Purpose - Life in the West Bank

Purpose of this Website

When you hear the term "West Bank", what image comes to your mind?
Probably something like this....

Or do you picture this?

What do you picture when you hear about "Palestinians"?
Is it something like this?

Or this?

Maybe there's more to the story than what we see on TV.....

The Missing Story

Somewhere among all of the media coverage we receive about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an important story is missing. It is the story of the approximately 3 million people who live their daily lives in the midst of this conflict. They are not politicians or pundits. You will not hear from them on the nightly news. They are businessmen, doctors, farmers, taxi drivers, and students. What are they like? How does the political situation affect their daily lives? What is their perspective on the conflict?

I was so interested in these questions that I moved to the West Bank in September 2002 to teach English at a university in the West Bank and learn more about Palestinian people. Through my travels in the region and conversations with its people, I want to understand what life is really like here. This website is a collection of pictures and stories that I have picked up along the way.

What's Your Opinion?

I have found that most people have an opinion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, usually a strong one! I want to challenge you to keep an open mind here, no matter what "side" you consider yourself on. For my part, I do not pretend to be an unbiased reporter, but I do believe that I am able to see things by being here that have gone largely unnoticed in the West. I believe that the current political situation in the Middle East is too important for us to settle for easy answers. Perhaps by hearing other voices we can enrich our perspective on this complex and controversial issue. At the very least we can put a human face on a conflict that is affecting so many lives.

As you browse through the site and read the stories, feel free to share your thoughts and ask any questions by email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.
--Mahatma Gandhi