Words from Palestine

I met an young man from a western nation at the hostel I stayed in who is a Muslim. He came here for a 2 week vacation. When he arrived at Ben Gurion airport he was interrogated for 6 hours. When he wouldn’t tell them what they wanted to know (he has nothing to tell them!) he was threatened, as was his family in the UK. After hours of grilling, he was told that if he didn’t tell them why he was really here, something bad would happen to him and his family. After what happened on the flotilla, he was truly frightened. He said he was taken from one room to another, with different interrogators threatening him. He said he had never felt so powerless. He of course had no information to give them, so he as at a loss of what to do. He couldn’t get away, he couldn’t answer the questions to their satisfaction, so he was at their mercy (which is by and large nonexistent).
After the 6 hours of interrogation he was allowed into the country on a 2 week visa, one day short of his plane flight, so he had to rebook his flight. I imagine he is being watched very closely…probably why they allowed him into the country. He wants to go to Ramallah and Nablus but is now fearful to enter the West Bank. He related to me that he is constantly aware that he can be arrested at any time and has no recourse to justice.
I expressed concern for him that he may have a more difficult time leaving the country than he did coming in. He contacted his embassy and asked that they assure him “safe passage out of Israel.”
I am worried for him. He is just a kid, born and raised in a western nation, and the closest he has ever come to terrorism is at the airport in Israel. I can see the sadness and concern in his eyes. And he just came here for a vacation
If I could sum up the essence of his personality in a couple words it would be kind, compassionate and mild mannered. I say this not just because of my conversations with him, but also because of his interactions with others here at the hostel. There is a a raving Zionist with obvious mental problems staying here and this young Muslim man has spent a lot of time patiently listening to his rants, never condemning him, just listening.
I have asked him to contact me as soon as he is safe at home. I am also going to see about having an Israeli friend accompany him to the airport. Perhaps that will give him a measure of safety. Oh the sadness that prevails in this land.