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I was interrogated by Israeli authorities — I know why they're terrified of peace activists like me

JL;DR SUMMARY Zak Witus, Director of Young Leadership and Education at the New Israel Fund, recounts his interrogation by Israeli authorities at Ben-Gurion Airport due to materials in his luggage that supported both Israeli and Palestinian peace efforts. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Itamar Ben GvirPalestinian RightsPalestiniansHuman RightsNew Israel FundPeace ActivismJewish ActivismNonviolenceBen Gurion Airport

Places mentioned

Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"a poster I had gotten at a protest in Tel Aviv that said, Only peace will bring security"
Gaza, Palestinian Territories
"attendees demanded a deal to end the fighting in exchange for a return of the hostages. And most Israelis oppose Ben-Gvir, viewing his Jewish supremacist vision  which would see Israel annex the vast majority of the West Bank, and violent Jewish extremists given a pass as a major threat to the future of their country."
East Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
"Chronicles from the Holy City and Daybreak in Gaza: Stories of Palestinian Lives and Culture that I had purchased at The Educational Bookshop, a renowned Palestinian cultural center in East Jerusalem that Israeli authorities have raided multiple times since Oct. 7."
Umm al Khair, Hebron, Palestinian Territories
"As soon as I had landed in Israel, Id rented a car and drove to Awdahs village of Umm al Khair to visit his family, whom Id gotten to know when I lived and worked there as a human rights activist in 2022."
Negev, Central District, Israel
"as Negev Bedouin communities demanding the government give them access to water and electricity"

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Cairo Item ID 68977
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-12-03 05:31:00 UTC
Curated 2025-12-03 08:30:54 UTC