How Can The Palestinian's Normalize Their Life?

    How Can The Palestinian's Normalize Their Life?

 Some people are used to living their lives in a normal way, no occupation, no walls, no waiting at the check points for hours just to reach their homes. Some people outside Palestine are having normal lives; they can go to many places without anyone controlling them. But in Palestine it is totally different, there is occupation, walls, and we wait for hours just to pass on our way home. The Palestinians are living under the occupation's control. They tried to live normal lives like those who are live in the United States and have their own land, but here we can not have our own land.
The Israeli military tried to control the Palestinians in different ways, they divided Palestine into areas A, B and C. Area C under total Israeli control- security and administrative-, where they are controlling the air, oceans, and the land, and they are keep building the illegal settlements. Area B, under Israeli military control but the Palestinian Authority(PA) has civilian control like many Arab villages, towns and hamlets, and area A under full PA control mainly in big cities such as (Jericho, Hebron, Ramallah).


    The Israeli military divided Palestine into areas A, B, C and for sure they did this to control the Palestinians and their lands, because they are the powerful side in the conflict. For example, Abu Des within area B, but still has an Israeli military point where solders keep on coming and going through the village and control the area. Here the main campus of the Palestinian Al-Quds (Jerusalem) University which is separated from part of Abu Des and separated from Jerusalem by wall. Which means that the separation wall run through Abu Des. Before the wall was built I used to come from Jerusalem to Abu Des in fifteen minuets by car to reach AL-Quds University, but after building the wall and putting all those checkpoints, I need 45 minutes just to reach the University, and if I want to compare nowadays situation and the old one, there is a lot of difference. Now, it will take long time with us just to reach our University.

   For example, I have a friend who wake up every morning, and the only thing that she can see through her window is the wall, she can not breath the fresh air due to wall, she can not have beautiful landscape of mountains, or trees, and this is all because of the wall. Even though, she is living in Jerusalem, in Ras El Amod, and before building the wall she used to go to Abu Des, in Five minutes. But not anymore, now, she has to go through the bypass road and reach Abu Des in order to go to the University. I can not imagine what the wall did to us, even we tried to cover our tragedy with the poems that are written on the wall, but still the wall is taking a place in our life and taking away our happiness, because every morning we wake up to face the reality, that the wall is still exist, most importantly which make us never forget that the wall one day prevent us from having a normal life. And also prevent us from visiting our families or even to pray in Jerusalem, in the Dom of the Rock or in the church of holy speculator.

"In Jerusalem itself, an extensive road system of inner city motorways, tunnels, bridges and causeways reflect a city dedicated to the automobile; a tram system is years behind schedule. Many of the huge construction projects are part of an inner city transport infrastructure built to connect the settlements to the city". ( Wendy Pullan, The space of Contested Jerusalem, page; 47). The Israeli's are trying to judies Jerusalem, through several policies such as building settlements over Palestinians ruins, and through destroying Muslims holy places. And according to Pullan's he is saying that the tram system is years behind schedule and that the Israeli's were planning to do the train station form long time ago, as I live in Jerusalem, I have seen that they are almost finish doing the train station, and that can show us how much the Israeli's are powerful and that they are not talking about their plants but they are also express it with actions.

Ramallah Is Becoming a New State…

If we look deeply into our situation in Palestine, especially in Ramallah, each day it is expanding with a lot of people from different places, and because Ramallah considered the political capital of Palestine, most of the (P.A) investment is being done in Ramallah, also many foreign organizations for youth execute their programs in Ramallah. So now Ramallah is known as the most powerful area in Palestine and still developing with time , but the questions is why did they choose Ramallah not Jericho?

Firstly, maybe because Ramallah is becoming am important area and it is closer to the Capital of Palestine which is Jerusalem. Even the Israeli military are forcing the people to leave Jerusalem, through building settlements, and through forcing the people to leave their homes and then they can took the land. This is not about one land or on area it is about principles, if they destroy one home that's mean that they are going to destroy more houses. For instant, before few months ago, at three o'clock in the morning, in Jerusalem al Sheikh Jarrah, the Israeli military and special units troops raided KURD family home-implementation of the order of the Court of Israeli-, and they removed the head of the family and the seat, his wife and his children by force and then they settled in their own home. When the people start asking the Israeli military about what is happening, they told the people that it is because the house was built without license, even though that the property of a Palestinian man.

