Passports and stuff...

Couple of days ago I had a small chat with a good friend of mine from a tiny Island in the Persian Gulf , a kingdom, Bahrain (not one, but two seas).

I often fantasize about visiting her or other friends in the various arab countries. Have a good dinner together, chit-chat, see how they live, learn about the different cultures within the one huge culture..... Feel that I belong somewhere.

I say fantasize since it is not possible. As an Arab Palestinian, struggling to keep my identity within Israel and the occupied territories on daily basis, I am "denied" entry to most of arab countries.

As an Israeli passport holder, I am rejected by most arab countries.

I stopped fantasizing about lebanon, the wet dream of all arabs, I stopped fantasizing about syria, about UAE, about Aljiria, libya, Iraq (haha!), Kuwait, Oman, Saudia Arabia, Yemen, Comoros (did you ever hear about that?!), Djibouti (where french is the official language?!), Chad? (Is it arab? French? Other?), Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia?

I still have dreams of Morocco (should do again - what a fascinating place), Tunisia (Hopefully soon), Egypt (What a wasted country!), Jordan (Only if Majida el Roumi will have a concert) - In principle those are the arab countries that I can visit as a tourist with Israeli passport, preferably in a group of dancers or singers, then the authorities can issue a visa to Qatar too - Yeeee Haaaa.

The ironic that a country like Bahrain or UAE is so hard to travel to, after all it is not considered as an "enemy" country. So what is the fuss? The israeli passport, fine! What about the arabs holding an israeli passports? are we also the occupiers? so we need to be punished? Thank you really.

Or do the arab countries prefer the palestinians as refugees? in camps? without passports? without the possibility for mobility? Does it look better when we are victimized? So we are punished when we stand-up? when we say "here we are" - we exists and we want to visit you..

After all if i travel to an arab country then it is my cloth that are taken off, and it is me to be investigated, so i really do not need you to add salt to my wounds...So as I told my dear friend, "If you don't want me to visit you, then Lalli Alatu Leila (What Leila said), Europe and many other countries accepts me WITHOUT even a Visa!

For those who do not know what Leila said, then she said and pardon my "french": "La Tizi"

I guess I was not in my best mood, so i was politically correct NOT!

My dear fellows in the arab countries, Al wada3!