My Palestine

Some more Ramallah and work in the Jordan Valley with PMRS

Traditional Palestinian dinner with Faten and her family: Mussachen, Mutabbal, Fattoush, Oozie - zzzeki!!

Oasis in the desert...? Or more likely illegal Israeli settlement next to a destroyed Palestinian Bedouin village in Jordan Valley

Remnants of Khirbit Makhou. The village has been destroyed for the third time by the Israeli Army on September 20t. Most of the structures were tents installed by the Red Cross after the families lost their homes during the last attack. The Israeli government doesn't recognise this village and stated the area as a closed military zone. The same is happening right now with 40'000 Bedouins in the Negev under the so-called "Prawer Plan"  http://972mag.com/report-40000-bedouin-will-be-evicted-from-homes-under-prawer-plan/83238/

Taybeh Oktoberfest in the Mövenpick Hotel in Ramallah. Quote of the host: "The Palestinians suffer from so many problems and there is people dying every week. Can you imagine there is a country without any problems and still people decide to suicide? - Switzerland"

Resistance against discrimination exists in every way in Ramallah

Although most Palestinians are not able to ever go to Tel Aviv, where a lot of their families still own land, they can see it on the horizon if enjoying the view from the rooftop

Kalandia Checkpoint - Where hundreds of Palestinians have to take every day the humilation of being treated as terrorists and wait for a long time behind bars. This is the crossing from Ramallah to Jerusalem (only 15 km distance) but with the wall and the checkpoint it usually took me more than an hour to get to my work in Jerusalem. Most of the Palestinians don't even have the permission to cross.

My goodbye breakfast lovely Taka made for me when I left Palestine

Hiking through Palestine

Beautiful hike with Taka from Beit Jala to Battir

Resistance shrine in Sebastiya

Hiking on your own? Are you crazy?? Go, get yourself a husband!

Yes, exactly that's why I am hiking alone!

Desert of Jordan Valley

Hike on Wadi Qelt to the St. George's Monastery

Hike to St. George's Monastery

Olive Harvest at Dr. Faten's place in Beit Rema

Olive Harvest in Beit Rema, with some help from Faten's family...

...I managed to ride the donkey!

At work with family Faten (they have been working since 5 am when we arrived and helped them for about 1 hour ;) )

Fresh olives

After the Olive harvest we enjoyed a nice barbecue under the trees and then were invited to Faten's home

Tour with Breaking the Silence (Israeli organisation of soldiers that tell about their experience) to the South Hebron Hills

Breaking the Silence-Tour in Susya. "Not for Demolition" it says on the tent. The Palestinian population of Susya used to be cave-dwellers but after all their structures have been destroyed five times by the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) and settlers, most of the population was violently forced to move to the nearby city. Due to the destruction of their cisterns and basic infrastructure, the Palestinians suffer under deficiency of water and power. Medico runs a project with Comet me to build solar panels and wind turbines.

This is the main actor of the movie "Susya" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pha0K9QmJg

Remnants from the caves. The Susyans use them now as food storage. Other structures such as cisterns for collecting rain water have been destroyed and poisoned by settlers and the IDF to force the Palestinians to move away and make it possible for settlers to build their houses here.

Trip to Akka and Haifa

Akka

Haifa - Bahai Gardens

Haifa - Bahai Gardens 

Haifa

This is the old part of Haifa, where new fancy building try to overtop the remnants of the former arabic inhabitants.

Our travel - group: Palestinians, Americans, Swedish, Scottish, Swiss

Maybe some ancestors of mine? Found on a fleemarket in Haifa

Jenin

They LOVE Yasser Arafat and Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein always supported the Palestinians for example through big financial support. His last words before he got hanged: "Palestine is Arab"

Usual picture: Tons of trash next to beautiful buildings

Where Ismail Khatib's son got shot, shown in the movie "The heart of Jenin"

Palestinian cities

Tipical Palestinian city around Ramallah

An Israeli settlement? No, this is Rawabi - the first Palestinian planned city. Although it's built in Area A (controlled by the Palestinian Authority), the access road leads through Area C (under Israeli control). Until Ban Ki-moon and Obama were begging the Israeli government for permission it wasn't sure if the Palestinian inhabitants are even able to reach Rawabi and it still isn't cause the permission is limited.

