“We are living in a prison”
Posted on 26 August 2010 | No responses
First published in Labour Briefing, September 2010
Georgina Reeves asks the mayor of Bethlehem about the impact of the Israeli settlements and the way towards a peaceful settlement
Dr Victor Batarseh was elected mayor of Bethlehem in 2005 and took control of a local council in debt to the tune of 4.5 million NIS (Israeli New Shekel). This was just the beginning of his problems in municipal office.
The economics of justice
Posted on 22 August 2010 | No responses
I’ve had so many conversations with people about how things are changing. Everyone seems surprised at how much money other people seem to have. There are new shops, new businesses, new restaurants. There are new cars everywhere, and cars are so expensive here. People are going on holidays abroad. There used to be two banks in Bethlehem: I’ve lost count of all the new banks I’ve seen. This is so different to just a couple of years ago. Read more
Which reality is real?
Posted on 16 August 2010 | No responses
According to Ha’aretz, the walls around Gilo are falling. It reports the walls went up in 2002, but in fact it was before that. British photographer JD Perkins ran a story on the painted walls in 2001. The murals on these massive concrete blocks obliterate any Palestinian presence from view and shows a pretty, Arab-free landscape. Read more
The silenced minority speaks out
Posted on 15 August 2010 | No responses
First published in PSC‘s Palestine News, summer 2010 issue
For a state that ignores international laws and conventions in murdering Palestinians and internationals, and shrugs off all condemnation with no apology or regret, it’s little surprise that it spends a great deal of energy persecuting voices of dissent within its own citizenry. Particularly when that voice of dissent is Palestinian. Read more
Supermarket madness
Posted on 14 August 2010 | No responses
There’s a lot of talk outside of Palestine about Palestinians boycotting settlement goods. Yesterday’s Ha’aretz ran another story on it in which is mentioned 3,000 volunteers going door-to-door to explain the boycott to people. No one has been to our home, nor to anyone else’s that I know of. And we certainly haven’t had any leaflets. Read more
Muna is Palestine
Posted on 12 August 2010 | No responses
There are countless stories of pain and tragedy in Palestine. Muna’s story is not unique, but she is my sister, so her life touches me in a very personal way. Her eyes sparkle and her face radiates a gentle kindness, which I find incredible given her and her family’s suffering. There is something about her quietness and her “sumoud” (steadfastness) in the face of such adversity that humbles me greatly. Read more
Palestine, made in China
Posted on 11 August 2010 | No responses
Today, I visited the last keffiyeh factory in Palestine. Owned by the Herbawi family, it is located in al-Khalil (Hebron). The story has attracted media interest from Ha’aretz to Monocle. But this attention is irrelevant. Yesterday they received an order for 300 keffiyehs from a French solidarity group. But what good does this do if Palestinians won’t buy locally produced goods? After all, the largest market is right here, in the West Bank. Read more
Doha is dry
Posted on 9 August 2010 | No responses
Today, the water situation has become the worst I’ve ever experienced. And it’s important to remember that our lack of water is not because there is a drought here, there is water across the West Bank, enough for everyone. It’s a man-made problem, caused by Israel and its domination over resources and exacerbated locally. And it is inflaming tensions in the community. Read more
Different kinds of heat
Posted on 7 August 2010 | No responses
It is hot. Much hotter than usual, which makes it difficult to do anything much. Especially when we have no water to shower properly or wash our clothes. Of course, not everyone in the district has a water shortage, only Palestinians. Settlers still water their lawns when there is a heatwave. Read more
Disappearing Palestinians
Posted on 5 August 2010 | No responses
Wadi Fukin is a beautiful village in a fertile valley, west of Bethlehem. Two of my sisters-in-law live here having married into local families. Wadi Fukin has an interesting history: it is the only Palestinian village depopulated after 1967 and the villagers were subsequently allowed to return. To cut a long story short, for a number of years local families would return to cultivate the land, they lived in tents, and finally the military governor of Bethlehem allowed them back. But that isn’t the important story now. Read more
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