At the end of my previous blog I said I would be writing more about the wall in Palestine and I will keep my promise. However, I have also taken notice of the several comments and reactions this topic caused. Like Lara, saying we as bloggers should be careful not to choose sides and Hemant, who wrote about uniting those sides by art. And that’s why – this time – I will leave politics aside and will only try to sketch an image of both Palestinians’ and Israelis’ perceptions of the wall. Let’s give the floor to the people whom I found across the internet on all kinds of sites representing different places, opinions and beliefs.

“Five Qassam rockets fell tonight in Sderot. Two Israelis were injured and seven are now in shock. There is a war going on in Israel. The people of Sderot cannot leave their homes without worrying. They cannot drive two meters without having to leave their cars and run for cover. They cannot live their normal everyday lives that everyone takes for granted.”

Gila Kanal, Sderot, Israel 

“Whose security is the wall for? Do the Israelis feel more secure when we lose our land, when we cannot harvest our olives, when our men have psychological problems because they can’t feed their children? With the wall, life has become no different than death, because without land and without work we’re dead. That’s what drives the suicide bombers. If I had a choice to go kill myself, I’d prefer it to being dead while still living.”

Mozain Jorban, Rummana, Palestine

“I don’t think the fence is safer for us. It doesn’t make us any safer. It’s useless. The government thinks it’s better. They don’t live here, they don’t know. It is not dangerous here, we have good relations with the neighboring village. If I want to buy a sheep, it’s cheap to buy one from them. In the city, it’s really expensive.  So the fence is useless, it doesn’t help us at all.”

“But without the army and the fence my parents wouldn’t let me go out at night. Now they feel safer letting me go out at night. We just need the fence so nothing happens in the future.”

Two youngsters living in Elqana, Jewish settlement

“This region has become safer. Earlier we were afraid that Palestinians would throw stones and Molotov cocktails. We can see that the security fence itself has proven how effective it is and how it’s capable of preventing people getting injured and it saved the lives of hundreds of Israelis.”

Mickey Rosenfeld, East Jerusalem, Israel

"My mother passed away in a hospital in occupied East Jerusalem, our historic capital, in August but the Israeli occupation refused me a permit to be with her. An Israeli friend held a mobile phone to my mother’s ear so that I could say good bye to her and thank her for all the love she has given me.”

Abdallah Abu Rahmah, Bi’lin, Palestine

“We form groups with Palestinians and Israelis, like football or whatever. We try to be together, but the war disturbs us. It shows hate, and why, I ask myself. Anyway, I just hope that it will stop soon and we only have to do one thing and that is to stop hating each other.”

Sivan, Israel

“When I look at the wall, I feel the world has ended. It’s tragic for me and for my children. They are deprived of going out to the playgrounds. They go to school at a certain time and must return at a certain time. We stay here all the time. We see nobody and nobody sees us, like in a jail. The wall grabbed the land and grabbed us with it.”

Hani Amer, Mas Ha, Palestine

Different stories, different views. But all worth listening to.