A good friend just returned from a visit to Israel. For the citizens of my country, a person would have to produce proof that he is a Christian before he could apply for a visa to take a pilgrimage to the holy land.
My friend went with a group of middle age men and women. One of the women was rather blur and walked into the wrong lane in the immigration area in Israel. She was abruptly ordered to sit down and await further orders. After the entire group had gone through immigration procedure, they waited at the other side for her. Finally the two tour guides: one from Israel and the other from my country, had to go and plead with the authorities to release her from the indefinite wait. Before they approached the authorities, they have instructed the hapless group to be calm and quiet while waiting. Apparently it was not unusual for such groups with one person incurring any wrath to wait for hours before the authorities finally release the culprit. Meanwhile, the journey is disrupted and they may miss visiting a place or two and be hungry. Lately I have come across many of my friends and contacts visiting the holy land. Such trips are not cheap. Much have been said about the land that was supposed to be flowing with milk and honey, yet this is the first time I heard that border crossing could be such a complicated affair there.
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