Ayelet Waldman ‘Dares’ Israel To Keep Her and Husband Michael Chabon Out
Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman in Hebron.
By Naomi Zeveloff May 3, 2017
Amid reports that Israel is blocking tourists who seek to visit the Palestinian West Bank, author Ayelet Waldman has challenged Israel to keep out her and her husband, Pulitzer winner Michael Chabon on an upcoming trip in June.
Waldman tweeted the dare on Tuesday:
Israel banning tourists, like my husband Michael Chabon, who oppose the settlements. Netanyahu: we are due to land on June 17. I dare you.
— Ayelet Waldman (@ayeletw) May 2, 2017
Haaretz reported on Tuesday that Israel is taking “border control to new extremes” by turning away tourists at Ben Gurion Airport. The Interior Ministry is also seeking to stop tour group operators from booking hotels in Bethlehem, a popular spot for Christian tourists in the West Bank.
Waldman and Chabon are vocal critics of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. The pair organized a project to bring authors from around the world to witness Israel’s occupation firsthand. Their writing is compiled in a new book timed with the 50th anniversary of the occupation, called “Kingdom of Olives and Ash”.
Contact Naomi Zeveloff at [email protected] or on Twitter @naomizeveloff
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