    The Israeli are not just displaced the Palestinians from their homes but they are trying to destroy simple shelter and tents, and that what did they do with KURD family. That can show us how the Palestinians are holding their lands with hands and souls.


Secondly, and maybe because it is the main center for the Palestinian Authority, that domain all Ramallah, also it is located in the heart of the main Palestinian cities (Hebron, Jerusalem, Jericho, Nablus, and Salfet).

      Those reasons are part of the truth. As I go rarely to Ramallah I noticed that the Palestinian people in Ramallah are trying to normalize their life. They want it to be normal as much as it is possible. They can practically make their own independent country by themselves in Ramallah. Even that we know that the Israeli military are trying to control us through entering Ramallah, before we enter it we have to pass through checkpoint, in this way they are controlling the entrance of Ramallah where they make us feel exile even in our land, so that we will think to leave Palestine and try to live another life in another land. Some of them can not handle the situation here and they leave Palestine for politics reasons, and also to search for opportunity to work. But leaving their land is not an option for the Palestinian people, and Ramallah makes a good example for this, they did not leave it but they tried to normalize their life.

And here I can notice the difference between night life in Ramallah and East Jerusalem. for instant in Jerusalem in the main street ' Salah Al-Eden Street ' all the shops and stores closes at seven p.m and the street life becomes dead, you can notice the active life all day long and all night in Ramallah, where you see lights every where, people walking all around the streets, which is something people in Jerusalem cant have, and they wish to have a night life comparable with Ramallah night's life. It like Ramallah is becoming the main center for the Palestinians and Jerusalem is becoming the main center for the Israelis.


      Now, I want to talk about my experience through walking one of the villages in Ramallah. It is located 22 kilometers at the northeast of the city of Ramallah in the occupied Palestine, and Birzeet is beside this land which is called "Turms Aya", what is really interesting about this land is how do the people in it have a deep connection with their land, and I notice this while I was walking in the middle of this Turms Aya, I noticed that there were different types of houses.

One of them is having an Arab Type. It was very old and beautiful and I can notice that it takes the ancient shape that reminds me of my grandfather's house in the old, which I used to live in it. The windows were small, tall and the sun was rarely come inside it, and a lot of trees were sounded the house from outside, this is what the Arab houses look like.

    The second type of houses is the Settlements type, we can see them from far, and we can notice how much the houses are organized together and big, they have a big garden around their houses for their children, also there are a lot of olive trees surrounded their houses. The Israeli military are trying to make the settlements legal. There is settlement near Turms Aya, called "shilo", it is very big and there is a lot of Israeli people live in it and its look like there are a lot of memories inside those houses. Most of them were empty, no one live there, some of them moved to live in the United States to begin a new life, and most of them leave their houses by force not by their own choice.

At the tired type of buildings that take the Western Shape not the eastern shape, this idea came because most of the families in Turmus Aya living in the United States and this affect the way they are living and style that they want to built there houses. It's look like a huge castle, which contain parking, pools, and they are totally different if we want to compare it with the Arab houses that are simple.

The only way that we can keep this land alive is by living and cultivating the land, and we can do this through planting a lot of trees, and olive trees, that will remind us and remind our generation that this land is belong to the Palestinian people, and also through building houses that take the Arab shape, and this can remind us of our families and our culture, and the old Arab houses, and in this way we can keep our land alive.



….The sterile roads in Jerusalem

    Israel has strategic points for controlling the lands and territory in Palestine. Through Oslo peace agreement the Israeli's used this process to expropriated the Palestinian land under the name of " public interest " they were taking the lands and the houses under the" public interest" They use this way of controlling the roads. For instant, when I was going to my house, I found out that all the roads in Jerusalem were closed, and it is not allowed for the Palestinians to walk in the street. In this moment I was lost, I felt that I was not in my conscious; I did not know where to go? Or with whom to go? They are controlling us in a way that makes me not able to reach my own home. I start asking the people randomly about what was happening, but no one could answer me because they didn’t know! Then I decided to ask the Israeli police about what is really going on, I was even more surprised when he answered me, he told that today is the day of" uniting Jerusalem", and that the Israeli people want to celebrate in this day in all over Jerusalem, and it is not allowed for the Palestinians to walk there, he claimed that this is for the Israeli safety.

