Fun with Israelis and Palestinians

A couple of weeks ago we were driving along the sea road through the Beach Refugee Camp. It was early evening, the lowering sun had turned the sea to a hazy silver. The dusty road that frames the eastern boundary of the camp was the stage set for all manner of curiosities- vendors in little shacks on the side of the road cooking corn on the cob, children flying kites and making them dance and wheel out over the sea, and tired old donkeys hitched to all manner of carts- animal rights activists would  have their work cut out here- but they will have to wait their turn, there are far more pressing matters to be dealt with.

Our taxi driver was beeping his horn as he swerved from side to side of the road to avoid the obstacle course created by other traffic and everyday life. Children were out in full force on the street, all off school for the summer and determined to exploit every bit of mischief and merriment possible. As with children everywhere, they have a magical capacity to find playful fun in the most bizarre circumstances, turning even the most desolate environment into a giant playground.

The next thing, our taxi came to a complete stop in the middle of the road as it was blocked by two little boys- they looked to me about 5 or 6 years old, but who knows, as many children here have stunted growth due to malnutrition and poor health. Anyway, there we were, stopped in the middle of the road by these two imps. They each had a cardboard  box on a long string; the boxes stood in the middle of the road preventing our passageway. The taxi driver blasted them with his horn, they giggled as they  pulled on the strings to part the way and let us pass. They had set up a checkpoint! We erupted into laughter at the ingenuity and cheekiness of it all.

A Palestinian friend later told us that chase and catch games here, rather than cowboys and indians, are called Israelis and Palestinians, and the equivalent of hide and seek is known by some as "where is Gilad Shilat".  Charming and tragic- the children take the insanity and brutality of their circumstances and turn it into a game. This is after all their reality, their normality.

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"Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy that does not laugh and the greatness that does not bow before children."                               

- Khalil Gibran

Post Script

In searching for photos for this post, I googled children, Gaza, - not recommended unless you have a very strong stomach, but a sober reminder of less pleasant aspects of childhood here- over 1,500 killed by Israel in the last 12 years, including 3 this week. I would like to acknowledge too, the 126 Israeli children killed by Palestinians in the same time period. The violent death of even one child is one too many.