In my role as communications director of the Policy Working Group* (PWG), I have made an annual trip to Berlin, where we partner with members of Pax Christi and Damour, a Palestinian NGO, to advocate for a resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict based on the two-state solution. This trilateral venture began almost 10 years ago, and many of us have become not only colleagues but friends.

That is the background to my keffiyeh** story. On our visit to Berlin at the beginning of May, one of the Germans who has been to Palestine often, most recently to engage in protective presence in the West Bank, was wearing a sky-blue keffiyeh around his neck as a scarf to shield him from the cold. The black embroidery against the sky-blue background was absolutely stunning. I was unable to hide how much I fancied the keffiyeh, and my dear friend said he had several others at home and would gift this one to me at the end of our trip. And so I became the proud owner of a beautiful, stylish, and totally nontraditional headscarf that is a perfect match to my usual outfit of blue jeans and a black or white top.

Questioning  by Israeli Security

A few days after returning from Berlin, I flew to Dublin for an event sponsored by the Candid Foundation at which Israeli and Palestinian civil society representatives engaged in a dialogue with European stakeholders to promote an end to the conflict. In the spirit of the meeting I was going to attend and conscious of the fashionable look of my sky-blue scarf against the neckline of my denim jacket, I happily wrapped my new keffiyeh around my neck and headed to Ben-Gurion Airport to catch my El Al flight to Dublin. And so it began.

With only a half-empty backpack and a trolley in hand, I expected to blitz through security after answering the usual “where are you coming from?” (home) and “did anyone give you anything to take with you?” (no) questions. It was quite early and I was already dreaming of my second cup of coffee in the rotunda. Instead, I barely made it to the plane.

Security guard: Where did you get the keffiyeh? Me: From a friend in Berlin. Security guard: Why? Me: Because I thought it was pretty. Security guard: What were you doing in Berlin. Me: I’m a peace activist, and I met with people to talk about how to achieve peace. Security guard: Who did you meet with? Me: Parliamentarians and other political officials. Security Guard: What did you say in those meetings? Me: That’s a political question. Why do I have to answer it? Security guard: It’s not political. It’s a security issue.

At this point the guard walked off with my passport to consult with her supervisor, and I did some quick calculations. With my Israeli passport, my Jewish nationality, and nothing subversive or illegal about my activities, I felt quite........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)