I've had it with Israeli security

Today I woke up at 7am and caught a taxi to the central station to go to King Hussein Bridge to go to the West Bank again. Little did I know that it was the beginning of a day that would try my patience and temper to the limit. The Jordanian side of the border was very hospitable and kind. Everyone pointed me to where the terminal was and guided me through the process. They took care of my luggage and made sure I understood the steps in the process, even though I do not speak Arabic.

Then I boarded the bus and went to the Allenby bridge terminal, manned by Israel. It is between the checks for the Jordanians and the Palestinians. I got off the bus, and waited to have my backpack go through security. I met some Spaniards and spoke with them a bit, and they helped guide me through the way they check baggage, which is nerve racking as they take your passport without telling you where it is going.

Then I went into the terminal itself, and little did i know that the next hours were to be a nightmare. First I went up to the counter where they check your passports. I told them the truth about my entire trip and where i was going. they apparently didnt like my explanation, so after an intense interrogation, they sent me over to wait in a holding area. I waited, and waited, and waited some more, all while people with other passports like jordan, palestinian authority, spain, etc. were passing by. Every hour or two I would ask what is going on, and they would tell me to go sit down, mind you they have my passport because they take it from you, so i had no id that showed i was american. After two hours, an alarm went off, and they sent everyone who had been through passport control back to the beginning because of what someone told me was an "emergency in a bag." After half an hour, people started going through again. Maybe after three hours of waiting and filling out a detailed paper questionaire about my whereabouts over the past several months, a woman came up to me and told me she would be asking more questions. As soon as she started, they hit the alarm again, and everything stopped once more. The lady disappeared and I had to wait for another hour for her to come back. Then some undercover Israeli agents, probably Mossad actually, started running around me and one shoved me out of the way to detain this old woman. I still dont know what her crime was. They interrogated her for a while and let her go. After 4 or 5 hours of waiting, the lady came back, and as if the first two times of interrogation weren't enough, she proceeded to ask me even more detailed questions and interrogate me further. This is after going through an air blast scanner to check me for bombs, which apparently they suspect me a lot here for some reason.

After that interrogation was over, I had the opportunity to make friends with an Israeli soldier who was originally from Virginia who seemed very chill and apologetic for the things he was being asked to do. It just so happened that he was the guy who called my name an hour later and had to demand information about the people I was staying with in Palestine. I sort of upset one of my hosts because he thinks I gave the soldier too much information that they could use against him, but I think he is being a little paranoid. I had to tell them something, and it's a good thing I told them good info because they then called the numbers to verify my story.

After this round, I waited another hour, and saw the soldier again, and I asked him what the deal was, and he told me that he had completed the paperwork and that i needed to go back to the waiting area again. I waited and waited, and finally they called my name. I waited in the line to get out, and got to the front and was about to pass through when one of the security people told me to halt and go to another detention area. The last round was the final straw. Everyone except the soldier had generally been very rude and unkind to me. I was interrogated again, this time in a ridiculous way. I was asked to recount my story for the fifth time in detail. I was also asked to give my opinion on the conflict and how I would solve it, which i took to be a trap to get me to espouse some negative views about israel and wait all night, so i dodged it with an its complicated line. She asked about every detail in my life. After this trial by fire, she asked me what religion I was and I replied Christian. She then asked me about my Muslim and Jewish friends, and I responded that I had many Arab friends, as well as a former Gaza jewish settler and a zionist roomate (i hope thats accurate if you're reading this Jamie, i figured it couldnt hurt to name drop random jewish friends of mine). Then she told me to start telling her everything I knew about the Jewish and Muslim religion. So I decided to give her what she asked for. I proceeded to start naming the books of the old testament in their relation to the Torah as well as the historic basis for rabbinic law in the Talmud. I also discussed the five pillars of Islam and the belief in the revealed word of the Quran to Muhammed by the angel Gabriel. I kept naming facts and I think she was sorry she asked the question. She then asked me about any weapons I was carrying. I told her none. Then finally, after 9 hours, she let me through to get my bags.

I restrained myself well I think. I wished I wanted to scream in her face and every other hateful israeli who questioned me. I wanted to yell that this is how you treat American citizens and a grandson of a man who died fighting nazis in world war two? I wanted to demand to speak to the US consul because US passports on the first page have a declaration requesting no delay or hindrance to us nationals, which they gave me as much as possible. I did my best to turn the other cheek, and i did. It seemed that Americans were being disproportionately singled out for interrogation, as many of the guys i met were americans. Israelis are not stupid. Their system is not innocently and horribly inefficient. It does not take 9 hours for someone to stamp a passport. What they did to me was a calculated effort to make my experience traveling to the west bank absolutely miserable. It backfired however, as now i am even less supportive of their prospective on the conflict. The strategy of the Israelis in the occupied west bank is to make anyone who desires a future for themselves or their children to get out. Once they are out, they make it almost impossible to return. The israelis are constantly taking more land in the west bank, and cutting farms in two, as well as depleting the water supply in the region.

One thing this trip has taught me thus far is that Israel is in no way the shining democracy in the middle of chaos that our lobbied representatives make it out to be. From my personal experience, Israel's representatives have been hateful, racially discriminating, unkind, and inhumane. They have treated old women like animals, and refuse to let little children go to the bathroom while they are forced to wait on buses for hours on end, all in the name of security. Now Israel has announced it is ignoring the US demands not to demolish more buildings in east jerusalem for more israeli settlements. I would vigorously argue that if they go through with this, all $3 billion in aid should be cut off by the US government. I have seen the Israel that they dont want you to see, and I am ashamed and shocked that my government which is supposed to stand for the dignity and freedom of man would stand by a state that is willing to trade 100 palestinian lives for one israeli life. Meanwhile in the US, our politicians lack the courage and the sight to change things here.

Let me be clear, I support a state of Israel. I do not support the actions I have seen them do. I understand the sensitivity and need for a Jewish state from my discussions with jewish friends. However, the most evil wrong in the history of the world (the holocaust) does not justify injustice towards fellow man. Also in the case of widespread maid/slave positions in Jordan as well as here in Israel, it seems that those who have suffered are more than willing to impose suffering on others, and that pains me to no end. I yearn for peace in the land of the prince of peace.