04/07/2002

Brown Prof. Jarat Chopra spent his ninth day yesterday trapped in Ramallah, listening to explosions and gunfire outside a two-story house on a hill where he has been since Israel began its military push in the West Bank.

"Basically, the day has been explosions and gunfire. It's been very intense," Chopra said in a telephone interview.

Chopra, a British citizen, and two Americans nearly escaped Friday when they took advantage of a break in an Israeli curfew to drive to a checkpoint, where a British consular official was waiting for them on the other side.

But as they were standing in line to cross, the checkpoint was closed and they were forced to return to the house.

"We're told to keep checking" with Israeli officials, Chopra said, but "they have no information on when they're planning to lift the curfew" again.

He said he and his two housemates are fortunate that they have telephone service as well as electricity, most of the time, and running water.

"Food is significantly dwindling, in the house and in the city," said Chopra.

Chopra and his housemates have limited themselves to one meal a day. Chopra, a research associate at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown, went to the Middle East on Brown's spring break and had intended to return to campus late last week.

A consultant hired by the British to advise Palestinians on peacekeeping issues, Chopra, 37, said he has been working in the Middle East on and off for the last 18 months.