When passing through checkpoints, being from Los Angeles rather than Ramallah avoided further interrogation. It was better to be from halfway around the world, a foreigner, than a native of the land. Palestinians in the West Bank are estranged from almost every other part of the country designated as Israel. Despite their connections to people and history, a restricted, government- approved permit is their only temporary ticket to travel beyond. I can't conceive of a reality where an American needs special permission to go from Seattle to Chicago, ordered to return at the end of the day or fear never receiving consent again.
Palestinian refugees endure similar obstacles.
Imagine an American citizen who returns to the U.S. to live after living abroad only to learn that her very existence in the U.S. is no longer recognized. Her birth right to the place has been ruled nonexistent. She can visit, but not stay, and her nationality as an American is questioned at every turn. She is left with a sense of displacement, loss, and sadness. Being an American was okay once.