"In Palestine, green means... STOP"

"I'll be sure to change your name for the story. What do you want me to refer to you as?" I said. 

He thought for a moment. Shook his head. "Dude, I've spent too much time running from this stuff. I don't care anymore. Use my real name- Ameed. I'll risk it. " he responded begrudgingly, almost frustrated.

For all my single ladies, Ameed is your Mediterranean dream catch. Smart, handsome, clever, and speaks perfect English (and single!). He was equally interested in my story as I was his. He asked me about American idiosyncrasies and seemed fascinated by them. He said he learned English by watching movies, and that the United States is a "fantasy" place for him that he dreams about going to. He also expressed a strong desire to travel as he pleases.  He has a list of countries he talked about visiting. However, a fantasy this currently remains.  Ameed can't even visit parts of his own country... Like Jerusalem. 


"Jerusalem..." He continued, "It's like my backyard. One of the holiest places for Christians, Muslims and Jews. Driving straight to it, it's about an hour from here. I've never been before. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to go." he said. "Can you imagine as a New Yorker being denied seeing the Statue of Liberty?"

In 1967, Israel forced almost all Palestinians into the West Bank. There were some that were able to stay in Israel, but there needed to be a differentiation between the two. Thus, green versus blue was born. There's a 4-level hierarchy among Palestinians: 


4. Gaza. The worst is if you live in Gaza. This means you are confined to the Gaza Strip. No questions asked.

3. West Bank Green. Next, if you live in the West Bank with a green card- Ameed. These Palestinians are confined to the West Bank, but may apply to leave under special circumstances. This process is unbearably long and complicated, and there is no certain way for it to be accepted. 


2. West Bank Blue. This means you live in the West Bank, but you are allowed access to Israel for work or other special purposes. 


1. Israeli ID. There are some Palestinians, either by birth or marriage, who are granted an Israeli passport. They are still subject to scrutiny as the airport, however, they are free to move about. This is the rarest kind and very few have this. 


This system has split up both families and loved ones. Ameed told me a story about a friend's grandmother who was dying in Gaza. They didn't allow access to see her, and she died before he could say goodbye.  


Ameed and his green ID

There are at times when some green card holders are given access to Jerusalem, but  are stranded (or refuse) to go back. These are the most at risk Palestinians who are considered illegal and will be arrested upon sight. They are denied even the most basic of services, and risk scaling the wall back into the West Bank should they need treatment. 


Ameed looked down, almost embarrassed about what he was about to say. "All I want to do is see the sea. The Mediterranean. I've seen what the ocean looks like on TV. I want to feel what waves feel like. What the wet sand feels like. I'm 22, and I'm 2 hours drive to the ocean and I've never seen it."

I tried to take this in. I was baffled. "Have you tried applying for a visitor visa?"

He shook his head again. "I don't think you really understand. I'm Palestinian. There's no sure-fire way to leave. I've tried. Twice. They gave me a visa because I handed in all the paperwork, then said no at the checkpoint. I was devastated."

At the point I asked Ameed to do an interview, he had been in the process of working with an American NGO to do into Israel for 1 day. They, on his behalf, we're working with Israel to give him a 24 hour visa. When I checked up on Ameed a few days after, he sent me this...




For the first time in his life, Ameed saw the sea

Ameed made it to the sea...

As with all people I interview, I asked Ameed what he wanted to say to Americans. This was his response...

"I feel like I don't want pity. People look at Palestinians all the time and think 'oh poor them.' Palestine isn't like other 3rd world countries where we just can't better ourselves. We can. We have potential. We can be like any other first world nation, but the difference is we are being purposely held back. You can't image what that feels like. I don't want pity. I want change."