Nablus is full of beautiful old alleys and pictures of martyrs

Getting some K'nafeh - the best Palestinian sweet comes originally from Nablus

Bernie and me at the wall in Qalqiliya - the wall is almost building a circle around this Palestinian city in the Westbank. That's why nowadays Qalqiliya shrank from a important place of trade to a small and rather poor city.

German wall? In Qalqiliya

Tel Aviv with Boerni

Interesting war pictures in a cafe in Tel Aviv

Jews practicing their religion in Tel Aviv

The Last Supper with Marx in Tel Aviv

Boerni and me are having a nice swim in Tel Aviv - Mediterrean Sea

Oh Jerusalem

Jews praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem on the other side there is the...

... Temple Mount (Al Haram Ash-Sharif), holy place to all three world religions with the shiny Dome of Rock...

... where Mohammed is said to ascent into heaven and Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaak

... Al-Aqsa-Mosque - the 3rd most holy place for the Muslims. Most of my friends from Palestine aren't able to go there though

Church of the Holy Sepulchure (Grabeskirche) - Where Jesus got crucified

Mom and me in front of the Dome of Rock (Felsendom)

Pilgrims at the Church of the Holy Sepulchure

Jerusalem - the old town as a hot spot between Jewish settlers and the Arab population is being watched by Israeli soldiers

The Old City of Jerusalem - View from the Mount of Olives

Church of Mary Magdalene

Church of the Mary Magdalene - one of my favourites in Jerusalem

Old City of Jerusalem

Jewish settlers are having a tour in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Old City belongs originally to the Palestinians but nowadays is occupied by Israel. Five minutes later the Muezzin started the prayer and the settlers got down of their platform as fast as possible

Trip to Hebron with Mom

Hebron - Traditional glassblowing

Left: Mosque, Right: House of the Imam - the Israelis built a wall so it's not possible anymore for the Muezzin to enter the Mosque that is some footsteps away from his home. He has to walk around the city and go through the checkpoint.

Preparation in the mosque in Hebron: Some Israeli soldiers are entering the mosque and refuse to take their shoes off (which is compulsive for everyone). So the Palestinians have to put some extra carpets

As the Israelis enter the mosque the situation seems to escalate: An old woman tells them to take their shoes off and show respect for their holy place. The soldiers push her away and step on the normal carpets, but everyone in the mosque is scared to raise against the soldiers. The woman shouts: " Today you have the power but another day you will pay for it."

The Palestinians had to built fences above the city of Hebron cause the settlers who are living above throw bottles and trash on them.

Yes, they eat camels in Hebron -gross

Demonstration in Bil'in

An other way to use the tear gras grenades of the Israeli army

Protests in Bil'in (in the background you can see the settlements)

Israeli army is showing up and throwing tear gas and rubber bullets

Usually there is a lot of press, and they are prepared

My work with PMRS in Nabi Samwil

This is a city around 15 minutes away by car from Jerusalem. To get access you have to take the street through the settlement cause Nabi Samwil is basically a small remaining Palestinian village within a settlement. The Palestinians are not aloud to use this street they have to take the other street and go through the Checkpoints to Ramallah for doing their shopping for example. Although they're on the other side of the wall ("Israel's side") they are not aloud to enter Jerusalem or Israel. Right now Israel wants to erase the village and build a parc instead at this place. It was a very sad visit for me and when I came back to Jerusalem in the afternoon I couldn't believe that people are living under such conditions only 15 minutes away, where at the same time people are drinking coffees in the nice restaurants and enjoying their freedom.

From every corner of Nabi Samwil you can "enjoy" the view to the sorrounding settlements

Our clinic in Nabi Samwil

Power line on the ground of Nabi Samwil - but only to use for the settlement next door

Staff and citizens of Nabi Samwil