Thoughtfully exposes the linkages between familial and social relationships, local bureaucracies, and geographic boundaries. It examines an omnipresent system of hard and soft boundaries layered by complex interplays of historic events, ethnic relations, political dynamics, urban networks, topography, personal decision making, and familial and filial relationships. This analysis of a palimpsest provides structure to the narration of one single tragic event that otherwise could be construed as kismet resulting from a confluence of unrelated misjudgments and the weather. A very compassionate work of writing that deftly hides it’s strong academic underpinnings of urban geography and moves the reader quickly through an emotionally wrought story. ( )

Abed Salamas's 5 year old son Milad is excited that his class is going on a school picnic. But because they are West Bank Palestinians, their bus can't use the roads with the most direct route to the picnic site, and the bus itself is old and decrepit. Tragically, while the bus was en route, stalled near a check point, it was struck by a rogue dump truck, overturned and burst into flames. And because the West Bank is divided into Zones A, B, and C, each under different governmental authorities, there were major delays in dispatching fire fighters and ambulances, even though the disaster itself was in view of a check point. Many children died, including some who were initially transported to the hospital in Ramallah that was open to Palestinians, rather than to the better equipped hospital in Jerusalem. Getting to the Jerusalem hospital required special permits and passing through checkpoints which caused a lot of delays and through which many Palestinians could not pass.

This was a tragic book, and I learned a lot from it. I had some vague knowledge about the Oslo Agreements, and believed that the West Bank was to be allocated to the Palestinians. But I have also heard over the years about the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, many of which have been encouraged by the Netanyahu government. In fact, the way the West Bank is set up, most Palestinians are crowed into urban "islets" widely separated by wide open spaces where the Israeli settlements are being built. And beyond that, Israel is building a wall to physically isolate the Palestinians from Israel and from the Israeli controlled areas of the West Bank. (Wonder if that's where Trump got his wall idea). This book, while it contains a lot of valuable information (and was written by an Israeli journalist) taught me I need to do a lot more reading on this subject.

Highly recommended.

4 stars ( )

4.5 ( )