"Dancers are at Constant Risk of Being Arrested"

A 22-year-old Dabke dancer, who wishes to remain unnamed, says Palestinian artists are trying to send out a strong message to the world, that is silently watching the Gaza genocide

- Shreya Basak

IT was a few weeks after October 7. It was a cold afternoon and the sun was dull when my friends were dragged into a dark room, never to be seen again. They were perhaps shot dead.

They were passing through one of the hundreds of checkpoints built around Bethlehem where the Israeli Army can do anything to you depending on their mood. The hostilities have intensified after October 7. We cannot sleep. As Palestinians, we are afraid that what is happening in Gaza can happen to us any day, any moment.

I am a refugee. My grandparents were from Deir Rafat village, which was occupied by Israeli forces in 1948. Since moving to Bethlehem, for us, life has not improved much. All Palestinians live in a state of fear and anxiety as our entire existence has been a struggle—whether as kids, teenagers, and adults.