Israel

I started my current trip June 16th 2010 on Birthright in Israel. Birthright aka Taglit is a free 10 day tour of Israel provided to Jews aged 18-26 who have never had an educational experience in Israel. It is a superb trip and was a splendid way to get myself half way around the world. Everybody who has the opportunity should take advantage. After birthright I spent several more days in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem before going to the West Bank for 6 days. I had been to Israel once before but Birthright provided a greater opportunity to see the country.
Religious or not the history and politics of Israel are fascinating. Covering it all requires a tremendous amount of detail from various perspectives and an expertise of the region. My goal is to present the state of Israel by giving some background to the pictures I am sharing. I fully realize every comment can be both expounded upon and countered. Explaining the complexities of the region or supplying solutions are not the purpose of this post. I do hope to spark an interest in you, the reader.


A good place to begin is Jerusalem, a holy city to the three intertwined world religions descended from Abraham; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Men praying at the Western Wall

Since 1060 bce Jerusalem has been the sacred homeland of the Jewish people. Jews abroad face the Temple Mount in Jerusalem while praying and every Passover Seder ends with a prayer stating “next year in Jerusalem”.

The 2nd Temple was built by Herod the Great in the Old City of Jerusalem. 85 years later the Romans destroyed it. The lone surviving Western Wall is the holiest site in Judaism along with the Temple Mount itself.


Jerusalem is the 3rd holiest city to Muslims behind Mecca and Medina, both in Saudi Arabia. The stories of Moses, Abraham, David, Soloman, and Jesus are all told in the Quran, all are said to be Prophets. In the year 620 CE it is believed Muhammad went to Jerusalem, where he met with Moses, Abraham, and Jesus to pray at the Temple Mount. He then ascended to heaven from this location. Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 637 CE, and between 689 and 671 CE built the Dome of the Rock on top of the Temple Mount. It was made the first Qibla (direction of prayer) in Islam, and is a designated site of pilgrimage.

In the 20th century tension and conflict in the Old City began to grow between Muslims and Jews. Jordan gained control of the area during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War (known in Israel as the War of Independence). In the 1967 Six Day War Israel captured the city. The Dome of the Rock is currently maintained by he Ministry of Awqaf in Amman, Jordan. Non-Muslims are given limited access to the area but are not allowed to pray. When I was in the Old City I was not allowed near the Dome of the Rock. I never checked what days or times I was allowed to visit.

Western Wall and Dome of the Rock

A short walk away in the Christian Quarter of the old City is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians. It is here where the New Testament states Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Since the 4th century it has been a place of pilgrimage for Christians.

Interesting fact: The Old City is divided into 4 quarters, three are easy to guess; Jewish, Christian, Muslim. The fourth? Armenian Quarter.

Old City Jerusalem

                                                  World Cup on the streets of Jerusalem

Safed

Legend has it Safed was founded by Noah’s son after the great flood. When power transferred from Islamic rule to the Ottomans in 1492 many Jewish rabbis moved here. Home to the Kaballah (Jewish mysticism), only since the 16th century has Safed claimed the title of one of the 4 holy cities in Judaism (Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias being the others).






Deep in the West Bank, Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. Archeologist have found evidence of over 20 settlements dating as far back as 9,000 BCE. Alexander the Great even kept an estate in Jericho after conquering the region. Of more current significance it is thought to be where the Jews entered Israel after Moses led them out of Egypt.

f it is not the oldest it is certainly the lowest at 1300 (400m) feet below sea level

Center of Jericho

                                        St George Monastery in the Judean Desert (West Bank)

The nearly 2,000 year old story of Masada is told to be one of the most extraordinary in the world. Masada is a fortressed rock plateau in the Judean desert over looking the Dead Sea, vertical cliffs surround reaching as high as 1,300 feet (400m). In 66 CE during the First Jewish-Roman War a group of 960 rebel Extremist known as the Siccari fled to the fortress after the destruction of the 2nd Temple. The persistent Romans spent several months to build a road to the top of the well stocked and naturally protected fortress. When the Romans got close the Jewish leadership, led by Elizaar, made the decision that they would die a free people, they would not become slaves, be slaughtered, or have their women raped. 10 Men proceeded to kill their fellow Jew including their own families. The 10 then took each other’s lives. The last remaining killed himself, suicide being a greater sin than murder. When the Romans entered they found everybody already dead. This is the story told by Josephus, a Jewish-Roman historian. Some may say it is embellished, but it is the story that is told.

