News

Back to occupation, back to "normal"

Islah Jad Ramallah, Palestine 24 June 2002

It’s been awhile since I’ve written; I have needed some time to digest our new situation, one dominated by the presence of the Israeli army. Their presence has never been easy to accept, but what is harder to accept now is that we are back to “normal,” and this, apparently for us, means being in the continuous presence of an occupying army. 

A sense of normalcy

Susan Brannon East Jerusalem, Palestine 25 June 2002

Israel’s reoccupation, the lack of movement and being locked up inside of your own home without the knowledge of knowing how long has become normal. This is the sad thing. 

Nablus: what it really means

Arjan El Fassed Rotterdam, the Netherlands 24 June 2002

I left Palestine on Thursday night. Security at Ben Gurion Airport was tight. As always, thanks to my Arab sounding name, I got a special treatment. ‘Excuses for any inconvenience’, says the security officer at the airport, ‘it’s for your own security’. 

Don't cheat

Arjan El Fassed Ram, Palestine 17 June 2002

Today, Palestinian students are nervous. It is the start of the final exams for highschool or ‘tawjihi’ as it is called in Arabic. They have been studying all week and they hope they’ll manage.