An incursion happening right now in Tulkarem

1 November 2006 in Tulkarem

Dr. Imad was right! There is an Israeli military incursion happening right here right now, just as he said it would: in the refugee camp adjacent to the town of Tulkarem. And now they are in the main part of town right in front of us!

On the way to Qalqilya this morning, we drive right past three Israeli APVs in our mobile health van. Through our van's front window, we see two soldiers crouched behind their APV with their semiautomatic rifles cocked; now they are running around the vehicle counterclockwise, and right into an apartment building. My camera is off, and I admit I am too startled to have the wherewithal to take a picture. This whole scene happens before us in a matter of seconds.

We continue to drive on, so I can't say for sure what happens after that. We pass two Israeli settlements and through an underpass, below a road which connects the two settlements on either side of our road. This road is behind fences, and off limits to Palestinians. We pass through a checkpoint and show our Palestinian ID cards and my US passport to the soldiers who react with their usual arrogance and distain. This is the only way for us into Qalqilya. I wish there was an easier way. We drop Dr. Imad off at the Qalqilya District Headquarters of PMRS and then head east to the village of Baka Al Hatab, the first of two villages that our Mobile Health Unit will visit today.

This village is perched high upon a hill. From a distance, the world seems peaceful. We look down upon olive trees, and to the west, you can see Israel, and make out the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the villagers are out in the groves harvesting their olives, so there are only a few patients for us to see today.

Dr. Osama and I pass the time reviewing how to take a medical history in Arabic. We review colloquial Arabic terms for congestion, cough, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, pain, etc. I am finding that I am competent as a doctor seeing patients here as long as I have a translator. But my Arabic language skills are still nowhere near where they need to be in order for me to see patients independently. Dr. Osama does the translating; he and I are having fun comparing ideas on how we will manage the patients that we see.


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