in the middle east

While Jessica's parent were here in late December we spent a couple of days up in the North, around the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. When Jessica and I were last here in October, it was cloudy and rainy; so were delighted to have sunny days marked with clouds. These are photos from our day trip up in the Golan heights. It was a spectacular day from beginning to end, with amazing sights and stunning natural beauty. From the snowy foothills of Mt. Herman, to the Dan Spring nature reserve, to the heights of the Golan hills. This really is one of the more beautiful places on the planet (of course there are many, but this is definitely one). This entire territory has been in Israeli possession since the Six-Day war of June 1967. Because the three major sources of the Jordan River come from these hills of Mt. Hermon, it's obvious why it they are a strategic possession for any nation trying to sustain agriculture. This territory is also the primary reason for the tensions between Syria and Israel today; this land was not included in Israel's territory in the 1948 borders drawn by the U.N. decision, yet in 1967 for military and economic purposes Israel seized the area. As we drove about we saw both the striking beauty of the hills, as well as the signs of war that still mark the land in the form of old bunkers, trenches, and minefields; the contrast was as stark as it could be (for an informative overview of the history and territory of the Golan, Click Here). As the day neared its end, we were treated to an amazing sunset as we descended the hills. Our pictures don't do justice, of course, but you can get the idea. Click Here.

Akko is a small coastal town about a half hour north of Haifa, and 45min south of the Lebanon border. This large peninsula juts out into the Mediterranean, and has been a strategically important harbor town for over 3,500 years. Before the ancient Israelite were ever around, it was an Egyptian port, and in Judges chapter 1 it is mentioned as a place that Israel was never able to get a foothold. It was an important Roman port city until well after Jesus' time. In the mid-600's it came under Arab rule, and only in the 1100's was it captured by the Crusader, by Richard the Lionheart no less. After the crusaders it was under Arab and Muslim rule, though Napolean did once besiege the city. The Arab rule lasted up until the war of 1948 when it became a part of the modern Israeli state. The population, however, is mostly Palestinian. Because port cities were so important in the ancient world, it has had a long series of possessors, and dispossers who become possessors, and so on. However, to come upon such a place today, means that at every turn in this quaint coastal town you can learn all about it's amazing history, just by looking at the buildings. To see a bit of Akko, just Click Here.

Hebron represents one of the saddest and most harsh realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is one of the larger cities in the West Bank, and is the major industrial production city in the Palestinian state. After the 1967 war, Israel took control of the city, and in 1979 Israeli settlers seized and moved into the center of the town. The Israeli military then divided the city into two sections: H1 the larger expanse of the city (about 150,000 Palestinians) and H2, the city center (about 50,000 Palestinians) came under Israeli military control to 'protect' the 400-500 settlers who refuse to leave the city. Thus, the city that was home to many thousands of Palestinians for centuries past has been turned into a place of hostility and violence (for a quick overview of the city's history, Click Here). We recently took a day long 'political tour' of Hebron with a guide from Jerusalem. He and his family have been threatened by Israeli 'security' officials because he gives these tours to Westerners, and so I cannot mention his name. We walked all around the city center and our guide showed us places and introduced us to people that epitomized the problems here. All the while, we walked along the border of the Israeli settlement that was heavily guarded. I could see heavily armed soldiers peering at us through camouflage nets and fences; it was rather eerie. The whole experience was quite disturbing: you could feel the tension in the quiet streets. Life in the H2 part of Hebron has become quite miserable for Palestinians: their children have rocks thrown at them and their homes are vandalized by the settlers (Click here for more info). The violence that has taken place here has even caused many Israeli soldiers here to band together in protest to the way the Palestinians are abused; their organization is called Breaking The Silence (see their website by Clicking Here). I really don't have much else to say, except that the Western Media does not typically represent what is actually happening in the West Bank under Israeli military occupation. The recent stirrings about re-engaging the Israeli-Palestinian peace process may be a cause of hope for some, but until the severe human-rights abuses taking place under the occupation are brought to an end, the effects of any peace-agreement with remain totally theoretical. To see more, Click Here.

