'Azzun 'Atma, Habla

‘Azzun ‘Atma, Habla

In the future, when the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian areas east of the "green line" will be a thing of the past, it will be possible to understand quite a lot about the depth structure of the occupation, based among other things on the documentation of anecdotes in secondary sites which may seem marginal, incidental, banal. "God is to be found in the small details".

At ‘Azzun ‘Atma (06:00-6:30) and Habla (6:55-08:00) – at the barriers in the separation fence, in the region between Rosh Ha'Ayin and Qalqiliya – there were a few people whom we observed what. A girl soldier talked in a patronizing, arrogant tone to the people who had to pass at this CP: "Go, go! You have no business standing here".

At Habla we saw a new Israeli flag hoisted proudly on the watch post next to the gate which leads to the plant nurseries. Not only the flag serves to affix the occupation in the local earth. When we arrived two soldiers activated an audio device and the sounds of the song "My land of Israel, my blooming land, you sit and watch it and glow" was to be heard at full volume all over the CP. Indeed, the Palestinian plant nurseries are packed with beautiful flora. But would the Palestinian boy who comes from Habla with his father and small brother, and who, while he walks, carries the trouser belt of his father in his hand (a belt the length of which is almost equal to his height…) – will this boy see any beauty around? Will the experience of the checking process at the CP be part of the winter vacation experience which he is enjoying now?!