I am sorry it has taken me so long to write
I am sorry it has taken me so long to write about my situation here but feel I have been broken into two pieces. It is heartbreaking to think I could never see my friends again in Palestine. Well for people who know me I think they realise I will be back, no doubt about that.
I tried desparately to get to see my friends in Bethlehem
I tried desparately to get to see my friends in Bethlehem, this is the West Bank where I had signed conditions I would not go. I had to try, I thought once I got in there I could make my way about trying to avoid checkpoints etc. Unfortunately because of the situation re the murders of the family in the settlement near Nablus there have been flying checkpoints set up and yes they caught me. I was immediately taken to the nearest checkpoint and held there and taken to the airport. I was taken before security at the airport and they told me I had broken conditions and would be sent home as soon as.
They put me to a cell where I had an asthma attack as 2 of the Israeli security were smoking and they are not meant to and they panicked when I nearly collapsed on the floor struggling for a breath. They spoke to each other and called for assistance for me and I was called back to the room where I was first interviewed. They told me as they had changed my flight for a few days later they would let me go if I paid three thousand shekels. They escorted me to a bank machine where I withdrew the money and they put me on a bus back to Jerusalem. Reason being I handed over the money again was that I have things to organise for our Campaign and it stuck in my throat to do this but the Campaign has to come first. Hopefully I will get the money back when I leave as they said. I also have to check in at the Israeli Police Station every day.
If I do not I lose all the money which obviously I cannot afford to do.
With a heavy heart I arrived back in Jerusalem and in the confines of my own dorm at my hostel burst into tears of frustration and missing all my friends who were waiting on me and some of them I have no way to get in touch until I am home to let them know
My Palestinian family in Aida Camp, they call me family had laughingly complained for 2 months before I went back that they were fed up with their mother cooking food for vegetarians, she was experimenting on them they joked. That kept going through my mind that they would do that for me. Yes I am a vegetarian and that is how I received my nickname from them ‘BANDORA’. It means tomato.
I do not feel much like laughing now and I am sure neither do they.