First stop in Israel: Eilat
That's the plan..
These holes are located all over Israel. When you find a bomb or grenade, you drop it in this hole for safety and call the police. Great, huh?
Downtown Eilat
Eilat
Red Sea
So pretty!
Badass ship in the Red Sea
Look at the Jordanian mountains...
Aqaba, Jordan - across the Red Sea from Eliat
Awesome!
Major hotels in Eilat
Another giant ship
Fish restaurant
Eilat aquarium
Getting ready to snorkel
Zen Roy
Yay, snorkeling!
This bridge leads to the snorkeling hole. If you tried to swim there, you would destroy the reef (which is located on this side under the bridge). So you have to walk across the bridge to get there.
Snorkeling hole and major hotels
Roy in his natural habitat
Now I've been in all of these, plus the Sea of Galilee
Just outside of Eilat
So cool!
Boardwalk along the Red Sea
Eilat is a lot like Miami at night
Fountain on the boardwalk
Here's the tip of the Red Sea at night. The light from the left is coming from Aqaba, Jordan. The light from the right is Eilat, Israel.
Driving through the Negev
This desert looks a lot like the last desert..
Cows! (Most dairy products in Israel come from the south)
I want one (sign and animal)
My first - of many - tank sightings
More Negev
Collecting salts / minerals near the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea!
More Dead Sea
So beautiful..
Still Dead..
Getting ready to float in the Dead Sea
Other floaters (As you probably know, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. It also has the highest salt content of any body of water, so it's impossible to swim in it - you just float along and try to keep the salt out of your eyes. One of the most surreal experiences I've ever had)
Yay, Dead Sea!
Mountains near Dead Sea
Hotel near Dead Sea
This is the area between the two parts of the Dead Sea. (The water level has gone down so much that it's now actually two smaller bodies of water.) It's this color because of the remaining salts and minerals
Heading to Masada
Masada! (Masada is the Jewish fortress that the Romans attacked in 72 A.D. When it became clear that the Romans were going to win the battle, all 936 inhabitants committed mass suicide, in order to save themselves from becoming slaves.)
The Visitors' Center at the base of Masada
View from the Visitors' Center overlooking the Dead Sea and the Jordanian mountains
You can either take this cable car (2 minute ride) or hike the Snake Path to the top of Masada (1.5 hour hike). You can see the tiny, tiny people on the path (in the lower right). We didn't have much time, so we took the car.
View from the cable car
You can see how the Dead Sea is now split down the center
Path from the cable car to the top
Snake path
Outer wall of Masada
Patriotic Roy
This is actually where the Israeli military is sworn in.
View off the side of Masada
Masada!
Ruins
This is looking back down toward the Visitors' Center. The square structure in the bottom left-ish is the cemetary where the Roman soldiers are buried
More ruins
Archeologists at work
More digging
Masada is pretty high up..
Ruins of a synagogue
The neighboring mountain / Dead Sea. See the really tiny speck in the center of the picture on top of that mountain? That's a person!
Masada is huge, btw. We actually got somewhat lost up here..
This used to be where they kept pigeons (hence, the holes in the walls)
Walkway down to the the cave where they got their water
It's so beautiful here...
When you can take the pebble from my hand..
Roy is far braver than I am. I tried to walk all the way out there, but you wouldn't believe the dropoff..
Our intrepid explorer continues his journey
Just waiting for the water..
Bathhouse
Like I said: this place is huge!
This is the Roman rampart. They built this (with the help of many, many slaves) leading up to the top of Masada. This is how they got into the fortress.
Driving to Tel Aviv
Downtown Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is the NYC of Israel
Armenian quarter of Tel Aviv
Residential area of Tel Aviv
More residential Tel Aviv
Condos where Roy's aunt lives (she let us crash for the night)
The first day of the Compassionate Listening Project delegation. This was our hotel for the first three nights of the trip. We're in East Jerusalem (the Palestinian side).
Palestinian kids on their way to school in East Jerusalem
This is the City Wall. It surrounds the Old City of Jerusalem. The Old City includes the Western Wall (last remaining wall of Solomon's Temple and holiest Jewish site in the world), the Dome of the Rock (where Muhammad ascended into Heaven), and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (where Jesus was crucified and buried), among other things. Hence, the 'Holy Land.'
