I very much enjoyed the discussion with Betty from Ir Amim today. She was very informative despite the lags and cut offs of her voice due to bad internet there I am assuming. Another thing that helped a lot was the map that was presented showing that detailed layout of "settlements" and Palestinian territories.
While she was pointing out the many different areas that settlements were developed in, it just made me think again like how can Israel come and make settlements spread throughout Palestine smack dab in the middle? Everything that was laid out on that map showed clearly that everything was fragmented and staggered. There is no consistent presence of actual settlements however, with time, it is becoming more consistent especially with highways and parks just as Betty stated.
It is so nice and interesting to see people like Betty actually in Palestine working towards solutions to this long drawn out, dragged out conflict. I just kept thinking to myself, I hope to be there one day. Seeing and talking to people like Betty really motivates me a lot despite my absences from class due to my illnesses.
Final Project idea: I want to do a video and demonstration of Palestinian folk music, primarily focusing on Dabke. The traditional dance that originated from the Levant.
While she was pointing out the many different areas that settlements were developed in, it just made me think again like how can Israel come and make settlements spread throughout Palestine smack dab in the middle? Everything that was laid out on that map showed clearly that everything was fragmented and staggered. There is no consistent presence of actual settlements however, with time, it is becoming more consistent especially with highways and parks just as Betty stated.
It is so nice and interesting to see people like Betty actually in Palestine working towards solutions to this long drawn out, dragged out conflict. I just kept thinking to myself, I hope to be there one day. Seeing and talking to people like Betty really motivates me a lot despite my absences from class due to my illnesses.
Final Project idea: I want to do a video and demonstration of Palestinian folk music, primarily focusing on Dabke. The traditional dance that originated from the Levant.
Agreed! I little more about Israel-Palestine and the conflict than what we have covered in class, so it was staggering to see how very fragmented area in and around Jerusalem is. The work of Ir Amim is so important.
ReplyDeleteTina,
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was great to see the work Betty was doing. It was encouraging to see an Israeli NGO focused on making a better future not just for the Israelis of Jerusalem, but for the Palestinians as well.