A Palestinian Woman’s Story of Misery
As a woman in an Arab society, your options and choices in life are limited. However, as a Palestinian woman, with no legal evidence of your citizenship, as well as a single parent, your choices and options are almost non-existent.
My husband and I met in Jordan; we are both Palestinians who escaped to Jordan during the 1948 war known as Al Nakba— the Disaster. In 1994 we decided to move back to Palestine with our children on visitors’ visas with the hope of becoming permanent residents. We wanted to build our life and raise our kids there. However, after many attempts we were still denied the Palestinian ID. Just when I thought things could not get any worse, my husband went to Jordan on a business trip, but never came back. He abandoned me and my four children alone with no money or security.
As the years went by my life kept taking a turn for the worse. I went several times to the Israeli Ministry of Interior begging them to help me get legal documents for me and my kids in order to be able to support them and send them to school, but they refused. I was alone in my misery. Finally, after much effort I was able to get my children’s names added to their grandfather’s ID. I, on the other hand, continued to struggle to provide food and shelter for them. I tried many times to find a job but no one would hire me without without any legal documents.
One day my daughter became very ill and needed to go to the hospital. That day I took the risk of trying to get through the Israeli military checkpoints. I was lucky on the way there because they did not ask me for my ID. However, on the way back there was a long line at the checkpoint. After standing in line for several hours at the checkpoint the solider asked me for my Palestinian ID. I told him I did not have one, that I only had a Jordanian ID. I was then held for investigation for four hours. Afterwards, they finally agreed to let my daughter pass but refused to let me go with her. After a long argument the solider allowed me and my daughter to pass, but swore that next time he would deport me.
This is only one example of my daily struggles. Everyday I live in fear of losing my children and wonder if they will have food and shelter the next day. I have tried every way possible to provide a normal life for them. However, I have failed. I feel incredibly alone and confused. I have no idea what the days ahead hold for me and my children, but I hope that God will bless me with his mercy, and help me build a safe and secure life for my children.
Entry Filed under: Testimonies