East Jerusalem
Herod's Gate (gate into the Old City)
Walking through Herod's Gate
Streets of Jerusalem
Lorrie and I walked all over Jerusalem together
Joyce is leading the way through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. (It's divided into Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian quarters.)
Old City
Me in the Armenian Quarter
The Old City is full of churches, mosques, and synagogues (unsurprisingly)
Shop selling religious items
Old City shops
Left to right: Lorrie, Paulo, and Yael sit down to lunch
Arabic inscription on doorway
These tourists are doing the Via Dolorosa walk (also known as the 'Stations of the Cross'). This runs right through the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (where Jesus was crucified).
Mmm, street food...
Houses in the Muslim Quarter
Left to right: Bonnie and Susan look at scarves a shopkeeper is offering them near the Western Wall entrance
Kids playing in the streets (obviously, no cars come through this section)
They love backgammon...
The Western Wall!
Museum near the Western Wall
People praying at the Western Wall
Our group got to pray here. We wrote prayers on small pieces of paper, and slid them into the cracks in the Wall. (It's a Jewish custom.) Once a year they use a machine to collect the prayers, and then bury them on the nearby Mount of Olives.
He's guarding the Wall for us
Soup kitchen next to Western Wall
The Dome of the Rock is literally built on top of the Western Wall because Mount Moria (what the Temple Mount is built on) is both where Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac and where Muhammad ascended into Heaven. Thus, it very holy to both Jews and Muslims.
Me at the Western Wall
Western Wall / Dome of the Rock
This is the Garden of Gethsemane. Also, the mountain in the back is the Mount of Olives.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, just next to the Dome of the Rock
Dome of the Rock
Jewish Quarter of the Old City
Jewish Quarter
The Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Mount of Olives, as seen from the top of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City
Believe it or not, these guys were hitting each other with these when we walked by
Hurva Synagogue in the Old City
Homes in the Jewish Quarter
The stones at the bottom of the picture are actually the remnants of the orignal City Wall in the Jewish Quarter (which was knocked down centuries ago). The blue and white marking shows how high this wall used to be. A new wall has been constructed nearby, replacing this one and enclosing the Old City within the City Wall. (This is part of the same wall as before.)
Underground mall in the Jewish Quarter
Roman forum in Old City
Our delegation (minus a few members)
This is the top of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This church was built around Mount Golgotha (where Jesus was crucified) and the cave where Jesus was buried. This is considered to be the holiest Christian site in the world.
Shops in the Christian Quarter
Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Outside the tomb where Jesus was buried
This structure was built around the tomb. You are allowed to light candles here and kiss the door of the tomb.
Hiking the stairs up to the top of Mount Golgotha. (Remember that this church is built around the entire thing..)
This is the altar on top of Mount Golgotha. You can kneel down under this altar and touched the spot where Jesus was crucified.
Left to right: Ibrahim Khalid and Rami Elhanan. They are the leaders of the Bereaved Families Forum. This group includes 600 families - approximately 300 from each side - who have lost their children in the conflict but are still committed to peace and non-violence. Ibrahim's 7 year old son had been run over by an Israeli tank. Rami's 13 year old daughter had been blown up by a suicide bomber. After meeting them and hearing them call each other 'brother' and finding out how much they have done to bring these families together and teach people about peace, I realized: 1. I have no reason to complain about anything, whatsoever. If these men can be happy with their lives, then so can I. 2. There is so much hope in the Holy Land. If only people knew how much people from both sides were doing to help, they would see that it's not at all hopeless. Eventually, there will be peace.
This is Bethlehem, Palestine. We're standing in Gilo, an Israeli settlement that overlooks Bethlehem. (A 'settlement' is an Israeli community that is built in Palestine. These are considered to be a major source of conflict because: 1. They are illegal, by international law 2. Many settlers do not treat their Palestinian neighbors well, at all 3. Settlements are considered to be a part of Israel, so as more are built, more land belongs to Israel and less land belongs to Palestine.
