June 11, 2010

I arrived Bethlehem Thursday June 10th to a very large and entertaining family. I didn't really know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised to find a functional, happy five person family living in an apartment with running water and beds. Since the distance between Bethlehem and Jerusalem is not far I decided to start my first day off with a trip to Jerusalem to attend Friday prayer at the Temple Mount. I did not realize how emotional I would get.

I took the bus so when we stopped at the check point everyone got off, had their Ids checked, then re boarded. The dynamic between the IDF soldier and the Palestinians was interesting. The soldier was eating a hamburger and leaning against a booth, completely bored with the process. The Palestinians, who have no doubt done this countless times, presented their papers but not one of them did it submissively. There was an elderly woman who stared at the solider in anger muttering curses under her breath. A younger woman who had sass written all over her.

Once back on the bus I asked the woman sitting next to me if she was going to Al Aqsa. I was worried I would miss the stop since I knew I wouldn't the stop because we were coming from a direction than I was used to. She was, and I was fortunate to have asked when I did because the main road was closed off. The woman walked with me to the gate, but I did not recognize it at all. Instead of the open entrance, there were barricades closing it off leaving a small opening to enter from where several police officers were standing , checking the IDs of any who entered. I was not expecting a check point here. I was barked at in Hebrew, furrowed my brow in confusion and handed one of the officers my US passport. “America.... OK! PASS!”

Once I was on the other side, I couldn't help but to turn around and watch the others who were waiting to enter. I was not surprised to see they were not checking IDs of people who did not look Arab, nor was I surprised to see the forced used for those who did look Arab. I was not surprised at the treatment, but I still found tears coming down my cheeks. To see injustice and mistreatment of any kind pains my heart, but there is also a personal element to the situation here. I am not Palestinian, but I do consider myself Arab. As I watched Palestinians getting hassled I saw my family being treated unjustly. Whats more, these were people who were going to pray. I have heard endless talks about the importance of Israeli security, but what about Palestinian security and peace of mind?

As I navigated my way through the Old City my ID was requested two more times.

I am not a religious person, but once I found Haram el Sharif in front of me I felt a wave of relief. I gave myself 3 hours to make a trip that should only take 20 minutes, so I had quite a bit of time before prayer. I walked around and it felt good knowing I would not run into anyone who would question my presence there. My relief must have been visible since a Palestinian woman walking along side me, smiled, and said to me, “ This is where I find peace too.” I felt tears well up in my eyes again, I could not imagine having this be my daily reality.

I made it back with ease, but the experience made so much of what I had been reading and hearing about a reality. I was treated to a morning/ afternoon of intensity that I was not anticipating.