and Displacement in the Middle East.

Post by Don Bryant 

I arrived in Amman, Jordan at 7PM, Tuesday, November 25. First you must exchange $20 to Dinars and pay tax. $20 = 13 Dinars, and the tax costs 10 Dinars.

Then you must get your passport stamped. Then go to baggage claim. All the while I was my friend from Cleveland, Mai's, brother n 'law. Husam would take me to the hotel. I held up a paper with my name printed in large letters. Husam would also hold up a sign with his name and my name on it. I did not see him, so I went to baggage claim. An airport worker immediately wanted to help me locate my luggage, two large suitcases. One was filled with things for Teeba's family in Dialya Province, Iraq and the other for Husam's family in Amman.

The luggage was not there, the Jordanian airport worker told me. It was left in the Paris, France airport. Good thing I had most of my things in my carry-on bag. Another airport worker spoke up , asking if I was going to Baghdad. Why would he ask me this? I never said I was going there, but Teeba's family's things were eventually headed there. I never officially claimed this to any airport personnel. I did post this fact on my blog and emailed our group leader, Khalid, asking him if the suitcase could be delivered there for Teeba's family to pick up. Hmm? 

Teeba sends package home

After being injured by an explosion in Iraq, six-year old Teeba came to the US in 2007 to receive care at University Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio. Her sponsor, Barbara Marlowe (right), brought Teeba to meet me and to bring goods to be delivered to her family near Baghdad.  On my upcoming trip to Amman, Jordan, we will make arrangements to have the items shipped to her family.

Teeba will remain in Cleveland until her surgeries are completed.   For more information, go to http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20179769,00.html