Nothing About Palestine is Easy

8 Minute Read

As a reminder, I have been studying this region for the better part of a decade. I studied Arabic and Hebrew at Middlebury and earned my M.A. from the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas. My thesis was on conscientious objectors in Israel. I completed a 7-week course with Rutgers University and the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict. I am very aware of the history and politics of Israel and Palestine. 

Being in Palestine is not easy.

Nothing about Palestine is easy. Even evoking its name implies that you have given considerable thought to the socio-political issue and have decidedly picked a political position. Since being here, I have discovered that there are generally 2 types of people who acknowledge the existence of Palestine. First, there are the well-intentioned folks who have no idea the politics behind the name and only use it because they heard it on the news or in passing. Then, there are those who know exactly what they mean when they say it and are using the name very much on purpose to make a point. I fall into the latter group. 
​
I arrived for my second visit to Bethlehem from Ramallah via Wadi Qelt, an impressive patch of desert between Jerusalem and Jericho. I spent the day hiking in the wadi (Arabic for valley) and was very ready to settle in and get some rest. The 8-person taxi arrived to Bethlehem at night, so I asked my fellow passengers (in unconfident Arabic) if they knew how to get to the Bunksurfing Hostel, the place I’d be staying the rest of the week. A Muslim lady sharing the ride offered to call the hostel and get explicit directions. When I thanked her for her kindness, she replied simply, “You are our guest. We have to take care of you here.” This lovely sentiment. I soon found out, is not uncommon among Palestinians.

When our taxi reached its final destination at the Bethlehem bus station, my Muslim friend escorted me to a taxi stand, and signaled for me not to speak. She spoke in Arabic to a taxi driver and then turned to me and said, “Ok. He will charge you 20 shekels and he will take you to the hostel.” I thanked her yet again for her hospitality, she wished me well, and I departed. We made a brief stop into Fadi’s so I could grab a falafel sandwich before checking in and going to sleep. Having just trekked some 7 miles through the Judean Desert, (Palestinians often call it "The Wilderness") I was famished and inhaled the falafel. I wonder if that sandwich was tasty?

The first time I stayed in the Bethlehem area, I was in the neighboring village of Beit Sahour. This time, I am in Doha in a hostel not far from the main road. I came back to Bethlehem because, after spending 3 days in Beit Sahour, I fell in love with this city. There’s no place like it. It is surrounded by immense concrete barriers (I’ll return to this later), and is home to Christians, Muslims, and, off in the distance in their own self-segregated communities, Jews. The passion in Bethlehem is palpable. It is both a sacred place for believers and a hub for political activists. The best way I can express how I feel about Bethlehem is through the words of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish:

حْبَبتُك مُرغَماً
ليسَ لأنك الأجمل، بل لأنك الأعمق
فعاشقُ الجمالِ في العادةِ أحمق

I was compelled to love you. 
Not because you are the fairest, but because you are the deepest. 
For a lover of beauty is usually a fool.

My introduction to the West Bank
​
In October, I spent 3 days with an Arab Christian family. They invited me to ride with them to Hebron because they needed to fulfill an online order for kufiyas, the traditional Palestinian shawl or scarf worn by farmers and now Palestinian-rights activists. We were to place the order directly at the Hirbawi Textile Factory. On the way out of Bethlehem, we drove by hundreds of people, some Muslim, some Christian. We spoke about the religious significance of Bethlehem, it being the birthplace of Jesus and home to the Church of the Nativity. The matriarch of the family who hosted me said thoughtfully, “All 3 are cousins. Why do they fight?” “Greed,” I answered. Then she asked, “So, which one is right?” meaning of the 3 Abrahamic faiths. “Whichever makes you the best person," I said. She seemed to appreciate that answer. Personally, I was raised Christian but have since come to identify more closely with Judaism. Still, the purity of the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, brings tears to my eyes. 

