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Today we visited the home of Muneera, a woman living with her husband and 6 children in the village of Mas’ha. But instead of just walking into her home like any normal place, we are again reminded that this is Palestine, and people are not free to do whatever they wish.

Muneera’s home is completely, on all sides, surrounded by the Israeli “security fence.” When you look from the house, you see a giant cement wall out the door. The rest of the enclosure is made up of a tall metal fence with barbed wire curling around the top. There is one door-sized gate in the fence next to the cement wall. This is how Muneera lets us in with the key the army gave her. Her family must unlock and lock the gate each time they enter or leave.

About 50 yards behind the house is Elkana settlement, built 15 years ago. Just like having a new housing development built behind your home, right? Except this week she told us that the residents (settlers) were throwing stones at their house, making loud noises in the middle of the night and reminding the Palestinian family of their sad situation.

Muneera’s home was built 33 years ago and she has lived there for 23. So when Israel notified her that there was to be a settlement built on her land, and that she would have to relocate, she refused. Even with some compensation, it is not very acceptable in Palestinian society to sell their land to Israelis and to increase excuses for military occupation. Muneera chose to stay because it is her home and show it to the world with the hope that publicizing this ridiculous situation could bring about change.

The family lives an uncomfortable life. Her husband’s greenhouses and chicken farm were destroyed during the beginning of the second intifada, leaving little income for the family. Muneera tells us that the children are not healthy emotionally, growing up in a cage atmosphere where friends’ parents refuse to allow visits. And she leaves very infrequently, fearing that if no one is in the house, something will happen to it.

There is one beautiful thing here. With the assistance of some local organizations and a mural artist, children from the village gathered here last year and painted bright scenery of birds flying and other images of peaceful lives onto the gray cement wall. (see photos!)