Palestine & Israel Part 5

Well... I could get really political about this now. And the whole conflict itself. But. How do I say this right? Let's put it like this: We all know how harsh it can hit you saying anything at all about Israel that is not 100 percent positive. As a german. Only remembering Jakob Augstein..the antisemit (sarcasm!) 

Okay, maybe I already said too much.

So just watch the photos.

I think they speak enough. 

HEBRON (H2)

The end of Hebron 1. In the background you can see the blocked street.
This is where you enter H2. The Israeli settlement.

The little you can see about the conflict in Tel Aviv
the much you see in Hebron

Originally printed Free Palestine. Now overpainted saying Free Israel

Bevor the settlement this was a very busy street in the center of Hebron.
Now you just feel depressed walking down this ghost street where you
only see closed arab shop doors

Get a closer look.
This is one of those closed shop doors.
You should know, they didn't close those doors by free will.
The settlers (or were it soldiers?) closed them with those iron rods
you can see on the left side. They forbade the arabs to
open their shops again.
Now most of the arabs had left H2. 

One Palestinian told me they needed the grids before their windows.
To protect them before aggressiv israeli stone thrower.  

In the middle of the Westbank.
And settlements grow and grow

Soldiers everywhere

You see that there was something written over this graffiti?
You can imagine what the message was.

But what you can probably not imagine is how it feels like to live there
or how it feels like to live everywhere in the Westbank

yeah... well..

the view from the palestinian school.
A building that reminds one more of a prison.

And I am saying

Yes, those photos are not objective.

But it's only human not to be.

And I am also saying that I got to know

a lot of people. Israelis and Palestinians.

And they all were very nice and friendly and

Israel was a surprisingly welcoming land

with so many nice people. 

But we can not forget what is going on there

and it's a deep shame that none of the wester countries

really cares about Palestinians and their rights.

And many people claim that one has to be objective 

when you are talking about the conflict there. 

But when something is obviously wrong and

against human basic rights it just has to be said.

And when there really is no balance,

when there is a fight like David and Goliath 

and the whole world is only watching admitting 

"Yes, well... it's not right"

but not doing anything at all

it's really sad.

And once more it shows you how this world works. Unfortunately. 

Palestine & Israel Part 4

My first visit in the Westbank was a real touristic one.

I went to the nacional Park En Gedi and afterwards took a refreshing bath in the Dead Sea.

EN GEDI & DEAD SEA 

Coming up next: Hebron 

Israel & Palestine Part 3

Most of my time I spent in Jerusalem.

It's a city of extremes. 

You get out of the Tel Aviv bubble and into a very different city. And also a very different feeling.

Jerusalem was much colder than Tel Aviv

and somehow oppressive. It's heavier and it's more serious. 

Expression of religion everywhere. 

Maybe it was because of the weather and the grey sky

but I was asking myself:

Are the people enjoying themselves?

Maybe they shouldn't. With all whats going on behind the walls.

JERUSALEM 

Coming up next: En Gedi and the Dead Sea

Israel & Palestine Part 2

I love markets. 

Flee markets, fruit markets...

so this time I got to know the arab market I heard so much about.

And yes, they're all right – it's impressing!

A paradise for a photographer as well.

Part 2: The arab market in Jerusalem

Coming up tomorrow: Jerusalem