Bethlehem. The church in the center is the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus was born.
This is the Wall. It was built by Israel to separate Israel and Palestine. In this area, it is still being finished. Although it's hard to see, there is a metal fence covered in barbed wire that continues across the land. Eventually, the Wall will replace this fence and will completely surround the West Bank. There is another one around Gaza.
Settlement houses at Gilo
The Wall. Israel started building the Wall in 2002 during the second Palestinian uprising ('Second Intifada'). It is considered to be a major source of conflict. Supporters of the Wall say that it protects Israeli citizens from Palestinian suicide bombers. They call it the 'Security Wall' or 'Envelope of Jerusalem.' Opponents of the Wall say it is being used to separate Palestinians from their land (because it is primarily built within the West Bank, rather than on the Green Line) and keeps Palestinians isolated and oppressed. Also, nearly all the hospitals in the area are on the Israeli side of the Wall. Pregnant women and sick Palestinians die at the checkpoints every day because they are not allowed to pass through the checkpoints. They call it the 'Apartheid Wall.'
Church ruins in East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem. The mountain in the background is where Herod is buried.
The Wall
East Jerusalem. Note the trash on the side of the hill. Garbage pickup in Palestine is spotty and sometimes non-existent, so there is often garbage everywhere.
The Wall. It is twice the height of the Berlin Wall, as you can see here.
Jerusalem, as seen from the Mount of Olives
The Dome of the Rock
I'm in Jerusalem!
This part of the Judean desert runs straight from Jerusalem to Jericho. Israel had been planning to built settlements here, but President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice told it not to, because it would split the West Bank in half. Instead, Palestinian Bedouin nomads live here, growing olive trees and raising goats and camels.
A house in West Jerusalem (the Jewish side). This is where we met Ester Golan, a Holocaust survivor who now works to bring peace between Jews and Germans, and Israelis and Palestinians. (She's incredible, btw.)
Phil and Lorrie outside the Israeli Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma in Jerusalem
Left to right: Dr. Naomi Baum and Joyce (who is a member of our delegation). Naomi is a doctor at the Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma. She works with Israeli soliders who have post-traumatic stress disorder. During the Israel / Lebanon War in 2006, all three of her sons were in the Israeli military fighting in Lebanon. Fortunately, none of them were injured or killed.
The grounds outside Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem
Yad Vashem
Our delegation getting ready to tour Yad Vashem
Spot where John the Baptist was born
Mary's Spring (just outside Jerusalem)
Maria at the Church of John the Baptist
Outside Jerusalem
City Wall near the Damascus Gate
Park just outside the City Wall
Church near the Damascus Gate
City Wall
My friends and I did the City Wall walk. You climb up one of the gates, and then walk along the top of the Wall around the Old City of Jerusalem. Amazing!
Lorrie on the City Wall
Lemon trees inside the Old City
The big building in the back is the King David Hotel. It's famous for: 1. Being the nicest hotel in Jerusalem 2. It was blown up by the Irgun, a militant Zionist group in 1946. It had been housing the Secretariat of the Government of Palestine and was the headquarters of the British Forces in Palestine and Transjordan. 91 people were killed.
Jerusalem
Front to back: Sharon, Lorrie, and Betsy on the City Wall
Top of the City Wall
Muslim Quarter of the Old City
Park outside the Old City
Houses in the Old City
Top of the City Wall, near the Damascus Gate
A family picnicing
Betsy and Lorrie
Souk (market) in East Jerusalem
Man selling street food
Muslim cemetary near the Lion's Gate
The Church of Mary Magdalene (on the Mount of Olives)
All Nations Church (next to the Garden of Gethsemane)
Montefoire Windmill outside Jerusalem
Leah Lublin. She is a settler in Ma'ale Adumin (a settlement in East Jerusalem). We had Shabbat dinner at her house. She said that when she originally moved to Palestine, she was a Zionist who believed in 'Greater Israel.' But once she had lived here for a few years, she realized the Palestinians had just as much of a right to live here as the Israelis. She has chosen to stay in the settlement because it enables her to host dialogue sessions in her home with her Palestinian neighbors and Israeli friends (whom she invites from Israel). If she were to move back to Israel, she would not be allowed to come to Palestine unless she were invited by another settler. So she wants to stay in the West Bank in order to continue her peace work.
