Published by It was an unusually mild Friday evening in the west end of Central London as I waited outside Shepherds Bush tube station. By my side was a lightly packed suitcase, and strapped to my back was my ruck sack. It had been a while since I had travelled so the nerves were beginning to kick in. It was through a friend called Simon, that I had managed to get this opportunity. You see, he works with a student organization called Faith Link, and he told me he was setting out to Israel at the end of April to organize a project and documentary in the Summer. I did not hesitate to jump on board the project. You might think, what about the dangers? Israel and Palestine are in constant conflict with each other! What about the threat of suicide bombers in Tel Aviv and Jersusalem? You see, I had been following the stories through the news and the media over here in London, and had gradually become more and more curious. I wanted to find out for myself on the ground, what the situation is like and how the people feel and think.
So without much thought, I wrote the check for the British Airways flight out to Tel Aviv and handed it over to Simon. It blew a rather large hole out of my student loan, but hey, it’s not everyday you get these opportunities! I guess I would just have to cut down on the social life! So anyway, I was thinking of all this as I waited outside Shepherds Bush tube station. Finally, the taxi rolled down the road and parked itself infront of me. Muddassar, gave me a wave from within the taxi so I opened the door and threw my luggage in. I was happy to escape the cold London air. You see, Muddassar is Muslim and a member of the Labour party, works for channel four, and is abit of a political activist. And guess what, he’s only 24! He was also on board the project. It was both our first times to Israel, so we shared the common aprehension, or should I say excitement. He was worried though, because in his passport were stamps to Pakistan and other such countries that don’t even recognize Israel as a state. And that is only an intro to the whole Israeli situation. Half the countries in the world don’t even recognize it as a legitimate state. I was learning already.
We spent the night at Simon’s house that evening. There I met Steve, an old friend of mine who also managed to jump onto the project like myself. You see we both share a common interest in the Middle East situation. Anyway, after an early start, we headed out west to Heathrow Airport. Without much difficulty we caught our plane, and the journey began in earnest. After four hours or so we landed at Tel Aviv airport. I caught my first glimpses of Israel through the large windows. I saw desert, blue skies, and a city sprawled across the land in the distance. Steve, Simon, and I cruised through customs. Muddassar had a few problems though. A quick look at his passport, and the Israeli police girl showed him through to the immigration office. I thought to myself it shouldn’t be too bad.
Three hours later, and Muddassar strolls out of the airport looking a little pissed off. He had been questioned, and told to wait. Eventually, he was cleared. Anyway, after a two hour drive, we arrived in Jerusalem. I was surprised at how easily our driver eased his way through the narrow streets of the old town. It was a fascinating place. We were to sleep in a hostel in the Arab quarter of the old town. There were a few kids kicking about the entrance when we arrived, and we quickly struck up conversation. They were curious as to where we were from, but soon after we were chatting about English football teams and their favorite players. They were nice. You see, these people are a world apart, but are no different to any other kid in the world. Anyway, we were tired, so checked into the hostel and went to our dorm for a good nights rest.
So anyway, we stayed there for three full days. The first day, we were awoken to the sound of the call to prayer. The muslim reading of the Koran echoed through the streets. It was a surreal experience. After a quick breakfast, I climbed out onto the flat roof of the hostel and got my first proper view of Jerusalem. All around me were hundreds of houses sprawled around the hill sides. Church spires and mosque domes peeked above the roof tops. The sun was already half way up the sky and the blue sky was crystal clear. You see Jerusalem is home to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It is a disputed land. For hundreds of years it was under the rule of Islam until 1947 when Britain handed it over to Israel. Quite naturally, this was not taken too well. Anyway, the land has been fought over for hundreds of years. It isn’t a simple situation.
That day we drove into Palestine through the military check points and visited the Dead Sea. It is quite an amazing sight, as you can also see Jordan on the far banks. After a quick dip in the sea, we drove into the town of Jericho to stop off for lunch. We had to pass through a few more check points just to get into the town. It was interesting though, because the roads were virtually clear of any transport. The whole area seemed somewhat deserted. The Israeli soldier sporting his khaki uniform and a loaded machine gun asked us for our passports, and after a quick conversation with our driver, allowed us into the town. Soon after, we found a restaurant where we ate the local dish of falafal, meat and salad. The funny thing was, the restaurant was empty of customers. However, our host was more than happy to see foreigners. The whole situation made me think. You see, Palestine is an area of Israel that has been drained of tourism due to the conflict. Even the people of Palestine can’t freely travel through their own land because of the military check points situated at each town. Anyway, after the short meal, we visited a few more sites and returned to the hostel in the old town of Jerusalem. It had been a long day, and an insightful one at that.
The following day saw us in Palestine again. This time, we were joined by a man called Barouk, an advisor to the Israeli government, but also a key contact to make our project in the summer happen. After an hour drive, we reached Bethlehem where we visited the SOS center for Palestinian orphan children. There were festivities going on, and the children were watching a show of dancing out in the court yard. We were swamped by kids, and we made friends very quickly. Some of them could even speak a little English which amazed me. I taught one kid a couple of games where we would slap each others hands to test our reflexes. This drew a crowd, and soon a whole bunch of kids were at it. A few of the older ones also came round, and we talked of football. It seems like football provides a common base for almost anybody these days.
