August 21, 2002 (West Bank) 3:30 a.m.

The following transcribed, recorded call transpired between Ted Russell (Baltimore IMC) and Joshua Brown. Joshua and other internationals, along with Palestinians were protecting homes threatened with demolition by Israeli military forces. A massive, armed attack took place by the Israeli Defense Forces during the phone call.

In hearing the news today, some of the information concerning the Nablus incursion was reported almost exclusively by Palestinians and broadcast on WYPR for example without the usual rebuttal of the Israeli army. The violence was horrifying. Linked to this article are audio tape segments of some of the most threatening and and also the most moving moments that occurred during the interview.

Joshua - Hello.

Q - Hello Josh

Joshua - Hello, this is Ted?

Q - Can you tell me about your situation now? I'm recording you.

Joshua - Yes, that's okay.

Yes, I am in Balata Camp in the Al-Titi home near Nablus in the West Bank of Palestine at the moment it is 3:17 a.m. local - we have here in the house 9 internationals two of whom are press from - one press for a German media company and one from Time magazine in America. We are currently experiencing an Israeli army siege of this area of the camp outside moments ago there have been 5 military jeeps one large covered military truck and one large mach III -some sort of large tank. And we have heavy machine gun fire on the streets within meters of the house (there is the sound of heavy machine gun fire).

Q - Is this fire incoming to the house or is this an exchange of gunfire in the street?

Joshua - There has been no return fire that we can notice - if our previous experience is a guide then we know it is only the Israeli soldiers who are shooting in an attempt to intimidate the members of the camp and also in an operation to round up Palestinian men in a campaign against the homes of martyrs in the Balata camp - martyrs being people who were killed by the Israeli army - either innocent civilians - or fighters for the liberation of Palestine or also in some cases people who martyred themselves in a suicide bombing attempt. So we are currently looking out the window and seeing that several of the jeeps have pulled away but the large tank is 15 to 20 meters to the south of the house with the gun turrets scanning from side to side. As we speak. We have contacts with people inside the other houses inside the Balata Camp and we know that at least one Palestinian man has been arrested from the Abu Zur home - which is just a few houses away from this one where we are.

Q - Is that a member of the family who was arrested?

Joshua - (asking others in the house) Do we know the man who was arrested? Mohammed Abu Zur. A son, 19 years old - a man - this is again fire from the street from the Israeli soldiers shooting in extremely close proximity of the house. It's very difficult to know what the target is - although we are extremely careful if being anywhere near the windows in the front of the house where the shooting is coming from.

Q - Have they fired upon the house today?

Joshua - They came to outside the house 30 minutes ago and there's been heavy fire since some of it by the sound - first there is the crack of the shot then there is the sound of the impact. So the bullets have been hitting either this house or houses nearby from the sound - the double crack - and then the pop or bang of the impact of the bullets. We are here in the second story of the house. Or actually I guess there's the ground floor where the family normally lives. And this floor where the internationals have been sleeping and now we are here with the women of the family - two sisters and the mother of the Al-Titi family - all of us together for safety and trying to strategize about what to do if the soldiers try to enter the house. We have designated two people - one Japanese woman and one - a man who will go out of the house to speak with the soldiers in attempt to negotiate the soldiers leaving and not damaging the house or anyone inside of it. Currently the Al-Titi family case is being taken up by a lawyer who will bring it to the Israel high court - he will ask for a stop of the demolition of this house which has been targeted as I mentioned before because it is the family of Jihad Al-Titi who martyred himself - I believe the 7th of March of this year.

Q - So there are no other members of the Al-Titi family who are wanted for crimes?

Joshua - Yes well it depends on how you would define a crime. The son of the Al-Titi family, Alah Al-Titi, I believe a 23 year old man - he is wanted by the Israeli army for being in the family of a martyr and for being the age of a fighter and people of Palestinian resistance. So he has not committed any crimes, but he is all - nonetheless a wanted man by the army.

Q - But not accused of any direct action other than association?