After being conquered by the Romans the Jews would be a dispersed people for nearly 2,000 years. Managing to hold onto their religion and identity is an amazing story of perseverance in human history.

Theodor Herzl, a non-religious Jew is considered the founder of modern day Zionism and “visionary of the state“ of Israel. As an Austro-Hungarian journalist during the late 19th century he covered a story involving a French army captain falsely accused of spying for Germany. At rallies in Paris Herzl witnessed crowds chanting “death to the Jews, Death to the Jews”, instead of “Death to the traitor” for example. Herzl came to the conclusion that no matter how much they integrate into a given society his people would never be welcomed as equal citizens in Europe. They needed their own state. Herzl made it his quest to find a safe place for the Jewish people to live. Five years after his 1904 death Tel Aviv became the first Jewish city in 2,000 years. It was founded by a secular Zionist movement with dreams and aspirations of giving the Jewish people a state. To this day Tel Aviv remains a progressive secular city. It is somewhere non-practicing or less religious Jews from anywhere in the world can potentially relate to and identify with.

Tel Aviv viewed from Jaffa

Jaffa is an ancient port city that has been inhabited for at least 9,500 years according to archeologist. Jaffa has historically been militarily strategic due to its elevated position offering unobstructed views of the coast to both the North and South. She was under Egyptian rule until 800 BCE. The city currently has a 20% Muslim population and has been incorporated into Tel Aviv.

Jaffa viewed from Tel Aviv

Arab cemetery in Jaffa

The dynamics of the Middle East changed post Ottoman Empire. None of the states that surround Israel are more than 70 years old (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia.). It is a long story full of unfulfilled promises and feelings of betrayal from every side. In short , after WWI primarily England and France orchestrated the partitioning the region irrespective of identity, religion, history or resources. Simultaneously The 1917 Balfour Declaration signed by England promised the Jewish people the state of Israel with many changes to the promised borders as time progressed. The assurance of a Jewish state increased immigration of Jews mostly from Russia and Eastern Europe. The day before the British mandate ended in 1948 Israel declared their independence becoming the first Jewish state in nearly 2,000 years. They founded a secular parliamentary democracy with a picture of Theodor Herzl hanging above them. Not everybody agreed with their clam to this land. They were invaded by Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon, and Syria over the next few days; the first Arab-Israeli War (known as War of Independence in Israel). In amazement to many, Israel managed to prevail, but the fighting and tensions would remain

For better or worse the 1967 6 day war is a turning point in Israeli history (Also known as the Third Arab-Israeli War). Israel launched a preemptive strike against Egypt, Jordan and Syria. In a matter of 6 days Israel tripled in size while gaining control over roughly one million Arabs. They occupied Sinai, The West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights. The 6 day war proved Israel to be a powerful force in the region not to be reckoned with. The 19 year old state also became a source of pride for Jews around the world including in the United States. It was a major ass whooping , country may survive after all.
Not all was well, the occupation has led to years of conflict and negative perceptions both internally and abroad. Thousands of years of history clearly complicates things. In addition, Israel faces more modern challenges on what type of state they want to be. Israel has placed herself in quite the predicament. History, both ancient and recent along with current events have not given many in Israel the faith that returning the occupied land and creating a Palestinian state will result in peace and security for their country. However, if they desired to be a democracy with a Jewish majority incorporating the West Bank or Gaza Strip is not an option either. Today most in Israel support a two-state solution In 2005 Israel pulled out of Gaza including evicting Jewish settlers from four settlements. However, Israel still controls the airspace and monitors all goods imported to the area. The Gaza Strip is currently ruled by Hamas which is considered a terrorist group by much of the world including Israel, United States, European Union, Canada and Japan. In 1995 Israel began to pull out of parts of the West Bank but continues to occupy most of it, parts are controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

In 1979 Israel signed a peace treaty with Egypt and gave Sinai back. In 1994 they signed a peace treaty and normalized relations with Jordan. .

