My time in Israel switched on Monday as I began traveling with Rozana, one of my clients. Rozana is an unbelievable organization that does work with medical diplomacy in the West Bank, Israel, and Gaza. I’ve traveled with them around the region to see the work in person before and it is truly amazing to see the impact they have in the West Bank, Israel, and Gaza.

We started our day by leaving Tel Aviv and heading to Al Rahma Hospital just outside Hebron. Al Rahma is a new rehabilitation hospital outside Hebron that will be the only rehab hospital in the area. When finished, it will be a state-of-the-art hospital that provides the full range of rehabilitation including mental health. They will be 3D-printing prosthetics to make them affordable, especially for children who outgrow them quickly. When I visited in June, the first floor was not finished nor was the top floor while those in the middle had no walls or flooring yet. This time it was different. The main floor was spectacular as they wait for the equipment, which should arrive in the next two weeks. The top floor was beautiful and should be operational by the end of the year. The middle floors are slowly being built out with flooring and walls in place. It was really exciting to see the hospital coming together and to know the impact it will have on so many patients. It is estimated that Al Rahma will serve over 1 million people in the Hebron governorate and surrounding areas, as well as patients recovering from severe injuries, strokes, spinal and brain injuries, and post-surgical complications, including wounded children from Gaza.

I saw the CEO of Al Rahma, Dr. Akram Amro, who has become a friend. His passion for the hospital and helping people is always inspiring. I look forward to him coming to the United States in 2027 and being able to introduce him to people. He is a special man who breaks the stereotypes about Palestinians. I also saw my friend Dr. Muhammad Talahma, a board member of Al Rahma and the head of the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at Palestinian Polytechnic University. We met on my visit in June and hit it off. I look forward to visiting in 2027 and taking a day to visit him and get the tour of the university and of Hebron. We had a great conversation during the day and continued to build our friendship. I got to see Malak, a remarkable young woman who runs the Women4Women program, providing quality healthcare to women in the periphery of Hebron who otherwise don’t get their health needs taken care of. We became friends in June and it was great to catch up with her.

As a passionate Zionist, people often ask me how I can have Palestinian friends who live in Hebron and Ramallah. It’s because I get to know people as people. I don’t worry about their titles or their backgrounds. I don’t worry about their religion or the color of their skin. When I find good people who I connect with and enjoy speaking with and spending time with, they become my friends. Zionism is about the Jewish people having their own sovereign state, not about anybody else not having a state. It was how I was raised and what I believe in. It’s what I taught my children – Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish, democratic state and to judge people by who they are, not by some random label. I didn’t realize it when I was learning it as a child, but it is the lesson the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King was teaching in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

The Governor of Hebron came to greet us. He wanted to make sure we knew how much he and Hebron appreciated the work Rozana is doing to get the new Al Rahma hospital built and open. The need is great and it was important to him to take the time to thank us. It’s amazing to see the leadership that shows up because of the work of Rozana. By taking care of the medical needs of the people and training the medical professionals, we make a difference in the lives of millions of people. That is seen and appreciated. It also feels really good to know you are helping so many people improve their lives. After lunch we left Al Rahmah and headed from Hebron to Ramallah.

Hebron to Ramallah is only 42 km as the crow flies. If there was a straight road connecting them, it would take between 30 and 40 minutes depending on traffic. With the roads as they are, it is 61 km. Without checkpoints it shouldn’t take more than an hour. There are checkpoints and many of them are closed, forcing you to drive all over the place to get there. Imagine driving from Washington, DC, to Philadelphia but being forced to go through Pittsburgh to get there. That’s what it is like. Instead of taking us an hour, it took us three and a half hours. Instead of getting to the hotel in time to check in, relax, and then go to our final meeting of the day, we were late to the final meeting and skipped the hotel. This is what people in Hebron and Ramallah deal with every day. Not just to get into Israel but to go from one city to another.

Our final meeting of the day was with Yassir Abbas, the son of President Mahmoud Abbas. We were grateful that he waited for us and was still willing to meet. He was happy we were there and apologized for the amount of time it took for us to get there. He then said he wanted to make up for all the time we missed and wanted to give us lots of time to talk, ask questions, and learn.

It was fascinating to listen to him talk. I always wonder when they elaborate on a return to the 1967 borders if they really remember that it was under Jordan and Egypt’s control at that time, and there was no hope of an independent Palestinian state. What makes those borders so significant? Has it just been a talking point for that many years? Simply a return to Arab-controlled land? Wouldn’t it be better to talk about building a contiguous Palestinian state that includes their big cities and preserves room for growth? They always include Gaza when Gaza has not been under the control of Israel since 2005 and not under the control of the PA since the people there elected Hamas in 2006. Of course they want full control of East Jerusalem as well, which includes the old city of Jerusalem and the holy sites. He shared with us that they also demand a Palestinian-controlled road through Israel connecting the West Bank and Gaza. I can’t imagine the security risks to Israel under those conditions. Wouldn’t a more thoughtful and targeted approach provide the opportunity for there really to be a Palestinian state that provides not only full self-governance but dignity and the ability to travel and truly control their full economy? His talk reminded me of the American politicians who always promise things they know they can’t deliver, everybody knows they can’t deliver them, and yet they vote for them anyway.

As he talked about what it would take for peace and the creation of a Palestinian state, he also was clear that in his mind, there would be no land swaps. He openly stated that the residents of the big towns in the West Bank would be welcome to be resident aliens of the Palestinian state. He clearly did not say citizens with equal rights. If they chose not to, they could move. It reminded me a lot of what Smotrich and Ben Gvir are doing in area C to the agricultural villages in making life unbearable and unsafe to they move.

One of our group asked him about the failure of Camp David 2 with President Bill Clinton. It was interesting to hear him say that what Clinton says about being so close to a deal wasn’t true. According to him, they were nowhere close to a deal, they weren’t being offered anything close to what was reported, and it has all been a lie since then to put the responsibility of the failure on his father and the PA’s shoulders. I always find it interesting to listen to the narratives of people and begin to understand how they understand the world. After listening to him speak, I felt that any hope for a two-state solution is at least 25 years away and maybe longer.

Yassir Abbas, also known as Abu Amar, was a very kind host. He spent much longer with us than planned and ensured we had plenty to eat and drink. Coffee, tea, soda, pastries, and even shwarma. The Arab hospitality is wonderful and was on full display. I was surprised with the time he gave us and his continued pushback when we told him we were taking up too much of his time. When we finally left for our hotel in Ramallah, we were tired from a long day.

It was a powerful day. From experiencing the joy of the progress of Al Rahma Hospital to the challenges of getting from Hebron to Ramallah, we got different emotional experiences. Meeting with Yassir Abbas was a fascinating experience that will likely be the focus of a future post as I process the experience. Seeing my friends at Al Rahma and spending time talking to them was meaningful. The day provided a lot of hope about a future where people connect and hate isn’t the focus. It also showed how far apart the politicians are from an actual peace agreement and the challenges both governments are creating rather than working to find solutions. I find myself grateful that I am working on the ground with the people and not the politicians. Working with the people provides an opportunity to have an impact and make change. The more time I spend with Palestinians and Israelis that are working together, the more I believe that there can be a future in which we live together in peace. The politicians will determine when that time is; however, the people can help make that time arrive sooner as they bridge divides and see each other as people.