Raise Your Hand if You've Been to Gaza: I Have
Let me tell you about the time I crossed the Israeli border and drove to the Gaza Strip
I can confidently claim I’m one of very few Americans that has ever been to the Gaza Strip.
I wasn’t fighting a war. Wasn’t even wearing a uniform. I did not own one.
This was not a Middle Eastern sightseeing tour.
Once upon a time, I ran a successful independent marketing agency in Israel.
One of my non-profit clients wanted to meet with Yasser Arafat.
In the Gaza strip. At his compound.
The client also wanted me to arrange a press conference after the meeting.
If you don’t recognize the name, Arafat was the voice for the Palestinian people, he was the face for peace negotiations with Israel.
So I did it.
We coordinated the meeting with Arafat and his advisers.
Our agency created media alerts, invited the international press and worked in the background to ensure client success.
When the day came for the meeting, for safety reasons, I was required to register with the Israeli border police.
I provided my passport and personal information to the security services, just in case events went awry.
Honestly, I was nervous. This was never an assignment I thought my agency would focus on. We specialized in working with Israeli technology companies. The segment made up 70 percent of the company’s annual business.
Along the way, I also secured the rights to market and promote Major League Baseball in four countries in the Middle East. That was my passion project.
Getting involved in politics, even in the background, was not something we focused on. But there we were. Standing at the Israeli border. About to get into two different cars provided by Arafat’s team. One for the client. One for me and my partner.
Odd? Yes. We were about to be escorted to his compound.
As I mentally said goodbye to Israel and hoped for the best, we were driven from the border crossing through the streets of Gaza.
I was struck at how poor the streets of Gaza appeared. Dumbfounded is a better word. It is hard to describe the experience. Not for this discussion.
The meeting, in Gaza, took place in a private room between Arafat and my client. During their meeting, I kept myself busy preparing for the post-meeting press conference. All of the lettered international television networks were present and accounted for. Camera crews from ABC, CNN, CBS, a plethora of European and Middle East TV stations and many media outlets more were ready to interview both men when the meeting concluded.
Arafat, older and more frail at this point in his life, had a condition that caused his body to shake.
As a Jew, standing in this foreign building made me nervous. The entire time. As a human being, if I could play the smallest part of helping to move the peace process forward in any way, I would be satisfied.
At the time, I thought peace in the region was something I could witness.
Nothing of substance from the meeting changed the course of negotiations. Peace with the Palestinians has not materialized.
Fast forward to last week. Hamas attacked Israel from land, air and sea. They kidnapped, raped and slaughtered innocent civilians. Babies were murdered. Men, women, children and the elderly were either killed or kidnapped. As a result, more than 1,300 innocent people have died.
Turns out, the impact is being felt way beyond Israel.
According to the post below, published by the State of Israel, 36 nations have been impacted by Hamas murdering or kidnapping foreign nationals.
My views have changed.
I am not sure peace will happen in my lifetime.
Israel wants peace. Hamas and many other factions around the world still hate Jews.
Why, I have no idea.
My goal when I started writing this travel blog was to tell interesting stories and share fantastic photographs of my journey ~ From the time after I left my old position as President and CEO until I landed my next one.
I was not intending to go down the political rabbit hole.
However, keeping my mouth shut and avoiding the topic of a designated terror group murdering the largest number of Jews since the Holocaust is not an option.
Do I still want peace in the Middle East? Absolutely.
That said, it will take much more than delivering a client to Gaza in order to achieve it.
Click on the links below to catch up on recent blog posts
My Views Regarding Weekend Terror Attack in Israel
Thank You Vermont, For Showing Your Colors
Vermont, Leaf Peeping and Navigating Dirty Cabins
Cubs Baseball, Pennant Races and Tommy Lasorda's Crooked Index Finger
Thank you for sharing your story. My heart and prayers are with you and all Jewish people for having to suffer yet another pogrom. There really are no words