LIFE BEHIND THE WALL

Israeli Settlers attack Palestinians almost daily in Palestine. Israeli security forces systematically refrain from protecting the Palestinians and from enforcing the law on the assailants. And while Israeli settlers in the West Bank fall mostly under civilian rule, Palestinians are subject to Israeli military law. Israeli and Palestinians face inequities at every stage in the path of justice, from arrests to convictions and sentencing. Wherever I go in Palestine, I get to see walls, fences, destroyed houses, traumatised children and frightened parents. Benjamin Netanyahu, now one of the longest serving prime ministers in Israeli history, has provided very few indications that he is willing to enable the Palestinians to build a viable contiguous state. He appears confident that the status quo is tenable, and that occupation and settlement of the West Bank can continue to violate international law without facing any serious repercussions. But what will happen in case the current peace efforts, led by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, will end in failure? In the past, the failure of negotiations has often led to Palestinian-initiated violence. During my visit I feel overwhelmed and powerless. A feeling many Palestinians are confronted with every day. A feeling many Palestinian children grow up with.