Bethlehem Border, West Bank, 1 June 2008

From Indonesia,We were in the Bethlehem IDF border wall security embankment one day early last June, passing the wall in order to return to Jerusalem to continue our prayer and pilgrimage at Via Dolorosa, one of the agenda for that day.We didn't know that the IDF border guard was looking for somebody specific returning back from Bethlehem or going to Jerusalem. There is where this thing happens.Our bus was redirected to the border control parking lot and we got down for the passport check and x-ray. Everybody in that 30+ people group is not sure what is happening because we have been going and returning to the Intercontinental Hotel in Bethlehem without any problem whatsoever for the past 5 days.In the confusion, my wife mistakenly put her wristwatch on the conveyor without putting it on a plastic basket. Surely enough, her watch got stuck and the conveyour was jammed. I told the IDF soldier to stop the conveyor machine in order for us to retrieve the watch.Unfortunately for us, the IDF girl scout didn't understand this simple english and instead call another IDF soldier to come forward and check what is wrong, which leads to my talking to her from across the thick heavy plastic partition.This IDF grunt just shouted at us to get back then ask the conveyor x-ray operator what is wrong. He then proceed to talk to me rudely shoving his automatic assault rifle in my face. Wrong choice boyo.I shouted back at him and at his sargeant at the gangplank 3 meters above and to his fellows squad members nearing up to where we all stand. Getting my wife’s watch intact from the conveyor and still in good condition I kept on shouting on these people for a good 5 minutes.It is just unbelievable how these youngsters act toward Christian pilgrims, US dollar paying ones, who happens to be a respected visitor in this holy land. Even Achmed the bedou up in Sinai respect his visitors.That settled, the IDF soldiers was harshly admonished by their sargeant above and got back to their stations with their tails behind their legs. We are all released from the underground security checks after the sargeant apologize profusely. Our driver Sameer just laugh his ass off and would told his friends about the whole commotion. I was informed later by the IDF major running our security that Shin Beth was trying to catch an individual known to have attacked a watchtower with stones and bee bee guns. Imagine that, they are trying to catch a delinguents- when their intell on Hezbollah and Hamas cannot be more shallowWow, I told him -we are Indonesian Christians who live day by day in a third world country violence and mayhem, anybody shouted at you and point their rifles to our face ought to know better and do better. Indonesians Christians stands to and never retreats, let alone by these green 18 year old rambo wanabees