In December 2001, Ted Curtis traveled to Beit Sahour, a small town near Bethlehem in the West Bank, to participate in non-violent direct action against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, then in its 35th year. From there, he traveled all over the West Bank with the International Solidarity Movement in little more than a week; joining in demonstrations, helping to dismantle illegal IDF roadblocks, and listening to stories of terror from the occupation. Initially a history buff, he was moved to read around the subject following this experience, and he returned to Bethlehem just in time for the mendaciously named "Operation Defensive Shield."

This is some of his story—a gripping mixture of eyewitness reportage and analysis.