I am not a scholar of the Middle East. In the time that I have lived in Jerusalem, I've worked hard to develop a deeper understanding of life here. I've tried to learn more about the current situation by reading and by talking to people (granted, mostly Israelis) and asking difficult questions. I am grateful to everyone who generously shares their perspective with me. There are heaps of challenges here, and none of them is uncomplicated -- change your frame, add some context, and you may change your opinion. Nearly everything comes up grey around here if you dare to dig beneath the headlines and you aren't personally invested. This piece of land, at the crossroads of three continents has seen many peoples (and much biodiversity!) call it home over the last several thousand years and the layers contribute to interpreting the situation today. In some ways it seems curious that the eyes of the West focus so acutely on Israel-Palestine; for at least four reasons it isn't surprising at all. First, Jerusalem is the home of the three Abrahamic religions -- if you grew up anywhere near the synagogue, the church, or the mosque, you probably carry a story or an image of Jerusalem. Second, a vocal evangelical Christian population believes that Jews must inhabit the Holy Land in order for the Messiah to return (some Jews appreciate this support, but know that after the Messiah comes in the evangelical narrative things go downhill for Jews). Third, some people view Israel, a nation of many Western values and a democracy (yes, it's imperfect), as a Western bulwark against perceived rising Islamic fundamentalism. Wrapped up in here is a global geopolitical game that seems to work to keep things here in the region perpetually unstable. Fourth, America contributes USD 3 billion annually to Israel's defence budget, for some folks that alone makes it worth keeping an eye on what's going on here and gives them the privilege of opinion.
If you haven't been to Israel or Palestine (also known as the Palestinian Territories, the Occupied Territories or the Territories), you may be wondering how the security checkpoints work when going between the two. The answer is complicated: it depends on where you are going, how you are getting there, and what kind of travel documents you have. Travel to and from the West Bank is straightforward for foreigners. I have visited parts of the West Bank and travelled through the West Bank. To go to Gaza requires a special permit; I haven't been. Friends of mine went on a day trip to Gaza with a group from St Andrew's Church of Scotland (the Church is lovely and sits on the hill as something of a sentinel to the entrance of the German Colony). To visit Gaza independently is difficult, for many tourists this is moot because Gaza has no historical religious attractions, but it does keep Gaza somewhat isolated in one's mind.
Part of the complication of explaining checkpoints relates to the administration of the territory. Based on the Oslo Accords there are three temporary administrative areas -- A, B, and C -- pending a final status agreement. Area A is all Palestinian cities and surrounding areas, civil and security control by Palestinian Authority (about 18% of the territory); Area B is Palestinian civil control and Israeli-Palestinian joint security control (about 21% of the territory); Area C includes settlements and is under Israeli civil and security control (about 61% of the territory).
As noted in my post about Bethlehem, Israelis are forbidden to enter Area A:
As a foreigner living in Israel, if I go to the West Bank it's to visit touristic sites in Area A (e.g. Bethlehem) or to drive from Jerusalem through the West Bank (Area C) to get to other parts of Israel (e.g. the Beit She'an Valley in the north, Masada in the south). If you rent a car in West Jerusalem you can drive in Area C, but not Area A. To get to Area A, it's easier to take the Palestinian buses from East Jerusalem from Damascus Gate (at the western depot, blue and and white buses go to southern destinations in the West Bank (Bethlehem); at the slightly northeast bus depot the green and white buses go to northern destinations (Ramallah)).
If you drive on the highways that pass through Area C, you pass through security checkpoints on your way back into Israel. Sometimes the checkpoint officers will ask you a question or two, but more often you slow down and they wave you through.
If you are re-entering Israel from Area A or B, by bus, you will pass through a security checkpoint on foot that will include a passport check. I have been through three of the checkpoints on foot (I've never passed by private car) -- Qalandia, Beit Jala, and Bethlehem -- and they are all a bit different.
At Beit Jala passengers get down off the bus and line up, the bus pulls forward about 20 metres. Once all passports or travel documents are checked -- you show your passport to the IDF soldier -- passengers reload the bus. Certain exceptions are made for the elderly and pregnant or people with small children who are permitted to stay on the bus. This process is analogous to what happens at the Peace Arch crossing when you take the bus from Seattle to Vancouver. You get off the bus, collect your luggage, pass through customs, and reload the bus. Actually, the Beit Jala crossing is probably more pleasant than that business at the Peace Arch.
