JERUSALEM: Most international musicians would baulk at the notion of a two-day journey to final rehearsals past military checkpoints on alert for weapons smugglers — but for 19-year-old viola player Ibrahim Masri it’s an occupational hazard.
He’s part of the Palestine Youth Orchestra, which has been touring Europe for three weeks and whose 76 members — crossing borders and religious divides — include Muslims, Druze and Christians.
They say they cannot gather the full orchestra at home because Israeli restrictions make it too hard to bring together members from Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem and refugees abroad.
“We can play but it is hard to travel,” said Ibrahim, who had to travel two days from Nablus in the West Bank through neighbouring Jordan to reach Oslo, where the tour convened.
“When we go to (the West Bank’s) Birzeit or to Ramallah we pass through checkpoints. And especially when you have your musical instrument and get searched, you get asked ‘What is this, why is this with you?’” he said.
“It’s always a hassle when you move from one town to another in order to meet.”
Israel says its West Bank security measures are to protect its citizens against attacks from bombers and gunmen, which peaked in the Palestinian uprisings of the late 1980s and early 2000s.
Israel has also imposed a blockade on Gaza, whose rulers Hamas refuse to recognise Israel and have fought three wars with it in the past decade.
With a programme combining traditional classical and Arabic music, the orchestra played dates in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
“They’re always the best trips of my life. We get very close to each other, and we share unforgettable experiences,” said cellist Jude Qalawi as she boarded a bus in Jerusalem at the start of the tour.
— Reuters
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