Visiting Israel, Palestine
With recent comments from Jordan warning against the Israeli government moving forward with its annexation plans of nearly a third of the West Bank, I want to present a perspective of two days on the ground in Ramallah this past February, as well as time spent in Israel.
Being on the ground in an area does not make one an expert on that area. But then again, never having set foot in a country and having a firm opinion on the realities of the place based solely on news sources is unwise.
But first let me provide further background. In addition to the Jordan Valley, the Israeli government intends to fully annex pockets of illegal settlements in the West Bank, giving Palestine the appearance of Swiss cheese. Such settlements draw upon water reserves belonging to Palestine. If one wonders why Israeli land flourishes so much compared to Palestinian land, here is the main culprit. This annexation of the West Bank is led by Benjamin Netanyahu, a prime minister who has been in power since 2009 and has been under a criminal investigation since 2017.
I spent nine days in Israel and two days in Palestine. I had no interest in partaking in a West Bank tour via an Israeli travel agency, as is often encouraged in Israel. Like water diverted from Palestinians to Israelis, here is a case of cash flow being diverted in the same way. Instead I simply took the local bus from Jerusalem to Ramallah. I intended to also visit Bethlehem and Jericho, both part of Palestine, but a combination of one of my days being Friday (the equivalent of a Sunday for Muslims), and a windy rainstorm that hit the area, I had to confine my visit to Ramallah.
My first impression of Palestine’s largest city was inevitably the military checkpoint and wall that one must pass to arrive. Afterward I was surprised to encounter a city like anywhere else in the world. People were friendly and full of life. Despite being a bit crowded, shops, restaurants, and other such establishments lined the main street. I even stopped at a bar that night to try Taybeh, which is Palestine’s own locally brewed beer. I stayed at a hostel run and staffed by knowledgeable and welcoming Palestinians. Ramallah left me wishing to have diverted more of my days in Israel to Palestine.
That is not to knock what I saw in Israel. But I preferred not spending any money on national museums. In Jaffa, at a meetup for listeners to “No Agenda,” a podcast that analyzes mainstream news content, I met a couple of Israelis who made two points clear to me. The first concerns political parties. Israel has two main parties, a right wing party and a more-right wing party. The second is that restrictions of movement make it impossible for reasonable Israelis and Palestinians to ever meet face to face. If annexation plans proceed as proposed, then Jordan’s prediction for disaster seems likely.