While the Israeli police was talking I looked at him with anger, and I told him that all I need is to walk just few miles in order to reach my house, which is near their celebration. He did not believed that I really live here, he asked for my ID, I gave it to him, he was really surprised that I really live in Jerusalem in Wade el Joz. He let me pass to reach my house, but for it didn’t feel like I actually passed. His words were repeating inside my mind, then I asked myself are they really controlling our land, or they are controlling our minds too? They are controlling our land, culture, our minds, or souls, and also they are controlling our life. But controlling our minds is the hardest type of controlling. I realized that the Israeli police want to stop me from reaching my house, and now my house became forbidden just because the Israeli people want to celebrate!


    In the conclusions, it is important for all of us to have our own principles and our own believes. Even though, that the Israelis are trying to make us forget about our culture our land, through stealing them from us and saying that our land and out culture belongs to them. The Israeli military are trying to judies our culture our land and at least our minds that this land belong to the Israelis. And the only way that we can protect our land and our people is by adhering to our principles and our land, and also our heritage, no matter how they besieges us, and prevent us from reaching The Dom of the Rock, we still want our Palestine back and that is the only thing that the Palestine's knows.

How can the Palestinian's normalize their life?

Intro to Urban Studies.
Second Draft paper .

How can the Palestinian's normalize their life?

Some people are used to live their life in a normal way, no occupation, no walls, no waiting on the check points for hours just to reach their homes. People outside Palestine are having a normal life, they can go to many places without let any one control them . But in Palestine it is totally different, there is occupation, walls, and we wait for hours just to pass our way home. The Palestinian's are living under the occupation control. They tried to live normal life like those who are living in the United States and having their own land, but here we can not have our own land.



They tried to control us in different ways, they divided Palestine into areas A,B and C. Area C under total Israeli control, where they control air, oceans, land like East Jerusalem. Area B, under Israeli military control but the Palestinian Authority(PA) civilian control like many Arab villages, towns and hamlets, and area A under full PA control mainly in big cities such as (Jericho, Hebron, Ramallah).



The Israeli military distribute Palestine into areas A,B,C and for sure they have control all over them because they are the powerful side in our case. For example, Abu Dees within area A, but still has an Israeli military point where solders keep on coming and going through the village and control the area .

Ramallah are becoming a new state.



If we look deeply into our situation in Palestine, especially in Ramallah, each day it is expanding with a lot of tourists and because it's considered the political capital of Palestine , Most of the ( P.A ) investments being done in Ramallah , also many foreign organizations for youth execute their programs in Ramallah , and so now Ramallah in known as the most powerful area in Palestine and still developing with time , but why did they choose Ramallah not Jericho?

Maybe because it is closer to the Capital of Palestine which is Jerusalem which is full of people, even the Israeli military are forcing the people to leave Jerusalem. but they are holding the land with their hands and hearts , but in some special cases some of the youth immigrates to other countries seeking for working opportunities so that after they achieve their goals they will be back to their land, but the Israeli's government doesn’t allow them to enter the country again specially in Area C because there is no space form them.

And maybe because it is the main center for the Palestinian Authority, that domain all Ramallah, also it is located in the heart of the main Palestinian cities (Hebron ,Jerusalem, Jericho, Nablus, and Salfet).

Those reasons are part of the truth , as I go rarely to Ramallah I noticed that Palestinian people in Ramallah are trying to normalize their life. They want it to be normal as much as possible, they can make their own independent country by themselves in Ramallah . Even that we know that it is occupied by the Israeli military and they are trying to make us feel exile even in our land so that we will think to leave Palestine and try to live another life in another land. Leaving their land is not an option for the Palestinian people, and Ramallah makes a good example for this, they did not leave it but they tried to normalize their life.

And here I can notice the difference between night life in Ramallah and East Jerusalem. for instant in Jerusalem in the main street ' Salah Al-Eden Street ' all the shops and every thing closes at six p.m and the street life becomes dead , , you can notice the active life all day long and all night in Ramallah, where you see lights every where, people walking all around the streets, which is something people in Jerusalem cant have, and they wish to have a night life comparable with Ramallah night's life .



