Every year during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, tens of thousands of Palestinians head to checkpoints in the West Bank early on Friday mornings to attempt to cross into Jerusalem, taking advantage of the unusual relaxation of certain movement restrictions.
This summer, Mondoweiss published a photo essay by a Palestinian photojournalist, 26-year-old Ahmad Al-Bazz, who followed these worshippers and discovered that the restrictions were enforced arbitrarily and inconsistently. People who had been in prison were denied entry if their IDs were scanned on a computer. At times when no computer scanners were used, those same Palestinians walked through the checkpoint to Jerusalem. One man told Ahmed: “It depends on the mood of the officer that day, I believe.”
You and other readers likely have read about the frustrations and injustices the checkpoints bring to everyday life for Palestinians. But our photojournalists like Ahmad bring you the visual proof, images where you can see the sun beating down on the thousands of people crammed in between metal gates, resting their tired arms against the wall as they wait for a chance to move.
We value our photojournalists as an integral part of the truth telling we do here at Mondoweiss, brave reporters like Ahmad who often risk their lives to capture these images, armed with a camera as their weapon of choice. We can only bring this visual representation of the truth to you because of the support that you’ve generously given us. Can you step up and contribute today?
 Our deadline for this campaign is this Thursday. If you’ve already contributed, we thank you! If not, can you contribute at one of the levels shown here? Your tax-deductible support will enable Mondoweiss to keep sharing the truth, one story at a time. |
When you think of the topic of Israel/Palestine, there is probably a specific image that comes to your head – an image that was likely brought to you by a photojournalist who witnessed it directly, and thought it was important enough to share with you. The images we share with you and the world are intended to reflect the truth of daily life in Israel/Palestine, from the joys to the sorrows, from tragedy to triumph. If it weren’t for organizations like Mondoweiss, many of these images would never be seen by the international community. Quite literally, contributors like Ahmad are able to bring you snapshots of humanity from daily life across Palestine, providing photos of what is all too often obscured in mainstream media.
Over the past few weeks, you’ve heard from many members of the Mondoweiss team asking for your help. And now, I’m asking you again. A generous donor has offered to contribute $20,000 if we can reach $60,000, and we need all hands on deck to meet the challenge before we hit the final deadline on Thursday. If you are among those around the world who believe in what I do — in the value of this type of journalism in exposing Israel’s crimes — please donate to Mondoweiss, which supports the work of Ahmad and so many others seeking to spread the truth.
