West Bank

3 countries in 3 days.

Thursday: Traveled to Jerusalem and from there to the West Bank (South Hebron Hills) for a tour with "Breaking the Silence," an organization of ex-Israeli soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifadah. If I had expectations going in, it was mostly bracing myself to hear some very disturbing things. Our guide, however, was pretty much like most other Israelis I've encountered: he talked about the need to balance security with Palestinian rights. And though he came out more on one side of that scale than the other, the discussion was still the same. There was no "Israel is an apartheid state" or "Zionism is racism" rhetoric. He told some tough stories, no doubt: he talked about Settlers who attack Palestinian school children, about what it's like to conduct a home invasion, and what the "just following orders" mentality does to one's ability to empathize. We also heard about the Israeli Gov's "willful blindness" when it comes to Settlements, overtly discriminatory property laws, and the ways Palestinian villages are systematically deprived of water (a scarcity here, to be sure).

We also went to a "Palestinian village." I reluctantly use quotes bc in actuality the village consists of a few dozen tents set-up in a seemingly arbitrary place in the middle of nothin. Just behind it, though, was a Settlement that looked like a regular Israeli neighborhood (which I guess in some sense it is). And this was, in the words of our guide, an example of a Palestinian village that was experiencing "a resurgence."

We also got to meet with the head of that Palestinian village. Alluding but not dwelling on Settler violence, he seemed more tired than angry. He spoke of his lack of faith in both governments. And he talked about the need for peace.
Some other interesting aspects: our tour guide still serves in the Reserves of the Israeli army. Another surprise was that, with the permission of the military, he gives his presentation at pre-military academies to Israelis who are about to start their national service.

The people on the tour were interesting, but most of them seemed like they were there to confirm their already well-entrenched views about the situation. One notable exception was this really cool journalist I sat next to from San Francisco. When her story comes out I'll link to it.

Onto less serious topics:
1. We got vegetarian Indian food in Jerusalem. Ate with an Italian film director who was on the tour with us. Cool dude.
2. The bagels in TA are the size of steering wheels.
3. Besides occasionally confusing the word for "vegetarian" with the word for "Zionist," my Hebrew is improving.

In the words of Ice Cube, "It Was a Good Day."