Below is the email that just now came in from Ramallah from my Quaker friend Donn Hutchison ( Baldwin-Wallace
College graduate with me). He has been teaching in Ramallah at the Friends ( Qualer Christian )  Schools , where I taught, since 1966 and loves the Palestinians and the land... Donn has said I may share his email with everyone, so do put it in your emails to share, many thanks....
Ginny Vigrass, formerly of the
Friends Schools Ramallah
CLEVELAND, OHIO,
JANUARY  19, 2001
 

--- hutch <hutch@palnet.com> wrote:

Dear Ginny,

    I am safe... Ramallah IS surrounded by many
Israeli tanks and armoured trucks , but we did
have school  today here at our Friends Quaker
Schools.... Lots of kids were absent, but school
went on as usual.  It is  amazing, at times, the
Palestinian ability  and courage to plod along.
As I write there is the sound of gunfire in the
distance.  The Mansur house I live in ( next to
the Canadian Consulate here)  overlooks the
Palestinian Military headquarters and Arafat's
headquarters. The many Israeli tanks are there
and are meeting some resistance, apparently.

Our  Friends School  librarian, who lives on the
Tireh road, said 20 Israeli soldiers took over
the top apartment in her building.  They have put
sandbags in the windows and are preparing to
stay a spell.  She did say  they were polite !
She has three tanks outside her house.

All the roads into and out of Ramallah have
tanks stationed at them. Beitunia was
re-occupied.  People are rather  pessimistic, but
they have  been through this kind of thing before
and manage to make the best of it.

I am in the part of Ramallah that is not
occupied. Some folks think that the Israelis will
eventually re-occupy all  of Ramallah...we'll
see.  Anyway, I am fine.

Thanks for your concern !
Salaams, Donn