At Qalandia, passengers get off the bus: Passengers with foreign passports or East Jerusalem ID go to one queue, West Bank residents (no Jerusalem ID) go in a different queue in another area of the border compound. The bus drives ahead about 300 metres. The locals made sure I followed them through the process and back to the bus. The entrance to the passport screening area is an outdoor concrete pathway about two and half persons wide. The pathway is on three sides sides gated -- on each side of you and above. It's a bit like being in a tunnel of iron grating. Just before the xray and passport screening area there is a security turnstile -- one person at a time passes through the narrow revolving gate there is space for you and your small bag. It seemed to me that the turnstile would lock when the screening area filled up to a certain capacity. (When I was at Qalandia a person about four people ahead of me in line got stuck in the turnstile when it locked. I admit to focusing all my energy on not being the person who was going to get stuck in the turnstile next. I'm not sure that person could have avoided getting stuck, and it looked awfully stressful to me.) Once in the xray screening area, you pass through a metal detector, collect your bag from the screener (just like at the airport) and then pass by the guard flashing your passport. Even though it went smoothly for me, I found the Qalandia checkpoint intimidating.
We crossed the Bethlehem checkpoint (aka Bethlehem 300) on foot, and boarded bus 24 to Jerusalem on the Israeli side of the checkpoint, after we cleared security. At the Bethlehem checkpoint you walk about 200 meters up a steady incline to first pass Palestinian security (remember you are in Area A) and then cross the small no mans land (looks like a parking lot) and follow a pathway with railings (that looks like you would find on the ramp entrance to a sport stadium ) to arrive at a mini indoor terminal (a bit like an airport customs). First, you pass through the security turnstile, then clear the xray screening area which was unmanned on my visit, so we walked through without screening our bags. Then you enter the main hall and queue for an officer wicket. While waiting I noticed the terminal was decorated with touristic posters of Israel, which struck me as a curious interior design choice: visit Akko, Israel! visit Nazareth, Israel! And, I noticed the poor dress code choice of two other female tourists -- short-shorts. [editor: Do yourself a favour, don't wear short-shorts in the Middle East. Unless you are in Tel Aviv (where anything goes) you reallydon't need to should not wear short-shorts. It's offensive; try a below-the-knee skirt or some capri pants. Bonus - you won't burn as much skin! Dress in Jerusalem is pretty modest -- students wear shorts, but you usually still have to make some anatomical guesses. And dress code among Muslim women remains conservative although skinny jeans with hijab seem to be increasingly de rigeur in East Jerusalem during the winter.] After showing my passport to the young IDF officer, I was quickly waved through the checkpoint.
I have never had a problem at these checkpoints, I have been well treated and passed through without long waits or any inconvenience or ill treatment. Also, apart from the person who got stuck in the turnstile that day at Qalandia, I have not seen anyone poorly treated at a checkpoint. Also, I have not sought to cross the checkpoints at rush hour when many Palestinian labourers cross on their way to work in Israel. The waits can be long and, based on the queuing infrastructure at some checkpoints, I would imagine intensely uncomfortable. There have been reports of mistreatment and an Israeli organization, Machsom Watch, exists specifically to witness the IDF's operations at the various checkpoints. Machsom Watch documents on their website their observations of compromised or violated Palestinian human rights at checkpoints. Also see their website for some pictures of the checkpoints.
From my limited perspective, much of the security infrastructure that exists today -- the Wall, the checkpoints -- operates in the context of the Second Intifada. The great terror that gripped Israel, especially in the years 2000-2003 (Wikipedia has a list of attacks on Israelis, and a list of Palestinian casualties including who claimed responsibility) is why the security wall was built. The Wall changed the geography here by creating new spaces. In certain spaces certain individuals have different rights. When individual human rights are compromised that compromise is justified (by those in power) by the need to protect the collective.
