Farther north around ancient Armageddon and the tourist lookout points of Mount Gilboa, a wrong turn leads to a warning sign, or a gap in the trees reveals a West Bank Palestinian village below in the distance.
The relative rarity of these fleeting glimpses shows how, 20 years after the Second Palestinian Intifada (uprising), many Israelis ceased seeing the Palestinians as prospective peace partners, and prefer not to see them at all.
Israel credits the barrier with having stemmed Palestinian suicide bombings and shooting attacks during the five-year intifada, in which more than 1,000 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians were killed.
Palestinians say it was a land grab that cuts miles into the West Bank and was designed to annex parts of the territory that Israel captured and occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, and which Palestinians seek for a future state.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled in an advisory opinion in 2004 that the barrier was illegal under international law. Israel rejected this, accusing the court of being “politically motivated”.
But there is little argument that the barrier has shifted the geographical terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – radically changing the dynamic between two intertwined peoples.
While West Bank Palestinians could before 2000 easily walk or drive into Israel, a generation later, some Israelis are now most likely to encounter them while serving as soldiers at a checkpoint – unless they are among the 450,000 Israelis now living in West Bank settlements.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September - October 2020 من Cochin Herald.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September - October 2020 من Cochin Herald.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A Roadmap Out Of Pandemic, The Kerala Way
When India was just waking up to the news of COVID-19, Kerala was ready to tackle it. Here is a look at how they got through the first wave and what is in store for the newly elected government
KK Shailaja The wall of resilience and hope
“Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed”, said American politician Bob Riley once, and it comes true for KK Shailaja, who helmed the health ministry in the State of Kerala when the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed its rage on humanity. From a humble background in Kannur, she was known as the nonchalant Physics teacher, whose eyes always gleamed with kindness. After announcing retirement from her position as a teacher in 2004, she went on a quest for wider horizons and to serve society as a political leader. It was her unassuming persona that made her seamlessly leave a strong impression in the minds of every person she passed by to be fondly called ‘teacher’.
Protest and reflection: A year after the death of George Floyd
Bettye and Robert Freeman were sitting in their Boston living room when they heard the clamor on the street outside.
When sky becomes the only limit
Model-actress and doctor, Anita Abraham, who hails from Chengannur, Kerala, has come a long way over the years. The multitalented Anita was brought up outside Kerala and pursued her studies, as a child in Arunachal Pradesh. The zeal for scaling the pinnacle of fame and success was so ingrained in her that it prompted her to embark on umpteen number of itineraries and equally showcase her prowess in all the endeavours she undertook.
‘C 4': Kerala's success mantra to contain COVID
Kerala continues to win in the game and can be a learning model for days to come for all. The state has done homework in developing clear-cut strategies in fighting this pandemic. Early detection of cases, enough oxygen plants, systematic coordination of ASHA workers and frontliners to name a few. I had the personal experience, of visiting the COVID testing and vaccination clinics with my parents. On top of that, the government ensured the vaccine available for the public is free of cost.
US agencies examine reports of early COVID-19 infections in Wuhan lab
US intelligence agencies are examining reports that researchers at a Chinese virology laboratory were seriously ill in 2019 a month before the first cases of COVID-19 were reported, according to US government sources who cautioned that there is still no proof the disease originated at the lab.
Vaccine hesitancy grows ahead of Thailand's mass inoculation rollout
Vaccine hesitancy has risen sharply in Thailand opinion polls show, just weeks away from the start of a mass inoculation programme and as the country fights its deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.
On the mighty road to lifting stereotypes
Letting go of one's big-city dreams and moving to a small city is a tough step for many. Mumbaikar Nithya Suresh too lived through the strange void of adapting to the slow-paced life of Kochi city after she moved out of Mumbai, three years ago. But as she was exploring her new life in a new city, Nithya found love in the unlikeliest form - Powerlifting.
Immune system has long-term defenses after mild COVID-19; children may be key carriers of virus variants
The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID19, the illness caused by the virus.
'Try anything': Japan's silverhaired cheer-dancing squad
Pompoms rustle and silver shoes flash as Japan Pom Pom practices, moving to a lively cheer dance beat. With members ages 60 to 89, they're no ordinary squad.
