the human province

I arrived in Jerusalem yesterday. I set out in a taxi from Amman to the Allenby Bridge crossing. Once I was on the Israeli side of the border, everything slowed to a crawl. I was expecting a modern border crossing that was orderly and efficient. I was wrong.

There were practically no signs, and the Israeli soldiers on duty were usually not at all helpful: one girl refused to even talk to me when I asked her a question. I was held for about 3 hours and interrogated by a young Ethiopian girl, who I assume was doing her military service. She told me to sit down, because it was going to be a long time before I went anywhere. I asked why, and she responded, "Because you was in Lebanon." She asked why I was there, and I told her that I was on vacation. "Vacation in Beirut?" she asked with suprise. "Yes, it's a wonderful city, hopefully, one day you'll be able to visit." She said that "they" would kill her, and I suggested that she should just speak in Amahric, since there are many Ethiopians in Beirut.

When I finally made it into Jerusalem, I was met by a Palestinian friend of the family who has put me up in Amman. He took me out for a very late lunch, showed me around the neighborhood (East Jerusalem, near the Damascus Gate), and we talked about mutual friends and politics. He introduced me to his friends and some of his family; everyone seems to know him in the neighborhood. After talking and eating with a group that got bigger and bigger, we went to a candle light vigil against the wars in Lebanon and Gaza. He told me about a protest in front of the American consulate in East Jerusalem (there's also one in West Jerusalem and an Embassy in Tel Aviv). Since they couldn't get a permit, the police came and broke it up with clubs and tear gas.

After the vigil, I went out with a Palestinian girl who is a citizen of Israel, who tried to explain to me why she refuses to be called an Israeli Arab, and an Israeli Jewish girl from Moldavia. They talked about the news here (the Palestinian girl speaks Hebrew as well as Arabic and English) and about how all but the most radical of the left supports the war in Lebanon.

The hotels are mostly full here, because many people have left the north because of Hizbollah's rocket attacks. Otherwise, my friends back in Lebanon tell me that the Israelis have gone farther and farther into southern Lebanon, and there is talk of going as far north as the Litani, which is eerily reminiscent of the 1982 invasion. I've been taking pictures, but I don't have my computer here, so I'll have to upload them when I get back to Amman in a few days.

Otherwise, Al Aqsa is closed to non-Muslim foreigners for "security reasons," but I am convinced to see al-Haram ah-Sherif before I leave. Tomorrow, my friend is going to take me to see Bethlehem and part of the separation wall.

I arrived in Jerusalem yesterday. I set out in a taxi from Amman to the Allenby Bridge crossing. Once I was on the Israeli side of the border, everything slowed to a crawl. I was expecting a modern border crossing that was orderly and efficient. I was wrong.

There were practically no signs, and the Israeli soldiers on duty were usually not at all helpful: one girl refused to even talk to me when I asked her a question. I was held for about 3 hours and interrogated by a young Ethiopian girl, who I assume was doing her military service. She told me to sit down, because it was going to be a long time before I went anywhere. I asked why, and she responded, "Because you was in Lebanon." She asked why I was there, and I told her that I was on vacation. "Vacation in Beirut?" she asked with suprise. "Yes, it's a wonderful city, hopefully, one day you'll be able to visit." She said that "they" would kill her, and I suggested that she should just speak in Amahric, since there are many Ethiopians in Beirut.

When I finally made it into Jerusalem, I was met by a Palestinian friend of the family who has put me up in Amman. He took me out for a very late lunch, showed me around the neighborhood (East Jerusalem, near the Damascus Gate), and we talked about mutual friends and politics. He introduced me to his friends and some of his family; everyone seems to know him in the neighborhood. After talking and eating with a group that got bigger and bigger, we went to a candle light vigil against the wars in Lebanon and Gaza. He told me about a protest in front of the American consulate in East Jerusalem (there's also one in West Jerusalem and an Embassy in Tel Aviv). Since they couldn't get a permit, the police came and broke it up with clubs and tear gas.

After the vigil, I went out with a Palestinian girl who is a citizen of Israel, who tried to explain to me why she refuses to be called an Israeli Arab, and an Israeli Jewish girl from Moldavia. They talked about the news here (the Palestinian girl speaks Hebrew as well as Arabic and English) and about how all but the most radical of the left supports the war in Lebanon.

The hotels are mostly full here, because many people have left the north because of Hizbollah's rocket attacks. Otherwise, my friends back in Lebanon tell me that the Israelis have gone farther and farther into southern Lebanon, and there is talk of going as far north as the Litani, which is eerily reminiscent of the 1982 invasion. I've been taking pictures, but I don't have my computer here, so I'll have to upload them when I get back to Amman in a few days.

Otherwise, Al Aqsa is closed to non-Muslim foreigners for "security reasons," but I am convinced to see al-Haram ah-Sherif before I leave. Tomorrow, my friend is going to take me to see Bethlehem and part of the separation wall.

