Olive trees are an essential part of the Palestinians life. Not only are these trees passed down through many generations and used for personal needs, but they are also among the few little exports to the entire world. Since years, we see settlers destroying Palestinian olive trees, and also Israeli armed forces destroying trees to build roads and settlements.
One part of the wall separates the Palestinian population from the settlers' areas.
Al-Saa'a Square in the center of Ramallah.
Behind this gate was once the Palestinian school named Osama Nen Monqaz (left building). Over time, Israeli soldiers established military posts, and in 1980, settlers occupied the school and the surrounding area. According to statements by the Palestinians, the school is now an "Institute for Zionist extremists". To this day, Palestinians are forbidden from entering this area.
"I turned 21 years old, and as a Palestinian, I don't have the privilege of easy travel. To travel, I must go through an application process and pay the necessary fees. Once, I applied for permission to travel, but it was not approved. As a result, I couldn't visit Haifa or even have the opportunity to see the sea. The first time I ever saw the sea in my entire life was when I was in Spain. When I stood by the sea, I took a deep breath and tears started streaming down my face. A friend of mine noticed and asked me, "Why are you crying?" I replied, "This is my first time at the beach." I want to say, come to my homeland, live here for a while, and use your mind. If you don’t believe anyone then go back to history."
"Life in Jalazone Camp is like living under constant fear. Israeli soldiers often invade the camp in the middle of the night, sometimes around 3 am, and it is not uncommon to find them inside your own home. They stormed our house, waking us up with guns pointed at our faces. That‘s how they wake us up! They have the power to take someone with them without any justification. They took our brother from our home when he was just 15 years old, and he ended up being imprisoned for two months.
The matter is political, not social, the Israeli Occupation doesn’t want us as Palestinians to stand on a land. They say "A dead Palestinian is better than a living Palestinian". I once heard a story about my neighbor, where soldiers came to her house while she was alone with her husband. The Soldiers broke down the door and went inside the house while the woman was naked and they pointed the gun at her face. The soldiers didn‘t even allow her to put on any clothes."
A shop in the Old City of Hebron that sells various products as well as toy weapons.
"The Israel Defense Forces don't want me to be here or have a shop. They constantly tell me, "Close your shop, shut it down, and leave!" Every Saturday, settlers come to the Old City and scream at me to close my shop. They have even vandalized some of the products in my store. Additionally, the soldiers always cause problems whenever they see my camera. Whenever they approach, I film the situation to have evidence in case anything happens. However, they have destroyed my camera."
Jewish viewpoint overlooking the Judean Desert all the way to Jericho and the Dead Sea.
"Personally, I can agree to live as neighbors with Jewish people, but I will never accept living under Occupation forever. At the very least, leave us alone and allow us to live our lives freely, without the Occupation. It is more than enough for me. Where do our problems come from? They come from Europe, America, England, and various other places. Why do they continue to support the Israeli cause and they can't support our cause or even Palestinian youth? Ignore all these kinds of people, who do something like this to the Palestinian people. You will believe more once you come here."
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there are over 100 checkpoints in Hebron, this is one of these checkpoints.
"The families of the Palestinians are struggling a lot because of the Occupation. For example, I had to pay 4000 shekels for my daughter to get her out of jail after 9 months. For my other son, I had to pay 1500 shekels, and for the other son (the one with the broken leg) 2000 shekels. My Husband was really busy trying to get him out of prison and also my daughter. My husband was worried about her because they told us what they did with my daughter as they told us that they beat her and also that they killed her.
There is more than one country that provides medicine to Palestine, but the occupiers keep it for themselves, they don‘t give it to us, they give it to the Israelis. Also, the situation in the hospitals is really bad because they don’t have enough beds for patients, and my son has to stay at the hospital, but it’s not possible right now. I am afraid for my son because I can’t buy medicine for him."
The Father smokes a cigarette after visiting his son at the Hospital in Ramallah who was hit by a military vehicle from the Israeli Military.