The Wall (in Bethlehem). This is literally across the street from the Bethlehem Inn, where we stayed during our first three nights in Palestine. Wall art is very common. It is considered to be a form of artistic protest.
Phil at the Bethlehem Inn.
Wall art. These portraits were done by the French photographer and street artist 'JR' as part of 'Face2Face.' He took pictures of Israelis and Palestinians and painted them on both sides of the wall, so that they could finally see each other.
Samer Khoury and Leah enjoy Arabic coffee in his office in the Bethlehem Inn. Samer owns the Inn. His father built it in 1996 so that 'there would always be enough room for guests in Bethlehem.' In October 2000, Israeli soldiers invaded and occupied the Inn, making his family homeless. In January 2004, Samer's father suffered a serious heart attack. Samer tried to take him to the hospital in nearby Jerusalem, but the soldiers would not let them through the checkpoint. He died after being stopped at the Wall for four hours. In September 2006, the Israeli soldiers left the Inn, and Samer returned with his family. He says he now sleeps with his wife and 9 year old son all in the same room, because he is terrified the Israeli soldiers will kill them if he's not there to protect them.
The Wall, as seen from the top floor of the Bethlehem Inn
This is at Al-Arroub refugee camp in Palestine, between Bethlehem and Hebron. About 10,000 Palestinians live in this camp, primarily displaced from the Jaffa area. The night before we got there, Israeli soldiers did a raid and broke into ten houses, looking for terrorists.
This is the camp's hospital. It has three patient rooms, plus two offices. It is run by volunteers from the UNWRA.
This is the front room in the hospital.
Michael talking to one of our guides at the camp
Left to right: Sissi (who is wheelchair bound, unfortunately), Joyce, Michael, and I walk down the main street through the camp
Refugee camp
Women walk to the mosque for afternoon prayer
Left to right: Bonnie (who is also wheelchair bound, unfortunately), me, and Muhammad (who is a director at the camp)
Refugee kids
The boys' school at the camp. This is run by the UNWRA.
Refugee kids during their lunch break
Abdel was one of our guides at the camp. He is 19 years old. He lives at Al-Arroub, and is studying to be an accountant. He's already spent one year in prison for throwing a rock at an Israeli tank in the camp (although he says he didn't do it - that it was his friend). When I told him that I was from New York, he told me (in Arabic): 'I love New York. I want to move there, if I can ever get out of this place.' I responded (also in Arabic): 'I love Palestine.' He almost started crying.
The main mosque at the camp
Lorrie
The camp
Plants in the camp
Abdel's neighbor and her four children
More refugee kids
Aren't they adorable?
More really cute refugee kids.
A refugee family
Abdel and his two friends (and me, although I appear to be sleeping..)
New playground, built by the UNWRA
Left to right: Michael, Paulo, and Lorrie at the camp
A new fountain at the camp. This fountain, the swimming pool, and the girls' school were all built with the help of a large donation made by a former member of the Compassionate Listening delegation.
The new girls' school
The new swimming pool. This was the first summer it was used.
Garden near the girls' school
More adorable refugee kids
The people in the camp made us lunch and shared their stories with us. This is us just after we finished praying with them.
When we tried to leave the camp, we were stopped by these Israeli guards and their friends. The only entrance / exit to the camp had been closed because of an 'incident' earlier in the day. Palestinian kids had been throwing stones at the tank near the entrance, so they pushed the tank in front of the gate and closed all access. They held us at gunpoint for about 20 minutes until Leah was able to explain (in Hebrew) that we were American citizens who were just touring the area. Finally, they let us go. It was one of the scariest things that happened on the trip.
Ali Qleibo - a cultural anthropologist and author of 'Before the Mountains Disappear,' a book about Palestine. He lectures at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem.
St. George's Church in Al-Khader (near Bethlehem). Ali Qleibo took us there with his mother and daughter.
