– collated by Erez Bleicher – 19/1/2023

Two weeks ago Green Olive tour guide Itamar Shapira was detained by Israeli Border Police in an incident that is emblematic of the current political moment and the broader trajectory of state policy in Israel. He was detained while leading a tour group through the Old City of Jerusalem after asking Border Police in a calm tone why they were arbitrarily and aggressively detaining a Palestinian child. After he was detained the Border Police spuriously told the participants on the tour that Itamar had called one of the officers a terrorist. Green Olive promptly sent replacement guides to the group and Itamar joined them later in the day after being released from detainment.

Here are reflections from Itamar and three of the participants of the tour describing their experiences that day. We feel their accounts are instructive and their insights raise vital questions about the ethical and democratic nature of the current occupation regime, which employs administrative detention without trial and the detainment of minors as common tactics. Our thoughts are with the Palestinian child who was detained and does not have the same legal protections Itamar and the internationals he was accompanying are endowed with. We hope he is safe and well and that these reflections can shed light on the need for change and motivate collective action toward an equal and democratic future.

*The reflections below represent the views of each author and not of the Green Olive Collective. Each author grapples with the events of the day in a way that reflects their own background and relationship to the context of Israel/Palestine, and showcases their own coming to terms with the events of the day.

Itamar Shapira,
Green Olive Tour Guide and Partner

The Green Olive Collective’s ‘Jerusalem Old City Tour’ is aimed at giving a combination of historic and political analysis of this marvelously complex city. In it I try to understand how religious, national, social and political narratives have shaped the city and how they are represented in everything we see around us. Especially evident is how narratives are being enforced through different institutions, including the Border Police, the regular police, settler organizations, the tourism industry, archeological excavations, along with powerful religious institutions of all denominations. With all that, it is always important for me to explore how the actual people that live in the city or just tour it are affected by it, cognitively, emotionally and physically.  

In the tour in which I was detained I did what I always do with tourists in that spot. At a place where the Christian, Muslim and Jewish pilgrimage paths intersect, I noted not only how religions are constructing their narratives through pilgrimage paths but also how the Israeli Border Police maintains control by stopping and frisking Palestinian youth. I reference this in connection to the fact that Palestinians have a sliding-scale of rights, depending on where they are from, and always less rights than I do, as an Israeli Jew, or the tourists. As we were standing a teenage Palestinian was stopped in front of us for walking with a necklace with a tiny picture portrait, which the policemen standing there said depicted a terrorist.

This incident wasn’t different than usual except for the fact that the Border Police were about to become directly controlled by the far-right newly elected Minister of National Security, who promised to be far more oppressive towards Palesitinians and Israeli dissidents who sympathize with their cause. This was expressed very clearly between the policemen inside the station as I was waiting for my interrogation for allegedly calling the policemen ‘terrorists’. The policemen were excitedly celebrating the new era that is about to start for them under the far-right minister. What I believe was the cause of my 5-hour detention is that one of the policemen had listened to my explanations which dealt with how arbitrarily Palestinians are being arrested, how arbitrarily Palestinians are being considered terrorists and how common it is for the Border Police to target and shoot them because they say they felt threatened and get away with it.

It is important to remember that while Israel is not a democracy for the Palestinians (and that there are different political statuses for the 7 and a half millions who live under its power), it is still quite a safe and democratic place for Jews (and tourists too). Because of that the police could only do so much in harrassing me but released me after 5-6 hours with a punishment of a 15 day ban from the Old City.

Thankfully, Green Olive Tours immediately substituted me with two other guides, friends from the company so the visitors could continue the day. At the end of the day we all met and I was happy to see that in spite of all that happened, the visitors had managed to both experience what Israeli control looks like (and what it is becoming) as well as feel safe and make the most of that day.

Hannah Pearson and Mathew Hall,
Old City Tour Participants

Before visiting, we had seen an advertisement from Israel’s tourism agency which described Jerusalem as “a city beyond belief.” Given our experience there, this is a perfect slogan for the place, but probably not for the reasons Israel would like you to think.

We booked a tour package with Green Olive that started with a day walking around Jerusalem’s Old City. Our guide was Itamar, an Israeli citizen and secular Jew, who offered his unique perspective on the apartheid between Jews and Palestinians in Jerusalem.

Less than 20 minutes into our tour, we had entered the city through the Damascus Gate and shortly came across a Border Guard post. Here a swarm of around 10 border guards were searching (or more accurately, harassing) Palestinians as they went about their business. One was a young boy, perhaps 10 or 12 years old, who was wearing a necklace.

Itamar explained that the necklace had a portrait of a person on it, and the guards likely thought it was a martyr and as such, contraband.

As Itamar was talking, a nearby guard interjected “it’s because he is a terrorist.” To us this is a very loaded word, usually reserved for those who commit violent acts against civilians for political purposes. For this to be directed at a child was quite shocking. Itamar responded calmly to the guard, speaking in Hebrew. He later told us he said something to the effect of “he is a scared unarmed boy, and you are guards with guns, but you call him a terrorist?”

We walked away, perhaps 30 or 40 metres, but soon the same group of guards had surrounded us, one angrily lecturing Itamar. The guards too are incredibly young, no older than children themselves. To see such vitriol from armed young people, or indeed anyone, was terrifying. Shamefully we felt scared for our own safety, but the fear of two white tourists pales in comparison to the daily fear and uncertainty experienced by Palestinians. Itamar then turned to us and said he was being detained.

