Student in Jenin: ‘It’s as if my family live in a different country’

OMAR MUSALLAM, 18, STUDENT, JENIN, BBC News, 1 June 2006

“At the beginning of this year, I went home every week but now it’s become too difficult.

It makes me feel frustrated and angry because I can’t see my family in Ramallah. It’s only a short distance but it’s like they are living in another country. My sister’s graduating from high school on Sunday but it would take me too long to get there.

On the road from Jenin to Ramallah I often get trouble from the soldiers. It should take an hour if everything’s okay, but it can take up to five or six hours.

It’s easier for me because I have a Ramallah ID. Soldiers have told my friends from Jenin that they can’t pass. When they ask why, the soldiers don’t tell them. But sometimes it’s okay. Sometimes you find soldiers that are more amenable than others.

At times I laugh about the checkpoints because you need to do something to release the tension, otherwise you’d cry.”

Read more stories on how Israeli travel restrictions affect the everyday lives of Palestinians on the BBC website.

More Articles

2016 Right to Education Tour

Announcing the 2016 Right to Education Tour! Last...

By Right2Edu BZU • Jan 01 Read More »