Wadi Fuqin, a small Palestinian village, carries the inconceivable complexities of the current
Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The village is a well preserved model of a traditional agricultural way of
life, developed thousands of years ago. The community has harnessed the water flowing from the
valley’s eleven springs to nourish their fields. Kilometers of canals direct the spring water to storage
pools and onwards to the many fruit and vegetable fields. Currently, the agricultural way of life and
natural landscape is endangered by many threats. To the east, the massive development of the Beitar Ilit
Settlement is posing an immediate danger to the springs, to the west, the planned separation wall
threatens to harm more springs and close the village in between the wall and the settlement.
The village has been recognized by Unesco as a world heritage landscape, but Unesco can not protect
the village since Palestine is not an official sovereign country
The villagers are not permitted to cross to Israel nor are they allowed to cross to the settlement. Some
of the villagers, left with no other income possibilities work in the settlement’s (with special
permission) construction site. Building the threat to their village themselves. As an Israeli I approach
this story with great passion. A known saying in Hebrew determines that a person is the scenery of his
childhood. Wadi Fuqin is part of the scenery of my childhood. The smell of the fresh vegetables, the
clear water are a good part of my memories, I grew up in a country mixed with Jews and Arabs and no
walls in between. Its true that the atmosphere was not always welcoming on both sides but is still part
of my memories, part of who I am. I document the beauty of the place, the significance of the scenery
and produce the land brings to its owners, the villagers. I pay close attention to the joy and love the
place and produce bring to the villagers, it is important for me to document it, before it might change,
for them and for myself.
A Video of the project can be found here: https://vimeo.com/42738481
