Life in Occupied Palestine

Anna Baltzer is a Jewish/ American young woman who, after traveling in Turkey, Iran, Lebanon and Syria became aware that she needed to know more about the Palestinian people and their problems. As a result, she has produced a very professional 59 minute DVD. She encourages the audience to broaden their information.  Anna maintains that, really, instead of this being a religious war, it primarily has to do with disputes over land, water and resource rights.  She goes on to document human rights abuses and the Arab response to these abuses. Most of her documentation is in the West Bank. 

She details how the color of license plates is a deciding factor in whether one gets past check points. Anna talked also about the time waiting to get through checkpoints, which may be up to a day.    

Anna Baltzer also describes the Settlements, a form of "colonization”, which international law prohibits.  These settlements are established due to a $20,000 (reward furnished by the USA) to low income people of Africa and eastern Europe.  They usually include subsidized mortgages, pools and playgrounds.    

Also, there are Outposts which are similar to settlements.  The government pays inhabitants to stay which costs the country $ 3-5 billion/year, also subsidized by the US government. These grow, become fenced in and are furnished with roads. They eventually become settlements as they enlarge.  

In addition, Palestinians are not allowed to legally have weapons.  This is particularly difficult over land disputes, as well as water rights.   

The land is also segregated by a wall that may be 25 foot high of concrete, as well as by razor wire.  

Kathryn Smith is a graduate from U of Mn in the Biological Sciences. Research in Veterinary Medicine. Teacher at Community College in Biological Sciences. Currently retired and taking the time to enjoy all that I have not had time or opportunity to do before.
This gifted producer cautioned the American public to be aware that we are not receiving the critical, non partisan information we should and illustrated this by the example 2 Newsweek publications recently published.   

Ms. Baltzer ended by illustrating how the Palestinians were able to show resistance.  Most of this resistance was nonviolent.  This is difficult to document, however, in that 40% of the Palestinian males are detained, without charge, indefinitely.  

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