What does daily life look like in Israel and the Palestinian territory? Two editors of the Arabic desk of Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Nicolien den Boer and Abir Sarras, will be - separately - travelling through the region in the coming weeks.
Their trip coincides with the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel and the commemoration of the naqba (catastrophe) for the Palestinians. They are keeping a travel diary.
In the first contribution of Nicolien den Boer: five hours at Tel Aviv airport.
(edited translation of the original Dutch report by Nicolien den Boer)
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When the Israeli woman who's interrogating me at Tel Aviv airport says, "I've just sent someone back who didn't co-operate", what she actually means is "you've been warned". It's 4 a.m., and this is the third time I've been questioned so far. I'm trying to stay calm. I haven't slept yet and I haven't had anything to drink for hours. The woman, probably a member of the Israeli security services, points me to the water fountain outside the toilets. I rinse my mouth, nothing more (is it safe to drink the water here?).
My passport has stamps from various Arab countries: Dubai, Yemen and archenemy Syria. After having to explain away all the telephone numbers I have in my possession, give my e-mail address and provide information about all my planned visits to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, there yet another interrogation of about an hour followed, this time about my time in Syria: "What did you do there?" "Do you know anyone there?", "Where exactly did you go?".
Finally, after more than five hours of waiting and being questioned at Tel Aviv airport, I get my passport back and am allowed to go. My suitcase is waiting, but - despite what I was promised - there's no one keeping an eye on it.
Confused On the way to my hotel, I am feeling rather confused. I thought the Israelis always laid out the red carpet for members of the Western press. Haven't they got a reputation for bending over backwards to help journalists, handing out beautiful press packs and great quotes? If they treat me, a Dutch woman like this, what's it like for a Palestinian? I'd started going on about getting the Dutch embassy involved. I even rang them up - they were closed, of course. But a Palestinian wouldn't have any embassy to call. I'm trying not to think in simplistic terms of ‘good guy, bad guy', but it's difficult.
So I save my complaint for the government press office in Jerusalem, where I go to pick up my press card next day. "Security measures," is the explanation I get from the press officer, a tired looking woman by the name of Pnina Aizenman. "What do you think it's like for us, waking up each morning and never knowing what the day will bring?" she says, clearly referring to Palestinian suicide attacks on Israeli civilians.
Wrecked
While Pnina's busy getting my press card ready, I take a look at the photos of children and a newspaper article on the wall behind me. The article is about a woman who lost her mother and her five-year-old child in a Palestinian suicide bombing. The name of the woman is Pnina Aizenman. I get the shivers. "That's you," I stammer. "Yes. Do you understand now what I mean by security measures?" she replies. I suddenly feel ashamed that I've just been complaining about being kept waiting for five hours when this woman's life has been totally wrecked by a bomb.
Then I also remember the bread roll that a police officer offered me at the airport, and that one of the women questioning me told me about the death of two friends and how she dedicated her work to their memory and did it "to defend her country". Totally confused, I leave the press office and walk out onto the streets of Jerusalem. Suddenly I find that I've totally binned that ‘good guy, bad guy' thing I had in my head less than 24 hours ago.
I hope Abir Sarras, the RNW journalist is in good situation. RNW must take care of providing special papers to their journalists on mission in disputed territories.
Sylvia Navon,
13-04-2008
- USA
Why does it take an encounter with a woman whose family has been blown up for PC Europeans to get off their high horses and think about the situation Israel is faced with. Checkpoints, waiting, security searches are not pleasant or desirable in a peaceful country, but Israel is at war and has been since before it became a state. Ms. den Boer's epiphany should have come when she thought about the real situation in the first place. Everything Israel does to defend itself has been twisted into an icon of tyranny by Arab propaganda. Alas, Europeans have been slow witted before. What is there to be confused about?
Emeq ben Yosef,
12-04-2008
- USA
Nothing like trying to cash a reality check and finding the account overdrawn. Our reliance on personal experience and the events in the lives of our fellow Jews is only a small part that preserves us as a people, The rest is in G_D's Hands.
Justice is its own Discard
Satire is its own Petard
jasmin,
11-04-2008
- India
It makes sense to put Pnina there as only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches and she knows where it will hurt if the there is a security lapse.
reuben,
11-04-2008
-
Seems to me it makes sense to put someone like Pnina Aizenman in that position. Who better to make the case for the importance of security than someone who has suffered from its lack? It has nothing to do with "silencing human rights abuse."
george,
11-04-2008
- USA
Abou Abood, the answer to your question is apparent to anyone who has flown into Ben Gurion airport. When at the airport, one sees scores of Arab citizens of Israel breezing past security, a sight that also challenges media-driven perceptions of the situation there. That's not to say that some Arabs aren't inconvenienced at the airport. While waiting (a long time) for a friend of mine who got caught up in security, I spoke with an understandably frustrated American Arab who was being repeatedly questioned, just like in the anecdote above. But just as his frustration is understandable, so should Israel's need to carefully scrutinize the people trying to enter the country. Because Pnina Aizenman is not a ' PR stunt'. She is a real person, deeply affected by an all-to-real reality. And you can try to brush that aside; but you can't brush it aside and still have a good understanding of the Middle East.
Martine,
11-04-2008
- USA
A good PR stunt? The reality is that the great majority of Israeli living in Israel have been affected by terrorism in one way or another. You could put anyone in that office and I can bet you that they know someone who was killed, wounded, or traumatized by an attack by Palestinian terrorists. It is the reality of living in Israel.
Abou Abood,
11-04-2008
- USA
I would ask the question how would an Israeli Arab be treated? Another point is placing someone like Pnina Aizenman at the press office is a very good PR 'stunt' to silence all the human rights abuse of others.
Raymond Joseph-Louis Bourque,
09-04-2008
- Canada
Great start to the series. I have been at this airport before with gifts for children in an Egyptian village, although my interrogation was much shorter than hers I understand fully. I look fwd. to the other articles with great interest.
