A group of friends, Palestinian and foreign, go to picnic at a wadi between Jerusalem and Jericho. They are wearing bright, casual summer clothes. On a nearby rock sits another party of picnickers, only they are dressed in veils, long skirts and black coats. For a while no one says anything. Then, suddenly, over a gesture of defiance, a row erupts between these secular liberals and the devout Islamicists.
Once upon a time, writes Raja Shehadeh in Occupation Diaries, the two groups would have exchanged friendly greetings. Today there is only suspicion and antagonism; the people of Palestine, who not so long ago lived peacefully together, are now driven apart by deep rifts. Even ‘the veneer of civilisation and decency’ is not just getting thinner in general: it has vanished altogether.
Shehadeh, a lawyer and founder of the human rights organisation Al-Haq, lives in Ramallah.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in