….The sterile roads in Jerusalem

Israel has strategic points for controlling the lands and territory in Palestine. Through Oslo peace agreement the Israeli's used this process to expropriated the Palestinian land under the name of " public interest " They use the same way of controlling the roads. For instant, when I was on my way home, I found out that all the roads in Jerusalem were closed and it is not allowed for the Palestinians to walk in the street. In this moment I was lost, I felt that I was not in my conscious; I did not know where to go? Or with whom to go? They are controlling us in a way that makes me not able to reach my own home. I start asking the people randomly about what was happening, but no one could answer me because they didn’t know! Then I decided to ask the Israeli police about what is really going on, I was even more surprised when he answered me, he told that today is the day of" uniting Jerusalem", and that the Israeli people want to celebrate in this day in all over Jerusalem, and it is not allowed for the Palestinians to walk there, he claimed that this is for the Israeli safety.

While the Israeli police was talking I looked at him with anger, and I told him that all I need is to walk just few miles to reach my house which is near their celebration. He did not believed that I really live here, he asked for my ID, I gave it to him, he was really surprised that I really live in Jerusalem in Wade el Joz. He let me pass to reach my house, but for it didn’t feel like I actually passed. His words were repeating inside my mind, then I asked myself are they really controlling our land, or they are controlling our minds too? They control our land, culture, our minds, or souls, and eventually the control our life. But to control our minds is the hardest type of controlling. I realized that the Israeli police want to stop me from reaching my house, and now my house became forbidden just because the Israeli people want to celebrate!

Can we consider Battier in area A or in area C?

Our case with Jews is not an issue of religion, whether it is Islamic or Jewish religion. It is deeper than this. It is an issue of conflict over the land, and for that purpose the attacked us and then they took our land by power which makes the state of Israel an illegitimate, but the global recognition gave them the permission to domain the land and the were able to take away our values, traditions, and culture then they started on Judaizing the land ever since. They divided Palestine into area A, B, and C and they still have the control over those areas, and they still building the illegal settlements in them. Where we feel un safe in our own land.

In my walk to Battier which is near Bet Jalla, I realized what experience do I have on this land, and how much people here have suffered, as I came to Battier to the west bank area and through walking, climbing their mountains. The situation in Battier is complicated because it is still un known whether its under the Israeli control or the P.A control . there is a train station passes through Battier beside a Palestinian school, this makes the case even more complicated because there is a possibility that the Israelis will join this school to their area which an area C , considering that the train leads from Battier, Jerusalem, to Tel-Aviv.There must be an agreement about joining Battier to area C in order to provide security to the train, and this is for their benefit because it doesn’t make scenes for them to destroy the train station just to keep Battier in the P.A territories. But patriotic people in Battier will not accept to lose their land, or to have it under the Israeli control , and so they will not agree to negotiate with the Israelis about Battier land.



On 1994 when the P.A came back to Palestine it started to prove themselves and improving the situation, also they worked on building institutional country, and until now we are still developing by time, so we are not giving up, we still fight for our freedom. Palestinian people had enough of negotiations and agreements we want a solution for Battier, Jerusalem, and for our Palestinian case.

How can the Palestinian's normalize their life?

Diana Abu Omar

Intro to Urban Studies.

First Draft paper .

How can the Palestinian's normalize their life?

Some people are used to live their life in a normal way, no occupation, no walls, no waiting on the check points for hours just to reach their homes. People outside Palestine are having a normal life, they can go to many places without let any one control them . But in Palestine it is totally different, there is occupation, walls, and we wait for hours just to pass our way home. The Palestinian's are living under the occupation control. They tried to live normal life like those who are living in the United States and having their own land, but here we can not have our own land.

They tried to control us in different ways, they divided Palestine into areas A,B and C. Area C under total Israeli control, where they control air, oceans, land like East Jerusalem. Area B, under Israeli military control but the Palestinian Authority(PA) civilian control like many Arab villages, towns and hamlets, and area A under full PA control mainly in big cities such as Jericho, Hebron, Ramallah.

The Israeli military distribute Palestine into areas A,B,C and for sure they have control all over them because they are the powerful side in our case. For example, Abu Dees within area A, but still has an Israeli military point where solders keep on coming and going through the village and control the area .

