In the summer of 2012, Sebastiaan and Marianne, both 17 years old, flew from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv. They wanted to know what is like to grow up in such a divided country. From the Netherlands they’ve made a contact with people of their age on both sides of the wall. The wall was built after several suicide bombings during the second intifada in 2002. Because of the wall, the Israelis and the Palestinians live completely separated.
In Israel, after finishing their training in the army, young people are sent out to protect their country. There is a great chance that they’ll have to serve in the West Bank on the other side of the wall. Life in the West Bank is completely different and full of chaos. To get there you’ll have to pass several checkpoints. Palestinians can’t cross these checkpoints and they’re not allowed to go into Israel.
The question is how young Israelis and Palestinians are influenced by the conflict. Do they have opportunities similar to each other and what does the future look like?
In the villages near the wall, Palestinians protest every week against the construction of the wall. They protest every Friday, and during these protests the soldiers and the villagers often clash violently. For the young Israelis it seems normal to sleep with a gun next to their bed, but young Palestinians have a lot of sleepless nights due to the soldiers that might show up in any moment.
Israeli youngsters believe that the change should start at a higher level, but on the other side of the wall the young Palestinians think that they can definitely make a difference. They have found creative ways to express the problems they’re facing. The local youth is using the theater as a form of expression and as a tool to teach each other more about the problems they face and the rights they have.
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