NETANYA, Israel – The 16-year-old high school student could not stop smiling.
For the first time in her life, Shaima Jamous felt the waters of the Mediterranean circle over her feet and the sand washes out beneath her. For the first time, she inhaled the salt air and became angry at the sound of the waves.
The beach in Netanya, Israel, was just 30 miles from her home in Nablus, on the West Bank, but it may also have been another world.
“I always knew I would eventually get to the beach, but I never thought it would be that easy,” Ms. Jamous said.
She was one of tens of thousands of Palestinians who have enjoyed a rare day on the beach in recent days due to an informal arrangement that did not require an Israeli permit, but rather through holes in Israel’s security barrier.
The opening was silent and unannounced, and after a flurry of Israeli and Palestinian news reports on it, Israel closes on Tuesday.
The Israeli military and other security agencies declined to comment on why Palestinians were allowed to cross through openings in the barrier – a series of fences and walls that cut off much of the occupied West Bank from Israel – without permits. Israel usually requires Palestinians to obtain travel permits – an often cumbersome and complicated process involving the transfer of important security controls to its territory.
Gadi Shamni, a former head of the Central Command of the Army, said he thought Israel was trying to “relieve pressure” on Palestinians in the West Bank, where unemployment has risen sharply since the rise of the coronavirus.
Israel usually grants tens of thousands of permits to Palestinians over the Eid holidays, but has not done so this year due to restrictions officials said were imposed to fight the virus.
Mr. Shamni and other former security officials warned that allowing Palestinians to cross into Israel without formalities posed a security risk, saying they could exploit attackers. That concern may be one reason for the government’s silence over the opening, which would be unpopular with a large sector of the Israeli public.
Many residents of Netanya, a conservative city where the right-wing Likud party won the most votes in the last elections, in April, expressed opposition to allowing Palestinians to cross into Israel without permits, although some welcomed it.
“These are people who want to spend time on the beach,” said Maurice Sedowitz, a retired dentist. “Palestinian families could enjoy themselves here with or without permission.”
The most heavily guarded borders were clearly open to business.
A few Israeli soldiers patrolling near a hole in the barn in the northern village of Faroun on Monday did nothing to stop masses of Palestinians carrying coolers and bags of food from passing by. Two more Israeli military cars drove by taking action against the strandings.
Residents of Faroun, the site of multiple traffic signs last week, even said they witnessed the army passing people through the hole at night by turning on lights.
Word of the opening spread rapidly on Palestinian social media. Palestinian travel agencies, which have suffered heavy losses since the West Bank pandemic hit in March, jumped into action.
Saadi Abu Zant, the owner of Prestige Travel and Tourism, organized two trips this past week with stops in Haifa as well as the beach in Netanya.
“For months I have been sitting at home doing absolutely nothing,” Mr Abu Zant said. “The opening in the gate changed that completely.”
Other tour operators offer kayaking adventures on the Jordan River, tours through the Old City of Acre and excursions via Jaffa and Tiberias.
On Monday, after Palestinians walked through a wide hole in the gate in Faroun, they were able to head towards a dirty lot full of buses. Bus drivers hacked the names of cities: “Haifa, Acre,” shouted one. “Jaffa, Tel Aviv,” said another.
The beachgoers paid the drivers, took their seats and left.
Azzam al-Naanaa, 44, a husky university security guard from Nablus who was visiting Netanya, said the last time he went to an Israeli beach was two decades ago.
“It’s a very special experience to come to the beach, but it’s even more special because I did that with my kids,” he said. His four children sat in the sand and watched the waves crash on the shore.
Mr. Al-Naanaa said Israeli authorities had earlier prevented him from entering Israel on security grounds. He did not say why, but Israel often takes such measures against members of militant organizations, people suspected of involvement in violence and people associated with those who commit violent crimes.
The West Bank is landlocked except for a small strip on the Dead Sea, which is hot, difficult to swim in and under Israeli control.
Holes have existed in the fences for years. In the past, the Israeli army has turned a blind eye to Palestinian workers who went through the holes to accomplish construction tasks in Israel. But several Palestinian West Bankers said they could not remember a time when Israel allowed thousands of families to cross through to the beach.
Palestinians on the beach near Netanya acknowledged that they were worried they could be infected by the coronavirus that traveled in crowded buses – many did not wear masks. But they said they did not hesitate to go to the beach.
“This is really a risk-taking,” said Hiba, 40, a Tulkarem resident. “I’ve never been to the beach with my whole family.” She refused to give her last name for fear of arrest.
Nasreen Abu Alia, an interior designer from Nablus, sat under an umbrella in Netanya and watched her daughter play in the sand.
“I feel like I’ve seen a dear old friend I missed so much,” said Mrs. Abu Alia, who was only on the beach for the second time. “Being here today is a dream come true.”
Mohammed Najib contributed reporting from Ramallah, West Bank.
