● Occupied Palestinian Vacation seekers flocking to Tel Aviv for the beaches, nightlife and tastes of Arab cuisine are dissuaded from venturing through the gates that separate Occupied Palestine from the rest of Israel. No need to go further than Old Jaffa. Out of sight, out of mind.
However, as one crosses the threshold, a transformation occurs. Abundance wanes, movement becomes constrained, and the sounds and voices reshape into another world. Calls to prayer echo through the more visibly dusty streets, the presence of NGOs trickle throughout the crowds of people who make their way from work to home — and red signs dot the landscape. Beware. Do not enter here. It's jarring.
But of course, there are stories here. People's lives are being experienced and explored all within the constraints of this Apartheid system. Personal safety is not guaranteed. Home is not guaranteed. But people live on. They try. They coexist with a military complex among them.
Haleen, 25, was released 8 days ago from a 3-year prison sentence. A Palestinian refugee he lives in the Aida camp situated 2 kilometers north of the historic center of Bethlehem. Sitting on the rooftop of his apartment building, he shares stories from his time in prison and details about his family history while looking below at the wall that separates Israel from the West Bank. "We are not terrorists," he says. "We are fighting for our rights." - April 29, 2017
Three young Palestinian children wait to be granted entry through an H2 military check-point inside Hebron's Old Quarter. - April 29, 2017
A Palestinian farmer and his wife in Al-Ras Al-Ahmar, in the Jordan Valley, share their experiences living in an area used for IDF training exercises. Their village is located nearby but they choose to live in tents to protect their herds which graze on the land. The tents and other provisions such as solar panels and water containers are supplied by NGO's working in the area. They are regularly evicted, often finding the tents and other provisions destroyed.
A hilltop view of the Palestinian city Nablus, marked by graffiti that reads, "Al-Qassam brigade is an arrow in spiteful's eyes." Al-Qassam is the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas organization. The message is directed towards both the Palestinian Authority and Israelis.
Soldiers patrolling an Israeli settlement in the Old Quarter of Hebron.
Hebron's Old Quarter has been nicknamed 'Ghost Town' after the area was declared an H2 military zone in 2015. Many shops were forced to close, but a few remain. These men watch passers-by from inside a barbershop.