Joshua - Yes, to the best of my knowledge. Yes. But he was in fact sleeping in the building this evening when the soldiers came and began firing and began entering with the jeeps and heavy tanks - he as far as we know and hopefully has escaped the house and I hope he is in another place in the Balata Camp safely hidden away from the soldiers.

Q - Josh - I hear quite a bit of noise is that the overseas connection or is that the motor of the tank?

Joshua - Yes this sound in the background that you hear is the rattling of the tracks of the second tank now pulling up to within 15-20 meters of the Al-Titi house where we are inside - so there are currently two Mach III tanks from the Israeli army just in sight here of the building. The sound you hear is the engine of the tank and then when you here a more high-pitched rattling noise - this is the advancing of the tank tracks on the asphalt street outside.

Q - So, you have two tanks - there were earlier 2 jeeps that were withdrawn.

Joshua - Most of the jeeps have now left the street outside of the - The second tank has pulled into position near the house. As I am looking now - there is heavy M16 fire which has caused me to - heavy machine gun fire from the tank 220 caliber machine gun fire - fixed on the tanks. I'm sorry I was standing at the window at the time. Okay, we have not been directly addressed by the soldiers - we have no specific information from them what they would like us to do. Or what their purpose in being here is -

Q - Are they aware of your presence in the house?

Joshua - Well we believe that they are aware. We had made a decision that we would not address them until they addressed us or announcing from the street to respond. 220 millimeters - that's? (Loud machine gun fire)

By the sound of it that's the approximation. Heavy machine gun mounted on the tank. The tank is slightly shifting position but still within 15 meters of the house here and then some light machine gun fire as well.

Q - Earlier today we learned that Israeli defense forces had been pulled from Bethlehem.

Joshua -(Loud machine gun fire) Well they are definitely not pulled from the Balata camp as you can here.

Q - Have you seen any change in the IDF at all?

Joshua - Activity is heavy here as usual - this is heavier force of intimidation and presence than outside the house this evening than the last time they came and addressed the house in attempts to find the brother in the family here. We would say from our perspective of internationals in the Al-Titi house here that this is in deed an escalation on the part of the Israeli army on the people of the Balata Camp here.

Q - Has there been activity by the people of the Balata Camp other than normal?

(Loud fire).

Joshua - I'm sorry - I didn't catch that = I'm waiting - (Loud fire) -

Q - The shots that we are hearing now - are they aimed at the house?

Joshua - I would say it's very hard to tell.

Q - Do keep your head down.

Joshua - It's 3:30 in the morning in Balata refugee camp near to Nablus in the West Bank. We are all shaken up here obviously - we're still - have not been addressed by the soldiers. We don't know exactly what it is what they would like us to do or what their mission is in a -okay - I'm going down by the floor now - I don't know exactly where this is leading - as there has been an escalation of the tanks. I can't make it to the window to see what exactly what is happening in the streets - as you can probably hear, there is not much peace in Balata.

According to a telephone call made by one of the internationals here made to HaMoked - an Israeli humanitarian group - there is no stated intention or publicized intention for by the Israeli army to demolish this house. Sorry? Do we believe that? More gun fire. It doesn't seem so cut and dry from our perspective.

Q - There is obviously an action occurring now.

Joshua (to others in the house - So this is all being recorded in the U.S. - this conversation is with my media contact in the U.S. - east coast it is 8:30 p.m.)

Q - Okay, Josh are you still there?

Joshua - So, I'm going to attempt to go to the window now - it sounds like the jeeps have pulled away from the front of the building. Kind of - It's possible that the tank has now heading toward the Huwwara military base to the south of us. Now that I hear the sound fading somewhat away. As far as we can see - the front street is clear. The way that the Balata refugee camp is constructed the houses are extremely tightly packed together with 1.5 - 2 or 3 ft. gaps between buildings. So this is a danger place for us to step out of the doorway into a dark sort of blind alley. So I think we will probably be in the building until daylight appears. Even if we don't hear any further activity. I don't think it's safe for us to step into the alleyways not knowing whether the Israeli army might be inside the alleys.

Q - And the Balata Camp is under a curfew?