... When I was in first year law school at Victoria, as part of my criminal law class I got to do an overnight ride-along with a police officer. Victoria is not the liveliest town, so your ride along officer has lots of time to tell twentysomething lawyer-wannabees how it works on the street. At about 1 am, my cop pulled the car up to a prostitute who was a regular he knew and she was clearly tweaking on something. He got out of the car, asked her what drugs she had on her. She demurred, he searched her and found a packet of smack or crack (I don't remember which anymore). What I do remember is that after he'd lectured the young woman, he moved on to baiting me to challenge him for his violation of her s. 8 rights. (In the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s. 8 is freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. It's the idea that you and I can walk down the street with the reasonable expectation that we won't be subject to a random search. Charter rights can be limited in the service of a free and democratic society (e.g. limitations on s. 2 (freedom of expression) in order to squash hate speech and obscenity). Balancing of the rights of the individual and society is understood to be a dynamic process.) My cop told me he couldn't do his job if he didn't perform the occasional search and seizure; in other words his unlawful search of the woman had been necessary to fulfill his role to keep the peace on the wild streets of Victoria...
Back in Israel, the conflict simmers on and the balance between individual and collective rights arguably remains skewed in favour of collective rights. The Israeli perspective is that the Wall is a legitimate response to terror, a crime against humanity. In 2004, the International Court of Justice opined that the Wall is illegal and limits Palestinians' freedom of movement and freedom to seek employment, education and health. It's clear that the Wall does both: it reduces terror and it restricts Palestinians' freedoms. In this case, members of one collective are subject to a set of rules (and infrastructure) that is designed to improve the security of the other collective. Because of the Wall the amount of terror in the conflict has been greatly reduced and this has benefited both sides. Tourists have returned; commerce is strong. It's also clear that the Occupation has great costs for both parties (see the movie The Gatekeepers for the Israeli perspective on the costs of the Occupation). And, it's clear Palestinians have less freedom of movement than they did before the Wall was built.
Does the Wall create the right balance? Not over the long term. I can tell you that many Israelis I have spoken to hate the Wall and really regret the limitations it puts on Palestinians, but they believe the Wall is essential to their survival -- this is not hyperbole. The scars from the Second Intifada are real in Israel -- everyone I know in Jerusalem knows someone who was killed, and some people had the harrowing experience of surviving near misses. I have witnessed the still raw, profound fear and anger of some Israelis. I don't know about the Palestinians, but the glimpses I have had suggest they are equally, if differently, emotionally scarred. "Where can we go from here?" is a question begging an answer. And how do we deal with people who don't want peace, the extremists on both sides who actively work to derail peace progress?
Here we arrive back at the new round of peace talks that started last night in DC and are scheduled for nine months (can you birth peace in the time it takes to gestate a human?). Everyone seems to agree there is a sense of urgency to get to peace. People speculate on when and where the Third Intifada will start, not if it will. If you were sitting at the peace table as the US envoy where would you start? How do you start to make peace between two peoples who each: have claims to the same land, stories of profound loss (both recent and historic), so little trust left, and collectively carry so much pain and suffering?
Perhaps the best inspiration comes from the groups of bereaved families from both sides (the Parents' Circle-Family Forum and the Combatants for Peace) that have reached across the chasm to find solace in each other and to show us all the tremendous human capacity for reconciliation and healing. Earlier this month the NYT featured a short article and photo essay (Bereaved) on some of these incredibly brave people. Embracing the message of these groups may be a good starting point for peace talks. They say:
If you haven't been to Israel or Palestine (also known as the Palestinian Territories, the Occupied Territories or the Territories), you may be wondering how the security checkpoints work when going between the two. The answer is complicated: it depends on where you are going, how you are getting there, and what kind of travel documents you have. Travel to and from the West Bank is straightforward for foreigners. I have visited parts of the West Bank and travelled through the West Bank. To go to Gaza requires a special permit; I haven't been. Friends of mine went on a day trip to Gaza with a group from St Andrew's Church of Scotland (the Church is lovely and sits on the hill as something of a sentinel to the entrance of the German Colony). To visit Gaza independently is difficult, for many tourists this is moot because Gaza has no historical religious attractions, but it does keep Gaza somewhat isolated in one's mind.