Old pictures in a house of an 81-year-old man in a refugee camp near Hebron.
Every weekend, a demonstration takes place in Sheikh Jarrah to protest against house demolitions and the occupation. This often leads to confrontations between Palestinian demonstrators and settlers.
Raise Up, My People!
Rise up, my people, rise up! Kindle an inextinguishable fury and throw their occupation with meteors and beat your enemy with fire. Let freedom win.
Rise up, my people, rise up! In Jerusalem and Nazareth, and in Nablus and Hebron, kindle the revolution in Galilee, with every inch, make the occupier die and burn.
Rise up, my people, rise up! And raise the flag on the banners, on every block and every street, shout in the name of Palestine, turn your blood into a lamp of freedom we defend.
Rise up, my people, rise up! Tear apart all humiliating treaties. Make your blood a light of freedom, engrave your name on the eternal list. We are a free people that will not die.
Rise up, my people, rise up! Make the blind world see, and make the revolution as fire upon the oppressor, Make the thrones shiver from them, and from the children of Palestine, you are astonished.
Rise up, my people, rise up! And make the sky tremble your revolution, and strike down every spy of the homeland, and choose a place of glory among the nations, and science embracing the sun.
Rise up, my people, rise up! Minarets of victory were erected in them, so that he embraces the holy glory, until doves fly in peace, cry out that victory is coming one day, victory is a day to come.
By: Badee Dwaik
اِنْتَفَضَ يَا شَعْبِي إِنْتفض
وَأَشْعَلَ غَضَبٌ لَا يَنْضُبُ
وإِرْمِي إحتلالهم بِالشُّهُبِ
وَأَضْرَبَ عَدُوُّكَ بِالنَّارِ
وَدَعَ الْحُرِّيَّةُ تَنْتَصِرُ
وَأَشْعَلَ غَضَبٌ لَا يَنْضُبُ
وإِرْمِي إحتلالهم بِالشُّهُبِ
وَأَضْرَبَ عَدُوُّكَ بِالنَّارِ
وَدَعَ الْحُرِّيَّةُ تَنْتَصِرُ
إِنْتفض يَا شَعْبِي إِنْتفض
فِي الْقُدْسِ، وَالنَّاصِرَةَ
وَفِي نَابُلُسٍ، وَالْخَلِيلَ
وَأَشْعَلَ الثَّوْرَةُ فِي الْجَلِيلِ
فِي كُلِّ شِبْرٍ أَجُعَلَ الْمُحْتَلِّ
يَمُوتُ وَيَحْتَرِقُ
فِي الْقُدْسِ، وَالنَّاصِرَةَ
وَفِي نَابُلُسٍ، وَالْخَلِيلَ
وَأَشْعَلَ الثَّوْرَةُ فِي الْجَلِيلِ
فِي كُلِّ شِبْرٍ أَجُعَلَ الْمُحْتَلِّ
يَمُوتُ وَيَحْتَرِقُ
أَنْتَفِضُ يَا شَعْبِي إِنْتفض
وإِجْعل الْعلْمَ عَلَى البيارق
فِي كُلِّ حَارَةٍ وَكُلِّ شَارِعٍ
إِهْتف بإِسْم فِلَسْطِينٌ
وَبِدَمِ الْكَرَامَةِ نُدَافِعُ
وإِجْعل الْعلْمَ عَلَى البيارق
فِي كُلِّ حَارَةٍ وَكُلِّ شَارِعٍ
إِهْتف بإِسْم فِلَسْطِينٌ
