On Sunday morning, after almost a week in this country, I still don’t have a visa to stay more than two weeks. A thing I don’t quite understand. I go to the Ministry of Interior with the boss of the organization I’m volunteering with and we try to talk to someone in the Visa section. We wait for a while and ask about it on the outer window of the Visa Department. They know nothing. They say the decision to give me a 2-week visa was taken at the airport for some reason they do not know yet. And until they don’t get my file they won’t know anything about it (that won’t happen until two weeks after I arrived i.e. the exact date I have to leave the country). We try to talk to a higher rank there, but nothing can be done.
I feel quite miserable and deceived with this. I start thinking about the worst of the possibilities coming: I definitely have to leave the country. What can I do now? Go home and that’s it? Fortunately, the boss of my organization is a very powerful and great person, who is used to never give up and try. And she’s convinced we are going to achieve it, and I’m gonna be able to stay here, as I wanted.
Once at the office we start contacting anyone possible. A lawyer from a famous buffet in town comes to visit us. He looks at my case. It seems they can actually not extend my visa, as the law requires a special visa for volunteers to stay here. But this never happened with the tens of volunteers they’ve had here!! Why is this happening now to me? They might have known who you are, or are probably suspicious of the activities young Europeans try to do in this area lately (I guess they refer to the Flotilla and the “Flytilla”, both peaceful efforts to break access to the Palestinian Territories). The lawyer gives us the name of a person we should contact at the Ministry of Interior, in order to let her know about my case. We prepare a letter with all my information and all the documents proving the reasons to come here, including a transcript from my university.
I don’t know what to think. Why have I been taken as “suspicious”? I have no ties with any organization and would actually not even participate in any of those initiatives. At least not now. Anyway, what I’m sure of is that the “danger” my presence here means, has to do with politics rather than security. The possibility that I might be an activist is what created all these problems, but being an activist does not mean endangering the existence of a country or its citizens, but willing to change its status quo. And here is where you become a problem for the national authorities. But we know this does not only happen in Israel, but in any country. It is just important to be aware of it.
After sending various faxes to different people and calling tens of times to different offices in the Ministry of Interior I finally decide to wait until the day after and try to call them again, or to go in person to the Ministry and try to apply again for a Visa extension.
When I arrive the next morning we try to call them, but get no answer. I think about going to the Ministry. Then we check the messages in the answering machine and we hear there is a message from the Ministry of Interior in which I am given the Visa! This is great news! I just have to go to the Visa office again, with some money and 2 pictures. I am happy this finally got solved. Later in the day they call again to make sure I have gotten the message. After all it has not been so bad and I think they realized there must have been some error with me. Even the lawyer tells us it is unbelievable how quick they answered and solved the problem. This has been after all part of the Middle Eastern experience, but I cannot say it has been a pleasant episode at all.
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