I had to move house the other day. To cut a long story short, the apartment I’d been living in for 3 months earlier this year and had returned to again at the beginning of this month, was about to become home to a German couple; a German couple who were prepared to pay significantly more than me and were planning to stay in Bethlehem for a full year. Fortunately, my friends in Beit Sahour AKA The Shepherds’ Fields (the place where the old shepherd blokes once saw that infamous star) were able to sort me out with new digs in barely no time at all. So on the day of the move, I decided to take my trusty tripod and camera for a walk and shoot some footage of the final stretch of my daily commute home.
I guess I’m fortunate in a sense because I’m one of those people who’s regularly been able to find amusement in life’s everyday and relatively inane experiences. The natty copy prepared by real estate hacks for instance, has always proven to be a reliable source. Those far-fetched one-liners (always printed in an all too elegant type-face) that find their way onto billboards advertising properties for sale, never fail to bring a smile to my face. A termite-ridden, wooden shack located under an obnoxious flight path becomes none other than a “Renovator’s Dream,” while a dark, cockroach-infested studio with missing floorboards and rising damp is unreservedly declared a “Good First Property.”
The property I was leasing in Bethlehem was once a desirable home on the hottest street in town – the road that led straight to Jerusalem. Had the Bethlehem real estate agents been as crass here as they are elsewhere, the billboard would have undoubtedly read “Location Location Location” leading up to the point of sale. In 2005 this all changed. The well-to-do Bethlehemite families who had been living it up in their three and four bedroom homes with built-ins, spacious kitchens, balconies and separate lounge and dining rooms, were suddenly affronted by Israel’s latest security measure; The Separation Wall. Although none of these homes sit anywhere close to the 1967 borders, they are located on the outskirts of Bethlehem nearby the resting place of the biblical matriarch, Rachel – considered the third holiest site in Judaism. Needless to say, the Israeli Government wanted this site – and what Israel wants it gets, especially if this desire is concealed behind the pretext of security. Building the so-called “security fence” provided – and continues to provide them – with a great opportunity to annex as much of the West Bank as they desire.
A few years ago, a relative of mine wanted to build a sun-room in her apartment. She set about making it happen but soon found that the amount of red-taped rigmarole involved (with council and neighbours) was ultimately enough to cast a shadow over the appeal of the once-important extension. If you’re Palestinian living in the West Bank, there’s never any room for negotiation. If Israel decides that the land which your family house has been on for the last eighty odd years, is land they want – then regardless of what deeds you may hold, it will be theirs. Occasionally (not always) families are “compensated” financially – but if you don’t want to move, if you have a strong or sentimental connection with the house, earth or community; tough.
After The Separation Wall was completed around the Rachel’s Tomb area, Jerusalem Street (where this apartment is based) was cut off from the rest of Bethlehem. This meant that on foot at least, access to the residential homes and businesses became a huge ordeal. The most direct route involves walking alongside The Wall, passing two Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) Observation Towers and then heading through a graveyard! Understandably, the businesses located on this stretch of road folded and most of the people living in the houses moved. To illustrate how ludicrous this is, here’s a video I made of my walk home. I should apologise in advance for looking as grumpy as I do – in my defense, it was the day of the move and I was feeling a little stressed.
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