وَبِدَمِ الْكَرَامَةِ نُدَافِعُ
إِنْتفض يَا شَعْبِي إِنْتفض
وَمَزَّقَ كُلُّ الْمُعَاهَدَاتِ الْمَذَلَّةَ
وإِجْعل مِنْ دَمِكَ سِرَاجٌ لِلْحُرِّيَّةِ
وَاِحْفَرْ إِسْمك فِي قَائِمَةُ الْخُلُودِ
نَحْنُ شَعْبُ حُرٍّ لَا يَمُوتُ
وَمَزَّقَ كُلُّ الْمُعَاهَدَاتِ الْمَذَلَّةَ
وإِجْعل مِنْ دَمِكَ سِرَاجٌ لِلْحُرِّيَّةِ
وَاِحْفَرْ إِسْمك فِي قَائِمَةُ الْخُلُودِ
نَحْنُ شَعْبُ حُرٍّ لَا يَمُوتُ
إِنْتفض يَا شَعْبِي إِنْتفض
وَأَجْعَلُ الْعَالَمَ الْأعْمَى يُبْصِرُ
وإِجْعل الثَّوْرَةَ نَارٌ عَلَى الظَّالِمِ
وإِجْعل الْعُرُوشَ مِنْهَا تَرْتَعِشُ
وَمِنْ أَطْفَالِ فِلَسْطِينِ تَنْدَهِشُ
وَأَجْعَلُ الْعَالَمَ الْأعْمَى يُبْصِرُ
وإِجْعل الثَّوْرَةَ نَارٌ عَلَى الظَّالِمِ
وإِجْعل الْعُرُوشَ مِنْهَا تَرْتَعِشُ
وَمِنْ أَطْفَالِ فِلَسْطِينِ تَنْدَهِشُ
إِنْتفض يَا شَعْبِي إِنْتفض
وَ إِجْعل السَّمَاءَ ثَوْرَتَكَ تَرْتَعِدُ
وإِضْرب كُلَّ جَاسُوي لِلَوَّطْنَ
وَ إِخْتر مَكَانَ الْمَجْدِ بَيْنَ الْأُمَمِ
وَعِلْمٌ يُعَانِقُ الشَّمْسُ
وَ إِجْعل السَّمَاءَ ثَوْرَتَكَ تَرْتَعِدُ
وإِضْرب كُلَّ جَاسُوي لِلَوَّطْنَ
وَ إِخْتر مَكَانَ الْمَجْدِ بَيْنَ الْأُمَمِ
وَعِلْمٌ يُعَانِقُ الشَّمْسُ
إِنْتفض يَا شَعْبِي إِنْتفض
وَ شِيدُ مَنَارَاتِ النَّصْرِ فِيهَا
حَتَّى يُعَانِقُ الْمَجْدُ الْقُدْسِ
حَتَّى يَطِيرُ الْحَمَامُ بِسُلَّامٍ
نَاشِدًا إِنَّ النَّصْرَ يَوْمًا آتٍ
إِنَّ النَّصْرَ يَوْمًا آتٍ
وَ شِيدُ مَنَارَاتِ النَّصْرِ فِيهَا
حَتَّى يُعَانِقُ الْمَجْدُ الْقُدْسِ
حَتَّى يَطِيرُ الْحَمَامُ بِسُلَّامٍ
نَاشِدًا إِنَّ النَّصْرَ يَوْمًا آتٍ
إِنَّ النَّصْرَ يَوْمًا آتٍ
بِقَلَمٍ: بديع الدويك
Az-Oolay Yehiye Yoter Tov, an Israeli from Jerusalem. In Israel, everyone has to do military service. So, she also had to do it. During that time, she didn't want to use a gun, but there was a time when she had to do a shooting test. That was the last time she ever held a weapon. After that, she went to the USA and studied theater. In the USA, she had a diffrent perspective on her country and the conflict, which helped her understand things better. She returned as a police clown and joins protests and house demolitions. She carries stickers shaped like hearts and tries to use humor to make difficult situations less serious. She also talks to police officers, soldiers, and nationalists. Sometimes, people are nice to her, but other times, they react aggressively towards Az-Oolay.
Her stage name means: Then maybe things will be better.
Her stage name means: Then maybe things will be better.
Youth from the Jalazone Camp play on the streets and ride electric scooters around their camp.