From Cairo To Tel Aviv.....why?

From Cairo To Tel Aviv

After travelling to far and exotic destinations and exploring unknown cities Africa and Asia, I responded to an old dream. A dream to visit Palestine, a land separated by a thin dotted line on maps and by endless restrictions in reality. It was not only about crossing the borders or finding a way to reach Palestine, I had to overcome a lot of psychological barriers. Will my trip be an act of naturalization? Am I acknowledging the occupier? Am I supporting their economy by spending my few dollars there? Will my trip be regarded by the Palestinians as an act of solidarity or a traveler’s mere selfishness? My concerns kept looming as I was exploring the possibilities of the trip, how to get there? Will I be allowed in? What will be the consequences there and here? The procedures at Ben Gurion airport made it clear that this won’t be an ordinary trip, but one that involves Human rights, Politics, Anthropology, Geography and History in every single step. As soon as I was allowed to leave the airport I headed to Jerusalem, the Holy city under siege, where I was hit by its glory, the persistence of its people and my emotional vulnerability. My few days were spent in roaming the ancient cobbled alleyways, visiting the eternal monuments, praying in al Aqsa mosque and emerging in endless conversations with the Jerusalemites. Every scene in Jerusalem was dramatic, and every word was a statement, I was not a traveler moving around monuments with his camera, I was an Egyptian exploring how Palestinians live, survive and struggle in their homeland in the 21st century. The more discussions I had the more I understood that every Palestinian is making Palestine a fact through his daily actions, selling in the Bazaar, praying in al Aqsa, speaking Arabic or even being there, all of these actions make Palestine a fact and not a term circulating in the political arenas. I resisted the allure of Jerusalem and visited Bethlehem, Al Khalil, Acre and Jaffo ( which is now known as Tel Aviv) to see as much as possible of a land shreded by barb wires and UN decrees. I enjoyed the rich Palestinian collage in my short trip, laughed, complained and cried with people ruled by the Palestinian authority and others by the state of Israel. Most importantly I understood, or at least tried to understand what is happening in Palestine.