Reporting from Jenin – where the resistance can only grow
JVL Introduction
Journalist Mariam Barghouti reports on the perils of importance of reporting from Jenin, a city that was under brutal Israeli attack and not for the first time, not even the first time since October 7th. It seems clear that Israel is bent on destruction for Jenin but resistance is inevitable and can only grow as these ferocious attacks have continued, with people killed and injured, buildings damaged or destroyed, roads carved up and even some displaced. Things have worsened since October 7th last year but there have been many attacks, one of the worst in July 2023, see eg this report from Democracy Now
One resident said: “They call us terrorists….But they don’t tell you they’re the ones coming into our homes, attacking us, destroying and razing through the city, attacking women and children.”
Barghouti notes that “While the Israeli military claimed to be targeting combatants inside the camp, several fighters they did manage to assassinate were actually killed in areas outside the camp, in neighboring villages.”
“You know, even if I was feeling down, when I look at the fighters I feel better. They’re all we have to confront this occupation,” said Abu Talal, whose nephew, Mohammad Harboush, was killed in the Israeli assault.”
What would you do?
LL
This article was originally published by Substack (Dropsite) on Mon 9 Sep 2024. Read the original here.
Dispatch from Jenin: Resistance Swells After Israel’s Brutal Invasion
“Our people are our people and they will not abandon Us”
The perils of reporting in Palestine have never been greater. Ramallah-based Palestinian journalist Mariam Barghouti traveled to Jenin twice during the Israeli invasion last week to cover Israel’s assault on the city and refugee camp. As she describes it, even getting to Jenin is fraught with danger. Route 60, the only road leading to Jenin city, is mostly empty, save for Israeli military checkpoints erected along the way cutting off Palestinian districts from each other. Mariam says soldiers often delay and harass journalists traveling on the road. Armed settlers also roam the area and are a constant source of danger.
But it is inside places like Jenin, where the Israeli military concentrates its military assaults, that the risks are much higher. “The roads [were] riddled with Israeli snipers stationed on the rooftops of civilian buildings, making movement dangerous,” Mariam said. She described to Drop Site News how Israeli troops frequently intimidate journalists trying to do their jobs and have shot and injured reporters in the field. While Jenin is a stronghold of militant resistance, journalists only feel threatened by Israeli soldiers, not armed Palestinian combatants.
Mariam shared some of this in a heartfelt post on social media this week:
“In our profession as war journalists we are required to wear bullet-proof vests with the PRESS insignia on them, and our cars are all also marked with ‘PRESS/TV.’
It’s to be visible to armed groups, whether it’s the Israeli military or Palestinian resistance groups, that we are PRESS. With that, they’re all supposed to ensure our safety & not target us.
But in Palestine, being press means being a target. The gear which is meant to protect us has become a marker to attack us.
When the Israeli army is not around -even if I’m around Palestinian fighters- I actually don’t need my gear at all.
In fact, fighters are eager to speak with us- often commending our “bravery” to dare go by them because the Israeli military does not want their stories out.
It is only when Israeli army jets, drones, & soldiers are in the skies/ground do I find us- local and internationals- wearing our gear.
The flack jacket can’t protect me from a drone strike, a bullet to the neck, to the thigh, to the shoulder.”
Mariam filed the following story for Drop Site about the assault on Jenin and its aftermath, speaking to residents and armed fighters, who say the escalating Israeli attacks are only swelling the ranks of militant resistance groups, despite being vastly outgunned.
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