Some Parting Shots...

A young Palestinian girl displays her joy at the Sulha.

Here are a few images of the people I traveled with and some images of the surroundings. Enjoy!




Marium and Sam taking a moment to pray at Mary's tomb.









Ibrahim tries to talk to two people at once while taking a "break" at the Sulha Peace festival in Israel. Ibrahim graciously housed us for our time in Jerusalem at his guest house. He opens the doors for anyone and asks only a donation for your stay, his goal is to bring together people from all over the world to promote a dialogue of peace. And he just loves to feed people!





Sam takes a moment to chat with some local Palestinian kids living beside Ibrahim's guest house on the Mount of Olives. The kids are fascinated that an American actually knows Arabic and look at Sam as somewhat of a super hero during his stay.

Chris and Hunter look down the dark alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem after we heard the eye witness account of the shooting that happened earlier that day.
















Two young Palestinian boys in Jericho play with a Koala bear given to them by Ibrahim's Jewish colleague and friend from Australia.



Marium compares identity papers with a local Palestinian man outside a coffee shop in Jericho. He is fascinated with the fact that Marium is from Pakistan but has an American passport and he wants to show his connection to her background with his Palestinian Identity card (they are not issued passports and can not travel freely- they must show their ID papers when traveling through the city, walking through town and carry them on their person at all times) Palestinians feel a connection with Marium due to their turbulent governments and an instant connection is made through the mere facts of their identity.

The young people I traveled with show a passion for learning and such a desire to understand the world and its injustices and spending time with them and viewing the issues through their perspective added a depth to this project that I had not anticipated. Thanks!

Ramallah







A young man works on replacing the billboard at the bustling center of Ramallah. The difference between Ramallah and Hebron are vast and overwhelming. Ramallah is the head of the Palestinian government and is bustling with life and commerce, as Hebron once did.


Posters of martyrs and Arafat can be seen throughout the West Bank.













Two young men make flat bread on a the street corner in Ramallah. By far, one of the best breads in the country, you can buy fresh bread at any time on just about any street corner.








Three men sit outside a mosque in Ramallah just before the call to evening prayer is given. The prayer fills the air from the Minaret on the right as the Imam tells Muslim worshipers that it is time to pray. The call to prayer is one of the most distinguishing factors of being in the Middle East and is a beautiful and at times eerie melody which fills the air five times a day, starting at 5 am.




The wall separating Jerusalem and Ramallah, as well as other West Bank territories is covered in graffiti from local and international artists. "Stop killing my sons, brothers, husbands, fathers," is written next to this powerful piece of art. Many see this wall as the Apartheid Wall and in many instances, it divides Palestinian villages, separates locals from their farmland and their means of earning a living and separates families from seeing one another. To navigate the barriers, you must have proper identification and many Palestinians are denied this paperwork for a variety of reasons. The Jewish claim that the wall keeps them safer, and the numbers prove this point, but many also believe that the wall itself is adding fury to the conflict and that it will backfire as hatred and tension grows at the divisions of people and land. I was also told, though I was unable to find facts to support this, that past Palestinian leadership helped to build the wall and made a major profit through the politician's building company, which helped erect the wall. Telling the story of this torn country is so difficult in that the divisions of conflict have no clear definitions and everyone has a story and everyone has a political motivation. I can tell only that which I witnessed and that which I documented.

CNN recently covered this topic in a very well produced documentary by Christian Amanpour, God's Warriors. If you're interested in learning more, please go to You Tube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kkKhPLAyDsM and watch the series, its well worth the time.