Everyday life, local action under occupation

Letters From the West Bank

Written from cities and towns across the West Bank, these dispatches look beyond the headlines to the people, businesses, artists, organizers and communities shaping everyday life under occupation

Letters from the West Bank

We started Letters from the West Bank to explore the Palestinian-Israeli lived reality through everyday stories—from Easter to Ramadan to Passover.

The situation in the West Bank is worsening. While the news tells you about violence, settlements, displacement, and Israeli-Palestinian politics, Letters from the West Bank shows you what it means to live there—and what people are doing about navigating everyday life under occupation.

Because beyond the headlines and political debates, there is an everyday reality that can only really be understood from the ground. Based in the West Bank, I take you into the lives of people who continue to build, preserve, and defend their communities, culture, and civic life under extraordinary conditions and profound injustice.

And, ultimately, the series asks a simple question: what can we do besides watching injustice unfold on social media?

#1 — On Easter Sunday, From Jerusalem with Love

#2 — A Regular Day in Jenin

#3 — A Shopping Trip Through Tubas

#4 — From Michigan to Nablus

#5 — A Pet Shop in Nablus

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