On the way to the town we encountered a military checkpoint. The soldiers recognized us as "internationals" from Yasuf. They refused to speak English to us and told our driver that we couldn't pass because we "were seen throwing stones at the settlers" (an incredible lie). Thus we had to take a different route, far out of our way, passing on long, almost impassable dirt roads. It took us over an hour to get there when it normally takes twenty minutes.

Upon arriving at Yanun, we met a group of residents who told us of the recent settler violence. They said "Thank you for coming," "Please tell the world what you see here," and "Tell the truth, there is no reason to lie, the truth is enough," along with the familiar plea that they don't want to be seen as terrorists. On arriving in the village center, we found a media circus and dozens of activists. Some activists were protecting houses from being re-
occupied and others were documenting the situation.

We got out of the buses and strategized. As with all actions, the ISM does not take the lead in determining an action/response. While we may make suggestions, we don't propose courses of action without the consent of the people we are working with. We believe that the Palestinians should decide what they want to do and we make it clear to them that we will respect any decision they make....
even if the decision were to lead to arrest or beatings for ourselves.