Kawther Salam's Diary 

Hell Made in Israel (2-11/6/02)

The Daily Life of Kawther Salam

Sunday, 2rd June 2002

I feel tired, frustrated and depressed, I can't survive any more, there is no moral values and ethics under the occupation, and there is no justice in the world, the " IDF " soldiers killed my hopes, dream and future. I can't survive, It's difficult for me even to write my diary and express my self in such words. To live with the face of the evil is something, and to write about it is some thing else. The soldiers caused " Trauma " for me, the Trauma of injustice. Since couple days I stay home, crying in my bed, I don't want to work or to write. Crying is the only way to clean my feeling.


Monday, 3rd June 2002

When there is no " Law " , there is no justice, and when there is no Justice, no peace. Today I'm going to talk about the injustice in my homeland, the injustice under the " Liberation War " . I don't think we can build our Palestinian State under this terrible culture, and crazy men society. And while we must have our Palestinian State, we must think how to build the State of the Law and the Civil Law. During the Intifadah, my people made reverse 50 years against women, who believe that a doctor married a 14 years old girl last week? Who believes that the marriage age in Hebron between 14-18 years old while the percentage of young divorced marriages are increased. Violence increased against women inside the family, and in the streets, women are not allowed to file complaint against the violence in the police because there is no civil law against the violence. Any one can curse the women in the street if he don't like her dress or if she is not covering her hair!!

Traditional believes growing up, and young girls in the age of 5 or 6 years used to cover hair with scarves in childhood.

The religious people are growing and the violence against women growing with them. They teach the new generation that the women should be covered and controlled by men since childhood. the young boys learned to be violent men!! small kids asked me in the street why I don't cover my self, the said, " it's haram " to work like this.

The youth are shouting at me in the street to cover my self, they claimed that the occupation came as a result of disobeying the God word of covering women?? This is all what the religious people teach the new young generation in the mosques! women always the close line to hang the problems on!!


Wednesday, 5th June 2002

It was very quiet when the " IDF " soldiers driving war tanks break into Hebron at 11am, the Palestinians were shopping normally in the center of the city. The soldiers ordered every body to go back home, they were shooting every where without limited target.

The IDF soldiers break into the villages surrounding Hebron at the same time, they killed young boy 15 years old at the entrance of Beit Ommar village when they shot at crowded youth playing in the streets!! Morad Alqam was Killed in the middle of his friends in Beit Ommar, his friends told me that the ambulance arrived after 45 minutes. The IDF soldiers stopped the ambulance for searching until Morad died in the same place of his injury.


Thursday, 6th June 2002

Israel the State of the Injustice?? Dose Israel the State of the Law?? This is the Israeli Law... Today I received a letter from the Ministry of justice. They informed me of closing my complaint against the " IDF " soldiers because I don't help them through the investigation. I'm deeply concerned the military police investigator lies.

On 30 May 2002. The military police send me a soldier to investigate my lawyer complaint against the IDF practices towered me in my house. The investigator arrived the " DCO " office at 12 o'clock to listen to my testimony, but the " DCO " officer protest and he didn't allowed the investigator to start his work, he claimed that he didn't receive any information about the investigation before. The " DCO " officer ordered me to get out of his office and wait until he ask the military commander Colonel Dror Wienberg.

The military investigator went with the " DCO " officer, they spend one hour together before the investigation. At one o'clock, they called me, I went with Rick Polhamus , an American observer. The investigator told me that he don't understand Arabic or English, and the " DCO " officer should be my translator, It was seems to me that the investigator came to close the file of my complaint against the " IDF " soldiers. He was looking in his watch all the time and talking on his cell phone. When I start talking with him, He said, No I don't want to hear this, I want to hear about that!! and when I talked about that, he said, no I want to tell me about this!!

I told him, look, If you don't want to investigate me well, be sure even after 10 or 20 years later, I will file a complain against the " IDF " soldiers in the International court in Belgiom! I will file a complain against the military commander him self Dror wienberg.

After half an hour, The " DCO " office decided to leave us, the investigator told me that he couldn't continue investigating me because time is over and he should return, he asked me to give him a copy of all what I send to my lawyer in order to help him through the investigation. He said, that he going to translate all what I will give him and then he will call me to continue the investigation!!

The military investigator took all the letters, and a video cassette of all the " IDF " made damages in my house. On 6th, June 2002, his officer send me a letter informing me that they closed my complaint file because I didn't help them through the investigation.

I posted the military police letter to my lawyer to take her legal steps concerning the matter.

