Rania Maayeh on Life in the West Bank
On Friday, July 31st, 2026, Rania Maayeh, the head of the Ramallah Friends School, joined us to speak about life in the Israeli occupied Palestinian West Bank.
Rania spoke first about Shadi Khoury’s case. She said that his case has made other students at the Ramallah Friends School (RFS) more fearful. Having a member of their community kidnapped by Israeli forces and held hostage in a long legal battle reminds every student that they could be next. But Rania said that RFS students don’t need threats to be scared, they are forced to encounter checkpoints, raids, arrests, and settler violence sometimes on a daily basis.
Rania said that settler violence has escalated in the past few months and every member of the RFS is affected. Many students, staff, and faculty have to pass by illegal Israeli settlements on their way to and from school. They use a WhatsApp group to communicate settler attacks on nearby roads. Every morning and afternoon presents a new freedom of movement challenge.
Rania said that checkpoints and settler attacks are part of a purposefully designed system to kick Palestinians off their land. Israeli settlers often vandalize or destroy Palestinian property and injure or kill livestock. At least 12 Palestinians have been killed by settlers in the occupied West Bank this year.
Despite settler attacks and checkpoints and other facets of Israel’s illegal occupation, students at the RFS continue to be successful, achieving top grades and attending prestigious colleges and universities around the world. However, Rania shared that at the moment, unless students have a non-Palestinian passport, they are unable to get a visa to study in the United States. Rania said this restriction has crushed many students’ dreams.
In closing, Rania encouraged us to continue to use our voices to demand our legislators vote in favor of legislation protecting Palestinians. She also encouraged us to take the time to think about the people behind every number and statistic we see about Palestine.
