A people in the shadow of Fortress Israel
Mr Ideisat is trying to get to work in Arab east Jerusalem. Most mornings the Israeli army shoots tear-gas canisters at him. His daily commute starts at 3.30am, from his home in the West Bank town of Yatta. From there, he has to make a series of journeys on back roads, scrabbling over the hills on foot every so often to avoid the Israeli checkpoints, before connecting with a new taxi on a different road. In total, he walks five miles and uses six different cars.
It used to be bad enough. But since the Israelis built the wall in August last year, it has been worse. Abu Dis used to be part of the suburbs of Arab east Jerusalem. But now Abu Dis lies behind part of Jerusalem’s new “security” wall.