This is inside St. George's Church. It is holy to both Christians and Muslims.
St. George's Church
Ali Qleibo's daughter lights candles in St. George's Church
St. George
We all lit candles here.
Solomon's Pools. There are three of these gigantic pools in Al-Khader. Unfortunately, all of them are now empty.
Julia at Solomon's Pools.
Solomon's Pools
Left to Right: Yael, Ari, Betsy, Janet, and Leah (the founder / leader of the delegation). We were all still stressed out about being held at the refugee camp, so we came back to the Bethlehem Inn that night to relax and have fun.
Party time!
More Wall art
This guard tower is about 50 feet from the Bethlehem Inn. The first night we were here, there was gunfire just outside the hotel - I think it was coming from this tower. We were told not to go out at night (a good suggestion). This picture is my favorite piece of Wall art. It shows a Christmas tree (representing Bethlehem) surrounded by concrete slabs.
The Church of the Nativity (where Jesus was born)
Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity
The door to the Church of the Nativity. I'm serious - this is the only way in.
Inside the church. Isn't it beautiful?
The roof is meant to look like a manger.
The entire floor of the Church used to be mosaic, but they were worried about it getting damaged, so they built another floor over it. You can still see the mosaics wherever the trapdoors are open.
Altar at the front of the Church
Susan, Maria, and I walked down the stairs underneath the front of the church to where Jesus was born
The altar
This church is so amazing
This modern church is built adjacent to the Church of the Nativity. This is where services take place now.
A multilingual Catholic confessional
Outside the Church of the Nativity
Bethlehem
Main road through Bethlehem
Arabic coffee shop
See: the West Bank isn't all bad
Suleiman al-Hamri. He one of the founders of Combatants for Peace. When he was 14 years old, he and his friend stabbed an Israeli soldier. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. When he was released in 1997, he made the decision to dedicate his life to bringing peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He and his friends formed Combatants for Peace, which includes former Palestinian terrorists and Israeli soliders who now believe violence is not the answer. They meet with groups from both sides to discuss non-violent actions that can lead to a peaceful reconciliation.
This is the Hope Flowers School. It was created in order to teach Israeli and Palestinian children together in peace. Now that the Wall keeps Israeli children out of the West Bank, only Palestinian children go here. Regardless, the school is still committed to teaching students both sides of the conflict and that violence solves nothing.
Here are some of the supplies we donated to the Hope Flowers School
Ghada and Ibrahim (the woman and man on the left) run the Hope Flowers School. The blind woman in the picture is Linda, from our delegation. She donated a laptop to the school.
Left to right: Leah, Ghada, Ibrahim, and Julia. Julia was the only Palestinian in our group. She raised money in the US to buy another laptop for the Hope Flowers School. (For the record, there were eight Jews in our delegation, plus two Jewish facilitators: Yael - our Israeli guide, and Leah - the founder of the delegation.)
Sign in the main office of the Hope Flowers School
Hope Flowers School
Hope Flowers School playground
Painting near the entrance to the Hope Flowers School
This is the library of the Hope Flowers School.
Math class at the Hope Flowers School
The math teacher
Painting at the Hope Flowers School
The Hope Flowers School is very well regarded internationally.
Kids at the front gate of the school
Sharon had to leave halfway through the trip, unfortunately, because her husband back home was ill. We said goodbye at the school.
Nafiz Rifai. He is the co-founder of the Build Palestine Initiative. He believes the reason why so many young Palestinian people become suicide bombers is because they don't see any way they can have a future in Palestine. There are very few jobs, few places to live (Palestinians often cannot get permission from Israel to build houses, so they become homeless), no social programs, etc. He believes technology training and job insourcing could help Palestinians build a future for themselves 'where the Wall can't isolate them.'
This is at the Beit Yatir settlement in the south Hebron hills. We met with Judith Margolis here, a local artist and settler. She told us her husband was a fierce Zionist who had pushed for them to move here. Two years ago, he died, and now she doesn't have the money to move back to Israel. She wants to live in peace with the Palestinian in the area, but she is afraid of her hostile Israeli neighbors in the settlement.