I rode with my host family to see for myself how Israel’s "security" wall encroaches onto Palestinian territory. I use security in quotation marks because the checkpoint system and dividing barrier is arbitrary and ineffective as a security feature. Palestinians regularly enter Israel through hitchhiking, tour buses, regular buses, settler-specific buses, passenger vehicles, taxis; it’s just a matter of will, confidence, and charm. A Palestinian who knows Hebrew can pass as an Israeli Jew. Palestinians drive city buses throughout Israel. This security wall is a façade, nothing but a show of force and a way to gradually increase Israeli territory. It is an insult to both common sense and the peace process. It should be noted, however, that Palestinians caught in Israel without proper documentation are heavily fined and  potentially jailed for months at a time, 

During the 40 minute drive from Bethlehem to Hebron, I was able to see the Israeli settlements east of the Green Line, meaning outside of Israel located in the West Bank, and to visit another Palestinian town. We drove south along Highway 60, a main thoroughfare in the West Bank maintained by Israel. The first settlement we passed was Har Gilo. As we drove, they both pointed to each settlement one by one. I soon lost track, there were so many. 

​Facts about Israeli Settlements

Israeli settlements are inhabited by Israeli Jews. The lands upon which these communities are built have been annexed by the state of Israel, despite being physically located in the West Bank. Why? Quick summary: After Israel won the 1967 war, defeating their neighboring Arab-state aggressors, it pushed into territory the international community does not recognize as belonging to Israel. To maintain its foothold in the West Bank, Israel relies on military law and a constant military presence. Palestinians are subjected to military law while Israelis in the West Bank fall under civilian law; 2 sets of laws for 2 different people. This is why the West Bank is referred to as the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt) by groups like Amnesty International, the United Nations, the European Union, and various human rights and legal groups around the world.

Israel builds these illegal settlements to create “facts on the ground”; to make its gradual confiscation of Palestinian land appear natural and normal. The frame of mind is two-fold:

1. If there are Israelis in the West Bank, that land must belong to Israel.
2. If there are Jews in the West Bank, they need to be secured. This legitimizes a military presence in the West Bank despite the territory clearly being outside of Israel’s internationally agreed upon borders.

There are 547,000 settlers in over 137 settlements and 100 outposts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The security wall winds around the settlements to keep them secluded from Palestinian Arabs and to effectively annex more Palestinian land. For instance, walls are constructed a great distance from the settlement infrastructure so as to give an excuse to take more Palestinian land. Of course, security is the reasoning given. The illegal communities have their own security, their own infrastructure, and they rely on the natural resources of the West Bank. This includes water.

When it comes to water, Israel controls it. In fact, Israel controls everything above and below the ground in the West Bank. This translates to settlers having priority and being free to use significantly more water than Palestinians. The West Bank settler population (including East Jerusalem) consumes approximately six times more water than the entire Palestinian West Bank population of 2.6 million.  When Palestinians run out of water, which has happened to my hosts twice since I have been here, they must purchase water from Israel at increased rates or wait a week or more for Israel to open the pipes and release more water into their tanks. Oh, and Israel does not allow Palestinians to innovate by collecting rain water or developing a reserve system. That is highly illegal. One last thing, the pipes Palestinians are authorized to use are 2" in diameter, often in dire need of repair, and leak. The water pipes used by Israelis average 10" and are much newer.

