Palestine: a journal of everyday occupation

There’s lots of talk about talks. And there’s all sorts of odd talk. Like Saeb Erekat and his extraordinary apology to Israelis. He starts with “Shalom to you in Israel, I know that we have disappointed you.” He then proceeds with “I know that we have been unable to deliver peace to you for the [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 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.