From time to time, the Palestine Center distributes articles it believes will enhance understanding of the Palestinian political reality. The following article by Raja Shehadeh was published by NYT on May 20, 2017.
“RAMALLAH, West Bank – Every conflict has its heroes. In Palestine they’re the taxi drivers.
After living for half a century under occupation, I can no longer endure the anxiety of what might appear on the road, whether it is angry drivers bottlenecked at the hundreds of barriers scattered through the West Bank or the pathetic boys who throw themselves at your car pretending to clean the windshield, asking for money. The plight of these boys invariably makes me hate myself, forcing me to confront the extent to which my society has failed. Then, of course, there is the indignity of having to wait on the whim of an Israeli teenage soldier to motion me to pass.
But perhaps the main reason I stopped driving out of Ramallah is that the roads Israel built to link the Jewsih settlements with Israel have replaced the familiar old roads, making the whole network so confusing that I often get lost. And this is the greatest indignity of all, getting lost in your own country.”
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Jerusalem Fund.
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