Joshua - Yeah, the Balata Camp has been under a 24-hour curfew for about 59 days now - continuous curfew with rare and short liftings - totaling approximately 40 hours during those 59 or 60 days. The Balata Camp is quite a strong camp - people are strong in resisting the extreme repression of the curfew which represents house arrest and the Balata people are quite good about violating this curfew and coming out in the streets and shopping for their groceries and going to the mosque for prayer. And trying to have some semblance of community life and some semblance of outdoor presence.

Q - But they do risk death by violating the curfew?

Joshua - Yes. In numerous interactions with Israeli soldiers during my two weeks here in Nablus and specifically Balata the verdict from the Israeli soldiers are under curfew if they stick their nose out of the window we can shoot it.

Q - Are those their orders?

Joshua - Their specific orders are that no one is to leave there homes during the curfew and anyone outside is subject to be shot.

Q - So they - the IDF considers anyone violating curfew a threat?

Joshua - I don't know if that would be the proper word - but they would consider them in violation of their imposed policy of curfew which I said is essentially a house arrest - imprisonment in one's home - and the punishment for the violations of this policy is to be shot.

Q - Are there any exceptions to this, say firefighting - social services - ambulances?

Joshua - Okay, we're trying to get a confirmation of the population of this area that we have been working in - but for this area there are currently 14 municipal drivers who are given a pass by the Israeli army which is supposed to allow them to drive municipal vehicles under the curfew which would include all things from garbage trucks - (Joshua speaks to some children in Arabic and says) - I'm sorry I'm trying to speak to the children next door who are very scared and peering out the window next door. 14 people who are designated as municipal drivers have to take responsibility for driving garbage trucks, fire trucks, electricity and water repair vehicles. These are the only people who are supposed - according to the Israeli army - to be able to drive under - during the curfew. About one week ago there were 15 of these people. And one of them was attempting to cross a checkpoint and his vehicle was searched and his papers viewed. The soldier who had performed the search told him, "okay, you can go now." And he began to drive through the checkpoint and he was shot and killed by the other soldiers there - so from 15 to 14 people are supposed to be responsible for the all the municipal services for all of the area...the whole Nablus region - maybe somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000 people. That's a ballpark figure.

These are just a very few details of the conditions that the Palestinian people survive during the Israeli occupation of their land. The strength and spirit of the Palestinian people is beyond description and indescribably inspirational during this current incursion. Now we are seeing people emerging to their windows and rooftops and see if they are okay and see exactly what was happening and trying to assess who is missing and where they may be currently.

Q - You mentioned children and we heard those in the background. How many are in the house with you?

Joshua - In the house with us there are several male children of the family - they don't sleep at the house - it is not safe for them. Now you see brave people beginning to step outside their doors to get a better look and assess if there is still the presence of soldiers and as I said, continuing to converse and attempt to assess who is missing and where they might be.

Q - Is that a normal occurrence after an assault by the IDF that arrests are made?

Joshua - The soldiers normally abduct or arrest or whatever you will Palestinian residents of the area in which they make incursions. And they will take them to a military base like Huwada or an occupied house where the people will be interrogated.

Q - What are some of the outcomes for people who are taken into custody in that manner?

Joshua - Excuse me. HaMoked - Israeli human rights organization has been contacted once again and had an opportunity to speak with an officer in the Israeli army who has said there is no specific order for the demolition of the house this evening.

Q - The Palestinians who are taken into custody, what actions do they face?

Joshua - Some of them are disappeared in essence - imprisoned for varying and unannounced amounts of time - separated from their families with no indication as to where they are located - others there are documented cases of violations of Geneva Convention with and torture - as the Israeli army attempts to extract from people through torture any information they may have about Palestinian resistance to the occupation. Some of the arrestees have also been - not necessarily in Nablus - but some of the arrestees have been executed by the soldiers. So a very uncertain future lies ahead of anyone arrested by the IDF in the occupied territories of Palestine.

The Israeli army is constantly in violation of human rights laws - including the Geneva Convention, the international agreement on the children. I'm sorry - my mind is a bit scattered as the sound still - the sound of tanks rolling up to your house and heavy machine gun fire awakening you is quite a little bit unsettling or more than a little bit unsettling. I'm sorry.

