"Death Does Not Justify Death"

you can also find an article in report from 2001 kite-workshop in hebron (.pdf only)

Here are the first notes we (Richard and me) took about our stay in Hebron in July. This is information without orders, only things we notice and we think it's important to say to understand a little the situation we met there. ... After the events of september in America, we just hope that "one sky, one world" could be the aim for the planet. Lots of love, Christophe and Richard

Hebron kiteflying report 2001
Our action in Palestine was initiate by a french organisation call F.S.G.T. (Work’s Sport and Gymnastic Federation). This is an organisation near from socialist and communist way of thinking. It was created in 1930’. It promote popular education, emancipation by sport, and more recently in a small part, art opening... We were 40 people invited in Palestine for this period. Most of them were sport trainer specialized in football, volley-ball, table tennis... Most of them were coordonator of FSGT’s sport structures in France. Their aim was to develop ancient links with arabic world. Since 20 years, there is exchange program with north Africa (specially Algeria) and Palestine... to recognize the local sport culture and identity. It was also for the second year (first experience : hebron 2000) to try to develop sport and art for palestinain recognition. Opening spaces of democracy and emancipation for palestinians children by the way of sport and art; with participative managment of the learning. For the second time, artists were welcome in the group. We were totaly 6 this year. One girl for dance, one boy for capoeira (bresilian martial art), two guys making graffitis and two kite flyers. We spend about three weeks in Hebron. We had a very wonderful welcome in Cisjordania. We made Richard and me about 600 kites during our stay. We had between 400 to 500 hundred children in workshop. Each workshop was around 30 to 60 children except for the leader worshop and one we made for a guy form ministry of culture. This man was also responsable of a refugie camp in north of hebron. That’s was not our choice to have workshop with so many children at each time but so it is... Hebron is a big city (120 000 - 140 000 people) with about 60 % of citizen under 18. Our « public » was also « mathematically » around 90 000 people !!!!! In fact, it’s so difficult to travel in Hebron for a palestinian that we was oblige to move to different places. A hebron citizen can « safety » move in his town fo about 2 miles from his house. After this point, it could be dangerous because the problems between palestinians and settlers are daily and they can appears anywhere in town specially in the old city. Generally, just after brush, the curefew is restore. It’s at this moment very difficult and dangerous indeed to try to come back home. people also wander only where they know neighboors for being sure to find quickly a shelter. Paradoxal situation, some palestinians are ready to cross all the city under curefew for going to the swimmingpool ! As they said « inch allah » : If I must die today this is the wish of God... and we (the palestinians) must leave however, in spite of intifada and regular clashes. There is a very intense culture of kiting in Palestine. In fact, children (specially boys) do not play anything than kite outdoor. For a child in Hebron, no outdoor « game » instead of intifada, speaking about political problems (even for 7 or 8 years old) or playing kites. A palestinian child begin intifada about 7 years old ! Kite is an activity for meanly boys. Very quickly, girls are bloqued in the house for taking care of youngers. We had girls in our workshops (about 50 %) and we choose girls for learning kites worshops (leaders program). This was one of the aims for ours workshops there to work with girls. The palestinian typical kite has 6 sides. It’s made with wood and paper or plastic bag. Not a lot of color (not a lot of choice for materials) and generally around 60 cm high. A long tail made with tissue. They are using a plastic line rolled over a stick of wood. They are almost flying in the evening (after school) with a moderate wind. They are flying high, as much as they can. The bridle system is simple and efficient. Generally, children are making themselve their kites, buying the materials in shop but you can also find some kites already made. It cost you around 75 cents without line.

BEITL TIFL : a summer camp in Hebron who welcomes the high class of hebron. Children from 5 to 16. Here are the future political leaders of Hebron and of the countryside. Their parents are rich, most of them businessman, some actual political leaders... An opening to democracy. We trained 8 girls of 14 to 16 years old; generally charged of small group of children.
TAREK BEN ZIAD : a kind of community house for a (special) area of Hebron. Very close to the old city. Often close by the curefew, this building is the only one who welcomes children from the old city and he receive also bullets from the occupied school at the top of the hill.
MARKAZ EL FOUNOUN : Youth and art center. Difficult job to try to promote art during war... Lots of children and nearly complete anarchy in the center...
D. C. I. : Defence of Children International. One of our most interesting experience in Hebron. That was the only structure we decided to work with after we arrived in Hebron. We met them after our arrival and they quickly saw the possible cooperation between our works. We decided to work on a kind of « art therapy » with the children there as we planned before in France without knowing at this moment wich structure could be the most receptive. We had information about it after an interview with a french psychologist from Doctors without frontiers (M.S.F.). She is working with children psychologicaly wounded by the intifada situation. The D.C.I. is a palestinian organisation working with about 500 children wounded by war. Psychological trauma from bombardments, jail, dead parents... Psychological help made by palestinians students of psychology. Good organisation and good vision of the situation. The D.C.I. is working in several town of cisjordania and in Gaza. their aim is to help children (and family also); hopping that their organisation will soon disapear because of the end of intifada. That during a workshop with 6 coordinators that we learn that it’s the same word for kite and plane in arabic. That created a special problem for our workshops during our stay because having a smile for explaining to a child he will build a plane remembers him the bombing ! There is also many structures working in Hebron because of the special situation there (settlers in the city center and daily problems). Some of them are palestinian, some of them are western, working on several kind of help (food, handicap, school...) It was very difficult to fly in Hebron. Lots of reason : - the city is build on several hills and the regular wind who blow in the countryside is quite turbulent. The children used to fly from roofs and for foreigners, it is very doubtful than we could come inside the house. - The settlers presence. Shooting a child flying from a roof is easy and that’s happened sometimes. - Very few place without houses. It’s so important to occupy the wast land in the way to increase the ratio palestinians/settlers. Above all, the hills of the town are strategic place and most of them are occupied by army or settlers. - Very difficult to go out of town for us because of many israelian checkpoint. Difficult for us also but impossible for palestinians. The risk of bringing children out of town with us for a day was too much that we always decided to let the children fly near the place they were leaving. Other important point : the sky is a very important stake in this conflict. Palestinian sky is now only an israelian field. Helicopters, war plane... even commercial flight remembers the palestinians their situation of war and their impossibility of going out out their town. They used to say and even more in Gaza that they are leaving in the biggest jail in the world and that the main difference is that they have to pay (food, clothes... leaving expenses) to leave there. The sky is also very important for them and that’s not hasardous if kite is so important. Other « funny » information : we heard about palestinian and settlers children playing kite from aech side of the fence separating the colony to the rest of town... Kite seems to be an excellent tool for unify people ? Is it still possible ?
Christophe and Richard

