It’s 18:30 last night and the clashes have subsided. We head out to meet others for dinner in the city. A few metres down the road our eyes are watering and the noses are burning from tear gas that is drifting over from the 500m away conflict area. We jump into the next taxi and tell the driver to take a detour around the affected Ras Al Jour area. No no he says, is fine, and rolls up the windows and stops the ventilation.

In pretty much every country on earth, security forces are being attacked by members of the general public. Usually the assailant is brought under control, disarmed and arrested. In rare cases, the assailant is shot in self defence. In Palestine, it goes the other way around. In rare cases (alleged) attackers survive the encounter with the Israeli military, while most are killed on the spot. The numbers alone should give a good idea of how little Israel values Palestinian/Muslim/Non-Jewish life.

Friday prayers have finished and a lot of Palestinian flags and Keffiyehs can be seen in the streets. It’s the traditional time for clashes between Palestinians and Israelis, which means some parts of Hebron are better avoided. The area around my accommodation is calm as always and people are hanging out in the streets. From what I’ve been told, it’s not much different in areas with clashes, though. Tear gas and rocks have become so prevalent, that people just don’t bother any more.

Southeast Asia is a dangerous place. Lots of people, including visitors, get killed in traffic accidents. That’s not really on peoples’ minds though and when westerners are going to any country in the region, they are usually more afraid of Malaria. Palestine is probably a much safer place, especially for visitors. The Israeli occupation kills countless people each year, but the violence of the soldiers and settlers targets Arabs and not foreigners.

The news haven’t been pretty but when I decided to go to the Middle East, I knew it wouldn’t all be roses and chocolate. Despite what is going on, I still believe that I’ll be save and hence decided to stick with my travel plans. The late night departure from Barcelona was a bit messy and the plane was the filthiest and shabbiest in a long time. Seat out of order - never saw that before.

In the movie Matrix, the protagonist is offered a choice of two pills. Blue will make him forget all he uncovered, while red will show him the world as it really is. That analogy was given by the hostel owner when I told him how my pre-defined image of Palestine was shaken up by reality. Or as he put it: he doesn’t know any other place on earth were portrayed image and reality go as far apart as in Palestine.

Day trip to the south. Will write more in detail another day. But boy is that a messed up city! Trip to Nablus tomorrow and after that I’m ready for a day off.