#DIVIDED

I traveled to Israel for one simple reason.
Not to visit a club in Tel Aviv or to go sightseeing in Bethlehem for religious reasons,
but to build my own understanding of what Israel has become after all those years of conflict.
I felt that too much is told from a Western point of view.

Particularly as a German, it’s a topic I want to experience firsthand,
rather than simply repeating the stories I’ve been told.

I traveled there for the purpose of traveling.
To get lost. To make friends.
To discover whatever reveals itself to me.

And boy, did I get lost. I learned the hard way
that a standard navigation system doesn’t necessarily work in Israel.

But getting off track sparked interesting, tense, and sometimes funny situations—
armed soldiers at roadblocks directing me toward my intended destination.

Particularly in the Muslim-majority region around Acre, one feels deeply welcomed through incredible Arabic hospitality.
I feel at ease when I encounter a shared mindset of openness.
Kindness begets kindness.

On the other hand, experiencing the occupied territories firsthand left me speechless and saddened.
Even hearing provocations shouted from watchtowers by Israeli soldiers,
simply because I—an obvious Westerner—showed interest in the people
held behind concrete walls and barbed wire, surrounded by guard towers like animals.

Through beauty, laughter, tears of joy, and tears of sadness,
one feeling prevailed:
I felt divided.