The Phenomenon of Haneen and Zuzu Floating Next to Israeli Tourists
When everyone gets dressed and back down to the shore, it is dark outside. The water and sky are pitch black aside from the soft lights of the beach club. Very far away are the lights of the Jordanian resorts. I wonder if they would be friendlier to our little group of Americans, 1 Brit, 1 Romanian, and Palestinians? Its a good question because often Palestinians are treated similarly in other Arab countries. You never know with Americans. It tends to be dichotomous…loved or hated..and its not like any of us Americans have a lot of money to win over any tourism enterprise.
But in the pitch black disguise of night, something shifts. I don’t feel nervous anymore. The boys are laughing and even seem comfortable. Rozalinda and I walk up to the club to order Heineckens and humus for everyone. The man behind the counter is friendly and gives us extra bread. By the time we get back down to the beach, everyone is in the sea swimming, laughing, and slathering themselves with mud. Shouting that the salty water stings you everywhere.
The club has cleared out for the most part. The few tourists that remain are in the water next to us, also swimming, laughing, and slathering themselves with mud. Maybe in this instant no one cares.
Its probably fleeting or not true, but in this moment….. sipping a Heinecken on a warm, balmy night…hearing my girlfriends laughing…….seeing Zuzu and Haneen floating next to other Dead Sea tourists….. its a nice thought to believe that no one is suspicious and no one cares that we’re here…….its nice to believe for a minute that people from the West Bank can actually travel to and enjoy the West Bank.
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