OMRI SHOMER | Imagine you are at the beach. For the first time in your life.
“This is the power of the beach; there is healing magic to this endless reservoir of water.
It makes us forget the troubles and is a common denominator because we are all now on the beach.”
– Omri Shomer
On August 2020, hundreds of Palestinians arrived at the beach in Tel Aviv.
They infiltrated from Hebron, the West Bank, Nablus, and more. Some reported that they infiltrated Israel through a breach in the fence. Some signed up in an orderly fashion on Facebook to cross the rift within the separation fence.
The soldiers, they said, let the family pass. According to media reports in Israel, Dozens of families with inflatable balls, suitcases full of toys, who just wanted to freshen up in the hottest month in the Middle East.
I walked around the bathers, hearing the sounds of enthusiasm and joy and trying to imagine what it would be like to experience the seawater for the first time, smell the salt in the air, and feel the sand at my fingertips.
A small group of guys approached me; some spoke English, and they explained to me that they are from the Jerusalem area and their cousins from a more remote area. When I asked ‘where,’ I got didn’t receive any answer.
Maybe they were scared and perhaps because it wasn’t really important to them at that moment.
This is the power of the beach; there is healing magic to this endless reservoir of water.
It makes us forget the troubles and is a common denominator because we are all now on the beach. That does not mean there is world peace, I am not naive, but for one moment, just once,
it felt whole.
“Thousands of Palestinians entered Israel on Friday through border crossings that were temporarily and unexpectedly opened in the northern West Bank. Palestinian officials said they were surprised by Israel’s decision to open the crossings and expressed fear that the move would lead to an increase in the number of Palestinians diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Most of the Palestinians crossed into Israel on Friday through border crossings near Tulkarm. Buses belonging to Arab-Israeli companies that waited for them on the Israeli side of the crossings took them to a number of cities, including Netanya, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and Tiberias.
The Tulkarm-based Al-Fajer TV station published photos of Palestinians freely crossing the border and enjoying their time on Israeli beaches.” – Jerusalem Post, AUGUST 9, 2020, By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
