First
Impressions...
Upon
flying into Tel Aviv, you are greeted by a sprawling metropolis, a
Manchester or Liverpool in the Middle East. Unlike flying to
a UK city though, the post flight welcome into Israel involved a lengthy
wait for certain members of our travel group when the 3
hour hold up at passport control occurred. Frankly, when using the
phrase 'certain members', I refer to the members of our group who had
an appearance which could be vaguely attributed to an Arab or Muslim
background. This crude security profiling, perhaps a thinly veiled attempt to dissuade
perceived sympathisers visiting Palestine, or maybe just some light relief for the Israeli border guards, is
just one indication of the questionable attitude employed by the
Israelis in response to the Palestinian question.
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| Airports are Dark Places at Times: Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo Courtesy of Emerson Photography) |
A
stark contrast is noticed when arriving in the Palestinian
territories en route from Ben Guirion Airport. The well developed
city of Tel Aviv clashes vividly with the Palestinian city of
Jericho. The lack of investment in the
infrastructure of Jericho and the surrounding area is
evident. Even without reading road signs or noticing checkpoints,
one's entry into the Palestinian territories is noticeable by a lack
of street lights and markedly poorer waste disposal. Basic amenities
such as running water are also routinely denied to the Palestinians,
as witnessed by the lack of sanitation within the girl's
accommodation of where we were staying. Although not surprising, evidence such as this further illustrates
the pursuit of an intentionally poor stance on basic human rights from both governments. However,
even with poor infrastructure, the charm
of the Occupied Territories cannot be denied. A hospitable people and
naturally beautiful landscape makes for a hard to resist combination.
This was a welcome counter balance to the ever present political
situation in Palestine; perhaps providing a metaphor for the
continuing resilience of the Palestinian people in the face of thier persecution.
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| Beauty in the Face of Adversity: Jericho, Palestine. (Photo Courtesy of Emerson Photography) |
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