How Internationals are affected by the Occupation: The sad fact of life in Hebron for an international is that I have not been affected by the occupation, whilst those Palestinians around me who have spent their lives here, with generations of historic attachment on their side, have their lives dictated and demeaned by it. I imagine someone from Hebron travelling to Glasgow, free to go wherever they choose, whilst I am harassed at checkpoints by 18 years old’s with M-16’S bigger than their bodies, have to carry my identity card at all times, being prevented from visiting my loved ones by an arbitrary dividing line on a map, manned by soldiers from another country.
It never ceases to be a strange and unsettling feeling, to possess more freedom as a visitor than the inhabitants.
The safest people in this city are tourists. Palestinians treat you like a returning son. Soldiers speak to you with a smile and a politeness that is missing when they speak to Palestinians. Last week, we met with a man named Abdel. Abdel lives on the last house in Shuhada Street before the final Israeli checkpoint leading to the Israeli settlements. As a Palestinian, he cannot access this settlement. If he were to exit the front door of his house and walk 10 yards to the right, he would be shot for trespassing, for “security reasons”.
As he showed us around Shuhada Street, we came to a corner of the road where Palestinians are barred from entering. This street is the last Israeli settlement in Hebron and leads you to Hebron Observatory, an Israeli museum which strangely doubles up as a block of flats (To reach the observation deck, you have to walk past kitchens, prams and playing children). Abed stopped before the soldiers, knowing this was where his journey would end. He informed the soldiers that we were tourists visiting Hebron, and we showed our British, French and American passports. Upon noticing that he was guiding us, the soldier said to Abdel that he could lead us down to the observatory, as long as he did not stop before the car park 100 yards away, and as long as we were closely followed by a soldier. Abed’s face lit up.
He had never been allowed to walk down this street before, a street where many Palestinians have been killed for venturing. As we walked in front of the fresh-faced IDF member who followed us like an over-eager prison guard on his first day in the job, Abed kept shaking his head in astonishment, repeating that he could not believe he was actually walking down this street. For him, as a local, being with foreigners was a golden ticket.
We were pleased for him, but we also couldn’t help being slightly disturbed by the situation. At times like this, living in Hebron can be a grim reversal of the normal visitor experience; you have more access and power than the locals. Being permitted to see part of his city for the first time, a street barely 200 yards from his house, was something extraordinary for Abed.
Coming to Hebron, you will not be harmed or harassed in any way, either by Israelis or Palestinians. At the checkpoints, coming into the city for the first time, you will be asked a few questions. I was asked what my religion was, what my purpose for being in Hebron was, and what my nationality was. Speak clearly and confidently. You have nothing to hide. A large part of this checkpoint rigmarole is the deliberate attempt to make visitors feel uneasy, as though visiting Palestine is an arduous trek loaded with danger and dread. It can be like a game of intimidation, with these soldiers looking at you with frazzled expressions, as though you’re willingly walking into The Battle of Stalingrad with a rucksack and some sunglasses. Don’t worry. As soon as you’re past the checkpoint, you’re fine. Always remember to take your passport if you’re going through a checkpoint.
