George, 28, grew up in Jerusalem. His father is from Beit Jala, which is between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and his mother is from Jerusalem. After finishing university in the United States, where he got a degree in Business and Accounting, George returned to Palestine in his early 20s to get involved in activism and resistance. Together with a Danish colleague, he founded the Palestine Marathon, and the Right to Movement organization, which organizes running events with both Palestinian and international communities. Through organizing running events, George and his organization show the limits to freedom of movement for Palestinian, with a “positive vibe”.
Through this resistance, he struggles with the repressive force of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, whom he considers “a subcontractor of the occupation”. Both try to prevent the events George organizes from happening. Furthermore, George explains that it is dangerous for young people to raise their voice: “If I have an opinion that opposes what they [Israel and the Palestinian Authority, red.] do, no matter how I present it, I’m an enemy”.
This lack of opportunities for young people to be represented and raise their voice is the biggest issue according to George. In the end, he argues, young people just “want to have their opinion, and want to be heard, and want to be included in decision-making, and want to be included in shaping the future of this country”.
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