Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go to visit Jerusalem and Ramallah. What follows are a selection of photos from the trip, accompanying explanations, and a poem translated from famous Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

The way from Jerusalem to Ramallah is marked by the Atarot (Kalandia) Checkpoint, a border crossing hundreds of Palestinians cross on the way to work everyday. During Ramadan, the traffic at the crossing is especially heavy, as Palestinians attempt to cross to go to attend Friday prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque. Israel has forbidden Palestinian men over the age of 45 from entering Jerusalem proper during Ramadan. Earlier in the summer, at 65 year old Palestinian man was killed by tear gas deployed by the IDF during a riot at the checkpoint.

When we arrive at the checkpoint, it is empty and eerily devoid of life. We walk to the outskirts of the city and catch a cab.

Our first looks at the Separation Wall from inside the occupied West Bank. Graffiti covers almost every visible inch, reminiscent of the Berlin wall before the reunification of Germany.

The wall was built during the Second Intifada along the 1949 Armistice Line, with the purpose of stopping West Bank-based violence inside Israel. It severely limits Palestinian mobility, and was condemned by the United Nations in a 150-6 vote. The US and Israel reject this condemnation.

A view of Ramallah from one of its highest points.

A view out into the West Bank from Ramallah. The rows of organized white houses to the left are Israeli settlements, which the UN has condemned as a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The tomb and museum of Mahmoud Darwish, known as the Palestinian national poet. He lived in Ramallah in the last portion of his life, after having been banned from Israel for over 20 years due to his membership in the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

His book, State of Siege, was written in Ramallah in January of 2002. Darwish passed away in 2008.

An excerpt translated from Darwish’s State of Siege

I’m one of the last poets who

Is kept awake like our enemies

maybe the earth was too narrow

for men

and gods