The Daily Life of Kawther Salam

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The Challenge :..
 
July 30, 2002

I woke up at 4am

Jerome and Jean, two French peace activists, joined me travelling as eyewitnesses from Jerusalem to Jericho on my way to the Israeli side of Allenby Bridge.
 
At the entrance of Jericho, the IDF soldiers stopped us, they denied Jerome and Jean access the border.

We fought with them. Jerome tried to talk with the occupational officer. One soldier pushed him, he was ready to shoot at me. I shouted at him to stop playing with his rifle, he is in the age of 18 years, and all what the army learned him is shooting and killing ...
 
The soldiers made a deal with us: they took Jerome's passport and allowed us to access the border. Jean wasn't allowed to come with us, the soldiers detained him at the border until Jerome returns !! Unless Jerome returns ... !!
 
Jerome dropped me in Jericho, and he returned around the Israeli border with Jean and waited for me at the Bridges border entrance.

Here Amit, an Israeli Jew, she has her private relationship with the occupational government was calling me to be sure wether I had fulfilled my travel through Allenby Bridge or not. She asked if somebody was accompanying me to the bridge. She confirmed her contact with the Israeli headquarter offices of General Amos Gilad and General Dov Tzadaka, who both confirmed that they will allow me to access the border without problems.

I took the second bus to the bridge. She said I'll call you after awhile to know if everything was okay !! It was a miserable situation at Jericho Israeli border! I arrived at the bridge, the Israelis allowed me access without problems.
 
At 12pm. I arrived at the Jordanian airport, on my way to Austria. I had mixed feelings, happiness, sadness and fear of an unknown future.  
   
My flight landed at Vienna's airport at 6:30am. I tried to collect my contradicting feeling and gather my strength.
 
Ramin was waiting at the airport, he looks like a normal person. I talked with Ramin as a friend, I even asked him about a small sign on his t-shirt.
 
I arrived at my new house. It's very small. No comparison between this and my house in Hebron from which I was expelled.