Jessica and I are continually amazed at how many interesting things there are to discover here. One day when Jessica's parent were here, we spent a day cruising around some of the older layers of the city. After church Jack and I went to what is called the "City of David", a recent tourist attraction that holds layers and material from the oldest area of Jerusalem, i.e. pre-Israelite Jebusite Jerusalem and the Jerusalem of the kings of Judah. Here is the famous Hezekiah's tunnel: an aquaduct of 1/4 mile's length hewn out of bedrock in the late 700's BC. (I've incorporated some pictures from when Jessica and I went there in the late summer as well, so she makes a star appearance). After that Jack and I met up with Jessica and Joyce and we wandered into the ancient valley of Kidron (known as the valley of Jehoshaphat "Yahweh judges" from Joel chaper 3) where you can find remains of 2,000 year old rock tombs. After eating some snacks of beef Jerkey and nuts in the graveyard (somewhat surreal) we headed back up into the city for a 5pm tour of the Western Wall tunnel. This is an archaeological site where a tunnel has been dug out along the length of the original Western wall of the temple mount. It was long, impressive, and full of interesting tidbits about the city's history. So, follow our adventures in old Jerusalem and older Jerusalem, Click Here.

Just last month we were able to take a day trip to Ramallah, one of the largest and economically prosperous cities in the West Bank. A friend I met at school lives there with her family. She took us downtown where we walked about and saw the sights. It was bustling with people, markets, cars. We had a great time there and people were super friendly.
It was especially disturbing then, to hear that two days ago the Israeli Defense Force launched a full-scale military raid to salvage an undercover mission to arrest what they say were "top level" officials. The original mission was conducted by IDF personnel in plain clothes. When they were found out a gun battle ensued, and reinforcements were called in: at least 12 military Hummers, armored personnel carriers, 2 gigantic military bulldozers and helicopter gunships blazed right into downtown. The bulldozers went ahead, literally scooping up cars and store fronts and tossing them aside to clear a path for the brigade. The helicopters were strafing fire along the path of the procession, and all of this in middle of downtown. 4 civilians were killed, more than a dozen wounded. And for me personally, what was perhaps the most disturbing, was to watch the CNN video footage (click here to see it) and see the very place where we stood, downtown Manara square, desolated and overrun by military vehicles. The fact that we were recently there, when the streets were full of people, brought the reality of the situation to bear in a personal way. I can't imagine what it would feel like to know that your neighborhood could be overrun by military vehicles wreaking havoc and literally destroying the downtown of your city.
Now, because I don't have all the facts, I should say that the real causes for the debacle are likely very complex. But this pattern of the Israeli military is very typical: responding with way more military power than is really necessary (recall the 1,000,000 people who had to flee from Beruit last Summer). Regardless of one's view of the conflict here, these kinds of situations are tragic, and unfortunately, all too familiar here. Note: the Israeli military today (1/7/06) that the Ramallah raid was a "mistake" (click here); a pretty costly mistake.

December is a unique month here in Israel/Palestine because each of the three Abrahamic religions has a major holiday: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha, "The Feast of Sacrifice' a holiday commemorating Abraham's binding of Isaac; Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah to commemorate the rededication of the Second Temple after gaining political independence from Syria in the Maccabean revolt (167-165 BC); Christians celebrate Christmas to remember the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. On the Israeli side of town, you would never know it was Christmas; while there are many lights (although, not green and red) and decorations, they are all for Hanukkah; in Bethlehem you would never know it was Hanukkah, all the decorations are for Christmas. Such is life here. We got to experience the full range of holiday festivities in Jerusalem, and I've tried to represent a small sample of it all. And to top it off, I've included some photos and video of a very interesting group of Orthodox Jewish peace-enthusiasts. The disciples of Rabbi Nahman Me'uman believe that peace, love, and dancing are the key to Peace in the Middle East. You have to see it to believe it. Click Here.