Human

I'd like to expand on the previous blog “Hebron,” specifically when we were stopped by the Israeli guards and it was unclear if Bassem would be able to proceed through the checkpoint. After I was done taking pictures of the deserted house, I returned to find the Thomas, Rachel, and Bassem still waiting in a huddle close by and the Israeli guards grouped together about 30 feet apart. One guard was communicating via radio in an attempt to present the matter to his supervisor. I'm sure Bassem was getting frustrated because he had made this trip many times before and knew he'd been granted access to cross. I wasn't sure what had been discussed prior to my arrival, but I could feel the tension that had surmounted on my return. It was as though I'd stepped into a situation were two sides had been drawn and the individuals involved (while very aware of the existence of the divide) were completely oblivious to the process that lead to its creation.
I left my side of this not so invisible line and made the 30 foot journey over to the Israeli guards. “Shalom!” I only know a few words in Hebrew and since not many Israelis speak Arabic, but many have at least a healthy knowledge of English, I proceeded in my native tongue.
I asked one guard after another (there were three) where they were from in Israel, how long they'd been working with the army, what they planned to do after, and other general questions. They were a little reserved at first, but answered my questions then proceeded to ask some of their own. Less than ten minutes into our conversation one of the guards escorted my small group over to the part of the village we were trying to reach. He never received an answer from his commanding officer.
This marvelous scenario can be applied not just to the Arabs and Israelis, but to almost any situation where there is a conflict between sides. We were clearly representing the Palestinian voice on our visit to Hebron, so from the beginning there was a splitting of sides (Palestinian versus Israeli). When a group of people have a common enemy for a prolonged period of time, the people that compose “the enemy” transcend into a faceless entity towards which the other group targets much resentment, blame, and hate. The Israelis feel this way about the Palestinians and vise versa. When this image is shattered and you can see the opposing group not as the “other side,” but as individuals, they regain their humanity and people are able to communicate and empathize with each other.
Whether or not the Israeli guards were intentionally trying to give us trouble or were just unsure about some detail of our crossing, or maybe a little of both, I don't know. I do know that in some situations where the mood is already volatile, often the most simple actions are most successful at calming the flames and putting things into perspective.