I spent Valentine’s Day eating my way around Nablus. I love Nablus. It is such a beautiful city resting in a valley between the mountains. It has seen rough action in response to its resistance of the occupation.
Offered a giant strawberry in the market
Free sweets in honour of Prophet Muhammed's birthday
An exquisite complimentary taste of halva
At 1pm we met with two resistance leaders, recently out of prison where one of them spent a month in a tiny, freezing, solitary cell. The Palestinian Authority works so tightly with Israel to police the occupation, that Palestinians are likely to be arrested by the PA if caught resisting. I have so much more to learn, but the situation here seems to be that of a double occupation; from both the undemocratic PA and the Israeli military.
We discussed how IWPS could support the women from the villages to become more active in the struggle for peace. And we were treated to biscuits and the famous kenafa.
We travelled straight from the meeting to our landlord’s house overlooking the city. He and his family are wonderful people; kind, sociable and extremely well educated. We talked politics and history and he shared the tale of his 3 month arrest at the hands of the then Jordanian authorities. He had simply been caught on camera at a protest, aged 16.
His wife presented a delicious late lunch. Hot wheat soup followed by beetroot, egg and radish salad and then a mountain of buttery rice with meat and vegetables. We attempted to digest in the living room, but were caught out by an enormous apple, spice and nut cake and then a milky desert, served with honey.
Sadoranges isn’t a dinner diary. But it was Valentine’s day. And I do love food.
Nablus
Good you were able to experience some kindness and good food on Valentine’s Day! My husband David joins me in saying keep up the good work – and we hope all your efforts to convey what’s happening will result in eventual peace. We are following a Channel 4 drama series `The Promise’ at the moment – a story from 1948 linked through a family to the present day which conveys something of the tragedy of this long-unresolved conflict and the lives ruined and unfulfilled. Diane X
Thank you Diane. Yes, I really want to see The Promise – have heard good things. A friend has offered to download it for me but I came out with a couple of books and films and literally haven’t had a second to do anything recreational like that – just keeping my blog going is a big effort; grabbing ten minutes here and there!
Hope all is well with you, thanks for your comments! xx
Oh and an inspiring quote from one of the resistance leaders I met in Nablus, ‘when I look at the faces of the internationals, I feel I am looking at freedom’.
It is very hard keeping up my morale and optimism in the West Bank sometimes – but if nothing else, it is SO important to the Palestinians that some of us are here.
What is the name of that brand of halva you had? I have been searching for it everywhere! It’s delicious!