Ramallah are becoming a new state.

If we look deeply into our situation in Palestine, especially in Ramallah, each day it is expanding with a lot of tourists and because it's considered the political capital of Palestine , Most of the ( P.A ) investments being done in Ramallah , also many foreign organizations for youth execute their programs in Ramallah , and so now Ramallah in known as the most powerful area in Palestine and still developing with time , but why did they choose Ramallah not Jericho? Maybe because it is closer to the Capital of Palestine which is Jerusalem that it is full of people even the Israeli military are forcing the people to leave Jerusalem , but they are holding it with their hands and hearts , but in some special cases some of the youth immigrate to other countries seeking for working opportunities so that after they achieve their goals they will be back to their land but the Israeli's government doesn’t allow them to enter the country again specially in Area C because there is no space form them.

But maybe because it is the main center for the Palestinian Authority that domain all Ramallah and all the areas around it. We can consider Ramallah locates in the heart of the main Palestinian cities (Hebron ,Jerusalem, Jericho, Nablus, and Salfet).

Those reasons are part of the truth , as I go rarely to Ramallah I noticed that Palestinian people in Ramallah are trying to normalize their life , they want it to be normal as much as possible, they can make their own independent country by themselves in Ramallah . Even that we know that it is occupied by the Israeli military and they are trying to make us feel Diaspora even in our land so that we will think to leave Palestine and try to live another life in another land. This seems impossible for the Palestinian people, and Ramallah is a good example on this, they did not leave it but they tried to normalize their life.

And here I can notice the difference between night life in Ramallah and East Jerusalem. for instant in Jerusalem in the main street ' Salah Al-Eden Street ' all the shops and every thing closes at six pm and the street life becomes dead , as we consider it an Area C, unlike Ramallah which is an Area A , you can notice the active life all day long and all night , where you see lights every where people walking all around the streets which is something people in Jerusalem cant have and wish to have a night life comparable with Ramallah night's life .

Turmus Aya Land

I heard a lot about Turms Aya but I never visited it, I was excited to visit it one day. Finally, I visited it with our College. While we reach to Ramallah we took a taxi then went to Turmus Aya .

In my way I saw Beir zeeit University, and a lot of mountains full of huge green trees. There were a lot of Israeli army moving around us , I felt like this area belong to them they were moving quickly and no one can talk with them. Even that Ramallah and Turmus Aya is one of the West Bank area but there was a lot of settlement and Israeli people who were living in the areas around Turmus Aya.

While we were still in our way, the taxi driver told us a story about some buildings that we saw in our way.

There were some Arab families, who built a lot of houses as a gifts for the poor people, and if we did not helped each other no one will did, This shows us that the Palestinians always helped each other no matter what is happening.

The Israeli army did not give this family permission to continuo building those houses, , even that they were having a legal permission that prove that this land if for them. They could not do anything, and the Israeli force them to stop building those houses, and that they are no longer belong to this area and this land.

When we were hearing this story , we were listening carefully even that we did not believed that they act like this way.

Now , we reached Turmus Aya. I was inspired about the entrance of this country. There was a big sign written on it "Welcome to Turmus Aya", when everyone visit it for the first time and see welcomes signs in the entrance of it. Any one will feel happy that he visit it, and next time he will feel happy to visit it again.

At this moment, we were walking in the middle of Turmus Aya. I start looking at all the places, ancient houses that around us. What I really kept looking at, and focus at the building that around us that belonged to Turmus Aya people.

I saw at the beginning of the walk two different types of houses. The first type of houses it is look like it was for Arab old houses.

Everyone can notice that this house belonged for the Arab people. I can notice that from her ancient shape that remind's me of my grandfather old house, small from inside that all the family used to lived inside it, the window are small and the sun can rarely comes inside it. A lot of trees surrounded the house from outside .

But the old house that I saw in Turmus Aya was old, and no one live in it anymore, maybe the this family was forced to leave this house

If anyone in this village want to build a new house, they have to take permission from the Israeli government in order to build a house, and if they accept it they can build and if they did not accept, they can not build anything unless the Israeli army allow them. I can not believe that they are controlling us in a very hard way, even that we could not say anything if they did not gives us any permissions!

