Being a foreigner in Palestine..
Being a foreigner in Palestine is difficult. Day in, day out, you hear people’s stories. Horrible stories about soldiers and checkpoints, about walls and prisons. Being directly confronted with a life under occupation is hard.
Growing up in a western European society in the 1980’s and 90’s, one only hears about occupation from his grandparents, when they tell their stories about the war. It were stories from a time long ago, and all in all they seemed pretty far away, as if this kind of things could actually really exist…
This year, Israel ‘celebrates’ its 60th birthday and the Palestinian people commemorate the 60th anniversary of Al Naqba, the catastrophe. More then 40 years ago, the Israeli army started to occupy the territories behind the Green Line. Shortly after, the occupation lost its purely military character and became also a civilian occupation. By building illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel ensured a Jewish presence on this land, outside of the internationally recognised ‘borders’.
In Palestine, it’s not about stories, it’s daily reality. Checkpoints, walls, settlements, soldiers, prisons, incursions, violence, land and water theft, refugees…it’s all real.
There are millions of Palestinians who are living in refugee camps, scattered across the Middle East, or who are refugee in other countries all over the world. Another part of the Palestinian population lives under direct Israeli occupation in the West bank or the Gaza strip. And finally there are the Palestinians living inside Israel (Palestine ’48) or who have the ‘permanent resident’ status in East Jerusalem.
All of these people are Palestinian, but none of them live in a Palestinian state. Generations of people are detached from their homeland, all of them hope to be able to return there, one day.
Sometimes I wonder, how is it possible that the Palestinian people are still so full of life and so hopeful? Strolling down the colourful streets of Ramallah, the crowded old city of Nablus or the peaceful villages in the countryside, everywhere people are trying to make the best of it. Despite all the misery and tragedy, Palestinian people do everything to live their life to the fullest.
Being a foreigner in Palestine is beautiful. It’s wonderful to see how the Palestinians are in touch with the land, the nature, how they hold on to their families, how they really live their life. Much more then western people, Palestinians are connected to life.
Being a foreigner in Palestine is saddening, for several reasons. Not only because of what is going on, but also because you very quickly come to realize how powerless you are. No matter how idealistic one is, never will he be able to actually change the situation, to actually achieve something. .
Being a foreigner in Palestine is necessary. It’s necessary because the Palestinians want to be heard, they want the world to know what is really happening here. Despite all the NGO’s or all the international institutions that are active in Palestine, the biggest contribution a foreigner can make, is to give testimony to the world, to tell people how it really is.
The Palestinian people try to fight for what is every people’s right: their homeland and their freedom. As long as the Palestinian land is occupied, as long as its sons are in prison, as long as its economy is being strangled, as long as families are separated from each other, the Palestinians will stand up and resist.
It’s unbelievable how hopeful and strong Palestinians are. For decades they are resisting, for decades they are fighting, for decades they are losing. But still they are hoping.
We need to keep believing that change is possible. One day the wall will fall and the occupation will come to an end. And until that day, we have to keep our hopes high, and stand strong for the rights and the freedom of Palestine.
Written By: Martijn |