Stories by the Children of Jerusalem Illustrated by the children of Gaza The Oppressed Jerusalem

Nasra Hamed- 13 years/ Jerusalem
Mahaba Shrim 13 years/Gaza

I write in these lines about Jerusalem, the precious Jerusalem and the closest place to our hearts. Yes and I speak of specific places in it and I mean the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in its spirituality and the beauty of its design; during every visit to it I feel calmness filling my heart. Also the Aqsa mosque of our dear Prophet, he went from it to Heaven. The prettiest part is the Dome of the Rock which is filled with gold and the light of the sun reflects on it, when I am inside it I feel relaxed and assured and I get a feeling of wanting to stay and not leave.
Oh if you knew. I have lived in Jerusalem since I was born, I did not see in it except its beauty, it is the cradle of the heavenly religions and it is facing big oppression by the Zionist occupation. Our people are deprived from many of their rights among them freedom. My family also suffers from this oppression. There is a part of my family that lives in the West Bank and cannot come to Jerusalem, and there are those I do not know and even have never met! I blame this on the occupation, because they are responsible for building the racist wall which divided Palestine to areas, Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and others..and deprived us of our freedom .

When I talk about Jerusalem, I feel it is the mother and the warm place for all of us. I want everyone to know about us. I want the past and the present and the future to talk of us, Our City and our simple life, we only want peace, peace and quiet and stability like other peoples. We are children who want to live in peace and security, we only want love and tenderness. We want candles to light our path and a heart that gives us tenderness, philanthropy and love. Ah if only I could free Palestine now I would have done, and would make its children like free birds which fly wherever they want without borders or a wall or prison or any oppression. I want freedom, then freedom, then freedom!