A different world

Last Friday, on my day off, I decided to take a little break from life in the West Bank and venture into West Jerusalem, which is the modern part of the city. So I walked to the checkpoint, made it through with no problems or questions (as is usually the case for foreigners) and found a coffee shop where I could relax and forget about all the stresses of daily life. I felt guilty for doing this, because I know that Palestinians get no respite from life. They cannot choose to take a day off from life here, and they don't have the luxury of being able to leave the West Bank. At the same time, however, if I keep this mindset, I will never get anywhere, because the simple fact that I am American gives me unfair advantages all the time. I cannot help that I am American and privileged, but at the same time I must constantly be aware of all the advantages my citizenship gives me. Anyways, I was in this coffee shop and an Israeli man started talking to me. I have had very few interactions with Israelis here, aside from the soldiers at the checkpoint, so I did not really know how to respond to his questions. He asked me what I was doing here, and since I am still hesitant to tell Israelis my purpose, I simply told him I was touring. This was a fine answer to him, but when I told him I was staying in Bethlehem in the West Bank, he became very concerned for my safety. "If I went over there, they would kill me. It's very dangerous," he said. He told me I should be in my home by 7 PM because the Palestinians are dangerous. I became defensive at this point, because he was attacking the people I have befriended and worked with, and told him that I have never felt unsafe in Bethlehem (which, for the most part, is true. You always have to be careful, of course, but that is the same for any city). It was so interesting to be in that coffee shop in West Jerusalem and to be so close to Bethlehem geographically but to be in an almost entirely different world. It is so sad to hear the stereotypes that Israelis have of Palestinians and vice versa. But when you are raised to be fearful of "the other," what else can you expect?