'Israel controls – everything!'
This and all the photos come from an Occupied Palestine special on West Bank checkpoints – as the defining feature of life for Palestinians. Unfortunately, there are few captions, no credits and no dates, but, apart from questions of authenticity, what they show is self-evident.
What is Palestinian life in the West Bank actually like?
Many Israel supporters will claim that Palestinians have lives with rights and privileges because of the Israeli government, while many Palestinian supporters have claims of human rights violations and less privileged lives for Palestinians because of Israeli occupation. Which views are more accurate? What is life actually like for Palestinians in the West Bank? Contributions uploaded between May 2013 and April 2015
5 Answers
Posted by Quora.com
Undated, some time after April 2015
Nedal Zahran, Born as a Palestinian. Lives as one, but doesn’t think as one. Written December 6, 2014
Nedal is a Most Viewed Writer in West Bank (Middle East).
I am a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Ramallah. I can answer based on my experience, keeping in mind that I am probably one of the more privileged crowd.
The question, is a general one. There are so many aspects of life, but I will try to address those that are relevant to what I believe is the purpose of the question.
Social Life
I live a social life that is probably as good as any European country. My wife and I live in a nice flat, we have good jobs, we go out often to pubs and restaurants with friends or alone. We have one or two vacations a year during which we almost always go to Europe.
We are not rich. But our lifestyle is not the way most Palestinians live, we have significantly higher disposable that allows us to live this life style.
As in every country, there are people who are filthy rich, and those living in extreme poverty and those at different points between the two ends of the spectrum.
You can say the we are, generally, no different from the neighbouring countries like Jordan, but much better off than Egypt due to less skewed distribution of wealth.
Future
One of the biggest problems that ALL Palestinians complain about is the lack of a clear future. Over the past 20 years, we have lived through periods of hope, violence, anticipation, concern…. We do not know what the future holds for us. Every single event that happens on the political side can flip all your plans. For example, in early 2000, people were hopeful about the peace process. People went on investing in businesses, then the Intifada came. Palestine’s GDP shrunk to a third of its 1999 levels by 2002. Then the Intifada ended, there was hope again. Hamas won the elections, and the entire world stopped supporting the PA. For two years public sector salaries were disrupted, meaning that over 25% of the employed population did not have a steady income. The Economy plunged again.
Fayyad’s Government came after the coup in Gaza. People had hopes and were anticipating. They became more cautious about investing. The economy grew a little, in 2011 the per capita GDP was 1.6% higher than it was 12 years earlier in 1999. In 2010, it was lower!
We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. We cannot plan for anything. It really is demotivating to live here because of that!
Not only that the economy is unstable, but the level of Israeli control over the economy is just ridiculous. Israel, for example, does not allow telecom operators to provide 3G services. To this day we only have 2G!
A friend of mine tried to establish a farm. for 17 months he was running back and forth trying to get approvals from the military.
You cannot do anything without receiving a slap on the face from the control Israeli’s have on Palestinians’ everyday life. Israel can, and at various occasions has, cut off electricity, fuel and water of the Palestinians in the West Bank!
Freedoms
The Palestinian Authority is not the most democratic government. It is a slow moving oligarchy that is corrupt and often oppressive of freedoms. This however, is very little to what we face from Israel.
The entire Palestinian economy is captive to the Israeli military. We are subject to Israeli military law. Israel controls what and who is allowed in or out of the country. It controls who you can marry. Everything! so, being jailed for criticising the government, is little compared to having every aspect of your life controlled by a foreign military.
To give a couple of examples. We have a house in our village which is classified as “Area C”, When we requested a waterline to be connected to the house, they could only instal the line until the end of “Area B”, the remaining 5 metres require an approval of the military commander of the area, which is almost impossible to receive on any “construction” project!
For me to visit my wife’s family in Jerusalem, I need a permit from the Israeli Military.
Summary
You can lead a good living standards in the West Bank. But you will always be living day to day, no matter how rich or poor you are. I, like almost everyone else, feel suffocated by the level of control Israel has on us and the extent to which they exercise this control, ultimately affecting every aspect of our lives.
Ygal Kaplan
Written December 6, 2014
I think you’re confusing two separate populations here. Israel supporters, as you put it, are referring to Arabs living in Israel, not to Palestinians of the west bank, when they’re talking about the rights given to them by Israel and its government. There’s a huge difference between the two, the Palestinians living in the west bank are not Israeli citizens and therefore enjoy none of the freedoms Israeli Arabs do, everyone in Israel understands the situation in the west bank is “less privileged” as you put it, they simply believe that the responsibility to that is not on Israel or not entirely on Israel.
