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Intimidation

Spending time here in Ramallah, is like being in a positive palestinian bubble.

Because it is zone A it is governed by palestinians, so there is not so much intimidation.

Yesterday evening we went to the countryside just outside of ramallah and while we sipped our chai, you could see the lights of the settlements on the hills. Searching for any intruders.

Settlers always build on mountaintops apparently. And they have different techniques to take away the land illegally from palestinian people. One of the ways  is a law dating back to the ottoman occupation. In which it says that if you don't use the land for 10 years it goes back to the state.

So they just close the road and then the palestinians can't go to their own land. Also because the settlers patrol with guns and dogs.
This happens in the zone C, because there israel is the authority, and after 10 years they take the land and give it to the settlers.

 Another tactique i have heard is that settlers go and demand food and shelter, hoping that palestinians take revenge.

Because when they are assaulted the IDF can come in and take the property. There are many more examples, but you get the message.

Personally i think a lot about this intimidation. I want to come back to Palestine in the future, so i don't want to have a bad relationship with israeli authorities. At the same time, if i don't share the intimidations i come across, i succumb to them.

My german ancestors where severely intimidated by the national socialists. And growing up with their tragic story inside me, i know how it feels to suffer from being intimidated.

So thats why i refuse to be a victim of intimidation this lifetime. But i sure hope i can come back to this beautiful place, supporting artistic initiatives!

During the empfindsamkeit, back in the 18 century it was Johan Gottfried von Herder who rebeld against the dukes and counts, by writing a encyclopedic work for european songs, in which he also collected "german songs" even before it was a nation.

Also he could not rebel against the dangerous and powerful dukes of his time with force, so they used art.

Have a nice day

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