Part of the complication of explaining checkpoints relates to the administration of the territory. Based on the Oslo Accords there are three temporary administrative areas -- A, B, and C -- pending a final status agreement. Area A is all Palestinian cities and surrounding areas, civil and security control by Palestinian Authority (about 18% of the territory); Area B is Palestinian civil control and Israeli-Palestinian joint security control (about 21% of the territory); Area C includes settlements and is under Israeli civil and security control (about 61% of the territory).
As noted in my post about Bethlehem, Israelis are forbidden to enter Area A:
 |
| At Beit Jala (Area B), just before entrance to Bethlehem (Area A) |
If you drive on the highways that pass through Area C, you pass through security checkpoints on your way back into Israel. Sometimes the checkpoint officers will ask you a question or two, but more often you slow down and they wave you through.
If you are re-entering Israel from Area A or B, by bus, you will pass through a security checkpoint on foot that will include a passport check. I have been through three of the checkpoints on foot (I've never passed by private car) -- Qalandia, Beit Jala, and Bethlehem -- and they are all a bit different.
At Beit Jala passengers get down off the bus and line up, the bus pulls forward about 20 metres. Once all passports or travel documents are checked -- you show your passport to the IDF soldier -- passengers reload the bus. Certain exceptions are made for the elderly and pregnant or people with small children who are permitted to stay on the bus. This process is analogous to what happens at the Peace Arch crossing when you take the bus from Seattle to Vancouver. You get off the bus, collect your luggage, pass through customs, and reload the bus. Actually, the Beit Jala crossing is probably more pleasant than that business at the Peace Arch.
At Qalandia, passengers get off the bus: Passengers with foreign passports or East Jerusalem ID go to one queue, West Bank residents (no Jerusalem ID) go in a different queue in another area of the border compound. The bus drives ahead about 300 metres. The locals made sure I followed them through the process and back to the bus. The entrance to the passport screening area is an outdoor concrete pathway about two and half persons wide. The pathway is on three sides sides gated -- on each side of you and above. It's a bit like being in a tunnel of iron grating. Just before the xray and passport screening area there is a security turnstile -- one person at a time passes through the narrow revolving gate there is space for you and your small bag. It seemed to me that the turnstile would lock when the screening area filled up to a certain capacity. (When I was at Qalandia a person about four people ahead of me in line got stuck in the turnstile when it locked. I admit to focusing all my energy on not being the person who was going to get stuck in the turnstile next. I'm not sure that person could have avoided getting stuck, and it looked awfully stressful to me.) Once in the xray screening area, you pass through a metal detector, collect your bag from the screener (just like at the airport) and then pass by the guard flashing your passport. Even though it went smoothly for me, I found the Qalandia checkpoint intimidating.
We crossed the Bethlehem checkpoint (aka Bethlehem 300) on foot, and boarded bus 24 to Jerusalem on the Israeli side of the checkpoint, after we cleared security. At the Bethlehem checkpoint you walk about 200 meters up a steady incline to first pass Palestinian security (remember you are in Area A) and then cross the small no mans land (looks like a parking lot) and follow a pathway with railings (that looks like you would find on the ramp entrance to a sport stadium ) to arrive at a mini indoor terminal (a bit like an airport customs). First, you pass through the security turnstile, then clear the xray screening area which was unmanned on my visit, so we walked through without screening our bags. Then you enter the main hall and queue for an officer wicket. While waiting I noticed the terminal was decorated with touristic posters of Israel, which struck me as a curious interior design choice: visit Akko, Israel! visit Nazareth, Israel! And, I noticed the poor dress code choice of two other female tourists -- short-shorts. [editor: Do yourself a favour, don't wear short-shorts in the Middle East. Unless you are in Tel Aviv (where anything goes) you really
I have never had a problem at these checkpoints, I have been well treated and passed through without long waits or any inconvenience or ill treatment. Also, apart from the person who got stuck in the turnstile that day at Qalandia, I have not seen anyone poorly treated at a checkpoint. Also, I have not sought to cross the checkpoints at rush hour when many Palestinian labourers cross on their way to work in Israel. The waits can be long and, based on the queuing infrastructure at some checkpoints, I would imagine intensely uncomfortable. There have been reports of mistreatment and an Israeli organization, Machsom Watch, exists specifically to witness the IDF's operations at the various checkpoints. Machsom Watch documents on their website their observations of compromised or violated Palestinian human rights at checkpoints. Also see their website for some pictures of the checkpoints.
