23

Ariel

He called some friends and acquaintances to see if it was possible to go into any of the Arab areas in the country, or to Arab houses in Jaffa. There were Jews living in many of these neighborhoods, and one could go there. He was told that all these houses and neighborhoods were surrounded with police and army units. They didn’t allow anyone to enter without a search and a check on IDs and addresses to make sure they lived there. He had to wait.

Is the army clearing the area there, or did the Palestinians really disappear? Our army can never do such a thing. Have they made mistakes? Yes, but at the end of the day they follow laws and adhere to humanist values. Who doesn’t make mistakes? They do everything according to international norms. Sometimes they’re not fair, true. But is there absolute justice in this world? Where was it during the Holocaust? Our founding fathers were wise. They predicted that these catastrophes would take place. And that’s why they came here. Ariel sighed deeply, as if trying to hold on to this thought, and to prevent other ones from taking its place. What is most important now is for him to figure out what is happening.

He moved to the bedroom and turned the TV on before lying in bed. He felt the evening grip him by the neck and was anxious about the coming hours. He took a deep breath and exhaled very slowly. He stared at the ceiling and found himself wondering how the country would be, were there no Palestinians in it. He wished he could drive out all these thoughts and just stare at the light reflection on the ceiling. To think of nothing except colors. He thought of rolling a joint, but he needs a clear head. He has to stay alert these days. He spent half an hour staring at the ceiling and listening to the TV. Then he got out of bed, turned the TV off, and went to the living room. He put his laptop and Alaa’s notebook in his black bag. He added the key to Alaa’s apartment to his keychain and headed to Chez George.