I am a pro-Israel advocate — and I stand up for Ahmed Alkhatib, a Palestinian-born San Franciscan who faced degrading treatment at the hands of Israeli security and was denied entry to Israel and shunted back to the U.S.
Alkhatib told his story in a recent op-ed in J.
At age 16, Alkhatib applied for political asylum and became a U.S. citizen. He graduated from the University of San Francisco and now runs an organization advocating for an internationally controlled airport in Gaza. The concept isn’t wacky. Politicians and commentators on both the left and right in Israel have endorsed it.
Alkhatib planned a trip to Israel in April to visit his sister, who received a scholarship to Hebrew University, and his mother and father, who are in Israel for medical treatment for the father. Alkhatib also planned to meet with Israelis and Palestinians to discuss the proposal for an internationally controlled airport in Gaza.
Recognizing that travel to Israel for a person of Palestinian background, even a U.S. citizen, could be difficult, Alkhatib did the right thing and contacted the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco. As he relates it, the consulate gave a green light: Alkhatib could travel to Israel to see his family and meet with Israelis and Palestinians to talk about his proposal.
On social media, he shared with friends he was going to Israel. Within 24 hours, 200 people “unfriended” him and many sent hate mail. They are pro-Palestinian and accused him of betraying the Palestinian cause by using the word “Israel.” But he went forward with the trip.
He describes that on arriving at Ben Gurion Airport, he was taken aside and his U.S. passport was seized. He was questioned aggressively, subjected to a strip search and forced back on a flight to the U.S. despite the go-ahead he had received in San Francisco. Degrading treatment aside, he lost thousands of dollars in hotel bookings and the like.
I waited before penning this piece. I was expecting and hoping the Israeli government would submit a response in J. There could be another side to the story and I wanted to hear it. Or perhaps the episode was a snafu for which Israel apologized. So I waited. But the government didn’t respond.
For two decades, I have poured my life into defending Israel, advocating for Israel, lobbying members of Congress and U.S. senators to support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and giving money to support pro-Israel causes. At every turn in the road, I advocate for Israel. I try to move the needle of public opinion in Israel’s favor, an often challenging task in the Bay Area. Taxi drivers, people I meet in a bar, friends — whenever possible, I make known I am Jewish and care about Israel, and I say why. I stand up to the “Palestinian narrative,” which casts Israel as evil, a colonialist, oppressor and illegitimate.
Which makes Mr. Alkhatib’s episode all the more upsetting. He is not an extremist. He is precisely the kind of person Israel should embrace. He acted with courage and alienated hundreds of his anti-Israel friends. He advocates an idea that is entirely within the ambit of mainstream proposals for dealing with Gaza.
He speaks in a moderate tone at the polar opposite of the demonizing and vilifying voices that go for Israel’s jugular at every moment. “I will not be hateful or bitter,” he says. “I forgive the Israeli officers who treated me badly. For their attitudes and behavior to be different next time, I know that ceaseless, committed grassroots Israeli and Palestinian efforts towards mutual respect and understanding must prevail.”
Israel has real threats to deal with coming from all directions: An Iranian vow to annihilate Israel; Palestinian terrorism, incitement to hate and rewarding of terrorists; rockets aimed from Gaza and Lebanon; ferocious invective against Israel in the United Nations; anti-Semitic propaganda directed at the Jewish state in Arab media and textbooks and in mosques.
So with all this, Israel should lunge at the opportunity for friends — people willing to accept it and treat it with the respect it is due. Ahmed Alkhatib appears to be exactly one of those people. He deserved better treatment.
the other side of the story is clear, if the author had spent any time at all and looked at mr alkhatib’s social media, where he has post after post about the nakba of….1948
the man talks a good game, but like many other arabs, doesnt believe israel has the right to exist. therefore, israel doesnt have to allow him into the country
should be noted that his father was in need of medical treatment, and he was allowed in to get it
so please…find another cause
Doesn’t believe Israel has the right to exist? I challenge you to find one example of such a statement on Ahmed’s social media. (And, no, referring to the Nakba doesn’t count. Just as Jews were expelled from many Arab countries that year, so, too, did many Arabs living in parts of present-day Israel find themselves forcibly compelled from their homes. Like me, you probably think it’s an outtage that Jews were forced out; seems obvious that Palestinians would feel similarly about their expulsion. That doesn’t negate my desire to see a functioning Palestinian state peacefully existing alongside a Jewish one. Likewise, a Palestinian can regard 1948 as the Nakba and still yearn for peace.)
Another liberal bleeding heart clueless open his mouth, trying to tell Israel to drop its defenses so “he” feels good about his brainwashed PC and hypocritical Jewish values…….Mr Cole, Israel needs not your advice nor opinion, go hug your turbanhead friend, and stay away from subjects you have NO BUSINESS IN, or SAY!
The Israeli’s arguably have the best intelligence in the World. That said, I’m glad they sent him home. He’s alive isn’t he ? imagine if that was a Jew in an Arab country.
Larry you are such a loser for saying something so small. Cleary, this guy was and is not a terrorist. They treated him horribly and there is NO JUSTIFABLE EXCUSE for it. I am an American Jewish woman who has travelled to three Islamic countries and I NEVER had a problem with any of the locals or any airport officials or security.
And I AM A JEWESS YOU MORAN! I was treated not well at the airport when I decided to leave and go to Ben Gurion. The woman who worked for UNITED gave me a problem. They reused my cash to pay for my baggage. Long story short UA along with Ben Gurion are all in bed together. I ended up with no luggage. All my bags were ” mysteriously lost and stolen at Ben Gurion. YES LARRY the world’s best security airport (paid for withn US money for the last 50 years also lays claim to having human rights abuses of those not of the
Jewish faith and those who are black and brown skinned Africans.
Isreal maybe is a democracy forJews, but not for everyone else that
is not Jewish. That is NOT a real democracy and since IsraEl has
no constitution like the US does, there are many contradictions and
there is trash everywhere you go in West and East Jerusalem.
My generation and the millenia are LAZY. My parents generation made them that way. They see all the tourists coming, especially
the American Jews. They all think we have $$$ coming out of our a…holes. Many do and many don’t. All the men want to marry American Jewish women and use them for their citiznship.
Senator Bernie Sanders was smart in restrictioning 3 billion dollars
of US WELFARE aid to Israel. They have too much play money at their disposal…for higher education, for medicine, for research, and start ups, but not enough for social services for Israeli’s and Palestinians and they spend way too much on SECURITY and WEAPONS, not including the frickin never ending OCCUPATION. The trip I took was. trip of a lifetime and some assholes at that airport gave me a problem. I am not a terrorist and am not involved in any political organizations or affiliations. All the beautiful presents I bought for family and friends….gone…stolen. All the beautiful scarves and tunics I bought three that came from Turkey. GONE. STOLEN.
What was my crime? I went as a tourist on the Israeli and Palestina
Occupied West Bank. I was just a traveler and this is how I was treated in the end by my own people who call themselves fellow Jews? I got more respect from the Muslims when I was over there.
Wake up Larry. Get the wax out of your ears and see things the way the media does not want you to see or read about. Good night ad wishing you a Luminous Happy Hanukkah.