More from my notes 15th July .......

He has got many friends Mustafa, he seems to know everyone in the camp and many people in the town. Every time we go out, we stop and talk to someone new. One of his friends sits outside his house on the Shariah Ouda - Return Street - in the camp. He is a school teacher, he has white hair and wears a permanently ironic expression. He is constantly teasing Mustafa, who receives it all in good humour. 'This man is an elephant, a donkey', the school teacher says to me in English, indicating Mustafa. Afterwards I ask Mustafa, if he is offended by being compared to a donkey, which is I think quite an insult in Middle Eastern cultures. 'No, it's just a joke. I have known him for years. I tease him too'.



Another time, we leave the camp and go down to the main road called Haifa Road which used to go from Jenin west towards the coast at Haifa. There is a checkpoint now of course not many miles down the road. We stop at a coffee kiosk. A small crowd of people, sitting, drinking coffee and chatting. We sit down, Mustafa and me, on some upturned plastic crates and drink and chat. Suddenly I hear someone, one of the coffee-drinkers repeating in English, "Objective, Subjective, Objective, Subjective". A Lewis Carroll moment. Mustafa asks me, "What does Objective, and Subjective mean". I get fired up by this, related as it is to my philosophy interests, and I start to describe to him what I think the differences are. Then I ask him,


"Who is that man who keeps repeating 'Objective, Subjective'?"

"Oh him, he is a member of the secret police" (Palestinian)

"What does he do all day?"

"Oh he just sits around, drinking coffee watching and listening".


It is strange this moment, surreal and seemingly childlike, innocent. But later, after I have returned to London, I find out that there is something more sinister to all this. There are two main parties in Palestine: Fatah, secular nominally left-wing, and Hamas religious conservative. In 2007 there was a bloody civil war betwen them in Gaza. Since then Hamas has ruled in Gaza, Fatah in the West Bank. In both areas, there is suppression of the supporters of the other party. The secret policeman is probably listening out for signs of Hamas supporters.