Chapter 17 13.Sheet of visa

I have often crossed over to the enemy camp, not as a deserter, but as a scout. — Huxley The Israeli embassy in Cyprus is located in an alley in the center of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus.In order to prevent terrorists, both ends of the alley have been blocked by barbed wire barriers.Our Mercedes was ordered to a parking lot two blocks away.The two Cypriot policemen guarding the intersection with AK-M submachine guns on their shoulders checked carefully and let me and Chen Dechang, chief reporter of Xinhua News Agency in Cyprus, through the roadblock. Walking on the water-logged gravel road and breathing the fresh Mediterranean air, I feel uneasy.Late last night, as soon as I arrived at the branch, Lao Chen called Mr. Mellon, the second secretary of the Israeli embassy, ​​and informed the Israeli side of the English spelling of my name and passport number.

At this moment, the small four-story building on the left hand in front is the Israeli embassy in Serbia, and a blue and white six-pointed star flag is waving in the light rain.Four or five Cypriot armed policemen patrolled back and forth with submachine guns in their hands.The iron gate of the embassy was closed tightly. After we talked with the security personnel in the building through the intercom installed on the door for three minutes, the iron gate opened automatically with a "click".Then we came to the second self-controlled gate, and after the same procedure, we entered the embassy reception hall.

The living room is not big, with a window of half a square meter and several layers of bulletproof glass on the front and left walls. We communicated with a lady in English through the intercom through the 10 cm thick glass.I was ordered to pass the completed form and passport inside through the special secret passage under the bulletproof window. While waiting for an answer, I began to look at this can-like hut. The furnishings in the house were extremely simple, except for the travel guides and promotional materials on the bookshelves.There are more than a dozen fire extinguishers in blue packages stacked neatly beside the door.On the right wall, there is a small altar-like thing, covered with a velvet curtain, with a hexagonal "Star of David" painted on it.Lifting the curtain, it was a small cabinet. I didn't dare to open it to see what treasures were inside.

A bass voice on the intercom ordered me to go in. I thought I could see Mellon now, but unexpectedly I entered another small isolation room through the automatic control door.A security officer used a walkie-talkie to start interrogating through the same bulletproof glass as the living room, claiming that "for your safety and the safety of all of us", he asked me about my occupation, the school I graduated from, the countries I visited, the works I published, and my religious beliefs. , the equipment used, what I did in Iraq, and what chronic diseases I have.Finally, I asked me why my passport was filled with visas from almost all Middle Eastern countries such as Cyprus, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon when I first came to the Middle East.I looked straight into the big bald eyes and said slowly: "I am a pacifist. This ancient school was born in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The founder was Mozi, who advocated 'non-attack'. Its history may be longer than Judaism. Based on the viewpoint of peace, I traveled all over the Middle East to photograph the suffering brought by war and awaken people's instinct to love peace. For this reason, I plan to travel to all corners of war, so this passport is almost full." Bald Judah seems to be very moved, perhaps because he is overwhelmed by the long history of China.He used the walkie-talkie to call Lao Chen, who was separated from the living room, to come in, opened the last automatic control door, let Lao Chen and me pass, and went up to the second floor.

The second secretary, Mellon, was a young man in his thirties with a refined manner and good Oxford English.He invited us to sit down, welcomed the Chinese journalists, and promised to help me apply for a visa as soon as possible.I turned over the page of the passport with the Baghdad visa and pointed it out to him. There was a paragraph of purple English on it: "Once the document is stamped with the Israeli stamp, it will be invalid." Mellon just glanced at it and said, "I know. Arab countries If you don’t like us at all, I will give you a 'visa on another paper' to ensure that you will not leave any traces."

Mellon said all flights to Israel had been suspended because of the war.At present, there is only one private small plane flying to Israel at noon the day after tomorrow (February 1), which is quite risky.For insurance, you can go to Haifa by boat.Lao Chen asked my opinion, and I said, "The sooner the better."