Final Thoughts on the Trip

As I am in the aircraft on my way from London to Vancouver, I thought it appropriate to share some final thoughts about our trip, and what lessons, if any, I have drawn from my experience in Israel/Palestine. It might be a summary of some of the points I have mentioned earlier, but some might be original. Two thoughts jump out at me as I think about a summary:

First, too few people come to visit Masjid Al-Aqsa and Masjid Al-Sakhra. A lot of this is due to a fear that this area is full of trouble and some has to due with the fact that people don’t know that they can’t get in. Both of these are a fallacy. From my experience, yes it was difficult at times to keep showing your passport, but to be honest, in this trip and others, I have had a more difficult time in a Muslim country. Yes I spent two hours at the airport in Tel Aviv upon my arrival, but I also remember spending all day at immigration in Saudi Arabia when I was young. Yes, the Israelis do ask you questions about who I am, where am I going, etc, but from my recent trip to Jordan, I was asked many more intrusive questions at the border there than anywhere else I have been.

As for the people who think they can’t get in, I think my trip has proven them otherwise. Many people, when I was about to leave told me that I would never be allowed to pray in the Haram, but I went there many times, and even for Jumma for that matter. If more people did end up going, then it could only help the local Muslim economy. Walking through the Christian quarters and Jewish quarters in the Old City, one could easily find people from all over the world. In these two areas and in Bethlehem, I met people from Italy, Mexico, Germany, US, and even Costa Rica. The vendors located in this area look much better off with bigger stores and more items than in the Arab part.

Second, and this might be a bit controversial, is that I feel that, in a sense, I was lied to about the situation in Palestine, specifically, the West Bank. I DID NOT VISIT GAZA, SO I REALLY CANNOT COMMENT. In colleges and in mosques, we are constantly told of how the situation is in Palestine and that the Palestinians have nothing cause there land was taken away from them, etc. Frankly speaking, I did not find this to be the case. To give you an idea, if the condition of taxis is any indication of how people are living, in Jerusalem they drove Mercedes E class. I also visited a few parts of the West Bank (Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Ramallah, and my sister in law told stories about Jenin) and the situation of the people, economically is not too far off what you would find in other Muslim third world countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh. In fact, there were parts of Jordan that were worse. Yes, I understand that the people have no land, but this is only as a nationality; in the West Bank, many people on land. The economy is doing well overall, minus the recent issue with no funding for the Palestinian Authority: keep in mind that many Palestinians living abroad, from what I know, send money back home and/or buy and build on land that they have.

So yes, there is poverty, and oppression, but nothing more serious than any other Muslim country in the third world, and most definitely not enough poverty to justify the suicide bombings that take place in the name of “they don’t have any other choice.” I find this even more abhorrent after I have visited than before. I mean, I was against them from the beginning, but now have solidified my stance based on what I have seen first hand.

Finally, I think that I have a better understanding of a final outcome of what will happen in this conflict. I should begin by saying the I strongly feel now that the Palestinians should just “get over it”, meaning they lost in 1967 and have been complaining since then; all the while, Israel has been taking more and more land. I think a settlement is coming but I also think that one strong state that encompasses both Gaza and West Bank is not practical. The areas and people are too different. Two separate states, loosely associated in a Federation is more likely. As for Jerusalem, which is still a hot bed on contention, I think if you spoke to the Palestinians living there, emotionally they would tell you that they want to be with Palestine, but practically, I think they know they are much better off with Israel, of course, that is, if they get citizenship and full rights, which now they do not have. Now I know all the things that Israel does is not good and not justified, and I have left these out in the discussion for two reasons: first, Muslims countries are worse, and everyone for the most part knows about them. What they don’t know about, and have been given misinformation, is of the situation of the Palestinians living in the West Bank, and I have tried to clarify some issues there.