When I was 9 years old I arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Israel to join cousins in diaspora from all over the world in Hebron, Palestine. When we arrived from NYC, my mother and her 4 little girls (aged 9, 6, 4, and 2) were detained by airport security while in the visa entry. I could see my grandfathers wide smile (May God rest his soul) at the gate. We were escorted to a public area where we were asked to get naked. Israeli soldiers strip searched and cavity searched all of us. They opened and tore our suitcases apart. Once the trauma of being strip searched with objects was over, we were led to an airport prison cell. We were told we were denied entry into Palestine, by way of Israel, and that we would have to pay to re-route ourselves back out of the country. Two hours later in a window-less prison cell, asking my mother over and over why we could not see Grandpa and what were those sticks that beeped that they put on and in my body, a soldier came back with boiled eggs and tomatoes. This soldier also told my mother he would take me for a little while. My mothers panic and tears were in vain, he took me out of the cell. He was carrying a machine gun across his chest and was holding my hand in the other. He walked me around the airport and eventually sat me on his lap with other soldiers around him. He questioned me (Where is your family from? Where do you live in the US? What does your father do?) and finally told me I could not go back up to my mother until I said I was Israeli. I did not understand and kept repeating, But I am American, from Boston, Massachusetts. Eventually he took me back to my frantic mother. The next day we were forced to leave the airport where we instead headed to family in Spain. Why were we denied entry into Israel? Because our crime was being American - Palestinian and Arab and we were a dangerous threat to the stability of Israel. The nerve of Israel to demand easier visa access into the United States boggles my mind. Each day we hear of incidents of torture at the crossings and borders (buses going over dangerous cliffs killing passengers; 8 hour waiting periods for the elderly in the scorching heat with no water; etc) and are denied access to visit family still living in Palestine. The US should stand its ground and not allow this to be used as a political tool or negotiation tactic. Israeli mistreatment of American Arabs and Palestinians entering Israel has gone on far too long and should require no compromise. Its just basic HUMAN RIGHTS. haaretz/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.586586
Posted on: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 14:05:25 +0000
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