Deacon Dave in Hebron, Palestine

Greetings from Hebron !

I arrived safely into Tel Aviv on Tuesday night. I was anxious about Israeli immigration because I had heard that all internationals were getting short visas; only as long as they said they were staying. They used to give a 3 month visa to everyone whatever you told them so I normally tell them I am staying in Jerusalem for 2 weeks to visit the holy sites and pray. If I tell them I am staying more than 2 weeks and that I don’t have a return ticket then I would get pulled aside for the more intensive questioning. In the event she took one look at my suit and collar, asked me what I was doing and didn’t ask how long I plan to stay. She gave me a moments panic when she asked me my father’s name and then told me to wait while she went off. I thought she had gone to get her supervisor but she came back with a pile of cards, stamped 3 months in my passport and gave it back with a card. As I hurried away I looked at the card to find that the Ministry of Tourism are assuring me that “Israel Loves Me” in a nice heart design. I’ll have to show it to the soldiers as they sometimes forget !

Tuesday

Well here I am sat on a familiar doorstep on Shuhada Street. Feels like coming home. Look one way to the checkpoint. The other way to the Jewish settlement of Beit Hadassa. Acroos the street the stars of David graffitied on the shops closed by military order always reminds me of the Warsaw Ghetto. Watching children coming and going to school. Following the settler teenager who spat at a Palestinian to make sure he was not planning anything worse. Soldiers greeting me like a long lost friend is a bit weird but there we are. They are not all bad people if only they were not part of an occupying army.