Happy boy, living a Happy life

I went to Beer Sheva, a city in southern Israel, on Friday. I had met a Norwegian / Israeli girl on my way from Prague to Tel Aviv, and I more or less invited myself to visit her town of Beer Sheva. We got to know each other when the passport guy in Prague wondered whether we were travelling together since she showed her Norwegian passport right after me, but unlike me she also held an Israeli passport, which was used by landing in Tel Aviv, and she was not on holidays or for studies in Israel, but to do her military service in Israel ..

We did not talk that much on our way to Tel Aviv, as we didn't sit next to each other, and although I was curious about her military service, I felt I couldn’t ask her too much about it. I got to know that she was stationed in Haifa and not on the West Bank, and she didn't object what so ever to the fact that I was going to the West Bank for studies. By landing in Tel Aviv I tried to keep as close to her as possible, so I'd stay out of trouble, but she disappeared in separate passport queue and was, understandably, much faster through than I was, but I had her phone number and now I wanted to visit her town and hoped to have a serious conversation about her, the military service and Israel.

I remember I thought much of this on the plane. How would a political Party in Norway, say (out of the blue) the Progress Party (Norwegian right wing party) react if I, as a Norwegian Pakistani had done my military service in Pakistan? What horror scenarios had not been drawn about me and my loyalty to Norway? Now, for my part, it would be quite unthinkable doing my military service in Pakistan, but where are the objections about loyalty when it comes to Israel and military service in Israel as a Norwegian citizen?

I tried to reflect over what makes a Norwegian citizen to do the military service in Israel? I know that this question may be biased, because I realize that not everyone sees the current conflict in the same way as I do, but how can anyone do their military service for an occupying force? And especially as a Norwegian citizen?

The original plan was to sleep at her grand parents place, but her grandmother said no to that, so I found me a cheap hotel when I arrived there around 10 pm. after a short trip to Tel Aviv, the only way to get from Jerusalem to Beer Sheva at that moment because of the Sabbath. I must admit my heart skipped a beat when the first question I was faced with, while asking some kids sitting by the main busstation for light, was whether I was a Muslim. I was quite shaken of it, but I had no choice than to confirm the fact. Obviously they had got an eye on my Mashallah necklace I bear, and in pure desperation and anxiety I quickly found my key of life (Ankh) necklace I also bear. "See, I have a cross too." They seemed a bit surprised by that, but I got away without any more problems or questions, other than the usual routine of where I was from. Well, actually, I don’t think I had anything to fear, but what do I know how they react to Muslims in Israel. I just know that I hadn't mentioned me being a Jew if I were a Jew in the West Bank.

Well, my big plan to ask all the questions didn't come out well. My friend asked me if I wanted to join her and her friends to a disco, which I did, and suddenly I found my self at a giant outside disco with several hundred youths enjoying their time. It was all pretty surreal. Not because I've never been in such a place before, but because we, the international students, had a party in Ramallah the night before. Of course, there were some Palestinians present too, and at the end of that party one Palestinian after the other (okay, there were only two of them who) collapsed into tears due to the impossible situation they find themselves in. "You do not know anything about me," said the one. "I carry this (as he slapped his green id-card on the table) with me. This makes me Palestinian, and not a human being. They take my dignity whenever they want. Every time I meet a soldier I'm degraded, humiliated and am no longer a human being. I'm even separated from my wife ..." was his last words, as he stormed out of the room with tears running from his eyes. I must add that at that moment he had consumed a qualified quantity of alcohol, and were quite sentimental.

But from this to now be on this gigantic party was a transition. Try to get me right, it was fun, and I have nothing against them living and enjoying life, but when the same lifestyle they want for themselves and their children is taken away from the Palestinians some small km. away, it all gets obnoxious. When the same kids at that party, including my friend, are part of the military force that steals the freedom from a regular Palestinian to even move freely through their own country, I get troubled enjoying my time. The peak was reached with the remix of "I'm a happy boy, living a happy life".

People ask me if I get some input from "the other side", and this trip was supposed to be an attempt of that, something I failed to take advantage of, but I'm pretty honest on this: There are, for me, not many "sides" on the situation here in the West Bank (or Gaza). To split the country in small parts through apartheid walls (450 km so far), numerous checkpoints and road blocks and over hundred illegal settlements with around 400.000 settlers has no excuse.