Occupation 101 - Intro

Occupation 101 is the name of an excellent documentary, but that’s not what I am referring to.

Palestine, as we come to forget, is an occupied country. Think Africa for most of the past two centuries; think India under British rule, think of every historical example you can. Occupation. Foreign rule, exploitation, movement limitations, abusive taxation, the whole thing. It sounds to me that we forget that this is exactly what we’re dealing with.

Now there are also more reasons for me to forget this - I don’t have to stand in line through four metal gates to get to the next city; I don’t have to do the 6 hours trek to the Amman airport, which is the only international hub for Palestinians; and I don’t get (too many) dirty looks when I walk in the streets of a Jewish neighbourhood or city (I somehow look more Indian than Arab, I am told).

Oh, and I also get to yell back at mean soldiers at the border crossings because, well, I’m a foreigner, with a shiny ID, and I can afford to do this.

However, you can try to live in a bubble but reality catches up with you anyway; plus, I’m doing my best to live as regularly as possible, not take a UN car to go do my grocery shopping... (which, I’m ashamed to admit, I did do when I was in another country. There was no public transportation/buses/cabs/nothing whatsoever there, though, if it’s any excuse).

So this little entry should be the first of many I hope, which will relate to you the daily little bit of nonsense that come with living in an occupied country. And as you read, think of what it must be like to live like this for every single day of your life.