While there are several measures in which Palestinians have benefitted from being under Israeli occupation, no one in their right mind would claim that “Palestinians have lives with rights and privileges because of the Israeli government”, at least – I never heard anyone making such a claim, not even the most right wing person in Israel.
The day to day lives (not counting rights and freedom) of people in the west bank is far better than what Palestinians living there tell the world and far worse than many Israelis admit, as long as those territories stay under Israeli control, the responsibility will remain Israeli, that is one of the main reasons the gross majority of Israelis would like nothing more than to break the ties and grant the Palestinian people its own country, contrary to what Palestinians and their supporters would tell you.
I have quite a few friends in the west bank, some are simple villagers, but I admit that most of the people I know there are above average, socio-economically speaking, but as far as I can tell, the day to day lives are quite similar to just about anywhere else, unless you need anything from the Israeli side, which is sometimes surprisingly good but a lot of times a very frustrating experience, do bear in mind that a lot of the things people need isn’t operated by the Israeli government/military, but the PA.
Bryce Bohne
Written April 19, 2015
As an American citizen my childhood was filled with narratives that depicted Israel being a poor country that desperately needed the US help to survive Palestinian harassment.
Then I went to the West Bank (multiple times) and my narrative, thanks to firsthand experience, has completely changed.
Much has already been said so I will keep it short and speak only to my observations of Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus, Balata, Jericho, Bethlehem, and a few other scattered towns.
Observation #1: Although the Palestinians suffer greatly from being held captive by Israeli military occupation, I never felt in danger or that the Palestinian people resented me as a Western tourist. So, go and do the fact checking yourself and be fooled by the media no longer. Some shop keepers gave away whatever they were selling for free, some mothers would ask you to hold their children for a picture, and generally speaking people were very helpful.
Observation #2: The military checkpoints that restrict Palestinians’ right to movement were extremely sad to observe. Waiting in line like animals, walking through turnstiles that could be stopped at any time. Several times I saw the soldier intentionally separate families by stopping the turnstile in order to add insult to injury. It was very annoying.
Observation #3: Jewish only roads in Hebron was a disgusting manifestation of racism and prejudice. The road, which use to serve as a main thoroughfare, thriving market place, and front door to many Palestinian homes, was declared off-limits to all Palestinians. This road and the trash being thrown down onto Palestinian pedestrians by Jewish settlers from higher apartments above was unthinkable. Had I not seen it for myself I would never believe such maneuvers were being made by the Israelis– to goad the Palestinians into resisting this inhumane treatment with violence. I feel terribly sorry for the approximately 200,000 Palestinians who live in Hebron, and extremely angry at the approximately 2,000 Jewish settlers who carry out daily attacks or disturbances with impunity.
Observation #4: Balata Refugee camp was appalling. I can’t describe how sad I was to see the homes bull-dozed for not having building permits (which are rarely issued the first time or ever by the Isreali government), IDF patroling and enforcing curfew on the citizens, etc, etc.
Observation #5: Every Israeli I talked to told me it’s too dangerous (or lied about the fact that transportation to and from existed) to go to Jericho and Bethlehem. It takes a while to get through checkpoints… but these places are totally worth visiting.
Bottom line is that the Palestinians have a rough life living in the West Bank, but I think they are dealing with the situation much better than the average person would be dealing with it if they were forced to walk in Palestinian sandals for the day.
Ofra Kleinberger
Written December 24, 2014
I believe there is a log of ignorance on both sides as to the true state of real day to day life. both in Israel and the PA. Extremists and propaganda are dominating the media with information according to their agendas. this information has very little to do with the day to day life. it might be based on little true facts, but it is edited and bias, using those facts to support a political agenda.
Asking what if is also not a valid idea.
How can we tell what Palestinians in PA would live like if they were under Jordanian control for example, instead of under Israeli control? Do we know if this situation would be better? We do not even know if the situation in the Pa would be better if it were to be ruled independently. North Korea is also an independent country…
I am an Israeli and I must admit I do not really know what the day to day life in PA is like. I do not have contact to people living there. But I also believe that people in the west bank and Gaza have no idea what is going on in Israel on a day to day basis, and what problems we have here.
