Travel Restrictions Take Toll On Palestinian Relationships
Gazan filmmaker Abu Sido thought that his six-year relationship with a girl from the West Bank could work, but travel restrictions proved to be stronger.
Seven years ago, Abu Sido, then 22, met the girl of his dreams online. While he lived in Gaza, his girlfriend was a Ramallah [West Bank] resident.
He already knew that gaining access to the West Bank was hard, yet he didn't think it was impossible. "I thought it was a hardship like many others that relationships may face, but it was beyond my abilities to overcome it," Abu Sido explained, while lighting his cigarette.
Abu Sido could see and talk to his girl during the six years they spent together, but only via Internet and telephone. He had tried all conventional and unusual ways to obtain an Israeli permit to the West Bank, but all his attempts were shattered on the rock of Israeli rejection.
"I tried [presenting] health reports that said I should receive treatment in the West Bank, I sent letters to President Mahmoud Abbas, (Israeli President) Shimon Peres, I even sent [letters to US President] Barack Obama, but I never got a reply," Abu Sido said, while bursting out in laughter.
