Face to Face with Occupation
Today, my three team-mates and I went out for a relaxing stroll around Tulkarem. We happened to walk towards the Separation Barrier (which is an 8m wall here). We walked along a path parallel to the barrier, about 50m away from it. Suddenly we were hailed by two Israeli soldiers at a gate and told us to approach them. We did so. They asked who we were and what we were doing. They were troubled by the fact that we had taken a few photos and they expressed surprise that anyone would be walking near the border between Israel and Palestinian territory. Did we not realise that the border is a dangerous area? I felt like saying “Only because you’re here, and isn’t this Palestinian territory anyway?” You will be glad to know that I restrained myself and said nothing. Apparently we had walked through a “military area” although there was no sign to that effect. One soldier said “There is no sign, but the people know this is a military area and that they should not come here.” They told us to wait and they radio’d for an officer who duly arrived about 15 minutes later. He told us we shouldn’t be in this area. But then he asked us where we were staying and we told him that we are living in Tulkarem. He was surprised and asked us whether we had had any problems. It appeared that (like many Israelis) his view of the West Bank is that it is a dark and dangerous place, filled with terrorists and totally unsafe for any normal person. I really wanted to say to him “No, we’ve had no problems. The Palestinian people have been really friendly”. But again I restrained myself. He told us to return to Tulkarem and not to return to the military area. We agreed and continued our pleasant walk. Come to Palestine and meet new, friendly people!
I work for Quaker Peace and Social Witness as an Ecumenical Accompanier serving on the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). The views contained in this email are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer (QPSW) or the WCC. If you would like to publish the information contained here (including posting it on a website), or distribute it further, please first contact the QPSW Programme Manager for Israel/OPT (teresap@quaker.org.uk).