The second type of houses are settlements' for the Israeli people , they are always trying to establish houses ,and then they trying to make settlements legal houses, and when they did they can expand the settlements more and more. Those settlements' were new and not old, and it's look like they build them not long ago, the windows were big , they have also a big garden for their children, and there were a lot of olives trees surrounded those settlement's, however , I can notice that they are expanding more and more .

As all those settlements are expanding everyday, that mean that they are occupied our land little by little, destroying our trees little by little. The only way

that the Palestinian’s can keep their land, and stop the Israeli people from expanding is by cultivating our land, and we have to sxpand our building, and planting a lot of trees , and in this way we will expand before they did. Tie cultivation into the conversation.

There was with us a man who was from Turmus Aya village. He show us all the places around it, when he was telling us a lot of things about the land ,he said that most of the people who lived her , they go to America and in summer they will back to Turmus Aya as a vacation.

I noticed that the people who back to there homes, and take care of there land, they were having a great connection with their land. Even that most of them are living in the United States , but they are still feeling that they are connected with their land and also with the Islamic Religious, they will never forget that they have their own land and that some day they will back.

As I kept walking, I discover the third type of buildings that there were a new building that take the Western shape not the Eastern shape, this idea came while they were living in the U.S. some of them were used to lived in Palestine with their family in a small thouse , that all the family live in it, but when they traveled to the U.S they found out that there is a totally different houses that is more big and most of them like the idea. When they came here to Palestine they build a new houses like they say in the U.S . It's look like that they spend a lot of money in those houses , there were flowers, parking , pools,I felt that those houses look like a castle, and when they build they they back to America and once a year visit their land.

That shows us that most of them affected by the American shape not like the Arabic shape that it is traditional and old,

The only way that we can keep this land and make this land alive is by cultivating it, not just by living in it, we have to make the land more alive by planting a lot of trees that will reminds us and all the new generation by our land, we can also build a new houses that have the Palestinian Arab shape , which reminds us of our family our culture and our old houses , and in this way we can keep our land alive .

Plant a peace of tree in "Battir"

Diana Abu Omar


Introduction to Urban Studies

March-16-01

Dr.Alessandro Petti.

Plant a peace of tree in "Battir"

Enjoying nature is something of the magic of life. Walking is one of the most important tactics and techniques capable of filtering the mind, helping us escape from our problems, and enjoying the beautiful scenery, which can make us fly in the sky. And I was happy to see how strongly will this walk affect us !

I have waited for this trip to "Battir" all night. I was imagining what it could be. A lot of questions were going in my mind . In the end, I told myself not to worry about it, and that I will benefit from this walk.

The weather was beautiful and clear. The sun was not radioactive, for our sake, because we were going to walk a lot . I got the car from our home in "Beit Hanina" toward Jerusalem , all of us were suppose to meet there on time in order to catch the bus . Now , I am in Jerusalem. All the students were waiting for each other , and then we decided to get on the bus to "Battir".

After ridding the bus we were all excited to go to "Battir."

We were excited to identify mountains , valleys , roads , and even breath her air,

and to discover new areas all together

and to connect with the Landscape of Palestine .


I looked out of the window , the clouds were spreading all over the sky , the roads were all flat and new. Israel controlled everything , and I saw from far the big wall surrounded by all the places in the West Bank areas . I start asking myself , where all those years gone and the wall was becoming bigger and bigger each day, no one do anything about it ! But they made it words uttered by the people and news transmitted on the people and the world , and the events they expect in the future .

I start remembering (Raja Shehadeh book, Palestinians walk , page :118) when he said : "Nothing can be done to change the past but I knew I had to come to terms with the present , The truth was that we had been defeated . We had lost . For now the Israeli policies had succeeded " .


Those words were powerful and strong for our situation, the wall had been built for so long the people are becoming angrier day after day , while no one is ready to do anything and nothing is going to change. If we stay like this way and if we neglect everything , then it is going to be the same and things will go in the wrong direction.


We crossed our path and went to West Bank areas that look distinctly different from that assigned territory , including Jerusalem .

The roads in the West Bank were winding and fissured , they were different from the Jewish areas . It took us on the damaged road more time to reach Bethlehem than to come from Jerusalem .


