Addressing Concerns
Am I going to die?
Probably not, but I appreciate the concern. If you're thinking this, you’ve probably seen images of Palestine since October 7th: bombed-out buildings, crying children covered in blood, IOF personnel armed to the teeth, etc. All these things are real; however, I will be away from most of them. The legally-recognized land of Palestine is two non-contiguous pieces of land separated by the legally-recognized land of Israel. The types of images I described above usually come from Gaza, where the IOF is literally out in the streets murdering children with AI-targeting bombs and missiles that don’t discriminate between civilian and combatant. It’s genocide, exactly as you’d imagine it. I won’t be going anywhere near Gaza, because I’m too afraid and I’m not sure what I could do to help anyways.
The green is Palestine. The left side is Gaza, the right side is the West Bank.
I will be in the West Bank. There is still a genocide there, but it looks different. The situation in the West Bank is generally less intense and the environment is more stable. Since October 7th, 2023, at least 75,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and at least 1,000 have died in the West Bank. There's a number of reasons for that: the presence of settlers, different strategy for colonizing, Hamas isn't the governing body, etc. But the odds are much less likely that I'm in a situation where I will be harmed. I will likely be confronted by police or settlers at some point, but I'm not going to put myself in unreasonable danger. All the work I'm doing is non-violent and I plan on doing my best to stay away from guns.
Keep in mind that journalists and volunteers go to Palestine all the time and come back almost all the time. For the particular organization I'm with, only 3 people have died since it began in 2001, even though they've had over 1,000 volunteers. If I get there and I feel that it's too dangerous, I'll simply leave. I want to help, but not if it'll stop me from ever being able to help again. Whatever happens, happens. But I think I'll be fine.
Are you (the reader) at risk because you know me?
Almost certainly not. The only reason it's not an unequivocal "no" is that I can't know for certain what the U.S. government will decide to do in the future. I can say that it is extremely unlikely, almost impossible, for the sequence of events to occur where this affects you in any way at all, especially if you're not one of the people I'm closest to.
I'm not associating with people who the U.S. publicly considers to be terrorists, or otherwise dangerous at all. Hamas, the governing body of Gaza, is considered to be a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by the United States, but Hamas doesn't govern the West Bank. The organization I'm with is unaffiliated with Hamas. We're completely committed to non-violence for our activities in Israel and Palestine. What I'm doing is completely legal in the U.S., in Israel, and internationally. We're there to show solidarity with Palestinians and help wherever they ask for us, and that's it. You are not at risk in any way that I could possibly predict or imagine.
You're at more risk from the American and Israeli governments continuing on the path they're on without anyone trying to stop them. Currently, the IOF is testing military/police/surveillance technology on Gaza, tech developed by shadowy companies that are being contracted and invested in by governments and billionaires around the world. The U.S. is salivating at the prospect of getting its sweaty hands on the "battle-tested" tech that, among other things, Israel uses to run an algorithm that decides who gets bombed and where with little human oversight. There's Pegasus, a software designed by an Israeli cyber-intelligence firm that allows the user to remotely access the content of your entire phone, nudes and all. There's AI-powered watch towers and drones already being deployed on the U.S.-Mexico border. There's Cognyte, NSO Group, Elbit, AnyVision, and all the other Israeli surveillance companies using the "battle-tested" seal they get from stalking and murdering Palestinians to sell themselves to law enforcement in your area. It's already dystopian, and it's only a matter of time before it affects you too. If that scares you, I'd recommend you find something to do about it.
Surveillance towers like this one are being placed along the U.S.-Mexico border. This particular tower is in Arivaca, on Tohono O'Odham land and right next to the Tohono O'Odham reservation.
Is the organization I’m with safe and reliable?
Yes. I wouldn't have pursued this if I didn't make sure of that to the best of my ability. If I feel unsafe anywhere along the way, I'll leave immediately and I'll contact everyone I can back home. This organization has international news coverage, a Wikipedia page, claims corroborated by major news outlets, and support from Palestinian organizations. My online training (where I interacted with real people who were also volunteering) was thorough and legitimate, and there's two full days of on-the-ground training once I arrive. They greatly encouraged us to use digital privacy/security measures and provided a number of resources on the subject. They didn't ask me for any money or any information that it was not safe for me to provide. They encouraged me to tell people close to me about the trip so that they would know if something happened, and they told me how to contact the U.S. embassies if I feel the need to. At no point will I put myself in a position where I'm unable to leave. The organization also provides medical assistance and legal help while I'm in Israel and Palestine.
