IN STEREO

At the age of sixty, you’re supposed to take a rest. I had, of course, a rest from my job – but not from my land. My land is my responsibility. Because the other party has a law: if land is left for a specific period, they take control of it. This is the Israeli justice. In 1983, we were surprised by an order from the Civil Administration, the military ruler. One of things they presented to the court against the citizens was that before, during the 1930s, the proportion of used land was 70%. Ten years later, during the forties, the proportion of used land became 60%. 50% during the fifties. During the sixties, 40%. During the seventies and eighties it became 30%. I mean, they call themselves civilised and just and humanists. But the reality is that they have planned: “I have a settlement here and a settlement there; I want to connect the two settlements together.” They cover themselves with law.

British, Jordanian, any law by which they would be able to take the land. So this is something that I can’t accept. We are trying to deal with the circumstances little by little. As long as I’m still alive, I have to work on my land. So of course, my wife and I work now. I mean, I help her, and she helps me. She helps me with olives, she helps me with apricots. With anything she can, she helps. We have our children who help us. Hand in hand. This is life: cooperation. I mean, Palestinian life… it’s not easy at all. We are the truth, whatever we say about our reality. It’s not easy, it’s not easy at all. And not all people are able to talk about the reality. We like to welcome these facts and that our foreign comrades know what our reality is. – Abu Wisam