SFSU: Witnessing Palestine: Reportbacks from Katie, Jonas, and the Tel Rumeida Circus

Katie Miranda and Jonas Moffat from San Francisco have spent a combined total of one year in Palestine working with the International Solidarity Movement in support of the Palestinian non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation.

Jonas and Katie worked mainly in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of the city of Hebron, an area in the West Bank under Israeli military control where violent and extremist Israeli settlers live side-by-side with Palestinians. Palestinians in the neighborhood suffer greatly from the apartheid system of law that prevents them from driving cars (including taxis and ambulances). Civilian Israeli settlers are allowed to carry weapons, while Palestinians are not. The police and army in control of this neighborhood are Israeli only, meaning they do not come to the assistance of Palestinians.

Katie and Jonas founded the Tel Rumeida Circus for Detained Palestinians in response to the abuse and harassment they witnessed by settlers and soldiers towards Palestinians. Jonas and Katie performed a circus routine at checkpoints in Tel Rumeida where Palestinians were routinely detained for hours by soldiers and border police. The purpose of the performances were to entertain the detained men and to add some humor to the situation which had the effect of putting the soldiers in a better mood and causing them to be less abusive towards the Palestinians.

Katie and Jonas will share their experiences in Palestine, show a documentary video from Tel Rumeida, and perform their fire circus routine. On display will be Katie's Postcards from Palestine, a series of paintings meant to describe to Americans what life is like living under occupation. Also on display will be artwork from Katie's students in Balata refugee camp, an area in the West Bank subjected to some of the worst violence by the Israeli military.