On Salad and Security

As I'll be going to Israel/Palestine for fieldwork in a couple of months, I figured I should start searching for some advice regarding how to stay safe. We all know that violence and terror are part of the daily schedule in the oh so Holy Land, and I thought some detailed security information could help me make it back to good old Norway with all my body parts intact. And so, for a start, one of the things I did this morning was checking out the internet pages of Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, knowing that they provide up-to-date official travel advices for Norwegians going to troubled regions.

And hurray hurray. Under the heading 'Israel and the Palestinian Territories' I could read the following:

'Travellers should be prepared for lengthy personal questioning and baggage searches by security officials on arrival and departure from Israel' (ok I knew that); 'when travelling around Israel and the Palestinian Territories you should carry identification at all times in case it is requested by the local authorities' (ok, blabla, knew that too); 'Norwegian citizens are granted a visitor's visa upon arrival' (well that's convenient, already checked that out); 'Israeli hospitals generally keep a high standard but the medical costs could be higher than in Norway' (blablabla)

- and then, a couple of sentences further down on the page, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides me with the following vital piece of information regarding travel in Israel and the Palestinian Territories:

'Normally no problems are associated with eating salad.
It's important to wear sunscreen.'

Thank heavens! I'm glad the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes their advisor role seriously.

I guess I'll be ok; salad and sunscreen will surely do the trick.