By: Katherine Amy

I have greatly enjoyed my time on the Zajel program at An- Najah univeristy. It has at times been both joyful and fundamentally challenging.

I chose to apply for the program because I had been reading about the Israel/Palestine situation for my university course. Upon arrival, I thought this would simply be an interesting academic experience, which would further my knowledge of the situation. Little did I know how hard it would hit me emotionally. It is one thing to read about a situation, but to come and see it and experience it is something that will stay with me forever. From this programme I have been convinced that I shall be active in promoting awareness of the situation in Palestine concerning the Israeli occupation; no longer do I have a merely academic interest in the solution of the crisis, but an emotional investment in it too, having personally met the victims of this situation.

The trip to Bethlehem where we saw the ‘security wall’ and learned about the ways Israel continues its apartheid of the West bank through various means was highly educational and emotionally challenging. The view of Bethlehem that most Westerners have, of a small biblical desert city, was completely washed away for me, in favour of a view of a city ripped apart by the occupation. I would say this trip has not only given me a completely different conception of the place we call the holy land, but also of myself and the west’s role in the crisis. The endless sea of seemingly oblivious tourists visiting Bethlehem did not seem right to me, given the situation there. Would these same tourists be visiting here if they knew how the Israelis have been segregating the city, taking land illegally from its residents, and abusing their human rights? Promoting awareness, I realised, was essential to helping the Palestinian people.