As a student, I met Arabs abroad, and we always found how little we really know about each other. I think this ignorance is a big shame and one of the reasons extremists are so successful in promoting their ideas the middle east.
I can only hope that eventually the day to day life will win. people who concentrate on promoting their level of life style do not concentrate on extreme propaganda. Rather than destroy, they try to build. the true hope for this region is if people will build things together for the overall improvement of the region.
Anonymous (Israeli Jewish)
Written February 27, 2015
I’d expect at least one answer that describes a day in life in the West Bank from the school student’s Point of View – what they learn about Israel and Jews in the school, what their TV programmes show them about Israel and Jews, what’s their social media attitude towards Israel and Jews. Such answer would be just an endless trail of incitement, antisemitism and hatred.
While many groups evolved in Israel, calling for withdrawal from the West Bank and peaceful coexistence, no such voices were heard in Palestinian society, and probably for a very good reason – incitement rules the narrative, freedom of speech is a utopia. PA government can’t afford to admit its ineptitude, or Hamas will take over, so the easiest factor around to blame is Israel.
Not that Israel is free of mistakes, it now became the captive of Palestinians, who denounce their own statehood, and force Israel to continue the occupation, apparently to avoid Hamas coming to power. Under these circumstances, the major part of responsibility for Palestinian situation is on Palestinian leadership and people.
Quora ia a Q&A website. If you go to the original, you will find each written contribution has been uploaded by a member and is followed by many questions.
The West Bank Wall: What Life Is Like For Palestinians And Israelis Divided By The Barrier
By Gabriele Barbati, IB Times
May 18, 2013
JERUSALEM — From Al-Walajah, a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank, Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium, one of the venues for the European Under-21 Football Cup in June, is only a few hundred meters away. But this village on a hill couldn’t be further from the city and the international audiences watching games broadcast from so close. Soon, it will be enclosed by the separation barrier Israel is building to isolate itself from Palestinians. The combination of concrete walls, wire fences and checkpoints, begun in 2002, is being constructed in stages. Its purpose: to protect Israel from terrorist attacks. The Israeli government says it’s a fundamental part of the state’s security. Palestinians say it disrupts their lives. And on the ground, the evidence of broken lives is everywhere.
A new paved road flanked by barbed wire winds through the hills of Al-Walajah, marking the route of the future fence. Built three years ago, the road is for construction workers and vehicles, not villagers. But for the past two months, no one has been seen at work.
“They will come back,” Atta Al-Arja, one of the 2,500 inhabitants of Al-Walajah, said while sipping coffee in his house.
His three-bedroom home, and his personal history, perfectly exemplify the separation between Israelis and Palestinians, and the suffering it still brings. The house lies in the half of the village included in the Jerusalem municipal boundaries after the 1967 war. The remaining part of Al-Walajah is classified mostly as “area C,” under Israel’s jurisdiction based on the 1995 Oslo Agreements.
“Jews will take this hill, as they did with the one in front during the 1948 war. Not only were the villagers stripped of their lands and forced to resettle here, but in 1999 Israeli authorities sent them official warnings against any new construction without a permit. Now, you well know that a permit is almost always denied for ‘security’ reasons,” Al-Arja said as he sat on his patio overlooking the valley.
“So later, demolition orders were issued for around 60 houses of the village, including mine. Half of them have been demolished,” he added.
Fighting The Wall
A thin, stubborn man in his late 40s, the father of four banded together with dozens of families and an Israeli lawyer to seek justice in the Israeli courts. While recounting his story, he spread out the mass of legal papers and maps he has collected over the years.
“We managed to win many cases, included in 2006 the rerouting of a section of the wall some kilometers north. But those have been only small breaks before being hit again, they will not stop the construction.”
During the years of litigation, Al-Arja’s permit allowing him to work in Israel was revoked several times (Palestinians with Israeli-issued IDs from the West Bank are not allowed to enter Jerusalem without special permits). This eventually cost him his job as a handyman in a religious institution in Jerusalem.
Without a stable income, Al-Arja has barely managed to pay the monthly installments on a fine (18,500 shekels, or $5,200) he received in 2005 for building without a permit. His house remains subject to a demolition order.
Other residents of Al-Walajah face even greater difficulties. The new road marking the route of the future barrier cuts off a farmer, Abu Nidal, from his land. In response to his complaints, Israeli authorities cut an opening through the foundations of the road to give him access to his fields — not to farm, but so that he and his family can visit their ancestors’ graves.
