Terry Boullata

Posted on | March 10, 2009 | 1 Comment

Documentary producer

In the construction of the Wall most of the fertile land on the border between Israel and Palestine was confiscated to the Israeli side. These are the most fertile areas, the main food basket for the Palestinian Territory.

And the Wall has sealed off water flow into the Occupied Territories. The water tanks are on the Israeli side and they have the keys to the tanks. They can choose to give water to the Palestinians or not. It comes down to things like strawberries, flowers, land, olive trees, and freedom to move—captured by human greed, lack of will, and selfishness.

Do your documentaries advocate for Palestinians?

Even if the occupation ended, I would continue—there is always injustice in the world. If you are an advocate for human rights, it does not matter who is acting against human rights. At the moment it is the Israelis, but if there were violations by the Palestinian Authority or Palestinians, I would advocate against it.

Morality is being responsible for your actions for yourself and the people in front of you. We live not just to enjoy life. We are responsible to develop the world educationally and culturally.

Connection with other human beings is very important to your sense of morality.

Yes, that’s true. Having a sense of belonging to communities on the national or international level is what morality is all about. I cannot go to the church when I know that in India or South Africa people are starving, and just say “Okay, I can send you money if you are starving.” That is not what the people are looking for. We have to bridge continue that social and economic gap in the long term. We were brought to this life in order to share the world and its resources.

How did you become the woman you are?

I come from a middle class, moderate, open-minded family that has allowed me to grow to be whatever I am. Politics was another big influence. I grew up in a time when we were well organized, with one vision and one leadership. I feel sorry for my daughters because they are living in a time where the vision for the Palestinian is becoming uncertain, and there is no good leadership.

My time was different; we had national and international role models. Stories of people like Che Guevara were fresh in the minds of the people, and I grew up with these tales. Even Hollywood delivered messages of social action, instead of just fun and entertainment as it is now.

Do you believe both sides in the conflict have perpetrated human rights violations?

Yes. However, you can’t place the occupier at the same level as those who are under occupation. There is a difference between human beings and nations. A state is bound by international regulations. When a state takes an action, it has to be viewed at a different level than an action executed by an individual. Therefore, state terror has to be considered at a higher level than individual terror.

And you say the Israelis are acting against human rights.

As a state, you are responsible for the safety of the people you are occupying. When Israel sent helicopters to assassinate a guerilla leader, they destroyed a whole building, killing 25 people in order to kill one wanted man. That is state terror. A state is bound by international regulations. When a state takes an action, it has to be considered at a higher level than individual terror—although people always claim that terror is terror.

And I see the American government becoming more tyrannical, trying to impose their political and economic wishes on the world. You can’t come in with guns and tanks, and claim you are bringing democracy. A joke we have is “Don’t be impolite to an American, or he will bring democracy to your country.”

Define justice.

Justice is when people are dealing with each other on the same level, with equal human rights and opportunities for life. Justice is when people have the opportunity to live in dignity and prosperity and provide a better future for coming generations.

How can you resist a larger power?

Nonviolent resistance would make a difference and embarrass the Israelis. Women need to think of nonviolent resistance. The Israeli army inspects all parcels at the checkpoints, so I would put dirty diapers in them. Then the Israeli would see what a silly position he is in.

The majority of actions in the first intifada were nonviolent, and the Palestinians put themselves on the world map as a nation. My generation, in our twenties and thirties, translated our anger into resistance. This generation has the same anger but it developed into despair.

We women create life and we need to protect life—and without hope, there is no
life. No matter how frustrated or tired you are, you have to wake up with a smile and send your children off with their sandwiches. You have to give children a sense of security no matter how insecure the environment.

Can Israelis and Palestinians share this land?

Of course they can, but only as equal partners. They cannot share the land as master and slave, or occupier and occupied. The word “slave” describes the indignity and humiliation that we feel at the checkpoints. It describes the feeling of witnessing an 18-year-old boy give orders to a 60-year-old man to strip, just because he suspects him. It describes the feeling when men and women are physically searched, told to take off their clothes because the soldier is in a mood to strip people at the checkpoint.

Checkpoints control a large part of our lives. Since the big embargo in June 2007, around 20 people have died at checkpoints just seeking medical treatment. Many people with cancer and chronic diseases, many in wheelchairs, are at the checkpoints pleading to leave Gaza to obtain medical treatment. These people want to get to hospitals on the West Bank or inside Israel and Israel will not allow it. Why should we punish 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for the sake of the election of Hamas?

If you could say a few words to the women of the world, what would they be?

As women not only do we share experiences on the level of our gender, but also the political aspect of being women. The fact that as women we are always facing the double oppression of any political circumstance. I want to say to the women of the world, “Don’t just talk about gender issues. When it comes to social needs, talk about gender issues from a political standpoint because with politics we can make a quicker change.”

Boullata produces documentaries of the lives of Palestinians under occupation and she is National Program Officer for Swiss Development and Cooperation in Jerusalem. An activist since the first intifada, Boullata was raised in a liberal Christian family and has worked with many social organizations. She is Director of the New Generation School and Kindergarten in Abu Dees, and produced Jerusalem: East Side Story.

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