Hot Springs for Peace

Lucky me, there is an ethernet connection here at the hotel in Hebron, which means I get to give my review of the Palestine Independence Day trip today!

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I read an article once hypothesizing that hummous is the key to Middle East peace, one of the commonalities that could bring people together. Falafel and tabbouleh may also qualify, as might argileh (aka shisha, hubbly bubbly).

Add hot springs to the mix. Everyone likes a good soaking in hot mineral water.

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We started the day a bit later than planned, thanks in part to the leisurely pace that people seem to prefer here, and partially because we were trying to figure out how to get one of our teachers onto the bus. She is the wife of a diplomat living in East Jerusalem, and the security team was not keen to have her meet the bus at a checkpoint or to drive her to Ramallah on a day that could inspire resistance activity. She eventually got into Ramallah at around 8, and off we went.

It was interesting to spend Palestine Independence Day in Hamat Gader and Akko, in what most Palestinians would call Greater Palestine and what the Israelis certainly consider their turf. It was a peaceful and relaxing day...other than the enthusiastic singing in the back of the bus as we traveled north along the border road, flying past the farms beyond the Dead Sea, along the Jordanian border, and into the mountainous area where the Golan Heights intersects with Syria & Jordan.

We arrived at Hamat Gader at around 11, and spent about 4 hours enjoying the springs, visiting the little zoo, and getting massages. Perfect for the week after parent-teacher conferences!

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It was interesting for me to observe both Israelis and Palestinians enjoying the baths. Most Israelis and Palestinians have no contact with each other, and their ideas about the other are shaped by their media and limited personal experiences. It was interesting not because anything happened, but because nothing happened. It was peaceful, and everyone just had a good time. For the most part, people stayed with their own friends, and my guess is that most of the Israelis just thought that my colleagues were Israeli Arabs, not Palestinians living in Ramallah, but to me, it was a very simple confirmation of how normal people are when they're not trying to prove their political agenda is right and that the "other" is evil.

It was also interesting for me to be there as an American. Occasionally people spoke to me in Hebrew, and when I said that I didn't speak Hebrew, I'm from the U.S., the follow-up question was: are you a tourist? I felt uncomfortable disclosing that I live in the West Bank, so I just said that I was visiting the country and staying near Jerusalem, and my friends wanted to spend the day at the springs so we took a little day trip. All true, but omitting the fact that I work and live in Ramallah. I'm not sure what they would have said, but I didn't want to get into a political discussion.

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I know that it is much more complicated than just getting people together to realize that they are all human beings with more in common than differences, and that there are political realities and justice issues to be dealt with, but the separation of the people contributes greatly to sustaining the problem.

Israelis too often forget about Palestinians behind the wall and only think of them when they are fearful from attacks. Palestinians seldom enjoy the privileges that Israelis take for granted.

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My most memorable moments of the day were simple ones:

Realizing that my co-worker who normally wears a hijab has caramel highlights in her brown hair, and traded the hijab for the day to wear a COCKS baseball cap

Singing on the bus

Watching my co-workers throwing stones into the Sea of Galilee

The lighting up of the faces of my co-workers as they sat down beside the Mediterranean Sea for dinner in Akko, and how everyone wanted to sit right beside the water

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We rolled into Ramallah at about 9 PM, and although we were tired from the day and ready to be home, crossing the checkpoint at Qalandia and passing through the separation wall was a sad reality check. Back to the movement restrictions, back to checkpoints, back to the daily grind of life under occupation. People will keep on keeping on, but it's a bitter irony to end Palestine Independence Day with the reminder that you live in a cage.