Omar Hajajlah and his family will have their house completely encircled by the security barrier, leaving only a few square meters of space around their property. Their only connection to the village will be a new tunnel built by the Israeli authorities. The tunnel will run below a paved road leading to an entrance to Har Gilo, an Israeli settlement of about 500 people established in 1972. Palestinians are forbidden from using this paved road and others like it that connect settlements throughout the West Bank.
The other way out of Al-Walajah is a road to the neighboring Cremisan Valley, but that was closed last week with a gate and two concrete blocks.
“The route of the barrier around Hajajlah’s house and the entire village of Al-Walajah does not seem to respond to a security need but to a policy of land confiscation carried out by the Israeli government,” said Aaron Garcia, a volunteer for Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, or EAPPI, a religious organization advocating for peace.
The Israeli government disagrees. The barrier is a security need, it maintains, backing up that claim with numbers. “In 2002 during the height of the Intifada, there were 13 mass suicide bombings in Jerusalem, and since then there have been a mass shooting with eight casualties at a religious seminary in 2008 and scores of attempted bombings and attacks thwarted in the last two years,” wrote Josh Hantman, a spokesman for Israel’s Defense Ministry, in response to an interview request.
“So far, the security fence has helped to reduce the number of attacks and fatalities,” he added. “However, there are still natural entries, through which tens of illegal infiltrators are intercepted every day. It is for this reason that the final parts of the Jerusalem envelope must be completed.”
There are only two areas around Jerusalem where the barrier is still unfinished. One is a few kilometres to the east of the city. The other is south of Jerusalem and includes Al-Walajah, the Cremisan Valley to the east of the village, and the town of Battir to the west.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a 1.4-kilometre (0.8-mile) concrete wall planned as a section of an 8-kilometre (5-mile) barrier here has already been built.
Nuns, Monks And Wine
Like their neighbors to the west, residents of the Cremisan Valley are familiar with the barrier. Among them is a convent of Salesian Sisters that was established in 1960. The nuns sought to have the route of the barrier amended so that their property would remain on the Palestinian side, thereby allowing the Christian community of Beit Jala continued access to the church and the primary school run by the sisters.
The nuns’ request was granted by the Israeli Special Appeals Committee for Land Seizure; however, the amended route will separate the nuns from a nearby monastery of Salesian monks. The monastery and its renowned vineyards will be on the Israeli side of the barrier, and the only connection to the convent will be through an agricultural gate.
Israeli authorities may approve another agricultural gate in Batir, a Palestinian town of 5,000 famous for its irrigation system, which dates back to the Canaanite and Roman period and is still in use. The gate would allow villagers to access 740 acres (300 hectares) of their farming lands that will lie on the Israeli side of the fence after it is built.
Batir has not been associated with any major security-related incident for more than 60 years. Yet Israel’s Defence Ministry has confirmed plans to build a fence there, claiming it is necessary to protect tracks used by trains running between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Earlier this month, following petitions submitted by local residents, an NGO and the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority, the Israeli High Court halted the construction of the barrier and ordered the Defense Ministry to examine alternative routes.
But the gates might not be a solution, after all.
Drawing from the experience of other villages in the West Bank, Ray Dolphin, a barrier specialist with OCHA in Jerusalem, said, “Agricultural gates in the barrier just don’t work. Last December, at the end of the harvest season, only 21 of 73 gates along the fence remained open, and out of these only 11 [were open] on a daily basis. That does not fit the needs of the farmers and freedom of movement. In addition to that, in order go through the gates, one needs a permit and prior coordination, which are not easily granted.”
A military or legal order may change the route of the fence at any time. The original route in the southern outskirts of Jerusalem was originally planned to be several circles isolating Al-Walajah, Batir and other two nearby villages.
In addition to the fence, the other flashpoint between Israelis and Palestinians — the building of Israeli settlements — remains.
Last week, tensions rose in response to the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s announcement of a plan to build almost 300 housing units in the settlement of Beit El, close to the Palestinian town of Ramallah, in the northern West Bank.
That announcement came just ahead of the fourth visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories this year by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been trying since taking office in January to revive peace talks stalled since 2010.
The U.S. State Department warned Israel that the decision to build is hindering the peace process. Confronted by the complicated facts on the ground, Kerry may well find himself next week faced with what looks like an impossible mission.