Horizon

A rooftop gathering with friends lasted into the early hours of Thursday morning. At around 3am, I took out my camera to try and capture the city by night.

The line of lights along the horizon is Ashdod in Israel, once Isdod in mandated Palestine. There is a stark contrast between the darkness of the northern Gaza Strip and the bright lights of developed Israel.

It's always a surprise to be reminded how physically close the cities of Israel are, when they feel so very far away. Most Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are denied permission to cross the border into Israel, which effectively denies them access to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are part of the Palestinian state. At the very least, this prevents them from meeting with family and friends, visiting important religious sites, accessing educational institutions, and using medical facilities.

Sometimes, I try to imagine not being allowed to go to Dublin because a new state has been formed on the land separating it from Cork, and both cities have been occupied. It's absurd.