Reflections on my first visit to Palestine at the beginning of February.
Two words, the first word: resilience!
I have been so impressed with the cheerfulness, especially of young people – that Occupation colours every aspect of life is something hard to see for a few days, let alone live, with no let-up. So, if I can choose a second word it would be: admiration, because of the admiration I feel for the dignity and good humour that I have experienced.
Some days were truly beautiful, and it was possible in very special moments to forget that at any time it might be possible to be trapped by a road-block, or stopped by soldiers who might or might not arbitrarily take friends away. If you don't know about Israel's use of administrative detention you should check out this article from Amnesty (from a while back, but makes the link with the fact that Israel is using the excuse of laws established under the British mandate), and the current situation of administrative detainees in Etzmion jail.
But, I want to end positively, because my overriding impression was of a beautiful country and a beautiful people, so, a photo:
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Laughing in the rain
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