Q - Can you hear them in the distance?

Joshua - I was just on the roof of the building and you can see dust clouds from the tanks - some of the tanks which are still moving around just outside the Balata camp and I'm not sure if these are the same tanks or if there are others. I can see the headlights of one tank heading toward Balata camp from the East. We don't know if the Israeli attack on Balata camp is finished for the night or not. In Palestine - the Israeli soldier and the tank or "bebe" (sounds like bay-bay) in Arabic are a constant threat and a constant presence - with unimaginable psychological impact for children and adults alike - including myself.

Q - How often do these incursions take place?

Joshua - To some extent every day. If we were to document every incident of machine gun fire in and around the Balata camp we would have data for every day that I've been here and I'm sure before - and unfortunately, I'm sure, after I leave.

Q - So you would say it's a constant presence with spikes in activity?

Joshua - Yes absolutely - the Israeli occupation of Palestine is not just physical occupation but a psychological occupation - incursion into the minds of the people in attempt to break their spirits and to erase their identity and their future.

Q - How are the spirits of the people in the Balata people in the camp?

Joshua - Very strong. As I said earlier the people of Balata Camp are very dedicated to trying to go out in violation of the curfew trying to do their shopping trying to live some kind of a life - I see this spirit very inspirational and I think the Israeli army finds it very threatening and annoying that the Balata people's spirit has not been broken. But we can see this for 60 years the Palestinian people's spirit has not been broken and has been an inspiration to freedom struggles around the world.

I'm sorry the number for the population of Nablus - my approximation was incorrect - it's about 120,000 people. About 20,000 live in Balata camp. (The conversation is terminated so Joshua can go observe what has happened in the streets of Balata).

5:06 a.m.

Joshua - So I'm calling you back from the Al-Titi family in the Balata Camp in the West Bank in Palestine - Just to follow up slightly on some of the results we have found on going out the neighbors homes and speaking to the residents -

We found that the Israeli army took all the people out of the Abu Zur house -home of a martyr here in Balata Camp- and all of the people were taken out of the house one woman from Switzerland and one woman from Italy who were staying there with the family. The army went through the house to see if they could find any men to arrest. In another house (unintelligible) - the soldiers went inside and were shooting in the house and missed a propane cylinder and the stove - the bullet hit the wall no more than 2 feet from the cylinder - while the family was in the house the soldiers were shooting - and they completely ransacked two rooms of the house tearing papers and everything out of the drawers of desks and clothes out of dresser drawers and pictures off counter tops and overturning the beds and throwing the blankets down and there is a pile of things scattered on the floor about knee deep - in these two rooms where these soldiers overturned everything.

I've returned back to the Al-Titi house because there was more machine gun firing in the street and we were afraid for our lives and for the families with which we were staying. But the soldiers said to the family where they - and I should say they arrested two men from that family one 34 year old man and one 19 year old man from that house I was just referring to - and the family was told "the army will return at 12 noon tomorrow to destroy the house" with the caterpillar bulldozer that they use - those heavy bulldozer that they use for home demolition. So the internationals here will be making as large a presence at the home tomorrow to prevent the demolition of the house, if indeed the army returns with the bulldozer. So this is the update. I have in my pocket two handfuls of M16 shells and several shells from the heavy machine guns on the tanks that were given to me by the children that collect them outside just an hour ago when the shooting finally paused. They were given to me by Palestinian youth who speak a little bit of English and I said, "Are you sure you want me to take all of them?" He said, "That's okay, I have plenty." It is not a rare occurrence here. So the children - each of them has a collection of empty shell cases from the Israeli army's terrorizing them - their villages their refugee camp. Okay, that's pretty much what I can tell you at the moment. In the morning we will be calling Israeli human rights groups, sharing with them what happened tonight and to ask for their support in finding out where these two Palestinian men are being held and to work with them for release. I'm hoping to get an hour or two of sleep to prepare for tomorrow's work.

Q - Okay, Joshua, please be safe.