Gallery: Beautiful Scenes of Everyday Life in Palestine Go Far Beyond the Conflict
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa01More than four million Palestinians live in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, where the political situation regularly intrudes upon the most mundane of moments.Movement is circumscribed and the threat of violence often hangs overhead. This creates
Students from the Al-Quds University javelin team wrap up the last practice before summer vacation in the West Bank city of Abu Dis, next to the Israeli Separation Wall.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa02TANYA-0038
Body builders in Gaza.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa03TANYA-0010
A woman plays with two baby lion cubs born in the Rafah Zoo in Gaza. Gazan zoo keepers are renowned for their creativity because they have limited options. They've painted a donkey like a zebra, smuggled in animals in the tunnels, and stuffed animals once they are dead.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa04TANYA-0009
Two furniture makers take a break in a pair of plush armchairs (that they built) in the open-air in Hizma, against Israel's 26-foot high Separation Wall.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa05TANYA-0002
A Palestinian youth from Hebron enjoys a swim in Ein Farha, considered to be one of the most beautiful nature spots in the entire West Bank. It, like many other nature reserves and heritage sites in the West Bank, is managed by the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa06TANYA-0003
A young girl plays on the beach in the party dress she wore the night before at a wedding at the Deir al-Balah Refugee Camp in Gaza.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa07TANYA-0004
A young fiancee goes wedding dress shopping in Gaza. Her future husband is working in Libya, where she hopes to join him.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa08TANYA-0005
A woman in Gaza without a travel permit, marches through the silent dark of an underground tunnel on her way to a party in Egypt, clutching a bouquet of flowers.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa09TANYA-0006
The Gaza Parkour team practices in a cemetery on the outskirts of their refugee camp in Khan Younis, Gaza. The walls show damage from past Israeli incursions.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa10TANYA-0007
14 year old Sabah Abu Ghanim, Gaza's famous girl surfer, waits to catch a wave.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa11TANYA-0041
A young man smokes a cigarette at the Qalandia checkpoint. The sheep in his car is for a post-Ramadan celebration.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa12TANYA-0011
Teenage girls try on dresses for an upcoming dance at their private school in Ramallah.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa13A West Bank wedding celebration during the women-only portion of the party.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa14TANYA-0015
A father takes his son for a spin, playing with his children on a friday afternoon in Gaza on the beach.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa15TANYA-0018
High school students in Gaza take a boat ride after grueling examinations before the start of summer break.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa16TANYA-0019
Family and friends play cards on the roof in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp of Bethlehem. With narrow streets and limited space, the roof is often a refuge for many families to sit together and enjoy the breeze.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa17TANYA-0025
Mona Ennab, a "Speed Sister" from Ramallah, trains with colleague Noor Daoud at the Qalandia check point. Open spaces for practicing racing and drifting are limited in the West Bank.
Photo: Tanya Habjouqa18TANYA-0026
Hyatt (left) recently took a yoga lesson from a visiting American yoga instructor. She is now teaching the young residents of her village, Zataara, a small village on the outskirts of Bethlehem in the West Bank. The women are increasing in number each week.
