Suhaila and Naim live 100 metres from their farmland. However, because of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, they must travel 20 kilometres to get there.⠀
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Since 2002 Israel has been building a separation barrier between Israel and Palestine. However, the route of this barrier does not follow the internationally recognised border; 85% of the route runs inside the West Bank, effectively annexing Palestinian land to Israel.⠀
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In 2015 and 2016, Israel extended the separation barrier through the Cremisan Valley near Bethlehem, cutting Palestinian families off from their agricultural land. Suhaila and Naim, an elderly couple in the area, live around 100 metres from their land, but the barrier now blocks their access to it.⠀
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#Palestine #Israel #WestBank #Jerusalem #Bethlehem #Freedom #Occupation #Nonviolence #Separation #SeparationBarrier #Wall #Accesstomovement #accessloliveliehood #Farmland #internationalcommunity #internationalhumanitarianlaw #humanrightslaw #internationallaw #testimonies #HumansofPalestine #PeopleofPalestine #Peace #PictureoftheDay
"Suleiman has a sparkle in his eye, a ready smile, and plenty to say! He is a Bedouin, born in 1948 near Abad in the Negev desert, now in Israel. The Bedouins of the Negev lived nomadic lives in tents, following the grazing with their herds. But Suleiman says that “All knew the boundaries of their land.” ⠀
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He tells us that, when the state of Israel was formed in May 1948, the Bedouin were given the choice of staying in Israel (thereby becoming Israeli citizens, with the usual duty to do military service) or leaving. His tribe, the Jahalin, chose to leave and thus became part of the nakba (catastrophe), when many Palestinians fled and became refugees. Suleiman’s family members still have refugee status. He says: “In some ways nakba was not a big deal for us. We were nomads, used to moving about. We did not have houses or crops. But what we lost was our freedom and our way of life.”⠀
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In this #Eyewitnessblog, EA Penny tells the moving story of Suleiman, the Palestinian shepherd ⠀
https://buff.ly/2OwWJoY⠀
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#Palestine #Israel #WestBank #Jerusalem #KhanalAhmar # SouthHebronHills #Negev #Jahalin #Desert #Nomads #Refugees #Freedom #Occupation #Nonviolence #Resistance #Shepherd #Bedouin #Nakba #displacement #internationalcommunity #internationalhumanitarianlaw #humanrightslaw #internationallaw #testimonies #HumansofPalestine #PeopleofPalestine
The Aida #refugee camp, home to about 6,400 people, sits right next to the separation barrier in #Bethlehem. Those who live there experience regular raids by Israeli security forces. Arrests, even of children, are common, and soldiers will sometimes use tear gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets. As one dancer put it, “If I’m not in Alrowwad I’d be in a prison like most of my friends, or I’d be killed.”⠀
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The performances are an opportunity for these young people to share their stories of life under occupation. Motasem says, “They tell us ‘laugh’, ‘scream’, ‘cry’, ‘go there’, ‘stay there’. They keep controlling you and you can’t do anything but when you finish the performance you see yourself as different, like a special person.” Ismael, who is 18, says, “It is something from inside, when you hear the music your insides start working, so when you come here, the thing that’s inside you, you can take it out in a nice way.”⠀
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In this #EyeWitnessblog, EA Helen visits the Alrowwad Cultural And Arts Society in Aida #Refugee Camp, #Bethlehem and learns how these young #dancers are using the arts as a form of non-violent resistance
https://eyewitnessblogs.com/2018/11/07/dance-is-our-resistance/
#Palestine #WestBank #Bethlehem #nonviolence #resistance #occupation #dance #movement #refugees #youth #youngpeople #PeopleofPalestine #HumansofPalestine #peace
Five Palestinian boys aged between eight and ten were playing together in the early evening, when Israeli soldiers and the settlement security chief arrived near the playground. No one knows why, but live ammunition was fired and three of the boys were arrested and taken up to the settlement. Hearing gunfire, the villagers raced to the scene and were able to get the arrested boys released... The other two had run into the hills and were nowhere to be found - one returned home late that night and the other was found the next day after an extensive search, trembling and hiding in a cave.
In this #EyewitnessBlog, EA Phillipa tells the story of #Palestinian #children living close to #Israeli #Settlements. #Playing is #Resisting
#Palestine #Israel #EAPPI #Accompaniment #WestBank #Nablus #pictureoftheday #PeopleofPalestine #HumansofPalestine #children #childrenofPalestine #humanrights
