‘I was on my way back from school and saw the ruins’

Palestinian residents of the Jordan Valley share their personal experiences of what life under occupation has meant for them. The second of two parts.

Fatimah Yousuf Massaeed talks about the difficulties of being a student in the Jordan Valley, where internet access is spotty and the roads difficult to travel in the winter. She has a degree in law and Islamic law from the Open University and dreams of being a judge.

Mahmood Massaeed describes about how the lack of building permits makes it impossible to build a soccer field in his village, dashing his and his friends’ dreams of becoming professional soccer players.

Rushdi Habib wants to send his children to study at universities, but he can’t afford not to have them working alongside him in the fields.

Abd el-Salam Beni Odeh talks about the day his house was demolished; he was on his way back from school when he saw the ruins. A high school student now, he says he wants to work as a human rights advocate.

End of article module for Members

TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence.    We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies.   This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza.   We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives.   Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

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