Al-Jazeera (which has on-the-ground correspondents in Palestine) has written about the organization's work in Palestine.
What happens if I’m arrested in Palestine?
To clarify, there's not much I can do to stop myself from being arrested. The Israeli government will arrest Palestinians for no reason, and internationals standing with them are subject to the same whims. White internationals like myself are frequently released within the day. They can't hold me for 24 hours without taking me to a judge, to decide one of three things: release, imprisonment, or deportation.
These five Israeli reservists physically and sexually abused a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman military prison in 2024. The prisoner had cracked ribs, a punctured lung, and a rectal tear from a stab wound with a sharp object. This assault was caught on CCTV and leaked to the media. All charges against these five were dropped and they were reinstated as reservists, with no penalty at all. Instead, the Military Advocate General of the IOF who leaked the video was arrested.
If I'm released, there will likely be some condition placed on me, like I have to leave the country soon or I can't associate with certain people. If the conditions are too inhibitive or if the experience was too traumatizing, I'll just go home.
If they decide they'd like to pursue prison time, I'll have legal representation and media attention back home. Prison time is really unlikely, because I'd have to be accused of a crime. I'm not going to be committing any crimes, so if they accuse me of one, hopefully I'll be exonerated in court. Currently, there are no American citizens confirmed to be imprisoned or illegally detained. The only Americans that have recently been imprisoned in Israel were Palestinian-Americans who were illegally detained and eventually released after international news coverage. In other words, it is very unlikely I'm imprisoned, legally or illegally.
If the government decides to deport me, I have the option of resisting deportation, but I probably won't do that. It takes money that I don't have to pay for extra legal representation, and I'm not sure I want to voluntarily make myself into an international news headline. I'll likely just keep my head down when they put me on the plane. There's a small chance that I don't get sent anywhere near where I live, but I'll find a way to contact my people and make my way home. There likely won't be any legal repercussions in the U.S. (it doesn't require a legal violation for me to be deported), but I won't be able to return to Israel.
Am I a terrorist now?
No.
I'm not doing any terrorism, I'm not associating with any terrorists, and I'm not joining/associating with a terrorist organization. The idea that associating with Palestinians somehow makes one a terrorist is racist and Islamophobic. The U.S. and Israel put out a lot of propaganda trying to make it seem like all Palestinians are terrorists. Moshe Feiglin, a former member of the Knesset (the Israeli legislative body that passes laws, supervises government, elects the President/Prime Minister, etc.), once said that "every child, every baby in Gaza is an enemy." There are countless statements by Israeli politicians and public figures saying things of a similar nature. The United States has put decades of effort into conflating all Muslim people with terrorists. Donald Trump put out an executive order preventing nationals from seven Muslim majority countries from immigrating or traveling to the United States in the name of "national security." A number of Congresspeople have said things like Muslims are "the enemy" (Tommy Tuberville from Alabama) and "Muslims don't belong in American society" (Andy Ogles from Tennessee). So if you're instinctually feeling like my association with Palestinian people is dangerous, maybe consider whose propaganda you're falling for.
Am I actually helping anyone?
I'd like to think so, but I guess I won't know until I'm there. If I get there and feel like I'm not helping or I'm harming, I'll leave. What I do know is that this organization is Palestinian led, and the people we'll be assisting asked for our help. Even if I'm just making life a little more convenient for a Palestinian family, I feel like that's important. I can't begin to comprehend what it would feel like for my communities to be genocided, but I can imagine that having internationals use their time and money to show solidarity would give me hope and help me feel safe. That's really why I'm going. Even if one Palestinian kid feels safer walking to school, one Palestinian farmer gets a good night's sleep while I'm keeping watch for settlers, or one IOF officer feels less inclined to pull out their weapon, the whole trip would be worth it to me.