Palestinians wait between the walls of an Israeli-manned checkpoint, which they must pass through to leave the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem and reach the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to attend the second Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan on February 27, 2026. (Credit: Hazem Bader/AFP)
From the roof of an unfinished house, Abou Wael traced the geography of Silat al-Dahr with his fingertips. In front of him lay the Israeli settlement of Sanour; behind, Homesh; and between the two, the future road the Israeli army intends to impose on the residents of this Palestinian village in southern Jenin.The man, in his 50s, his face expressions somber, sketched the route: “It will start from that hill, come down to here, turn right up to that house over there, which may disappear.”Like all residents, he has seen the plans and the new Israeli military directives: plots confiscated, houses threatened with demolition, farmland condemned even as wheat and olive trees continue to grow. Everything could now vanish under asphalt, fragmenting the village, cutting off residents’ mobility, and making the fields inaccessible. “If nothing...
From the roof of an unfinished house, Abou Wael traced the geography of Silat al-Dahr with his fingertips. In front of him lay the Israeli settlement of Sanour; behind, Homesh; and between the two, the future road the Israeli army intends to impose on the residents of this Palestinian village in southern Jenin.The man, in his 50s, his face expressions somber, sketched the route: “It will start from that hill, come down to here, turn right up to that house over there, which may disappear.”Like all residents, he has seen the plans and the new Israeli military directives: plots confiscated, houses threatened with demolition, farmland condemned even as wheat and olive trees continue to grow. Everything could now vanish under asphalt, fragmenting the village, cutting off residents’ mobility, and making the fields inaccessible. “If...