This is the statement of Rick Polhamus: " I went to the DCO to be an observer of the process of the investigation of Kawther's complaint. We had to wait while the inspector talked to the military commander for about one hour. When we were finally were admitted they told Kawther they would translate her statement because the investigator didn't understand Arabic or English. However he asked questions and spoke most of the time in English. The investigation was interrupted many time by the inspector leaving the room to take calls on his cell phone. In the hour we were there he was only talking with us for about 20-30 minutes. He would ask Kawther questions and then when she would start to answer he would interrupt saying things like, 'I already know about you. I don't want to hear all about this.' When he asked about what evidence Kawther had, she started to play him tapes of the soldiers harassing her but the inspector would stop Kawther from playing them. Finally he received a call and said that he would have to stop the investigation for that day. He said he would download her diary from www.gush-shalom.org. He took a copy of Kawther's complaint from her lawyer and a video tape. He said that he would have them translated so he could study them and then he would contact Kawther in about one week to continue the investigation. This a summary of what I observed. I can be contacted about this while I am in the area at 02-222-8485 or in the US at 973-368-2221. "


Friday, 7th June 2002

Today I posted my diary dated 6th, June 2002 to Mr. Iran Shindar, the Officer of the Military Police Investigation Unit. I wrote for him, hope you will be able to read the investigation play made by your military police investigators in order to close my file complaint against the " IDF " sick practices towered me in Hebron.

I think if all the investigations made by your police staff in such of different cases is going like this, in the same way I was investigated, that's means you are not objective police, or even you are not a police and it's better if you sell " tomato " in " Mahni Yoda " vegetable market.

The testimony below in my diary dated 6th, June 2002 is the way I was investigated by your police.


Daily, I'm receiving a lot of different international support by the people in the world, Ramin was the one who support me in such of different way that I couldn't write about it now, and I can just talk about it in the next closed future, July 2002.

This is what I was received by Mrs. Marisa, a citizen of Spain, but reside in the US of America due to marriage, and what I shoose to part of my diary. Mrs. said that she is reading my diary since it was first posted in Gush Shalom, it managed to touch her heart many times over. Mrs. posted me long letter and I'm rewriting part of what she wrote.

The glorious sound of silence. (Thinking of Kawther Salam of her woes) No, I don't hear the scary sounds Of bullets swishing by my ear Or bombs falling from the skies And the starting voices of soldiers...

...Nor do I have to stoic endure

Lewd comments from anyone

Or the cutting off, of anything

Or the stomping on my rights...

...Life 'tis, merely, as should be

With mornings filled with dew

And nothing, out of the ordinary

Such as the hazard of falling houses

Or the rumpling of evil bulldozers Alters, what every soul yearns...

...For the bulldozers are, solely

For building houses and roads

And the plows prepare the fields

For tomorrow's, welcome bread...

...And the flowers can rise up lazily

Aware that little shall ravage them Noises don't obliterate their chants...

...Palestine, teeming with evil noises

My wish may be simple yet, grandiose

And the shrill sound, of peaceful doves...

2-190 " ecos... " (31) Por, Quidam - April 2002)


To Kawther from A Friend, 7th, June 2002

Maybe it's the color of the sun cut flat And covering these crossroads I'm standing at. Maybe it's the weather or something like that But Kawther, you've been on my mind.

Though you think my mind is hazy and thoughts might be narrow, The things that happen to you bring me down in sorrow. I pray that things will be much better for you tomorrow Because Kawther, you've been on my mind.

When you wake up in the morning Kawther, look into your mirror. you know I won't be next to you. you know I won't be near. I'd just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear As someone has had you on his mind.

Rick


8th, June 2002

It was very hot today, the temperature reach 37 degree, when the Jewish settlers and the soldiers broke into the old market of the city of Hebron and they start damaging the Palestinians shops and shooting every where, The Palestinians screaming shacked the old buildings in the city, The soldiers were protecting the settlers damages, they helped them and they threw sound bombs. They shoot also, a Palestinian was injured seriously and others were injured lightly. the settlers were screaming (death to Arabs), (we don't want to see dogs in Hebron) that means, Arabs dogs!!

The settlers closed the old market which was under the military curfew since over 523 days!!

The old market is the only part of the city Hebron that Palestinians allowed to live after the military closed Al-Shuhade and Al-Shallaleh Streets because of the Jewish settlers presence in the city. The Palestinians are not allowed to marry, celebrate, using the cars the transportation or even to have a donkeys to help them to carry things in there daily life, the Palestinians carried the Gaz pipes on their shoulders, and they walked many kilometers around the city in the mountains in order to reach the center of city of Hebron which is not far away of their homes and they can reach it in three minutes if the military open the Shalaleh and the Shuhada streets like it was before.


