Ten years after the Syrian civil war began and with their motherland lying in ruins, young Druze in the Golan Heights are increasingly shifting their focus, if not always their allegiance, to Israel
The hike was organised by Right to Movement, a group founded by Palestinian youth in 2012 that I’m involved with, with a mission to create a running culture and raise awareness about the restrictions imposed on Palestinian life due to the Israeli occupation. The 14km hike would start at Al-Jab’a village, 17km north of Hebron and 15km south-west of Bethlehem, in an area surrounded by a cluster of Israeli settlements belonging to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc.
It was still only 7.30am when my friend Laurin, frustrated, exclaimed: “See, this is what our right to movement looks like!” We had barely travelled halfway to the starting point when our bus was stopped at the infamous el-Container checkpoint (also known as Qidron crossing). This checkpoint, deep inside occupied territory and blocking the only road Palestinians are allowed to take driving north-south across the West Bank, is very unpredictable.