It’s not an everyday thing to see Palestinians covered in a positive light in a national action sports magazine, but when it does happen, it happens big.

Starting on page 56 of the March 2012 issue of the Red Bulletin is a feature article on the Speed Sisters, the first and only all-female Palestinian race team. Complete with family stories, quotes, nineteen vivid photographs, and a bold mention on the magazine’s front cover, the coverage captures the essence of Palestinian defiance through a team of female athletes challenging cultural norms and breaking down political barriers.

Here are a selection of quotes that I personally found interesting and cleverly insightful. Emphasis is my own.

“In the land-locked Palestinian territories where space is at a premium and there’s an absence of long stretches of checkpoint-free road, racers have to find suitable areas—a disused helipad in Bethlehem, a closed marketplace in Jenin—where the[y] can compete on speed tests on obstacle courses.”

Technically, Palestine isn’t land-locked, even by 1967 standards. The Mediterranean Sea runs along the Gaza Strip’s northwest border. But Israel maintains full military control over the seaspace so, in that sense, it’s locked off to Palestinians. It’s also a welcome surprise to see a mainstream publication acknowledge the density of Israel’s checkpoints in and around the West Bank. [Read more...]