The November Visit- Part 5 (The Wall)

Abu Dis- Continued

After the prisoner museum, you get a feeling of a larger prison for the Palestinian people, one also ever present and foreboding in everyday life. I am of course referring to the separation wall within the West Bank. The part of the wall that we saw was situated right next to the Al-Quds University. One account from a Palestinian friend spoke of the arduous journey just to attend classes, and the effort and determination needed just to get an education, a liberty many take for granted in our home countries. Unfortunately for the other students there, they are also subjected to harassment, violence and detention from the Israeli side of the wall. Abu Dis is an area with a lot of Israeli military camps. It is common for students to be arrested during exam time, and every week, it has become routine to have accommodation raided by Israeli soldiers, seemingly hoping to disrupt and intimidate by any means possible. From a student's perspective, this is awful, and one can only admire the courage and positive attitude of students in Palestine, in the face of what appears to be an attempt to stop them succeeding in life. As the majority of Palestine's population is now under 30, keeping this spirit is a necessity. The stakes are high though, as within our time there, we were told of an incident where 39 students were allegedly shot and injured by IDF soldiers within university grounds.

The Wall Winds It's Way Into All Aspects of Life: Abu Dis, Palestine.
(Photo Courtesy of Emerson Photography)

The sphere of influence in causing harm the wall has is not just limited to education. The infrastructural issues the wall has caused, and the ongoing land grab by the Israeli government, has created innumerable problems. Over capacity schools, families split apart, death from electric fences and forced migration are just the tip of the iceberg. It is a logical question to ask why build it then? Especially when every secure kilometre costs £5m. The answer of course is related to Israeli security, but also seems to be that the Israeli government wishes to keep the cycle of division and hatred going, as when the security issue dies, so does the justification for getting Palestinians to leave their homes.

Reminiscent of Berlin. Abu Dis, Palestine.
(Photo Courtesy of Emerson Photography)

What I found in Palestine, was that the majority wish to live in peace. Away from war, away from harassment, building a happy life for themselves and their loved ones. Politics should be sidelined for now, until the basic maintenance of human rights is upheld. Until our governments take action on this, I fear that the problems will only continue and worsen.

Will the Era of Walls Continue? Abu Dis, Palestine.
(Photo Courtesy of Flora Murphy)