Anyway, after all this, we were invited to the home of a man called Aimon who is the director of a group called Service for Peace in Palestine. He also proved to be a valuable contact for our summer project. He was impressed by our ideas for the documentary. After the meeting, we headed to a refugee camp just outside Bethlehem. Apparently, it is home to almost 20,000 who were turned away from their homes at a town called Bethshemesh when the Israelis took power almost 60 years ago. Since then, they have never had the chance to return to their hometown. It’s sad. There, we met a young man
called Jihad Ramaddan who helps out at the refuggee camp. Now this part of the trip interested me a great deal. He was a Palestinian Marxist. This confused me as I thought most Palestinians were Muslim. Apparently I was wrong. He sported a beard and a Chegevara t-shirt, and a rough appearance. He invited us for a drink and a sheesha at the refugee camp bar. We mentioned the project in the summer and he too was interested in helping out. However, I got the feeling from this young man that he was not really a Communist, but more a Palestinian revolutionary activist. This impressed me, as he appeared on the outside to be a rough and tumble fellow, but was engaged in helping out at the refugee camp. I am sure though, that there is more to him than meets the eye. After the meeting, he showed us his pro palestinian video and picture slide show on You Tube. He is obviously a voice for his people. Anyway, after the meeting, we said our goodbyes and good lucks and hit the road again back to Jerusalem.
The rest of the day was spent browsing through the markets of Jerusalem old town. The general rule if you ever go there is offer a third of the price the shop keeper offers. Barter to the lowest price, as they do tend to make the most of foreigners. I bought a curious little wooden pipe, which Muddassar later told me was a bong! Oh well.
The third day saw us visit the historical and significant sites of Jerusalem. Barouk took us to see the Holocaust museum on a hill top overlooking the city. It made me extremely sad actually to see how the Jews suffered in Germany and Europe during the second world war. Many actually fled to Israel. It made me sad seeing a whole nation do nothing as the Jewish people were being killed off. Anyway, it brought a heavy atmosphere to our trip. We shook the feeling off though, and visited a few more sites in Jerusalem. Notably, the church standing above the apparent place where Jesus was crucified and buried. What interests me is that the church is divided amongst the various Christian denominations. There is a lot of confusion here. After this, we walked further up the hill to a really old area of town near the city walls. Here we walked through remnants of the age of the crusadors. It felt amazing walking through such history. Another place we visited was the apparent location where Jesus and his disciples had the last supper. The location is now occupied by an orthodox Jewish complex of buildings, a pretty courtyard, and an Armenian church! Anyway, enough history for now. We strolled back through the old town of Jerusalem, passing by the Wailing Wall where the Jews of Jerusalem pray. We reached our hostel, had some dinner, and spent the rest of the evening out on the balcony playing poker! It was our last evening, so we had reason to relax. The evening seemed really peaceful. Perhaps I was naïve in thinking that we would be constantly disturbed by the sound of gun fire in the distance …
It was the final day. I took a moment to sit out on the porch of the hostel over looking the narrow streets below me. I reflected on all I saw. At some point during the trip I forgot to mention we also passed through the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem. One could have mistaken themselves to be back in London again. Restaurant and shop signs sported Western brand names, and the people were dressed in fasionable clothing. I guess Tel Aviv is even more like this. The division here is obvious to see. The Jews, Christians, and Muslims live a world apart from each other, yet geographically are so close to each other. Young Israeli students will speak of the Arabs in Palestine with a hint of fear and mistrust in their voices. Yet, the Palestinian Arabs live merely a quick drive away across the border in a state of poverty. I guess Israelis have reason to fear them. Suicide bombers have not been non existant in the past. Yet, when I visited the two conflicting sides, the people seemed similar. Especially the Palestinian and Israeli Arabs. They seemed like one people merely divided by the military check points and artificial borders. I struggled to find answers to my questions. Anyway, I was thinking of all this as I was sitting there on the porch.
That morning, we visited the leader of the Community center in a neighbourhood of Jerusalem called the mount of olives. He spoke to us of the situation in his neighbourhood, which was mostly populated by Muslims. He also spoke of how they feared involving themselves in Israeli politics. This sparked Muddassar who then had a wild debate with him about how the Muslim people should involve themselves in the political system if they ever hoped to improve their situation. The fact that there was a large number or even majority of Arab muslims in the area meant that they could even have an Arab Muslim as Mayor of Jerusalem! The moment felt surreal.
Anyway, after this meeting, we visited the temple mount where we could see the panorama of Jerusalem. It’s a beautiful sight, and I recommend anyone who goes to Israel to see this particular sight. Time was pressing though, we had one more meeting, and a plane to catch. The scheduled meeting was arranged by Barouk with a senior member of the opposition party. We met him in a shopping mall outside Jerusalem. I swear I could have believed I was somewhere in London. Anyway, he was a very enthusiastic guy who was impressed with our ideas for the summer. He immediately offered his support. We spoke of politics, religion, and of what could possibly unite the people in Israel and Palestine. It was a long conversation, yet an insightful one into the situation there reinforcing what I already knew. We took a picture and said our goodbyes, and finally made the last leg of our journey to the airport. I was sad to leave, yet knew that I had to. University exams were coming up in May, and there was no time to waste. In fact as I sit here writing this article, I know I should really be revising!
Anyway, to end on a political debate, I think the solution to the Middle East issue is one that will take a long time. I personally think that people on an international level should begin to realize that Israel as a state exists. However, I think that the Israeli state should do far more to help the Palestinians and Arabs rather than continously bomb the Gaza Strip causing more civilian deaths. From what I have learnt, the Palestinians merely strike back because of this, with reason that is. They obviously hate the Israelis, and their hatred will not be quenched by more Israeli retaliation, because what differentiates the two sides, is that the Israelis actually hit the targets. In terms of military strength, the Israelis are far more superior. Anyway, below all this is a conflict that has endured for hundreds of years. And the cause for this in my opinion is the conflicting faiths in the area. What has to be done is not launch a campaign against faith, but rather a campaign to show that faith can be used productively to help solve the situation out there. This can only be done through dialogue and understanding each side before fighting fire with fire.