From my limited perspective, much of the security infrastructure that exists today -- the Wall, the checkpoints -- operates in the context of the Second Intifada. The great terror that gripped Israel, especially in the years 2000-2003 (Wikipedia has a list of attacks on Israelis, and a list of Palestinian casualties including who claimed responsibility) is why the security wall was built. The Wall changed the geography here by creating new spaces. In certain spaces certain individuals have different rights. When individual human rights are compromised that compromise is justified (by those in power) by the need to protect the collective.
... When I was in first year law school at Victoria, as part of my criminal law class I got to do an overnight ride-along with a police officer. Victoria is not the liveliest town, so your ride along officer has lots of time to tell twentysomething lawyer-wannabees how it works on the street. At about 1 am, my cop pulled the car up to a prostitute who was a regular he knew and she was clearly tweaking on something. He got out of the car, asked her what drugs she had on her. She demurred, he searched her and found a packet of smack or crack (I don't remember which anymore). What I do remember is that after he'd lectured the young woman, he moved on to baiting me to challenge him for his violation of her s. 8 rights. (In the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s. 8 is freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. It's the idea that you and I can walk down the street with the reasonable expectation that we won't be subject to a random search. Charter rights can be limited in the service of a free and democratic society (e.g. limitations on s. 2 (freedom of expression) in order to squash hate speech and obscenity). Balancing of the rights of the individual and society is understood to be a dynamic process.) My cop told me he couldn't do his job if he didn't perform the occasional search and seizure; in other words his unlawful search of the woman had been necessary to fulfill his role to keep the peace on the wild streets of Victoria...
Back in Israel, the conflict simmers on and the balance between individual and collective rights arguably remains skewed in favour of collective rights. The Israeli perspective is that the Wall is a legitimate response to terror, a crime against humanity. In 2004, the International Court of Justice opined that the Wall is illegal and limits Palestinians' freedom of movement and freedom to seek employment, education and health. It's clear that the Wall does both: it reduces terror and it restricts Palestinians' freedoms. In this case, members of one collective are subject to a set of rules (and infrastructure) that is designed to improve the security of the other collective. Because of the Wall the amount of terror in the conflict has been greatly reduced and this has benefited both sides. Tourists have returned; commerce is strong. It's also clear that the Occupation has great costs for both parties (see the movie The Gatekeepers for the Israeli perspective on the costs of the Occupation). And, it's clear Palestinians have less freedom of movement than they did before the Wall was built.
Does the Wall create the right balance? Not over the long term. I can tell you that many Israelis I have spoken to hate the Wall and really regret the limitations it puts on Palestinians, but they believe the Wall is essential to their survival -- this is not hyperbole. The scars from the Second Intifada are real in Israel -- everyone I know in Jerusalem knows someone who was killed, and some people had the harrowing experience of surviving near misses. I have witnessed the still raw, profound fear and anger of some Israelis. I don't know about the Palestinians, but the glimpses I have had suggest they are equally, if differently, emotionally scarred. "Where can we go from here?" is a question begging an answer. And how do we deal with people who don't want peace, the extremists on both sides who actively work to derail peace progress?
Here we arrive back at the new round of peace talks that started last night in DC and are scheduled for nine months (can you birth peace in the time it takes to gestate a human?). Everyone seems to agree there is a sense of urgency to get to peace. People speculate on when and where the Third Intifada will start, not if it will. If you were sitting at the peace table as the US envoy where would you start? How do you start to make peace between two peoples who each: have claims to the same land, stories of profound loss (both recent and historic), so little trust left, and collectively carry so much pain and suffering?
Perhaps the best inspiration comes from the groups of bereaved families from both sides (the Parents' Circle-Family Forum and the Combatants for Peace) that have reached across the chasm to find solace in each other and to show us all the tremendous human capacity for reconciliation and healing. Earlier this month the NYT featured a short article and photo essay (Bereaved) on some of these incredibly brave people. Embracing the message of these groups may be a good starting point for peace talks. They say:
...it is critical to learn the other side’s narrative, because the only hope for ending the bloody struggle is through empathy and reconciliation.This is a message relevant for every struggle, not just the one here that the world never looks away from.
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