Week 8 Reading Responses

I think there is a really interesting connection between the "Old and New Walls in Jerusalem" (Menachem Klein) article and the PYALARA articles, especially the "Overview of the Political Context and Developments" one. It seems like the very first sentence of Klein's article: "The concept of Jerusalem as an open city negates the existence of any deep division in Jerusalem" can in fact have effectively served as the opening sentence of the PYALARA article as well. Both articles clearly illustrate the divisions that exist within the city, and region at large, albeit from two different perspectives that counteract the title of an "open city." Klein's article almost serves as a precursor for the PYALARA article in that it lays out the different types of "walls" that exist and the PYALARA articles add the human component of the lives of those who are separated by those "walls." Given this background, I think our conversations tomorrow will be extremely interesting. I'm really excited to meet the Palestinian youth behind the PYALARA articles and hear their perspectives first hand. It is also really interesting to note the focus on the political history and current politics that was specifically diverted in our last video conference meeting. Pending our session tomorrow, I think these differences will definitely be an interesting subject to further discuss.