Sunday, 9th June 2002

The children testimonies made me cry, it was very difficult to control my tears in front of them, it's very difficult for any one to hear the kids expressing their fears. I love to talk to children, and I love to make them happy, I don't have a child, but many times I cut my tour to give them some sweets and to talk to them.

Daily, Rawan, Najwan and Suzan the three sisters inviting me to visit them, I always give them a promise if they receive high marks in the school. The kids identified me easily, they called me by name, they act the way I work, dress and talk in the T.V, some of them have a dream to be a journalist like me!!

Since three days, I didn't recognize the three sisters sitting on the window behind the light curtain. O' God, what's happen? I nocked the door of three kids's house, the mother opened, she is very weak with yellow face and tearful eyes!! Rawan cut our silence and said, " the Yahood, that's means the Jewish shot my sister Najwan, she is in the hospital " !!

Najwan, five years old, was slept in her bed with her two sisters on when the " IDF " soldiers and settlers broke into the old market on Saturday night. The mother heard the noise of the " IDF " and the settlers shooting and screaming, she said, " I continued working in the kitchen, I know my three kids were slept " !!

When Rawan walk up to have a glass of water, she asked me for a help, her 'bijama' was covered of blood, the mother said and she cried.

Najwan was shoot in her eye in the middle of her two sisters, she was bleeding and unconscious, her tow sisters were sleeping and covered of blood!! The small kid get the bullet from the open window, the mother told me how she went to the hospital with her husband, they were carried Najwan unconscious, the 'IDF' soldiers stopped them, they didn't allowed the ambulance to come and carry the small child!!

The mother was telling me the story, when Rawan asked me to follow her, she took me to her bed were her sister Najwan get injured, the points of blood still covering the wall!! Rawan wrote under the blood, " this is Najwan's blood, 7th, June 2002 " !! She drew a picture of black man holding big gun and shooting toward a small flower??!! The picture made me cry in front of the mother and her kids!!

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Life of Kawther Salam

Monday, 10th June 2002

When I stopped to give the kids in the old market some sweets, I asked them what they are going to do during the summer holiday? Spontaneously, the kids, " we have already start our course in the mosque, we receive money, food and study in the mosque " ??!! The kids told me something about the Grave Torture after death!! How the angels 'Naker and Niker' investigating the people in the grave about what they did in their life and how they tortured their bodies!! How the angels took the bodies five times daily and forced the people they weren't pray during their life to pray in the middle of the fire in the hell!!

How the women hanged from the hair because they weren't covered!! How " Al-Shaheed " that's means the martyrs and the suicide bombers replacing a good place in the 'Paradise' married of 70 charming women, the nail of each one is better more than the hole world!! And how Al-Shaheed is giving forgiveness for 70 person of his family to enter the Paradise and live with him!!

How Al-Shaheed blood spread nice smell and perfume, and his body survive to be a live in the garden of the Paradise with God since the moment he died!! How the women nails covered with polish will be flamed, and the musician ears will be closed with lightening flame stick??!! Such of deplorable stories the kids in the age of the flowers studied in the mosque!!

No body teach these children that God is peace, love forgiveness and mercy, no body told them that life is very short and they should enjoy it, no one told them that God is not a list of threat and warning orders and massages. These children shouldn't go to the mosque to hear just false roamers and lies. I'm crying the future of this new generation, I'm crying the terrible situation that made the extreme people growing and using the others needs under the name of God and help.


11th, June 2002

Who is this Israeli soldier? Is he looking for his picture?? Why the Israeli commander arrested his soldier for 21 days after the Palestinian Newspaper 'AL-Hayat' showed his coloured picture playing with a Palestinian child?? I was astonished when the PA employee from Bethlehem asked me about the IDF soldier I was filmed in Hebron playing with the Palestinian child taking off his gun and hold it on his sholder!! The PA employee said, "the israeli soldier is looking for his picture after he was arrested 21 days as a result of publishing it in my Newspaper"!! The IDF soldier lifted his work, he is working nowadays as a metal constructor.

A couple of days before the 'Intifada', the israeli constructor went to 'Hosan' village and asked the PA employee to help him to reach or talk with me, he told him about how I was walking in Hebron with a small child carying IM16 plastic gun, and how he loved the child and he played with him honestly while I filmed them. He asked about a copy of his picture if it possible because he didn't see it yet. The soldier said, "it was a surprise when his officer told him that the commander asked to punish him 21 days in prison because of what he played with the Palestinian kid"!! When I heard the story I decided to write the story in my newspaper, and to send the soldier a copy of his picture, I was prepared the story and the picture while the 'Intifada' began at that moment.

Hope any one identified the soldier will send his picture through Gush-Shalom web site, an my apologize too.