While we were in our way I started searching for small signs , big signs or anything pointing me where I am , but sadly I didn't find any of them.

We had decided to meet in a certain point in the (D.C.O). While we were still in the bus we were hoping to see anything that tells us that we are in the right way and after few seconds , we saw the rest of the team waiting for each other we got off the bus and joined them.

This moment was important for me , it's the first time in my life that I will walk with my teacher , and my group through the mountains , and get to know our country's natural landmarks.

I started remembering the old days , when I used to plow the ground and then plant it with the peace tree which is "Olive Tree" with my family .

We walk for a while and there was a teacher. His name is Tom he start telling us the names of the trees and importance evaluated those trees in Palestine like , "Oak Tree" , "Butm Tree" ,"Albesthias Tree", " Olive Tree", those important trees in Palestine.

We start walking and thinking to fresh our minds with the beautiful clear air . Nothing in the world such as this scene that around us . I wondered , Why I didn't come to visit this beautiful place before! I noticed that this is helping me to relax and throw all the troubles in the Wadi.
It is unfortunate how so many beautiful areas occupied by the Israelis and i have lost a lot through their occupation of our sacred land . On the other hand we are afraid to enter our land , walk through it while it slips from our hands fastly and randomly.
While we still walking our teacher start explaining for us a lot of thing , and gives us a lot of information about our land.

He show us the Wadi , and told us that this is where they actually will start building the settlement . The only way for the Palestinian to keep this land is to cultivate , and when we are going to arrive "Battir" we will clean and plant some trees to keep the place and to farm the land , and this is the only way that the Palestinian's can try , and this is does not mean that we are going to succeed , but at least because this is our land.



To cultivate our land is a very important thing . Also as a political art to cultivate the land because if we were the owner ship of the land and we have the papers that prove that , we do not cultivate it, Israeli's can enter it easily and no one can talk with her or do anything.

So if any farmer has a land he have to cultivate it and , take care of it because this is the only way that we can take care of our land and keep this land for the Palestinian's.

After walking and walking we saw a huge rocks , some of us climbed it other did not we were afraid of heights high including me but I decided to climbed it and face this fear that I always have, I reached the top of it safely..



As we keep walking we. I saw a long rail roads which can move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem so easily , and beside it there was an area C and near it we can see a school for boys . This is really dangerous I never saw a school and beside it there is rail roads.

We entered a gift shop which sells many of the artifacts that symbolize it is for the Palestinian's people that carry out our heritage , that related to the Palestinian culture . We went up the stairs to get the surface to rest and eat for a while.

At the top of this building we saw the rail road , the school , and the landscaping of the trees , which inspired me. And this was the main settlements of the road while Jerusalem and Bethlehem were beside each other.



The time was moving quickly .We have to continue our walk , the valleys in "Batter" were great a lot of mountains , weeds . There was a lot of Olive Tress , and this made me feel that am related to this country and that I can give my land something to stay forever .



During our walk there was a small pool , some children were swimming on it and all the beautiful trees surrounded them and the pool was made by stones that no one will imagine how this was a charming landscape .

As we keep walking . Our teacher reminds us that the time for planting Tress is coming so he gave everyone an Olives trees to hold , so when he arrive he will give each group a plant to grow .



The olive tree that am going to plant means a lot to me and for all the Palestinian's people . The Israelis cut off and destroyed the olive trees and deprived us of many from them.Now it is our turn to make all the things go in a good way , it is our turn to plant the Olive trees that they destroyed them in the other hand and try to make it up for the Palestinian's people .



Now we are in "Battir " I have been hearing a lot about it . I never enter it but now the time has came to see it, smell her air , walk on it's soil and enjoy being in it .



Planting Olive Trees means a lot for the Palestinian people , it remains us with our culture , nature and this plant mean's a peace in our land , freedom , it still the only thing that connected us with our land.



We reach the point that we want to plant the tree , we all start digging in the soil one by one so deeply planting the Olive tree , put our names around it . I hope that we were planting the peace , love , inside this tree . In the future the new generation will benefit from it , eat from it , and shade under the tree.

These moments will remain national in my memory forever , from which I benefit a lot in this moments and in the future .

After we finish from walking we all went home . I start telling my family how beautiful this trip was , that I hope one day we will all go together to "Battir" , and plant some trees .