As people go crazy for Phelps and drop their jaws over Spain’s champion-sized faux pas, these images serve to divert us from our TV screens and back to the situation still rampant in the West Bank. These cartoons were sent to me by a friend living in Nablus.

For those who don’t know, the occupied territories have been represented at the Olympic Games since Atlanta 1996. This year’s athletes are featured in this New York Times story. Be sure to watch the accompanying video. As a mildly snarky aside, the comments section is really worth checking out. I especially enjoyed the statement that there’s nothing stopping Palestinians from building their own pool. The individual’s logic was that most construction work in Israel is done by Palestinians. If we were to apply to the same theorizing to the United States, would we expect every migrant worker to own a mansion and sprawling garden? Come on!