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Following the instructions from the decades-old poster, I visited the West Bank. The journey was perhaps one of the most politically intriguing experience I went through. The boarder between West Bank and Israel is marked by a fenced concrete wall erecting perhaps more than 8 meters. It took us (me and 2 other westerners) 10 minutes to get from Jerusalem to the crossing by shared taxi. The gate was a large complex that resembled much like an international airport crossing. Going into the west bank was simple and easy, for foreigners who bare no Arabic resemblance and hold a developed country’s passport: flash you passport, smile, and walk. The Palestinians on the other hand, have to show detailed documentation, answer questions, then scan their fingerprints on the way in, every single time.
After the gate there were taxis waiting to take tourists to Bethlehem. On the road to Church of Nativity, I couldn't help but notice the cleanliness of the streets. Compared to Old Jerusalem, or even parts of West Jerusalem, this place is very clean. There were no armed security guards about. With few children and some people walking around, it felt very quite.
After view the
Peace at Heart
Inside the boarder gate spot Jesus was born in the Church of Nativity, I walked around the backstreets near the Manger Square. While stares were guaranteed, I felt safe and welcomed, as people smiled and said “hello” and “good morning.” There were no flying stones here. The locals much welcomed tourists to add few drizzles to the economy drought. In multiple situations I was able to strike up good conversation with local students and shop owners. However, I imagine the tranquility is veil thin, as tension could cause the hot soup to bubble and erupt any minute. We were told that no Israelis would go to the West Banks and walk around without significant reasons. Even if they want to, the Israeli boarder patrol will not allow it.
The streets resembled much of the Arab sections in Jerusalem; same bazaar, same shops, same farmer’s market. The only differences are low number of shoppers and high number of propaganda posters. Interestingly, the posters are all on the inside of shop doors; apparently the keepers don’t mind the posters and their messages. One of the posters showed a photo of a 13-yr old kid. By chance, as we observed the poster a Canadian-Palestinian teenager walked
Going to Jerusalem
The alley way on their left leads to the West Bank over and described the story to us. The kid on the poster was a relative of the teenager. Years ago when Israeli hummers roamed the streets, kids threw rocks at the vehicles. Following the crowd, this kid did the same, and he happened to be the one to get shot and killed. As an emotional message and for remembrance, his photo is embedded with AK toting Palestinian soldiers / freedom fighters and posted throughout Bethlehem.
On the way to and at Shepard’s field, where the shepard saw the shooting star that pointed to the birthplace of Jesus, we talked to the taxi driver and a local souvenir shop owner. They described West Bank as a prison created by the concrete walls. They call themselves animals caged inside the prison without freedom and land. According to them, it is very difficult for them to go into Jerusalem, which is considered by Palestinians as their capital, to find work or visit relatives. There is nothing for them in the West Bank to make a living, as the economy is virtually non-existent given the border closure and subsidies from other countries are shut with Hamas in control. The taxi drive complained that
he cannot drive his taxi in Israel, while Israeli taxi drivers can bring tourists across the boarder, effectively limiting his income. The shop owner pointed out modern looking structures one hill away from Shepard's’ field, which are Israeli settlements within the West Bank. He said the settlement grew larger and larger overtime, occupying more and more of Palestinian land.
Crossing the gate back to the Israeli side, we experienced a small bit of tension surface. Crossing over the metal detector, there were 5 Palestinians ahead of us, 2 children, 2 old women, 1 man. The man didn’t follow instructions, left his cell phone on top of the scanner and proceed to walked through. Immediately, Arabic was yelled in a harsh tone through the loud speaker. The Palestinian man tensed up, lost concentration, and started to fumble his movements, which resulted in more yelling by the Israeli soldier, who cannot be seeing from where we stood. The children started to cry. I felt chills on my spine with the big brother like voice over our heads. With more coarse messages, all the Palestinians left the entrance area, and we heard English in a softer tone. “Go through please.” Apparently the
Palestinians were asked to let the tourists go through first. As I flashed my US passport to the boarder control, I received a warm smile.
This side trip did provide more clarity on the Palestinian issue for me. At the same time it left me with uneasy feeling. It is a difficult situation in the West Bank, as both sides have logical explanations for their situation. There doesn’t seem to be a right approach to resolve the issues at hand, and I can see no mutually beneficial solution.
The rest of my time in Israel was spend in the desert fortress of Masada, oasis of Ein Gedi, the Dead sea, and college town of Be'er Sheva. My camera was out of battery, so I will try to get photos from people I met on the trip later. I had a wonderful time in Israel and West Bank, even when all the news I see online were focused on bombings in Gaza. It's a strange dichotomy to live in, and I am glad I experienced it. If you have the chance, visit Israel. It's a beautiful place full of warm and diverse people who all have intriguing stories to
Message of Palestine
This is the 13-year old boy described in the blog share.
Next stop, Egypt.
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erica
non-member comment
hey! i'm so glad you went to the dead sea! isn't it great/weird?!?!