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Walking a path of resistance in Palestine

Illegal Israeli settlements surround the Masar Ibrahim trail on all sides.

Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Palestine's iconic olive trees are key to the local economy. The olives from the 11 million trees across these lands support 100,000 families. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
By Lizzie Porter and Leila Molana-Allen
Published On 2 Jun 20172 Jun 2017
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The Masar Ibrahim is no ordinary walking path. This long-distance trail wends its way through 321km of the occupied West Bank, from the olive groves and fruit orchards of Jenin in the north to the wind-whipped desert of Hebron in the south.

The trail, a partner of the regional Abraham Path, aims to create opportunities for people from different places, cultures and religions to meet, talk and walk together. Hundreds of visitors from all over the world come every year to hike the trail, which was bolstered in 2014 by a $2.3m World Bank grant that facilitated waymarking, guide training and better maps, among other improvements.

But illegal Israeli settlements surround the path on all sides, with guides recounting stories of villagers being terrorised by settlers. They take walkers to meet farmers whose goats and olive trees have been attacked.

“This village feels like it is besieged,” guide Anwar said on the approach to Aqraba, a community southeast of Nablus. Surrounded by towering olive trees, their trunks fat and gnarled, the village has an Arabic name that means “female scorpion”.

“There are places where we would like to walk, but we cannot, because of the settlements,” he added.

Despite the challenges of the Israeli occupation, community-based tourism aims to help build Palestinian society by creating jobs, building confidence among locals and preserving heritage. Foreign visitors lodge overnight in Palestinians’ homes and share food, stories and laughter.

Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
The occupation affects Palestinians from a young age. Ghassan Bani Fadel, a human rights monitor, told Al Jazeera: 'We don't need to teach our children anything. They see everything with their eyes.' [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
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Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Land shortages in the occupied West Bank are altering the social fabric of towns such as Aqraba. Traditionally, houses were built outwards, spreading across a family's plot of land. Now, with land prices soaring, families are building upwards. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Bilal, a 52-year-old shepherd near Awarta, lives in fear of the Israeli settlers who surround his land. 'The situation is scary,' he said. 'But when we see foreign walkers we feel comfortable, because they are not the settlers.' [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
The trail has overcome countless obstacles posed by the Israeli occupation of the West Bank; walkers must pass several Israeli checkpoints, and barbed wire litters the route. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
The Masar Ibrahim is not just a rural trail. It runs through the city of Nablus, a crucible of violence during the second Intifada. Signs of resistance still pepper the city's walls, including the faces of those killed during the uprising. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Friendly young men are keen to stop and talk politics with visitors, but many face a bleak future; Palestine's youth unemployment rate in 2016 was 42 percent. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
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Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Ottoman-era buildings in the Old City suffered heavy damage when Israeli forces invaded in 2002. Now, the alleyways bustle by day with merchants selling everything from giant cabbages to traditional Nabulsi soap. By night they fall silent, yellow lights illuminating the centuries-old cobblestone. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Walkers on the path find hospitality among clear signs of hardship, and are frequently welcomed into homes offering strong coffee and sweet pastries. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Many homes are decorated with soft furnishings covered in traditional Palestinian embroidery. 'Welcoming guests here has helped our family and our village, because people are interested in our culture,' said Rand Murra, the daughter of a homestay owner in the village of Kafr Malek. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Walking the Masar Ibrahim offers a chance to debate everything from Palestinian politics to Scottish independence. 'Braveheart only started a revolt because he wanted to get a girl, didn't he?' quipped quarry manager Mohammed Hamaya. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Quarrying has become one of Palestine's most important industries, attracting demand from the Gulf, Brazil and the US. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Walkers cannot help but notice the Israeli settlements that have increasingly crept across the West Bank, such as here at Kokhav HaShahar. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]
Walking a path of resistance/Please Do Not Use
Noura Abu Khurbesh, the Masar Ibrahim homestay host at Ras al-Auja, wakes before sunrise to mix flour, water and salt into thin, stretchy loaves of bread known as shraq, baked over flames on a giant metal disc. [Leila Molana-Allen/Al Jazeera]


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