I think most people would find the Palestinian position reasonable, and I think that is the answer to all Israeli critics out there. Now, the catch phrase these days is, Palestinians must make the painful decision to choose peace, but the Palestinians want to chose first is freedom and no one is laying that out for them. It is all wrapped up in accepting an Israeli peace deal, and it’s a shame that Palestinians are in such a weak position. All they are asking for is to uphold international law.

Linda: The Israeli position I've been hearing while I've been here has been that for the Palestinians to have their freedom and peace, they have to stop the terrorism.

Adam: The terrorism stopped for 4 years. I know for sure because I was here; in 1998 and 99 and 2000 there were no suicide bombings. This was a result of cooperation between Palestinian security agencies, Israeli security agencies and the CIA, and yet, you had a prime minister on the Israeli side in 2000 promising to deliver an end of conflict and making best offer, which didn't even come close . . . and wanting to declare in Camp David, an end to conflict when they hadn't even talked about refugees.

I spoke to my congressman when I was in the States, about activists being beaten up, having cameras broken, getting bloody eyes, for trying to deliver food to refugees in the camps. My congressman actually told me that we were being violent by failing to obey Israeli soldiers' orders.

Linda: What I'm worried about is the day when one person in a group of internationals gets killed. It hasn't happened yet, but when it does, everything could change.

Adam: There was a doctor already who has gotten killed.

Linda: But, not from lying down in front of a tank. You're putting your lives on the line every time you do an action. We met with the director of a Palestinian organization working on a very grassroots level, putting people together for peace and understanding and he said there is a quote that goes something like: "First you resist with your body and if you can't do that, you resist with your voice, and if you can't do that, you resist with your heart."

Adam: I'm afraid of the way things are spun in the media, when they're reported, that the mantra that's put out is that we are aiding and abetting terrorists and if soldiers have to run us over, it's because we're the ones who are wrong. In these days, in America, most people would be willing to buy this, unfortunately.

I hope people in the US are questioning what happened in Deh Rawud, the village in Afghanistan where US soldiers bombed a wedding party. Forty people, mostly women and children were killed, and 120, injured. Initial reports were that they were responding to enemy fire, hunting terrorists.

Huwaida: We very much believe and support active resistance and we invite people to join us. Some people believe the only way is to turn into a human bomb and attack the other side who is attacking you . . . We don't believe this way. We believe in non-violence. I hear it so much, wouldn't it be great if the Palestinians had a massive non-violent movement; what if Arafat was like Gandhi? You'd have your own state. The nonviolent community is small now, but it's both of us, Palestinians and internationals, and we are going to persist and put our lives on the line. The International Solidarity Movement is critical also because how are you going to help Palestinian parents, families and communities believe that they can be non-violent and stand up and speak out for themselves when 17 year-old girls get shot in the head. What is going to give them the hope that they can keep part of a Palestinian nonviolent resistance movement?

We don't provide any false hope or notion that we won't be attacked or face violence. There are three options. People can continue turning into human bombs and sacrifice their children who are going out to attack innocent Israeli children, civilians, and non combatants, which I and everyone I work with is opposed to; or we can do nothing, or we can use our bodies and voices and call for other voices and bodies and continue to resist. We have a right to confront their might with the belief we have that the power of the people will eventually overcome.

We know there is more suffering to come, but we're suffering as it is and we can't just sit and do nothing. And I, we, don't think anyone believes that we have the power or force of arms to confront the Israeli military; that is not an option. So we use what we have, ourselves.

Just so you know, back in December or January – someone high official was asked what would you do if 10,000 people marched on a settlement. He said, "Either we shoot them, or we let them go, and we're not going to let them go." Palestinians have good reason to fear. But one thing I am adamant about not having portrayed is than the ISM is an international movement that has the notion that we need to teach Palestinians the nonviolent way. That's one of the first questions I am asked . . . Are you coming to help them be nonviolent? Because, Palestinians are always labeled violent.

People see so much violence because of the occupation forces, and then you listen to news and hear Palestinians have been violent, it's the Palestinians who are violent. I almost want to explode. I can't stand to hear the term. Palestinians are so abused with this term. The majority of the struggle has not been violent, it has been nonviolent and we are so misunderstood. It is so hard for the movement to be perceived.

The sad thing that they don't realize is what they're doing is creating more suicide bombers and more people willing to sacrifice life in this way. I called a kid I'd worked with at Seeds of Peace once recently. He was a member for four or five years. Lots of Israeli kids loved him and he stood for peaceful resistance. I had to argue with him on the phone. His city was invaded, I could hear the missiles as we spoke, they must have been 10 yards away from him. And he was saying, Sharon is killing us; he wants to wipe out terrorists, but he's creating people like me who are willing to sacrifice our lives. People are fighting for freedom, we don't have bombs to drop on them, but we will turn ourselves into bombs if we have to. Either Palestine is liberated, or else ever Palestinian is going to being wiped out.

I don't see what Sharon is doing now as elevating or providing more security for Israelis. Sadly, when we encounter Israeli soldiers, they aren't going to provide security for Israel, because they're teaching Palestinians to hate them more. Every Israeli soldier will tell you I don't want to be here in this Palestinian city, I'm only doing my job, they say there are terrorists in this city and I am going to find them.

If you want to join us, come join in with our platform, to end the occupation. But don't come with any other banner, come opposed to the occupation. That is the stand we take. The ISM is not an organization. It is people who are standing together from all over the world, for freedom. The freedom: to be able to live life without restrictions put on us by the Israeli military government; freedom to elect and chose our own government; freedom to move freely in our own future state, in our own lands; freedom to be able to pursue an education, make a living; freedom to live.

Right now freedom would be able to open door and go to local market, without being afraid of tanks coming down the street, and opening fire. Before, freedom meant going to another village; now it means just going down the street to the neighbor's house.

The views expressed above represent the writer and not necessarily those of The Disinformation Company Ltd.