With The Palestine Papers on my mind, I start my journey “home” from “work” in al-Ram, on the other side of the separation wall. I climb on the Palestinian taxi and we drive along the road lined with grim realities on both side; to the left massive concrete blocks and agonizing graffiti block our view, on the right ghostly shops ravaged by the separation wall’s presence stand counting the days.
Picture of the wall in Al-Ram before it was sealed off from the rest of Occupied Jerusalem. Photo Credit: Newsifact.com
Qalandia checkpoint—I get off the bus, press past children selling black market goods for a quarter or two, squeeze between the metal human corrals and gates built by Jews, x-ray myself and my bags with Tel Aviv technology and prove that I’m a “legal” human being to teenagers with M16s.
Once validated, I escape to the safety of a Palestinian bus with Israeli license plates. I pay my ticket fare to the “Arab-Israeli” driver, slip on my headphones and try to disappear into Fairuz. We start making our way towards Jerusalem, past the same concrete blocks that cast shadows on the other side–on this side the wall is empty and silent. Passengers divert their gaze as we make our way past the Israeli checkpoint guarding the illegal Jewish settlement of Givat Zeev, the new light rail cutting through occupied East Jerusalem, the demolished Shephard Hotel in Sheik Jarrah… until we reach Damascus gate.
Now at the junction, waiting for a green light at the cross walk where settlers and Palestinians freeze, up the hill across the former green line, huffing and puffing I make it to the Israeli Interrogation Center a block from my house. I pull out the keys to my tiny apartment on Yaffa Street kiss them unconsciously and drag them across the iron prison fence. Past the coffee shop packed with American-Jews drinking cocoa, into the alley lined with Jerusalem’s best bars and up the stairs to apartment 18.
Here, the road “home” is never easy.
Amazing! No one can describe it better! I tried this road only once but it wasn’t heading home. It was from my “home” to the sea at Akka where I felt like a stranger the whole day. The Qalandia checkpoint part was full of tension, I kept eyeballing the soldier for 2 minutes because I felt totally legit since I had a permit and wasn’t trying to sneak my way through!
Thanks. It’s a road I wish no one had to travel in its current state. Maybe some day it will all be free — in the meantime…
Alison,
I have been a friend of your father in interfaith work in Seattle. Yesterday at Camp Brotherhood your dad mentioned the work you are doing and I wanted to find out more about your efforts. For the last 8 years I have been dedicated to Jewish Muslim dialogue in the Seattle area. This past June I was a member of Leah Green’s Compassionate Listening delegation and we visited Jerusalem, occupied Palestine, and S’derot in Israel. I was extremely upset with what was going on in the West Bank at the direction of the current Israeli administration. When I came home I wrote an article for the JT News with the URL below. I am restarting a series on Jewish-Muslim dialogue. I would like to understand how we here can link up and support your work there.
I am proud of your work and compliment you for your courage to speak out in an environment that tries to discourage you.
I hope to hear from you so that we can collaborate.
Phil Gerson
http://www.jtnews.net/index.php?/viewpoints/item/a_compassionate_search_for_reality
Hi Phil,
Thank you for your response. It is exactly this kind of response that helps me have the courage to speak out. It has been incredibly challenging to speak with the Jewish-Israeli community about this issue, luckily there is a small group of dedicated people here and around the world that are supporting this struggle. While there are thousands of human rights violations happening around the world, my decision to dedicate myself to this issue is deeply rooted in my connection to Judaism, my Jewish identity and of course, G-d.
I will be coming to Seattle at the beginning of March and am looking to set up speaking engagements where I can share with the Jewish community my journey “From Birthright to Boycott” and raise some funds for the non-violent struggle to end the Israeli occupation. I would love your help in putting together an event like this and will send you an email with the details shortly. Let’s be in touch and I look forward to meeting you soon.
All the Best,
Alison