I arrived in Jerusalem yesterday. I set out in a taxi from Amman to the Allenby Bridge crossing. Once I was on the Israeli side of the border, everything slowed to a crawl. I was expecting a modern border crossing that was orderly and efficient. I was wrong.

There were practically no signs, and the Israeli soldiers on duty were usually not at all helpful: one girl refused to even talk to me when I asked her a question. I was held for about 3 hours and interrogated by a young Ethiopian girl, who I assume was doing her military service. She told me to sit down, because it was going to be a long time before I went anywhere. I asked why, and she responded, "Because you was in Lebanon." She asked why I was there, and I told her that I was on vacation. "Vacation in Beirut?" she asked with suprise. "Yes, it's a wonderful city, hopefully, one day you'll be able to visit." She said that "they" would kill her, and I suggested that she should just speak in Amahric, since there are many Ethiopians in Beirut.

When I finally made it into Jerusalem, I was met by a Palestinian friend of the family who has put me up in Amman. He took me out for a very late lunch, showed me around the neighborhood (East Jerusalem, near the Damascus Gate), and we talked about mutual friends and politics. He introduced me to his friends and some of his family; everyone seems to know him in the neighborhood. After talking and eating with a group that got bigger and bigger, we went to a candle light vigil against the wars in Lebanon and Gaza. He told me about a protest in front of the American consulate in East Jerusalem (there's also one in West Jerusalem and an Embassy in Tel Aviv). Since they couldn't get a permit, the police came and broke it up with clubs and tear gas.

After the vigil, I went out with a Palestinian girl who is a citizen of Israel, who tried to explain to me why she refuses to be called an Israeli Arab, and an Israeli Jewish girl from Moldavia. They talked about the news here (the Palestinian girl speaks Hebrew as well as Arabic and English) and about how all but the most radical of the left supports the war in Lebanon.

The hotels are mostly full here, because many people have left the north because of Hizbollah's rocket attacks. Otherwise, my friends back in Lebanon tell me that the Israelis have gone farther and farther into southern Lebanon, and there is talk of going as far north as the Litani, which is eerily reminiscent of the 1982 invasion. I've been taking pictures, but I don't have my computer here, so I'll have to upload them when I get back to Amman in a few days.

Otherwise, Al Aqsa is closed to non-Muslim foreigners for "security reasons," but I am convinced to see al-Haram ah-Sherif before I leave. Tomorrow, my friend is going to take me to see Bethlehem and part of the separation wall.

I arrived in Jerusalem yesterday. I set out in a taxi from Amman to the Allenby Bridge crossing. Once I was on the Israeli side of the border, everything slowed to a crawl. I was expecting a modern border crossing that was orderly and efficient. I was wrong.

There were practically no signs, and the Israeli soldiers on duty were usually not at all helpful: one girl refused to even talk to me when I asked her a question. I was held for about 3 hours and interrogated by a young Ethiopian girl, who I assume was doing her military service. She told me to sit down, because it was going to be a long time before I went anywhere. I asked why, and she responded, "Because you was in Lebanon." She asked why I was there, and I told her that I was on vacation. "Vacation in Beirut?" she asked with suprise. "Yes, it's a wonderful city, hopefully, one day you'll be able to visit." She said that "they" would kill her, and I suggested that she should just speak in Amahric, since there are many Ethiopians in Beirut.

When I finally made it into Jerusalem, I was met by a Palestinian friend of the family who has put me up in Amman. He took me out for a very late lunch, showed me around the neighborhood (East Jerusalem, near the Damascus Gate), and we talked about mutual friends and politics. He introduced me to his friends and some of his family; everyone seems to know him in the neighborhood. After talking and eating with a group that got bigger and bigger, we went to a candle light vigil against the wars in Lebanon and Gaza. He told me about a protest in front of the American consulate in East Jerusalem (there's also one in West Jerusalem and an Embassy in Tel Aviv). Since they couldn't get a permit, the police came and broke it up with clubs and tear gas.

After the vigil, I went out with a Palestinian girl who is a citizen of Israel, who tried to explain to me why she refuses to be called an Israeli Arab, and an Israeli Jewish girl from Moldavia. They talked about the news here (the Palestinian girl speaks Hebrew as well as Arabic and English) and about how all but the most radical of the left supports the war in Lebanon.

The hotels are mostly full here, because many people have left the north because of Hizbollah's rocket attacks. Otherwise, my friends back in Lebanon tell me that the Israelis have gone farther and farther into southern Lebanon, and there is talk of going as far north as the Litani, which is eerily reminiscent of the 1982 invasion. I've been taking pictures, but I don't have my computer here, so I'll have to upload them when I get back to Amman in a few days.

Otherwise, Al Aqsa is closed to non-Muslim foreigners for "security reasons," but I am convinced to see al-Haram ah-Sherif before I leave. Tomorrow, my friend is going to take me to see Bethlehem and part of the separation wall.

