Peace activist speaks about life in Palestine

Even with a winter storm warning in effect, people from many different backgrounds battled the snow to see John Reese's slideshow presentation "Palestine: It's Hell" Sunday night at the Unitarian Universalist Church.\nReese works with the International Solidarity Movement and the Palestinian Hydrology Group. After spending seven months last year in Palestine, he is currently touring 30 cities across the United States to show his slide presentation. \nReese was invited to Bloomington by senior Deema Dabis, president of IU's Students for Justice in Palestine.\n"I just thought it would be a good idea -- people could see it instead of hearing about it," Dabis said.\nMany students came out to hear what Reese had to say. Though the audience was mainly in agreement with Reese, one student brought another point of view to the presentation.\nDan Lande, a junior majoring in Jewish Studies and Hebrew who studied in Jerusalem for a year, disagreed with many of Reese's beliefs.\nHe said Reese exaggerated the conflict about 10 times and only saw one percent of Reese's presentation as the truth.\n"I came tonight because I was curious about what John had to say about his experience," Lande said. "I know my experiences from living there and I wanted to hear his."\nBret Eartheart, who also works for ISM, introduced Reese Sunday night as an incredible man of courage. Eartheart also spent over a month in Palestine last year and recently spent two weeks in Iraq.\nReese began his presentation by describing how mainstream U.S. media focuses on Israeli matters and disregards a lot of incidents in Palestine. He described events as recent as Feb. 6 such as home raids, searches and murders to validate his claim.\n"Rarely a day goes by someone isn't killed in Palestine," Reese said.\nReese spoke a lot about the biological hazards in Palestine and said solid waste is a big problem. He said garbage trucks are rare because of curfew and shot tires. The truck drivers are also killed for picking up garbage.\n"You might get shot just trying to take your trash out because of curfew," he said.\nThe waste problem extends to the lack of a sewage system in Palestine. Reese said most Israeli settlements are built on top of hills so the sewage pipes are placed downward. As a result, Palestinian orchards and crops are being destroyed due to waste water.\nReese also talked a lot about the Apartheid wall Israel is building on the supposed border between Israel and Palestine. Reese said the wall is a little over 200 miles long so far. He compared construction of the wall to building an interstate highway in the U.S.\n"When I was 13 in 1963 I went to Berlin and saw the wall there," Reese said. "It astounded me -- a sight I'll never forget, but seeing this picture is much, much worse."\nReese went on to describe Palestinian migration, or lack thereof. He said there are about 250 checkpoints in the Gaza Strip controlled by Israeli soldiers. \n"It's very difficult for Palestinians to get through checkpoints," Reese said. "They're often turned away."\nReese said Israeli soldiers "mind their p's and q's" when they notice internationals traveling through checkpoints. He recalled a particular checkpoint where he had to wait 11 hours to pass through. \n"Even though there's hardly any traffic going, maybe a vehicle every minute, you still have to wait," Reese said. "It was the longest red light in the world."\nReese described curfew as a major barrier for the Palestinians because they have to smuggle in food during curfew just so they can eat.\n"It's real erratic," Reese sad. "Often times they'll list curfew hours, but then they come in with their tanks and start shooting up the place, and shooting anybody who is out on the streets."\nThroughout his presentation, Reese reiterated that Israeli weapons and power are possible "because of you and me," and funded "by your tax dollars and mine."\nReese said his mission in Palestine isn't over. \n"I'm going to keep going back to Palestine until they don't let me in anymore," he said.\nAt the end of his presentation, Reese listed a few suggestions for how to be active against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank such as participating in protests, creating our own media, and even making a trip to Palestine.\nReese will present "Palestine: It's Hell" again at 12:30 p.m. today in the Georgian Room at the Indiana Memorial Union. The presentation is sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine, the Muslim Student Union and Bloomington Peace Action Coalition, among other groups.