Golan Heights

Formerly part of Syria the Golan Heights is less complicated and more straight forward than Gaza and the West Bank. It is a militarily strategic highpoint. Prior to the 6 day war missiles were frequently launched into Israeli villages from here. Israel decided to take it last minute as an icing on the cake in a Six Day War well done. Syria still lays claim to the land, it is an occupied territory according to the United Nations.

Further complicating the conflict are religious Jews who returned to their spiritual homeland with biblical expectations of their own. This has created a divide on what the state of Israel should be. Should it just be a safe place for people of Jewish identity to live? Should it take on a stronger religious context and restore 2000 year old history? To those on the far religious right it should. The Jewish settlements in the West Bank are a profound example of this and a major obstacle in peace.

In the heart of Palestine is Hebron, home to 600,000 Muslims. The graves of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah also reside here making it the 2nd holiest site in Judaism behind the Temple Mount/Western Wall in Jerusalem. Some Jews believe they have a God given right to this land. After the Six Day War about 500 Jewish fanatics moved into the center of Hebron creating settlements forcing out Palestinians. Around the surrounding hills there are more settlements with roughly 7,000 more settlers. 2,000 Israeli soldiers in the city try to keep the peace but violence frequency breaks out. In 1994 a Jewish extremist killed 29 people and wounded 125 when he opened fire in the cave of the patriarchs (where the above mentioned are buried) which is now a mosque. As recently as June 3rd 2010 a Jewish settler shot 2 Palestinians.

I originally planned to do a tour of Hebron on July 10th 2010 with a group called Breaking the Silence. An organization run by former Israeli soldiers. My tour was canceled "at the request of the police". Disappointing because it is supposed to be an excellent tour but I still went on my own with Matt & Laura, 2 Californians from my birthright trip.

Israeli combat soldiers patrolling in Hebron

You can see soldiers patrolling on the street below. We were asked to get off this roof by the soldiers. A Palestinian told me it was because they didn't want us to see the horrors of the city. My guess is it was for safety reasons. The soldiers don't want people with weapons on the roofs for both their own protection and because the other side of the street from us is the settlement

 This is the window from inside the home whose roof I was on. It faces the Jewish settlement. At the order of the Israeli's the windows are forced shut. This home was also the victim of a molotov cocktail from a settler

Palestinian shops on this street have been closed

From 1987 to 1993 Palestinians began the First Intifada, or uprising against the Israeli occupation, economic integration, and continued building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. It included strikes and boycotts against Israeli products, but also violence. Palestinians killed 164 Israelis and an estimated 1100 Palestinians who were allegedly corroborating with Israel. Not to be out done Israeli forces matched it and killed 1100 Palestinians themselves. The Second Infitada began in 2000 and proved even more deadly. An estimated 5500 Palestinians, 1100 Israelis and 64 foreigners lost their lives. The attacks of the Second Infitada included 73 suicide bombs inside Israel which accounted for 293 Israeli casualties and over 1900 injures.

Bethlehem, inside West Bank

These acts of rebellion or terrorism (depending on perspective and/or action) were not enough to force Israel into making real decisions. As is typical in the world politics the government searched an easier way out and placed a band aid over the situation. They decided one solution was to build a 25 foot tall (8 meters) security wall around Palestine. The wall is very controversial globally, it clearly should not be a long term answer to Gaza and the West Bank. However, suicide bombs are down 90% since the completion of the wall in 2004.


At current time Israeli’s are not allowed into Palestine unless they live on a settlement in the West Bank. Palestinians by the thousands with the appropriate classification and finger prints to match pass the Israeli checkpoints daily to work in Israel. Many find the experience humiliating and are harassed by Israeli soldiers.

.I was in Bethlehem during the World Cup. Found a great location to watch a game.

I am tired of writing and trying to catch up on 6 1/2 months of travel so going to end this entry now. Hopefully I will come back and put a better conclusion later. Here are some links to some more pictures from Israel and the West Bank. On my main picasa page you can find many more divided by city. I also have an album of pictures by David who was on birthright with me.

DATES: I flew from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv on June 16th 2010. I left to Egypt on July 8th 2010. Those are the dates covered in this entry.