Summer 3 – 2019

I arrive at the camp a few days late as I have a family wedding to attend in Nazareth. I fly into Tel Aviv, pass through the interrogation hoops at the airport, find the rental car and make my way north to Nazareth. The two-hour drive is straightforward and familiar. The highways are sleek and newly paved; manicured palm trees line either side of the road; and, as I approach the outskirts of Tel Aviv, dozens of cranes and new construction dot the horizon. To my left, the Mediterranean Sea, to my right, suburban life and every so often, a glimpse of the Apartheid Wall. The road signs used to be in three languages: English, Hebrew, and Arabic – now, the newer signs reflect the erasure of the third language: Arabic. I pass through the suburbs of northern Tel Aviv. Like most places, some areas are wealthier than others; despite economic discrepancies, one thing is consistent: investment in the form of infrastructure, parks, paved roads, tropical plants in the medians, and sidewalks. The sense of pride and community is evident – freedom of movement is everywhere. The stark contrast between modernity and convenience on this side, versus crumbling infrastructure and congestion on the other side, is hard to unsee. I notice that they have “beautified” the wall from this side – the concrete façade is covered by pale limestone, so it fits in the landscape – further indication that it is normalized and permanent. The total area of this land runs 420 km from north to south, and 115 km from east to west – roughly the size of New Jersey.