Itamar was escorted away, surrounded by guards. “What do we do now?” one of our group asked all of us. The guard who earlier called the boy a terrorist replied with a smile “go to the Jewish Quarter, there are some great restaurants there” – to us a totally incongruous thing to say after what we had just witnessed. The behaviour of the guards was all the more obscene by just how banal this seemed to them.

Green Olive were quick to arrange another tour guide for us, and we later found out Itamar was released after 5 hours, during which time he’d had no access to his phone or a toilet. We met him at the end of the day and were relieved to find him well (given the circumstances).

We knew some of the situation in Israel/Palestine but wanted to learn much more with our time on Green Olive’s tour. This experience was, though unintentional, certainly very educational!

How can this place call itself “the only democracy in the Middle East” when it so flagrantly represses people, in this case simply for speech or clothing? This all felt scarily routine for all the people around us, yet from the outside it looks to us as nothing short of violent subjugation. You know what you’re seeing is real, and yet it feels unreal. A city beyond belief. 

Emma Huton,
Old City Tour Participant

I will start by telling you who I am. I’m white, middle aged and grew up in Australia in a Christian culture but not in a religious environment. I consider myself secular. 

Visiting Israel and Palestine was up near the top of my bucket list. It did not disappoint. The whole trip was amazing and the Green Olive political tour of Jerusalem was a main highlight. 

I didn’t do too much reading or googling beforehand because I didn’t want to cloud the experience. What I witnessed first hand will stay with me forever. Never before was I so acutely aware of the unearned privilege I enjoy. 

It started out well with our guide, Itamar, meeting our small group of four at the designated hotel. There was a British couple, a young Australian man of Egyptian heritage and me. I only mention the young man’s heritage because it is significant to what happens later. We set off with Itamar explaining the history of the Old City and current political borders of Jerusalem. We passed through the Damascus Gate and saw the heavily armed Border Police at 2 stations situated on either side of the gate. We moved around freely with barely a glance in our direction. 

Then we were down near the Via Dolorosa where there is another police post. As our guide explained the site, the police stopped a young Arab boy who couldn’t have been more than 12 or 13. Our guide explained this happens all the time. They asked the boy about a picture he had on a piece that hung around his neck. They started patting him down and questioning him in what can only be described as an intimidating manner. Our guide spoke to them in Hebrew asking what the boy had done. They said in English, for us to understand, that he was a terrorist. I’m yet to understand how they could possibly know that. Anyway, Itamar spoke up for the boy in a very calm manner, but it was all in Hebrew so I don’t know what was said. They told us to move on and they took the boy away. 

We carried on down the street and a short while later the same police caught up with us and started questioning Itamar. They asked him for his ID and then told him to go with them. We asked what for and they replied in English that Itamar had called the police officer a terrorist. Even if that was true it’s hardly a crime. Especially in a country that boasts at being the only democracy in the Middle East. So there we were stranded in the middle of old Jerusalem not knowing where our guide was taken or what to do. The Palestinian merchants on the street asked us what happened and we explained. Even they seemed surprised by that happening to an Israeli. So they directed us to the police station where we waited a short while in stunned disbelief. Our young Australian friend said it was time to call the tour company and let them know what happened. Our phone call was met with stunned silence at first. She said they didn’t have a protocol for that and would have to call us back. She told us to wait where we were and she would call back. True to her word, within a few minutes she called back and told us where to go to meet our new guides and continue the tour. 

However, the ordeal continued when we left the Damascus Gate and headed up to the hotel to meet the new guides. Remember I mentioned the Australian man was Egyptian? He looks Arab and on our way out heading into Palestinian East Jerusalem a police officer came up and summoned him to the post. By this point I’d had enough. I calmly and respectfully said to the policeman, 

“No. He is Australian, he’s with us.” 

They looked at us all and asked, 

“Tourists?”

We said yes and they waved us all on, feeling a little vulnerable and very much aware of our precarious position. I was very careful but at the same time assertive. This was a clear case of racial profiling. 

Desmond Tutu famously said what he saw in Palestine reminded him of apartheid. I see why as there’s no other way to accurately describe it. It is clear and obvious to anyone who cares to look. Those police knew exactly what they were doing. Sending a message to not question or challenge. Showing their power and authority to anyone who dares to question them. 

I thought that people who experienced such violence, persecution, and oppression would be empathetic and compassionate. I guess it depends who you are and where you are from. I understand there is more than one side to every story. I have listened to the Israeli version for many years. I understand the Israeli fear of violence from radical extremists and a need to keep their citizens safe. But I have now seen the other side first hand and I’m disturbed. 

The experience I had with all the Palestinian people I encountered was wonderful. They are smart, educated, hard working, friendly and decent. It’s easy for the rest of the world to turn their backs because the situation is, for the most part, peaceful now. But Palestinians are suffering under a brutal and unjust Israeli government. Notice I don’t say Israeli people. The Israelis are all just trying to live a peaceful and safe existence too. 

Britain and the USA created this mess in 1948. They need to step up and do something now to help fix it. There needs to be pressure to go back to the negotiating table, so that restrictions and oppressive tactics are lifted. Human rights are being violated and that can not continue. I would like to say that this did not, in any way diminish my experience of visiting Israel and Palestine. It did open my eyes though and demonstrate a need for change.