UK -> Cairo -> Gaza -> Israel - did u manage to go there, or legless (in the) border?

[LHM]

Well here’s that story - we got to the border at Tabaa, Egypt; about 8 of us in all. We were separated in two groups of three and five and made to be patient for 10 hours before being told - due to going to Gaza and having a Palestinian Territories Stamp in our passport we were denied entry and finally told we must leave. Our Palestinian-American friend Nuha was forced to immediately turn back and left – such discrimination is truly sickening, though sadly an every day occurrence for many Palestinians in different parts of this region where Israel touches.

On being invited into the office of the immigration officer I was told “you are denied entry – leave”. I then asked if I could discuss repayment for our return travel – not expecting it. He replied, without eye contact what was meant to be an order – “no, go now!”. However, by my right side Al Hariyaa the pesky pecking pest, was as ever, alert, (s/he is an Emu called ‘Freedom’). How come s/he always comes out when there are either children to play with or in times of potential stress and adversity?

Al Hariyaa did not like for one minute hearing what was said and leapt with fine agility and manic stealth at the immigration officers’ computer keyboard (a nonviolent act if ever there was one) and then played upon it as if s/he was a super piano impresario. This somehow resulted in my being well pushed over, and then Al Hariyaa repeated the stunt (pesky bird).

Being hit - I marvelled at the way the immigration officer had hit me - he thumped me like a hammer action with his clenched fist on the forehead above the eye line right in the middle. He could have easily punched me on the nose and bloodied me, whacked my eye and blackened it or done much more harm yet he didn’t - however I dont think he was trying to be kind. It was only after the second strike that I realised how clever he was being to prevent me being visually harmed had he been blooding me or bruising me (what with me being a passport wealding international an all) – he would have left signs for others to see and complaints might have flown. He had clearly done this to others before me.

As the immigration officer was trying to handcuff me on the left arm, this arm had taken refuge under the computer desk where it couldn’t be easily gotten. Being a gentle fellow at heart, I had asked the Immigration Officer neigh near pleaded with him to handcuff Al Hariyaa. Instead he (immigration officer) went for the left arm, me. Al Hariyaa had avoided capture - that is why s/he has this name - with swiftness s/he nipped at the immigration officers trouser-ed bum, more like a lick really though as s/he has no tongue or teeth.

The Immigration Officer thought I controlled Al Hariyaa or something odd – well of course I don’t control freedom. He is not like an ostrich on strings controlled by a puppeteer as some say Egypt is, receiving Israel’s commands, approvals and USA’s monies. Nor is Freedom like the Zionist-Israel state, with its balding state-like head so far down depravities' hole in the sandy ground that Isreal gets itself sucked into utter dismal denial (and I don’t mean the river Nile). Ignoring the rightfulness for the Palestinian people to be respected and treated humanely, with equality and dignity. Israel cares nothing about the massacres and abuses its operation cast lead has wreaked on Gazans, of attempting to strangle People for a faulty worthless one sided shallow shalom. No, let me tell you Freedom can’t be controlled and can’t be caged or even put down for long, if it occurs remember nothing is ever that permanent not even walls - freedom is part of wholeness for all and justice. Authentic SHaLoM is mighty ought only to be personal, communal and universal at its spreading core it remains ever authentic.

Anyway, I called out to my friends that I was being hit and cuffed (call me a wimp) to make them aware and they came to my aid and made a situation occur outside. Not a pretty one for the tourists going into Israel at Tabaa let me tell you.

Other Israeli police came into the closed door – ones we had been talking too earlier – we had spoken with them using our wit, challenging their attitudes and making most of our time at the balcony looking over the Red Sea towards Elat. Some arriving were surprised to see me handcuffed and having been hit. They argued about whether I ought to have been hit, and some were a little upset for me.

Later I was made to wait on the floor of the office whilst they decided what to do with me and before being moved later to an Israeli Police Car. I had been a little roughly treated and was painfully handcuffed so couldn’t move much it felt like I was made to wait for an hour or two - it seemed that long. I remembered to thank some of those Israeli soldiers / police present for not using as much power on me as they could have - I sensed somke were restrained in assisting, and I said that I was genuinely sad that I had put them in a situation where they would feel like they had to follow orders and would think they had to hurt someone.

During the time after wards I was watched by a sleepy, friendly female soldier / or policewoman (not sure which). Her name was Ariel and we talked a little about her life and later she let me say hi to her boyfriend on her mobile phone – he seemed a lovely guy for her to me. The cuffs reminded me it was not so cute and Al Hariyaa was out of sight.

This waiting time was used to negotiate my return to the Egyptian side of the border – a mere 100 yards - one attempt later failed. Al Hariyaa had been stripped from my side – though not before his little legs were spitefully pulled away – the torture was nothing to Al Hariyaa he didn’t even whimper. I was told I might never see Al Hariyaa again though I was still of good spirits – you cant get rid of Al Hariyaa, though sometime it can seem to fly or get lost, its never a permanent thing. The Immigration Officer was saying I would not see Al Hariyaa again and he wanted to discard him, However, I called after the Immigration Officer guy as he walked away and told him it was only a puppet and that he ought to consider getting out of his job as soon as he could - no, not because he was older than me, because he had such a bad attitude. Sometimes its important to let go of Al Hariyaa - (Freedom) I did then.

Anyway - later I was sent back to border and met up with my friends who waited for me and Al Hariyaa who was deported with me - s/he came back, fancy that no real Freedom allowed in Israel - deported too - is this the reason for Israeli-state paranoia?. I was pleased that my four friends had waited for us and so we traveled on away from the border down through the Sinai to Neweiba and chilled there for three - four days before flying back to uk. That's it - some of the others went through to Jordan and eventually got to Jerusalem and the West Bank - one travelled back to Cairo.

Im not sure if a big red denied entrance mark in a passport means Im never allowed back – one day I will see. This happened to us and is in all our passports. Was it worth it - I ask, well how are we to resist if we just walk away, and complain about it - "dissent without civil disobedience is consent" says Henry David Thoreau. You'll hear not protest from Al Hariyaa or me - we have given it up.

Les Hoppstubbe Mor