Hebron visit

I visited my friend Zleikha in al-Khalil (Hebron) for the weekend. For the last couple of days I've been considering how easy it is to pass judgments on people and places, particularly before knowing them well enough. Any society, even any person may be full of contradictions.

Palestine is a complex place. Sometimes I want to place this society into a particular box. The other day, I was talking to a friend about the lack of alone time here. Since moving to Ramallah last week, I think the only time that I've spent alone has been taking a shower. It is the stark opposite of life in NYC, where I spent so much time alone studying, shopping, walking, riding the subway... it is an extreme transition. But after coming to Hebron today and seeing Zleikha, I am reminded that it is not every person here in Palestine who is surrounded by people. Zleikha and her mother have a quiet house, and both spend a lot of time alone. Likewise, there are people in NYC who I'm sure spend all their time with people. One can never assume that contradictions don't exist.

Hebron hasn't changed much from what I see. The Jewish Israeli settlements are still towering above the Old City, and there are some new wire mesh covers over the souq shielding more garbage from above. (See picture below) If this is the first time you're familiar with this - the settlers often throw garbage or stones down at the Palestinians in the market, so the people have rigged these wires up for protection. Zleikha's house is just as beautiful as ever, especially her balcony garden fertilized with her kitchen compost.

Zleikha is still busy with her work, translating, organizing events, and running her kindergarten. Tomorrow I plan to go with her to a protest in the Old City. Palestinians here gather each Saturday to protest the closure of streets in the area, which has shut down much of the economy here. Zleikha and I chatted this afternoon about her recent 3omra to Mecca (a mini-pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia. She said she came back to Hebron and felt like a stranger, concerned about the lack of true religiosity among people here and particularly the increasing attention-grabbing styles of women's clothing. As always, she and I have differing perspectives on some issues, but we have lively discussions and I always learn so much from talking with her. She also ironically commented that though the street at the front of her house (Shehada St - Street of Martyrs) has been closed to Palestinians for a few years now and it is a major issue of protest for the people, she has to admit that it is much quieter and more peaceful for sleeping at night. :) This comment made me smile. Finding a bit of peace in the midst of Occupation is certainly to be cherished.