Photo Essay: Graffiti on Bethlehem’s “Security Wall”
Bethlehem and Jerusalem are practically neighbors. The trip from Jerusalem’s Old City takes no more than 10-15 minutes. At least it would if you didn’t have to cross “The Wall…”
Israel‘s 8-meter (26 foot) high “Security wall” separates Israeli-controlled Jerusalem from the fully Palestinian-controlled areas of the “West Bank” (or, as one Palestinian said to me, “Occupied Palestine”). Similar to a modern day version of the Berlin Wall, this “security wall” effectively serves to imprison the Palestinians, as, short of a special permit, Palestinians are not allowed to enter Israel-proper (West Bank-based Palestinians are not Israeli citizens) and vice-versa for Israelis (with exception to those settlements you’ve heard so much about…).
For foreigners, though, the journey between the two cities is a relatively painless one. And after clearing the prison-like checkpoint to enter the Palestinian Territory, you’re free to go (nobody ever looked at my passport, despite my having gone back and forth twice).
What I found particularly fascinating about this wall, and in fact Bethlehem itself (which I was otherwise no fan of) is the graffiti that lines the Bethlehem side. These are scenes of protest, images of political prisoners, statements of support and just plain artwork. It’s a flash point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict right in front of you…
I was really taken by this and would love to share some of those images with you now:
What do you think?
What are your thoughts on this wall?