I arrived in Jerusalem yesterday. I set out in a taxi from Amman to the Allenby Bridge crossing. Once I was on the Israeli side of the border, everything slowed to a crawl. I was expecting a modern border crossing that was orderly and efficient. I was wrong.

There were practically no signs, and the Israeli soldiers on duty were usually not at all helpful: one girl refused to even talk to me when I asked her a question. I was held for about 3 hours and interrogated by a young Ethiopian girl, who I assume was doing her military service. She told me to sit down, because it was going to be a long time before I went anywhere. I asked why, and she responded, "Because you was in Lebanon." She asked why I was there, and I told her that I was on vacation. "Vacation in Beirut?" she asked with suprise. "Yes, it's a wonderful city, hopefully, one day you'll be able to visit." She said that "they" would kill her, and I suggested that she should just speak in Amahric, since there are many Ethiopians in Beirut.

When I finally made it into Jerusalem, I was met by a Palestinian friend of the family who has put me up in Amman. He took me out for a very late lunch, showed me around the neighborhood (East Jerusalem, near the Damascus Gate), and we talked about mutual friends and politics. He introduced me to his friends and some of his family; everyone seems to know him in the neighborhood. After talking and eating with a group that got bigger and bigger, we went to a candle light vigil against the wars in Lebanon and Gaza. He told me about a protest in front of the American consulate in East Jerusalem (there's also one in West Jerusalem and an Embassy in Tel Aviv). Since they couldn't get a permit, the police came and broke it up with clubs and tear gas.

After the vigil, I went out with a Palestinian girl who is a citizen of Israel, who tried to explain to me why she refuses to be called an Israeli Arab, and an Israeli Jewish girl from Moldavia. They talked about the news here (the Palestinian girl speaks Hebrew as well as Arabic and English) and about how all but the most radical of the left supports the war in Lebanon.

The hotels are mostly full here, because many people have left the north because of Hizbollah's rocket attacks. Otherwise, my friends back in Lebanon tell me that the Israelis have gone farther and farther into southern Lebanon, and there is talk of going as far north as the Litani, which is eerily reminiscent of the 1982 invasion. I've been taking pictures, but I don't have my computer here, so I'll have to upload them when I get back to Amman in a few days.

Otherwise, Al Aqsa is closed to non-Muslim foreigners for "security reasons," but I am convinced to see al-Haram ah-Sherif before I leave. Tomorrow, my friend is going to take me to see Bethlehem and part of the separation wall.

I arrived in Jerusalem yesterday. I set out in a taxi from Amman to the Allenby Bridge crossing. Once I was on the Israeli side of the border, everything slowed to a crawl. I was expecting a modern border crossing that was orderly and efficient. I was wrong.

There were practically no signs, and the Israeli soldiers on duty were usually not at all helpful: one girl refused to even talk to me when I asked her a question. I was held for about 3 hours and interrogated by a young Ethiopian girl, who I assume was doing her military service. She told me to sit down, because it was going to be a long time before I went anywhere. I asked why, and she responded, "Because you was in Lebanon." She asked why I was there, and I told her that I was on vacation. "Vacation in Beirut?" she asked with suprise. "Yes, it's a wonderful city, hopefully, one day you'll be able to visit." She said that "they" would kill her, and I suggested that she should just speak in Amahric, since there are many Ethiopians in Beirut.

When I finally made it into Jerusalem, I was met by a Palestinian friend of the family who has put me up in Amman. He took me out for a very late lunch, showed me around the neighborhood (East Jerusalem, near the Damascus Gate), and we talked about mutual friends and politics. He introduced me to his friends and some of his family; everyone seems to know him in the neighborhood. After talking and eating with a group that got bigger and bigger, we went to a candle light vigil against the wars in Lebanon and Gaza. He told me about a protest in front of the American consulate in East Jerusalem (there's also one in West Jerusalem and an Embassy in Tel Aviv). Since they couldn't get a permit, the police came and broke it up with clubs and tear gas.

After the vigil, I went out with a Palestinian girl who is a citizen of Israel, who tried to explain to me why she refuses to be called an Israeli Arab, and an Israeli Jewish girl from Moldavia. They talked about the news here (the Palestinian girl speaks Hebrew as well as Arabic and English) and about how all but the most radical of the left supports the war in Lebanon.

The hotels are mostly full here, because many people have left the north because of Hizbollah's rocket attacks. Otherwise, my friends back in Lebanon tell me that the Israelis have gone farther and farther into southern Lebanon, and there is talk of going as far north as the Litani, which is eerily reminiscent of the 1982 invasion. I've been taking pictures, but I don't have my computer here, so I'll have to upload them when I get back to Amman in a few days.

Otherwise, Al Aqsa is closed to non-Muslim foreigners for "security reasons," but I am convinced to see al-Haram ah-Sherif before I leave. Tomorrow, my friend is going to take me to see Bethlehem and part of the separation wall.