Incentivizing Expansion

To get Israeli Jews to move into Palestinian territory, the state of Israel incentivizes these settlements. The Quakers, the American Friends Service Committee, are highly involved in documenting Israel’s abuses against Palestinians. Here are some numbers they put together:
Housing – In 2013 90 settlements were considered “National Priority Areas”. As a result, up to 69% of the cost of purchasing land in these settlements is subsidized by the government as are infrastructure development costs associated with building a new unit in these settlements. Government grants of up to NIS 97,000 (approximately $25,000) are also available to prospective home buyers in these communities.  Other benefits include preferential mortgage terms and subsidized utilities.
Education – Settlement schools receive higher levels of funding than schools inside Israel. Teachers in settlements receive higher salaries than those working inside Israel.  Free education in settlements begins at age 3 rather than at age 4 as is the case inside Israel.  Student transportation and testing costs are subsidized for settler children, and settler youth are prioritized in university scholarship decision making processes.
Business – Israel has established approximately 13 industrial areas in or near settlements in the West Bank. The building of these areas has been heavily subsidized by the government. Leasing fees for land in these areas is heavily subsidized and businesses in settlements are given preferential access to research grants, assistance with hiring, and income tax breaks. Business and labor practices in Settlement industrial areas are virtually unregulated, and abuses of Palestinian workers’ rights including the denial of benefits and underpayment are common practices.

Life Under Occupation

Staring out the window of their Hyundai, I see settlement after settlement. Always, they are on the highest point of land. The Israelis build settlements on hills because the panoramic views make for a great selling point when private builders are trying to fill apartments, and being on an incline is strategically advantageous in times of conflict. The fact that the settlements can be seen from so far away is psychological warfare. Palestinians are able to see from great distances just how present Israelis are, how easy it is for them to confiscate Palestinian land with no repercussions, and, perhaps most impactful, the illegal settlements serve to remind the Palestinians just who holds the power. Once that land is under control of Israelis, it is no longer part of the West Bank. Another plot of land confiscated, never to be returned.

But life for my host family was not always this way. Before the Intifada, there was no security wall. Palestinians were freer on their own land, free to go between Bethlehem and Jerusalem without being detained, searched, or turned away for not having the right documentation. The patriarch of the family worked for 47 years as a teacher in Hebron. They have 2 sons who graduated from Bethlehem University, a daughter who directs a local hospital in Beit Sahour, and another daughter who teaches at an Arab-Christian academy. The school is funded by a Christian missionary out of Tulsa. Their sons live in Ireland now because there is no way for them to make a living in Bethlehem. I can tell he misses his children, but he is content that they have a better life outside of Palestine. They are 2 of the lucky ones.

Riding with them, I can sense the tension in the air. I can tell they are upset talking about and seeing the settlements and the checkpoints, the refugee camps, the guard towers, the military vehicles, the soldiers--just kids--with rifles and machine guns, the razor wire, poverty, the garbage, the ongoing construction projects, the fenced-off areas marking the sites for new settlements. Yes, life in Palestine is incredibly hard. It’s exhausting to be here as a visitor, I cannot imagine how it must feel to know your chances of being able to leave or to improve your life is nil. It is a feeling of powerlessness and frustration.

But my host family are not hopeless. They are not victims. They are doers. They are driving to Hebron to fulfill orders made by people who care about the Arabs of Palestine. That money is injected into the Palestinian economy. The mother also creates crafts by hand to support local initiatives like the Arab Women Union. She even created a website where she sells her embroidery to help combat the 14.1% of Palestinian families living on less than 50 cents a day. Nearly every day, the mother carries bags of her crafts through Checkpoint 300, a well-known military checkpoint between Palestine and Israel (Bethlehem and Jerusalem) where Palestinian workers must cue before 5am to enter Jerusalem for work. The degradation of Palestinians is commonplace in the West Bank, and especially at Israeli military checkpoints, but this family faces it all to help themselves and their community.

They are strong, passionate people, the Palestinians. I am grateful to be here and to be learning about their land, their history, their culture, and their struggles. Palestine is as real as my Palestinian hosts. Their story, like the stories of the millions of Palestinians living in the West Bank, deserves to be told. Often, the stories people hear are one-sided or factually inaccurate. They serve the Israeli government or the Palestinian Authority--the powerful, not the people. This is the reality. I am here seeing it. Every day I am living it, and these pictures don't lie. Thank you for acknowledging it.  

Checkpoint 300