we have flown our kites for ideas like "peace, freedom, human rights, peoples understanding, communication and cultural transfer" in situations like cambodia, vietnam, lebanon, colombia, ..and many more zones of war and also in areas of not visible war but to show up for something against war.

now we came in touch to the "near-east" war with our kites. below a few extracts from the communication with one israelian. (april, 23 - 2002)

The dates in Mai , we like to do it are : Thu 16 th , Fri 17 th , Sat 18 th 2002 .

this event will be in the South of the country , in a large beautiful park .

i have forwarded your mail to some 50...60 kiters in europe and worldwide.

i asked few crew members today but not easy with decision to go to israel these days.... but, i think main thing now is to allow open discussion... open skies ... open minds...

suppose there will be no festival in your place due to current warzone situation... all luck for peace, ..

04 apr

-

07 apr

We still planing our event for 2 days only , May 17, 18 th , this event is for peace on earth , and for changing the mood of the people after all the events in March during our Passover religious holidays , we've lost 100 people from Palestinian suicide fantatic bombers . Your Kite show from Germany on Friday and Saturday , Friday evening night kite show including fireworks kites . Audience and participant 6000-10000 people .

All park will be secure with police forces and security officers . The event will be in a very beautiful large park , the region is in the South West of the country near the Mediteranean sea shore , quiet no shooting there very far from the Palestinian West Bank . How many people do plan to come , do you have a flyer team for kite ballet ? how many large kites do you bring with you , do you bring the firworks from Germany ?

all the kiters from the "groups" are in france in the moment. i will discuss your kitefestival with them. quick thing to tell you now: probably most people in europe will think that you are crazy, arranging a kitefest now in this bloody war situation. i have the feeling that no one will move to israel now. hard reality stuff. not acceptable. on the other hand, by one sky/one world thinking : kiters should take the opportunity to try all whats possible to make "love and peace" and tolerance and to fight military thinking and opression. now. but, difficult - of course. i started with some writing / collecting / .. but it will be difficult to release.
of course, going into politics, mean: having an opinion, you always will suddenly be contrary to someone. (i could imagine that your police might arrest me!)
nevertheless, what can be said will be said at least. i think there is only one possible action now: doing a international kite festival AGAINST this special war, and WITH israelian AND palestine and everybody else.
yes, of course: "good idea" - everyone will say. THE problem will be to find the right acceptable place. the best and only one solution: straight on the border (which one?) or in the centre of jerusalem. i know, we wouldn't survive - by both parties. so, what to try? i will continue thinking about and talk to the others here.
be strong and tolerant and find new ways of thinking for all your peoples, arabic or jewish OR arabic and jewish. all the best, ...

Während die israelische Armee mit militärischen Mitteln freie Bericherstattung behindert, berichten Indymedia-AktivistInnen weiterhin direkt aus den besetzten Orten und Camps. Aktuelle Informationen gibt es rund um die Uhr bei Indymedia Palästina und Indymedia Israel sowie Indymedia UK und Indymedia Italien [webseiten übersetzen].

other members of the group were invited to palestina in the same time, doing a kiteworkshop with school-children. accidently they came much much closer to new knowledge.
a short report from their trip will follow.

http://www.freeman.org/m_online/sep98/shragai.htm

Reprinted from Ha'aretz of August 3, 1998

The 'fifth withdrawal' is the Palestinian dream of return to the towns and villages inside the little Israel of the pre-1967 borders. Most Israelis do not believe the fifth withdrawal is at all possible, but it's not waiting its turn for the second and third withdrawal and the final settlement agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The dream of the fifth withdrawal is being woven by Palestinians today in speeches, articles, manifestos, and especially in the educational system in schools, summer camps and schoolbooks aimed at the children that the Oslo agreement foresaw as the region's hope and future. Only last week there was a kite-flying event for children in Gaza. It was called "kites without borders," and each and every kite bore the name of a village that was destroyed in 1948.

"hoch hinaus" magazine des dt.drachenclubs #4-91:
bericht ueber drachenfliegen mit behinderten palaestinensischen kindern in bethlehem, israel. von susanne hesse. 3 fotos s/w