Children of the Alley: Photography by Suchitra Vijayan

“Being Palestinian, political opinion is forced upon me” certain Palestinian friend told me during one of our conversations. Then it was a political conversation, being in West bank it takes a very different connotation.

Children who were friends with the 10 year old 10 year Ahmed Ussam Yusef Mousa, were a part of the funeral procession that took place yesterday. Emotions have been running high in the village since the funeral.

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At the funeral procession in Nil’in

A 10 year old boy called Ahmed Ussam Yusef Mousa was shot dead at approximately 6pm near the Palestinian village of Nil’in. He was shot once in the head at close range with live ammunition. According to eye witnesses a group of youths attempted to remove coils of razor wire from land belonging to the village. Without warning, they were fired upon and Ahmed was killed.

Ahmed was taken from the hospital in Ramallah to Nil’in today. His body was carried in a procession and climate in Nil’in is tense.

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Evicted from their original houses in Susya , they now live in make shifts tents near the land that once belonged to them.
This area is inhabited by a small Palestinian population of approximately 2,000 pastoral herders and farmers living in caves carved out of the mountainside. Their way of life is unique in Palestine, perhaps in the Middle East. They have survived by farming the rocky hillsides and tending their flocks for at least 170 years. Anthropologists have studied these cave-dwellers and a published monograph exists describing their culture. We feel that as scholars and humanists we have an obligation to do whatever we can to protect them from extinction. Hence this personal appeal to you as a member of the international scholarly community.

Today, the homes, fields, and way of life of the south Hebron cave-dwellers are under existential threat. Israeli settlers have established a string of settlements and illegal outposts in this area and seek to annex the land in the immediately foreseeable future. The Jewish settlers of Susya, Maon, Yatir, and other places in the Hebron hills are among the most militant and violent in the occupied territories, and they have turned the lives of the Palestinian cave-dwellers into a nightmare.

With support from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Civil Administration, the settlers have systematically destroyed nearly 80% of the Palestinian’s cave-homes, in some cases going so far as to poison their wells. In most cases, even simple agricultural work, such as sowing the fields or harvesting the crops, has become impossible; settlers and soldiers terrorize the Palestinian families and chase them at gunpoint from the fields. Indeed, several of the cave-dwellers have even been shot by these militants. In most cases, the IDF and Civil Administration have turned a blind eye to these crimes.

Recently the cave-dwellers were informed that the Israeli government intends to permanently expel them from their villages and seize their lands. The threat is real, credible, and immediate.

We, a coalition of organizations in the Israeli peace movement, are trying to prevent this from happening. A legal battle in the Israeli courts has temporarily granted these people the right to remain on their land. However, there are now indications that the Israeli High Court of Justice will soon issue a decision that allows the IDF to evict the Palestinians and seize their land.

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By the check point

The Aparthied wall by the Qalandiya Checkpoint in Ramallah .

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Wailing Wall (Arabic: il-Mabka‎), in connection with Jewish practice of coming to the site to mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple.

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I went to the Dome of the Rock and took a touristy picture. Walked around with a sulk !!!

NO DONUTS or Pictures today

Since early 1997, following the Hebron Agreement, the city has been divided into two sectors: H1 and H2. The H1 sector, home to around 120,000 Palestinians, came under the control of the Palestinian Authority, in accordance with Hebron Protocol. H2, which was inhabited by around 30,000 Palestinians,remained under Israeli military control in order to protect some 800-900 Jewish residents living in the old Jewish quarter, now an enclave near the center of the town. During the years since the outbreak of the Second Intifada, the Palestinian population in H2 has decreased greatly, the drop in large part having been identified with extended curfews and movement restrictions placed on Palestinian residents of the sector by the IDF for security needs, including the closing of Palestinian shops in certain areas. Settler harassment of their Palestinian neighbours in H2 was a reason for several dozen Palestinian families to depart the areas adjacent to the Israeli population. Source: Relief Web

On the streets of Old market road in Hebron. Israeli soldiers regularly make rounds in the H1 part of the town.

Little Palestinian girl stands on the roof of her house, with the Israli settlement in the background.

Writings on the wall (H2 section of the town, under Israeli military control)

Writing on the wall (H1 section of the town), under Palestinian Authority.

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Arroub camp was established in 1950 on 350 dunums, 15 kilometers south of Bethlehem. Located on the main Hebron-Jerusalem road, the camp is still witnessing sporadic clashes with the Israeli army. (Source: UNRWA)

Most walls in West Bank are used as a message board for political messages / martyr proclamations and pro Palestine slogans. Children grow up with a strong sense of “occupation”, often reinforced by the strong presence of the Israeli defence forces. In the image the children are photographed playing on the streets of Al-Arroub camp, with the political slogan supporting PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) and martyr faces printed on the wall.

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I guess I am not really that Lazy : My Israel Blog
http://israelimagediary.blogspot.com/

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It was quite the surprise to see this on the wall when walking along Via Dolorosa. Wallahi! I swear I dint do this myself. But a surprising welcome on my first day in Jerusalem

I saw this old man sitting outside the Imperial hotel last night when I walked through Jaffa gate. He was still there today morning. He looked like a statue that needed dusting. Built in 1880, the Imperial Hotel was the most Luxurious hotel in Jerusalem. Now I am told by my guide book that the once elegant hotel has now shifted into seediness!

Scarf shop in Muslim Qaurter in Jerusalem.

Ultra Orthodox jews pray during sun set on Sabath

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I wont be posting anything in this blog the next few weeks. I will be in Israel for three weeks travelling and when I am back I will resume my posting.

I have left my ridiculously large apartment and moved into more sensible accommodation in downtown Cairo. I am already looking forward to photographing my new neighbourhood and its residents. (There is always something to look forward to in life)

I am considering starting a new blog for Israel !!! The operative word being “considering”. Or justpost things here , if my laziness takes over. I will be available on mail and gtalk.

Masalama,

On the way back from the Eritrean restaurant in Ard el Lewa around 11, there was street festival just warming up. The neon light, music blaring and men getting ready to socialise. Chaos!

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This picture was forwarded to me by Kholoud. It is a campaign to encourage women to cover themselves.

The caption on the top read the following ” You cant stop them. But you can protect yourself. The God who made you knows what’s best for you”

Least I could say was that both me and Kholoud had a disgusted look in our face when we saw this. I personally wanted to find out who came up with this “brilliant’ campaign, so I could vanquish him (them). For the sake of women in Egypt and aesthetics. Khalas Yanni !! I am fed up with the veil debate. Give the women the choice and get on with it!!

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After living in Cairo for over 5 months I finally made it to the Pyramids of Giza. It wasn’t what I thought it would be. You expect a sense of awe and you are waiting for and it never arrives. It was not the monument , but that circus that happens around the monument that completely destroys the experience. A metro and a expensive taxi ride later we reached the side entrance to the Pyramids. July heat in Cairo was at its worst and when I stepped into the pyramid complex after getting the tickets and I wasn’t sure if I was feeling lighted headed because of the sun or the view. For now I will assume it is the view.

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