Tisha B'Av Demonstration

My brother and I had a very interesting experience last week. It was Tisha B'Av (the ninth of Av), the day when the Jews remember and mourn the destruction of both temples. We read in the newspaper that there was going to be a peaceful march around all four walls of the old city of Jerusalem. The march was to demonstrate Israel's right to the land and express sorrow over the destruction of the temples. My brother and I decided to go to East Jerusalem (the neighborhood comprised primarily of Palestinians), and watch the march from there. We arrived plenty early, so we sat down and waited for the CNN worthy action.

What we observed, however, was a scene that you would never see on CNN. We watched the Arabs going about their everyday business. Little boys ran around playing in the streets while their fathers cleaned up their shops and prepared to close. The streets were packed with rush hour traffic, people running to catch taxis, wives coming to pick up their husbands from work, teenagers joking around and laughing. Everything seemed normal until I noticed the steady stream of Orthodox Jews trickling through the crowd, making their way to the Jewish Quarter. What was strange was that none of the Arabs seemed to care.

A large group of soldiers and police men gathered next to us, preparing security for the march. They sat around eating boxed lunches with packaged sandwiches. When they finished eating, some of the soldiers gathered up the extra, unopened sandwiches and put them in a big box. I looked over, and a soldier offered the sandwiches to a Palestinian boy who was walking by. The boy thanked him politely and started passing the sandwiches out to his friends.

Later, a couple of police men rode by on horses. Several little Palestinian boys were super excited about the horses, and they went running after the police men. I immediately looked at the boys' mother to see her response, but she did not seem to mind at all. I was just surprised that she had not taught her sons to run away from Israeli police.

When the march finally came through the neighborhood, I was even more surprised by how normal everything seemed. The people marching were waving flags, and they made some announcements over a loudspeaker in Hebrew. They were very polite, though, and they marched by minding their own business. The Palestinians did not cause any problems either. They lined up on the sides of the street and sat there like they were watching a parade. They were not exactly clapping and cheering, but they did not cause any problems either.  They just sat there and watched.

I have to admit, the evening was anti-climactic. I can see why CNN was not there to do a big report on the event. It would have been extremely boring news. It was very interesting to be there, though, and see that side of Israeli/Palestinian relations. Clearly, things are not always that peaceful between the two groups. You can ask anyone around here, and they will be quick to fill you in on all the problems and tensions that exist. Since that night, however, I have found myself noticing all the normal interactions between the two groups. Muslim families frequently walk through the Jewish market without any problems. It's not unusual to see Jews bartering with Arab shop keepers. The other day I saw a group of Palestinian girls riding bikes in a park full of Jewish families.  I do not see the two groups hanging out together, but for the most part, they seem to just leave each other alone.  As far as I am concerned, that is newsworthy.