I thought a long time about whether I wanted to write this post or not. But it IS part of my travels to Israel and does play a big role in how I view the country now in hindsight. I do not intend to scare off travellers who want to visit Israel – no. It is the most interesting country I have ever visited and I am still very glad I did, so please do go. I just want to describe what happened to me when I was on my way to leave Israel for Jordan, at Ben Gurion airport, as neutrally as possible.

I arrived at Ben Gurion airport about 4 h before my flight departure, however was only let through to the check-in counters 3 h before. In front of the actual check-in counters, there were little counters set up, with security personnel asking to see passports. I did not think this was the point at which I was going to be asked additional questions, since I was expecting this to happen later, at the actual immigration counters. Also, I did not expect it to take that long, since the line in front of me was moving rather quickly and everyone just seemed to be getting 3-4 questions whilst showing the passport. Guess I was wrong.

When it was my turn, I was informed that I would be interviewed by two women at the same time, the main one being in training and her supervisor jumping in frequently, discussing things with her in Hebrew in between and pushing her to go harder on me, to keep asking questions. At least that’s what it seemed like.

In the course of the next 1,5 hours, I was subject to interrogation and treatment like a criminal. I guess in Israel it must be the other way around – guilty until proven otherwise. First, they wanted to see all my next flight bookings until I would be back in Amsterdam – so there was no way to hide from them that I was going to Jordan and one of their biggest enemies, Lebanon. I guess this is why they decided to give me a particularly hard time. Sorry ladies, I’m just a backpacker trying to see it all – not my problem that Lebanon does not recognize the country of Israel! (I did not say that of course.) I was also asked to explain my 2,5 week itinerary through Israel and Palestine in each and every little detail. Where did I stay, how did I get to the hostel, what did I do in the city, what are the names of the touristic sights I went to, how did I travel onward, where is the bus station located, do I know anyone in this and that city, am I still in touch with anyone, did I receive any presents etc. They wanted to know the full names of my Couchsurfing hosts, who they lived with, which languages they spoke. Also they asked me about my living situation in the Netherlands, the full name of my boyfriend, my boyfriends father and where their family name originates from (WTF do I know!?). Then they went through my passport and asked me questions about each and every Muslim country I had ever been to. Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia. They were particularly unhappy about my visits to Turkey and Indonesia for some reason. Same questions – do I know anyone there, am I still in touch with someone, how long did I stay, with who did I go, who did I meet, what did I do every day etc. etc. It was crazy. Luckily I have a good memory when it comes to my travels, but it was a bit tricky remembering the exact year when I visited each country, I must say.

They kept asking repetitive questions, trying to „trick“ me into giving wrong answers in case I was lying. They insulted me when I did not remember the names of the places I wanted to visit in Lebanon. They told me they were worried I was either carrying a bomb on me or trying to hijack a plane. WTF. They flat out told me that. And then after 1,5 h of interrogation which I would consider mental abuse and some of the rudest behaviour I have ever experienced, they still gave me the 2nd highest security rating (number starting with 6).

I was escorted to the check-in counter, where the security lady exchanged some words in Hebrew with the airline staff. Only when boarding I found out they asked them to change my front row aisle seat to the last row, middle seat! Guess that would have made it harder for me to hijack the plane if that had been my plan. Lol. I was then further escorted to a separate hand luggage check where another equally charming lady spent a further 1 h taking apart my small backpack and inspecting every little piece of paper in detail. I was commanded around, told where to sit, when to take off my shoes, when to put them on again etc. Then I was finally left to puzzle back together my backpack and waved through. Luckily I had been so early at the airport, so I walked to my gate just on time for boarding. Phheeww! Shaken from the experience, I then learned it was not over when discovering my seat had been changed. Who knows, maybe that Japanese tourist next to me was just a really good cover-up for an Israeli security personnel.

Alright, byeee Israel, that was it I guess! Until that day, I would have said I liked Israel and I would consider coming back. Now not so much. There are many, many countries in this world who are happy to see tourists, countries like Jordan or Lebanon where you will be greeted with a warm „welcome to Jordan/Lebanon“ wherever you go. This is where you will find me 🙂