Palestine: Grace under Repression

In Palestine, the word "Occupation" hits you smack between the eyes, trips you up, ties you down. You can never get enough distance between it and yourself. It is hard, when 90% of your land is under the Israelis, and only 10% can be claimed as your own - with their permission. When the colour of your Identity Card - blue for Jerusalem, green for the West Bank, brown for Gaza - determines your mobility within your own country, when there are 570 checkpoints controlled by the Israeli Defence Forces in the tiny area of the West Bank. A reflection on land, the Wall and country on the occasion of a visit to Palestine for the Palestine Literary Festival that was held between 1 and 7 May.