by Ryndi Greenwell
**Name of volunteer not shared due to protecting their anonymity/ability to volunteer. This article will refer to them as “volunteer” or “presenter.”
On Dec. 8, Cal Poly Humboldt received a report back from the West Bank — a presentation and Q&A from a volunteer who spent three months in the West Bank of Israeli-occupied Palestine. They spent most of their time in Masafer Yatta, a rural collection of 19 villages within the occupied West Bank. The presentation took place at the Behavioral and Social Sciences building on campus, drawing in about 20 students and community members.
The presentation covered a volunteer’s personal experience while in Masafer Yatta, including risks they encountered as well as the joy they found there. The presenter worked with the volunteer group Masafer Yatta Solidarity Alliance (MYSA), who work to establish a protective presence of international volunteers in the homes and properties of local Palestinians. The presenter discussed how the presence of volunteers made Palestinian families less prone to targeted actions from Israeli settlers.
“Families are less likely to get attacked if a volunteer is present,” the presenter said.
The volunteer reported that in the area they stayed, there was some kind of incident with Israeli citizens or the Israeli Occupational Force (IOF) daily. The force is also known as the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), however the volunteer clarified that the defense part of the acronym is not accurate to their imperial actions. These daily incidents included the deployment of sound grenades to disrupt gatherings, IOF harassing locals for documentation frequently, destroying property and crops, water sabotage and more. Many of the incidents the presenter encountered were related to livestock and land protection.
“Settler shepherds were encroaching on their land,” they said. “Some days as early as 6 a.m., some days at 8 a.m..”
Another main goal of the volunteer organization is to document incidents as they happen. Having a witness to violent or unfair treatment may help the families have a better case in court, and settler forces are less likely to harm Palestinians if an international volunteer is recording. Their phones or cameras are also much less likely to be seized or broken by the IOF.
For those who might consider volunteer work like this, the presenter shared that there are few barriers to entry. Volunteers must complete an online training program before they can travel to the West Bank and can choose to not participate even after the training is completed. MYSA asks that volunteers stay for a minimum of three weeks in order to complete necessary on-the-ground training, but encourages the full three months in order to have the most impact.
“The relationships you can build are deeper the longer you stay,” the presenter said.
That was one major takeaway from the presentation — much of the difference one can make is creating close relationships with local Palestinians. Protective presence volunteer work gives communities some safety, but also leaves volunteers with a greater understanding of human rights. The presenter explained that most volunteers find themselves wanting to stay in the West Bank, and may return many times.
“It is a life-changing, radicalizing experience,” the volunteer said.
For more information or questions about volunteering, check out MYSA’s Instagram @masaferyattasolidarityalliance or their website my-sa.org
Ryndi is a news journalism major who loves to cook, paint and sing. Contact her rg315@humboldt.edu
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