09-03-2007, 05:34 PM
Hi all,
One of the reasons I CTE'd (again) was because I spent an extraordinary long time abroad. Of that time, 2 weeks were in Palestine, on the occupied West Bank. Most of our time was spent in Bethlehem, living with (christian) Palestinian people. We've also been to Ramallah, Hebron and of course Jerusalem, also to hear stories from Israelians.
It was an experience I'll never forget. The impact of the occupation and the separation wall can be seen and felt everywhere. Families who have lost land, families separated by the wall, maltreatment at checkpoints... During our stay on of our guides was arrested and beaten up by the Israeli police for no reason at all. In Israel, only a few people know what's going on in the West Bank, and fewer care. Both in Israel and Palestine, people are scared - the first for more suicide attacks, the second for millitary attacks from Israel and the conflict between Fatah and Hamas.
Children grow up in this torn situation, without hope for a decent future. The Palestinian economy is devestated as a consequence of the wall. This wall is not built on the border designated by UN resolutions, but for a large part completely on Palestinian territory, separating people and neighbourhoods, causing more fear and hatred. Youth are trying to get a good education, so they can study and live abroad. They object to violence, but everybody (including me) can understand what causes the suicide attacks - if you've got nothing to loose, what's stopping you from blowing up yourself?
You can see my pictures here. For me, the most impressive place was Hebron, where settlers throw stones at passing Palestinians, making a fence to cover the shopping streets necessary, and where the muslim community and the settlers are in a negative spiral of hate and conservatism more than anywhere else.
One of the reasons I CTE'd (again) was because I spent an extraordinary long time abroad. Of that time, 2 weeks were in Palestine, on the occupied West Bank. Most of our time was spent in Bethlehem, living with (christian) Palestinian people. We've also been to Ramallah, Hebron and of course Jerusalem, also to hear stories from Israelians.
It was an experience I'll never forget. The impact of the occupation and the separation wall can be seen and felt everywhere. Families who have lost land, families separated by the wall, maltreatment at checkpoints... During our stay on of our guides was arrested and beaten up by the Israeli police for no reason at all. In Israel, only a few people know what's going on in the West Bank, and fewer care. Both in Israel and Palestine, people are scared - the first for more suicide attacks, the second for millitary attacks from Israel and the conflict between Fatah and Hamas.
Children grow up in this torn situation, without hope for a decent future. The Palestinian economy is devestated as a consequence of the wall. This wall is not built on the border designated by UN resolutions, but for a large part completely on Palestinian territory, separating people and neighbourhoods, causing more fear and hatred. Youth are trying to get a good education, so they can study and live abroad. They object to violence, but everybody (including me) can understand what causes the suicide attacks - if you've got nothing to loose, what's stopping you from blowing up yourself?
You can see my pictures here. For me, the most impressive place was Hebron, where settlers throw stones at passing Palestinians, making a fence to cover the shopping streets necessary, and where the muslim community and the settlers are in a negative spiral of hate and conservatism more than anywhere else.