Return from the West Bank

[peacetraveler22]

Hello dear friends! I'm now back in America after a memorable trip to Israel. Somehow I misunderstood the point of the sponsored tour there. I thought we would spend most of our time in Israeli-controlled areas, when in fact most of it was spent in Area "A" of the West Bank, which is under the control of the Palestinian Authority. I can only say that it was an amazing and eye opening experience. Perceptions of a place and reality often don't coincide, and it was the case for me in the West Bank. In the future, perhaps I'll write some posts and impressions about the journey. We visited many areas, including Jericho, Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus and Sebastia. We were stationed in Bethlehem, and it was there I experienced the burning sensation of tear gas for the first time when a disturbance occurred at a checkpoint located close to the hotel. Overall, this is an incredibly interesting region of the world, with complex layers of human emotion tangled in webs of cultural and religious identity.

Upon departure in Tel Aviv, I was picked for special screening. Not sure why? During the first interrogation point, my passport was examined and the worker was very inquisitive about the Belarusian visa. At first, she didn't understand to which country the visa pertained. Upon explanation, she put a bright shiny yellow sticker on the back of my passport. This resulted in every single item from my purse and carry on luggage being removed and waved with a magic wand. I assume to check for explosives? The whole process took about 1 1/2 hours. I think my Belarusian visa is cursed, as it has caused only problems from the beginning! :)) I didn't see Tel Aviv at all, it was merely the arrival and destination point. However, many holy sites were visited, and at the worst possible time with the overlap of Passover and Easter in the same week. Hordes of people at all of these places, and parts of Jerusalem weren't navigable due to massive crowds.

How is life in Russia? Has Putin conquered Ukraine yet? I've had almost no time to catch up on world news since my departure ten days ago. I hope life is going well for each of you, and that spring warmth has arrived to brighten your days! In Israel, it was blazing hot and completely uncomfortable for a winter lover like me.

Next week, I'll share some stories from America.