Welcome to Israel!

After many hours in airplanes and in airports, I had the pleasure of a traditional Israeli welcome. I thought my U.S. credentials would allow me to fly through customs. So when the woman in the passport kiosk began asking a lot of questions about whether I was traveling alone and where I was staying, I was taken by surprise. She finally handed my passport back to me and, in yet another line, I waited to pass through a gate manned by an Israeli soldier. You can imagine my shock when he allowed me to pass but handed my documents to someone other than me.

The young woman told me to take a seat because they were going to have to ask me a few questions. Immediately I began to wonder, what had I said or done that had caused concern? Was it the fact that I said I was staying at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer … I mean, Augusta Victoria Hospital guest house? Did she know that I intended to stay longer than the one month I claimed? Did she know my “return ticket” for Sept. 18 was a dummy? I waited a little nervously as I watched the police question others who had been detained. I assumed the others were Palestinians, who receive such treatment as a matter of course.

More than anything, though, I was curious as to what they would ask me. Finally, after dispatching the other detainees, my name was called. Was this my first trip to Jerusalem? Did I know anyone there? Where was I going to stay? How long was I going to be there? What sites would I see? How was I getting to Jerusalem? What did I do back in the United States? They asked questions like these over and over, as if trying to catch me in a mistake. Their manner was polite if somewhat haughty, as though they wanted me to know they could deny me entry into Israel.

Finally, one officer decided to check out my story that Pastor Mark Holman would be waiting for me and went off in search of him. It was nearly two hours since my plane had landed. I just prayed that Mark hadn’t given up on me and gone home. After a long wait, the officer returned and handed my passport back to me. “Welcome to Israel,” he said. “Sorry for the inconvenience, but this is Israel,” he said.

Israel, indeed – probably the only country in the world where a goody-two-shoes like me might somehow constitute a threat. I pondered these things as I tried to locate my luggage and my ride. Later that day I learned that there had been cases of Western women being wooed by extremists and used to carry contraband into the country. So the cautiousness of the Israelis was not without warrant.

That’s one of the paradoxes of this land: Extremists have carried out horrific attacks on Israelis. But does Israel’s response – police detention, checkpoints, land closures, disenfranchisement – decrease extremism? Or does it intensify it?

For me, the detention was little more than an inconvenience. But it gave me a tiny glimpse into the indignities the Palestinians suffer on a daily basis. For this I’m grateful.

Welcome to Israel, Allison. Welcome, indeed!