One Day, the Wall Went Up in al-‘Izariyya, Turning This Family’s Lives Upside Down

Yusuf al-Khatib of al-‘Izariyya established a gas station in the heart of town in 1953. The business supported his family for five decades and passed through four generations. But in 2003, the Separation Wall sliced through the town, dividing the family home from the business, as shown here on August 30, 2021. The gas station is visible on the far side of the wall with a corrugated roof. The family home is just meters away on the near side of the wall.

As seen here from the rooftop of the gas station, there is no way forward, just a roundabout to take you back. Formerly sitting at a central junction in the town, today the gas station is shut away from the rest of town in a dead-end zone.

The wall severed the gas station from the town of al-‘Izariyya, as shown here on August 30, 2021. 

The wall literally runs right next to the back of the gas station, as shown here from its back courtyard gate. 

After the wall was completed, the gas station’s revenue plummeted. The station had to close for three years, and the family went into debt from the accumulated taxes. Owner and founder Yusuf al-Khatib was forced to rent out the business he had founded 50 years earlier to pay off the debt of nearly NIS 6 million. Today, he is a mere employee, pumping gas, in his own gas station. 

Yusuf al-Khatib wonders how it came to this. Taking a break, he hopes one day things will get better. 

Soon, his shift will be over, and it will be time to head home. Due to the wall, his commute—formerly 300 meters away, a matter of minutes—today spans 30 kilometers. Another serious drain on his time and energy imposed by the wall since it was completed nearly 20 years ago.