With an eye on the flags and banners that still fly on the facades of Via Laietana in Barcelona, as proof that on this same avenue tens of thousands of people took to the streets to denounce that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, Nadine Nakhleh, official of the Palestinian Association of Local Authoritiesdoes not come out of his astonishment: “There are more Palestinian flags than Catalan flags hanging on the balconies. It’s exciting”.
A delegation of leaders from the occupied West Bank has visited Barcelona in a meeting with Acció Exterior of the Generalitat of Catalonia to seek new avenues of cooperation. EL PERIÓDICO has been able to interview three of these municipal representatives in a week marked by the hope of an agreement to end the war, and by the fateful anniversary of October 7, when Hamas attacks gave rise to a brutal Israeli offensive that has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians.
For this reason, Barcelona was like a breath of hope, say Nakhleh and her companions, who said they believed saturated with symbolic gestures and longed for concrete actions from governments Westerners to end the massacre. However, Samar O. Frijat, Director of the Jericho Mayor’s Officeadmits that, when she arrived in the center of Barcelona, she felt deeply moved. ““I felt like someone was listening to us.”he says with a sad smile. The second Amani Abu Zayyad, director of planning and projects of the municipality of Aizaria: “I saw international solidarity on television, but when I arrived in Barcelona I really felt it. This touches our hearts. “It’s the only weapon we have.”.
And the repression of the Israeli Army is so strong in the West Bank that protests become impossible. “In our country, displaying the Palestinian flag can land you in prison. “Just for that”says Nakhleh and adds: “Here in Barcelona, I have seen it flying on buildings and cars. At home, that “it would be unthinkable”.
Total repression
These municipal representatives are, in the West Bank, just the last real link between the population and the public administrationwhen the major structures of the increasingly recognized state of Palestine are still non-existent, due to historical annulment, and the current state of war. “Our local government is the backbone of the entire administration. “They want to prevent us from providing services, because they know that the municipalities are the last bastion of civil resistance.”Denuation Abou eliche.
The repression is total in a West Bank where the Cutting roads or water are weapons of warfor the Israeli Government that deploys the Army and settlers throughout the occupied territory. In the last three months, more than 10 mayors have been arresteds by Israeli forces, the representatives say. 60% of the West Bank is under Israeli rule and the Palestinian local authorities do not have the capacity to build or repair infrastructure without permission from the Army.
Nakhleh explains that Palestinian public employees have been earning between 50% and 70% of their salary for years. “Teachers, doctors and health workers continue working even if they don’t get paid. They know there is no alternative,” and he adds: “The situation is unbearable for anyone.”
Interview with three Palestinian leaders from West Bank municipalities. In the image, Amani Abu Zayyad, director of planning and projects of the municipality of Aizaria (left); Nadine Nakhleh, official of the Palestinian Association of Local Authorities (center); and Samar O. Frijat, director of the Jericho mayor’s office (right) / Zowy Voeten / EPC
Water as a weapon of war
In Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world, water arrives only one day a week. “For no reason, the settlers and the Israeli Government decided to cut off the supply“explains Braiddirector of this mayor’s office. “We receive water one day a week. This problem did not start on October 7, as they say. Comes from 1948″. And the blockade of basic resources is not exclusive to Gaza. “Planning is impossible,” laments Frijat. However, every day the municipal teams go to work. “Our job is to serve people, to keep hope alive,” he adds.
In Aizaria, a suburb of Jerusalem separated from the city by what Abu Zayyad calls “an apartheid wallwhile movement restrictions multiply. “We live in an open-air prison”he assures. There are checkpoints that open and close without warning. Access to cities can be blocked for hours or days. “If they close this road, we will find alternatives. It is the resilience Palestine,” he adds, among the resignation and the challenge.
fateful anniversary
For these Palestinian leaders, the anniversary of October 7 It does not represent a starting point, but rather a continuity of violence and repression, albeit intensified. ““October 7th now means shame and falsehood.”says Abu Zayyad, alluding to how Binyamin Netanyahu used Hamas attacks to intensify his genocidal attack.
The decision to remain in the West Bank comes at a personal price for them and their families. “I think about my children, and I am afraid for them” and, at the same time, she says she considers herself strangely privileged compared to the mothers in Gaza who cannot feed their children. “We are Palestinians and this is our home. We will not be evacuated, no matter how much force they use against us,” he maintains.
The day after
The so-called “day after” the war in Gaza still sounds like a distant dream for them, but they refuse to abandon all hope. “When the invasion is over, we want to be there, helping to rebuild,” says Nakhleh.
While, Frijat asks “what does international law even mean when no one enforces it”. And, at his side, Abu Zayyad nods and warns of the danger of impunity. “I just want this war to end. It is not just a Palestinian issue, but everyone’s. If today it is in Palestine, tomorrow it could be somewhere else,” he concludes.
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