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New
interview series: Conversations along the
Wall near Rachel’s Tomb
By Sytske van Bruggen
Michael and Linda
Costa Halabi
Michael: "Even if I would be the last, I
will stay here!"
February
2009
"Our family lives in Bethlehem since at
least 300 or 400 years," opens Michael Costa
Halabi the conversation. "And there are more
than seven generations documented." His
house is along a wide road with many other
houses.
Michael, a short man in his fifties,
used to work as an accountant. He is married
with an Armenian woman. They have one
daughter and two sons. Fifteen years ago,
another son died of cancer at the age of 17.
His sister Linda, of about the same age and
not married, lives in her own house nearby.
During 38 years she was the head of a
primary school.
Suffering during the Intifadas
During the Intifadas, the Costa Halabi
family suffered much. Linda's house was
completely destroyed from inside. The whole
family used to take refuge in the basement
of Michael's house. In that house, too, much
was damaged. A bullet hole in a glass-ceiled
painting, on the wall of the living room, is
a silent witness.
People shot in front of their house
The houses of Michael and Linda are only a
few meters away from the Separation Wall.
Both remember well the time before it was
built. "Children used to throw stones at the
soldiers. Then the soldiers started to
attack them." Michael takes something out of
his pocket. When he opens his hand, there
turn out to be several rubber bullets in his
hand palm, some with a diameter of a
centimeter. "They shot them with these
bullets, and they also shot tear gas." In
the period 2003 – 2007 no less than five
persons were killed in their street.
Olive tree garden hardly accessible
The family possesses three large pieces of
land wit olive trees. They are in the area
where the Israelis established the Har Homa
settlement. Five years ago, the Israelis
built a military road from the settlement to
Jerusalem. It cuts their land. Michael,
Linda and their relatives are in exceptional
cases allowed to enter their olive tree
garden. "This year, we asked the Red Cross
to help us. Finally we got permission to go
to our fields. But there were hardly any
olives. "Bedouins are allowed to enter these
zones. Maybe they picked the olives, or
their sheep and goats ate them."
Despite all these hardships, Michael and
his family don't think of leaving. With a
firm voice, Michael declares: "Even if I
would be the last person, I will stay
here!".
The interview was conducte
Sytske
van Bruggen is a volunteer at AEI-Open
Windows and YMCA, and free lance journalist. |
