Condition Critical presents key blog posts and analytical essays that explore everyday life in Israel, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza up close. All these stories depict the critical conditions of the decades-old wounds of colonization and occupation in which the Palestinian people live.
Ben Ehrenreich discusses and shares passages from his recent book, The Way to the Spring, which chronicles what he witnessed and experienced while living in the West Bank from 2011 to 2015. During that time, he lived in different cities of the West Bank, staying with Palestinian families, and writing major stories for American outlets including a cover story for The New York Times Magazine. He was also gathering material for this book, which places readers in the footsteps of Palestinians.
Ziad Khalaf, Director General of the A.M. Qattan Foundation, sheds light on the Foundation’s experience in Palestine and elsewhere, as it has become one of the major organizations developing programs for culture and the arts, education, and childhood in Palestine. Among other things, Khalaf discuses the Foundation’s fourth core program, the Public Program, and the Science Studio project, a multi-year pilot project which will form the nucleus for launching an interactive science center in Palestine that aims at developing science education at the national level.
Israeli military bulldozers have demolished 23 houses in two impoverished southern West Bank villages, including structures that were home to more than 100 people. The demolitions, one of the most significant in recent memory, occurred in a controversial Israeli-designated military area known as Firing Zone 918, which comprises approximately 115 square miles (300 sq km) and was declared restricted by the Israelis in the 1970s.
Bethlehem, occupied West Bank – During the day, the Bethlehem Checkpoint 300 tells only half the story. A few lone travelers make the crossing in mere minutes, passing through multiple electronic turnstiles and a warehouse-like compound, and undergoing a quick passport check before leaving the occupied West Bank and entering Israel. For Palestinian workers making their way through the terminal during the dead of night, however, the same crossing can take hours.
The U.S. State Department on Friday condemned Israel’s decision to expand the boundary of an existing West Bank settlement bloc, saying it hinders attempts to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians. Israel’s defense ministry in late December added a compound in the West Bank to the jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion regional council, near Jerusalem.
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The World Bank on Monday announced $5 million worth of funding to go toward job creation across the occupied Palestinian territory. The international finance institution said in a statement that the money would go toward the ‘Development Impact Bonds’ project, aimed at providing private sector skills in Palestinian youth aged 18 to 29 years old. “Jobs are among the most pressing issues in Palestine,” said Steen Lau Jorgensen, the World Bank’s country director for the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
The Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem (OPT), is rich in oil, gas a shale oil resources, al-Haq claims in its 2015 report, Annexing Energy. If these resources were to be developed, Palestine would be economically self-sufficient and relieved from dependence on international aid. However, as expected, Israel has a history of systematically preventing Palestine’s development of oil and gas in the OPT. Since 1967, the OPT’s natural resources have been governed by Israel’s government, allowing Israel to manage its natural resources to the benefit of Israeli citizens and corporations – not the local population.
THE prize-winning Psagot Winery in a West Bank settlement north of Jerusalem has become a favourite destination in recent years for right-wing Israeli and American politicians, eager not just to quaff Cabernet but also to score political points by highlighting the return of the Jews to their biblical homeland.
Through educational events, humanitarian support, and cultural preservation, the Jerusalem Fund is helping build the movement for Palestinian liberation.
Connect
The Jerusalem Fund
2425 Virginia Ave NW
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 338-1958