After I went to Tubas to pick up my cell phone (the guy at the Jawwal store fixed it for free!) and buy some eggs, I went to join a family in Tayasir for lunch. They eat lunch around 3, and dinner around 8 or 9. This was the same family as the day before, but a different brother's side of the house. He has an unfinished room jutting out where the family can hang out and barbecue and not have to worry about windows, furniture, carpets and things that kids can destroy. The grandmother has eleven children and sixty-five grandchildren. At first I thought my friend was telling me how hold she was. 65?!
"If we have a family war, phew!" he said. He was joking because of what was going on at the village council next door. If you looked out the "window" you could see a hundred or so men gathering in seats outside the council office. There had been a fight between workers in a factory, and it turned into a fight between the members of two families, so now they were making an agreement to avoid further conflict.
In Palestinian villages, disputes are settled by the families involved. No police, no prisons. Outside of Area A, the cities, Palestinian police don't have any authority anyway. My friend Osama is a police officer, but he reports to Tubas.
I told Osama about the two incidences I'd heard of. One was in Bardala. A man was killed, and his family avenged his death by burning down the house of the murderer's family. My students pointed out the house when we were driving through, it was a well-known story.
Also, in Deir Jareer, a crime was committed, and the whole family was expelled from the village for a year. Ahmad thought this was the stupidest thing ever.
Osama said there wouldn't be any sort of retribution, just some handshakes and kisses and khalas, finished.
I didn't want to stick my camera in their business, but my friend had no qualms with taking my camera and snapping photos. I told him to be discreet, a lot of those people know the red flip-camera. I'm pretty obnoxious with it, especially around kids :P
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| Making kabobs |
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| The view from the window, including the family chicken farm |
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| A delicious meal with khubs tabun, bread from the....tabun. It's a type of oven. |
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| There are some cool-looking houses on that hill.... |
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| Aisam, watching all the commotion outside. |
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| Candid picture taken by Aisam |
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| MySpace pic with me and Aisam |
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| Always in the left hand, a cigarette |
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| Picking eggs in the chicken farm. These poor, poor chickens. |
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| Loading up the van-these eggs go to Bardala, Zebabdeh, Tubas....turns out I'd bought their eggs at the supermarket. They asked me, "Leishh, bed taza hun, why?? we have fresh eggs here!" "Ma ariftish, I didn't know..." |
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| He's helping. |
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| Peace from Tayasir |
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| hey, gimme that camera... |
"If we have a family war, phew!" he said. He was joking because of what was going on at the village council next door. If you looked out the "window" you could see a hundred or so men gathering in seats outside the council office. There had been a fight between workers in a factory, and it turned into a fight between the members of two families, so now they were making an agreement to avoid further conflict.
In Palestinian villages, disputes are settled by the families involved. No police, no prisons. Outside of Area A, the cities, Palestinian police don't have any authority anyway. My friend Osama is a police officer, but he reports to Tubas.
Also, in Deir Jareer, a crime was committed, and the whole family was expelled from the village for a year. Ahmad thought this was the stupidest thing ever.