Judith Margolis' house
Judith showed us a series of illustrations she did for a book of Jewish prayers
More Judith paintings
Palestinian Heritage Center in Bethlehem
This is at Hebron (widely considered to be the most dangerous part of the West Bank). Hebron consists of 120,000 Palestinians and 500 Israeli settlers. The people who live here - on both sides - tend to be very religious and want to be close to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the main holy site in Hebron. Thus, there is a massive fight over land, particularly in the Old City. To try to keep the warring groups separated, Hebron is divided up by numerous checkpoints. In order to get into the Old City, we had to convince the Israeli soldiers that we were not a threat. Michael and Leah explained to them who we were and what we were doing.
Once we got into Hebron, we left the bus and started walking through the settlers' enclave. We were stopped every block or so by soldiers so that they could check our passports and find out why we were there. This is Yael explaining to them in Hebrew what we were doing.
Yael walking down the main street through Hebron. This used to be all Palestinian houses, but in the past 20 years, more and more settlers have been killing the Palestinians and taking over their homes. The Palestians greatly outnumber the settlers in this area, and they retaliate by throwing rocks and Moltov cocktails at the settlers. Thus, many Israeli soldiers are now stationed in Hebron to protect the settlers. Unfortunately, they do not intervene to protect the Palestinians unless they are directly ordered to by the Israeli government (as with the recent fight over the House of Contention). So most Palestinians in Hebron live in terror. The streets in the Old City are now almost completed deserted, save for the military and UN vehicles.
The Tomb of the Patriarchs - sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, alike. This is where Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah are buried. It is also supposed to be where the gate to the Garden of Eden is located. I find this ironic, because Hebron is - without a doubt - the scariest place I have ever seen.
Israeli soldier guarding the streets of Hebron
Main street of Hebron
Soldier guarding Hebron
This says "Revenge" in Hebrew. In 1929, 67 Jews (almost all Ashkenazi) were killed in Hebron by the Arab Palestinians. Before the 1880s, Sephardic Jews and Arab Palestinians lived in Palestine more or less in peace for centuries. But as the situation for Ashkenazi Jews began to deteriorate in Europe, more and more of them began moving to Palestine (thus starting the Zionist movement). Most of them did not speak Arabic, and did not get along well with the Arab Palestinians (who wanted to know how it was 'their land' when they hadn't been there for centuries). After false rumors spread that the Ashkenazi Jews had attacked Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the Arab Palestinians attacked and slaughtered 67 of them in Hebron. Many of the settlers in modern day Hebron cite this massacre as their reason for killing and stealing land from Palestinians who live in Hebron. The direct descendents of survivors from this massacre, however, have unanimously condemned the violent actions of settlers in Hebron.
This is Hebrew for 'Kill All Arabs.' The current custom in Hebron is for settlers to spraypaint the Star of David and / or 'Kill All Arabs' on the door of a Palestinian house that they want to take over. That is the warning to the Palestinian family that they should evacute. If they don't, the settlers then try to get the inhabitants arrested, or kill them, outright. This now happens every day in Hebron, as more settlers move there.
Our group in Hebron. The man with the videocamera works for 60 Minutes. They were filming a special for 60 Minutes on the conflict when we were there.
Our group talking to the international correspondent Bob Simon from 60 Minutes. He and his cameraman were walking through Hebron alone, filming a special about the conflict. Honestly, many of us agreed that we were happy to walk with him, because the chances of us being attacked were slimmer if the settlers knew someone was filming.
Right to left: Lorrie, Patti (my roommate on the trip), Bob Simon, and Amy
More soldiers
Streets of Hebron
Our group walking through Hebron. The Palestinian house on the right has a cage around its porch and windows. This cage has been implemented by the Palestinians to protect them from the settlers. The only houses on the main street in Hebron that still have Palestinians in them have these 'cages of protection.'
Hebron
More soldiers in Hebron, looking for snippers
Palestinian house in Hebron
Another soldier
House in Hebron, now abandoned
'Cage of Protection'
Military base at Hebron
Leah talking to us about the conflict in Hebron
The Settlers' Museum in the Old City of Hebron. This is dedicated to the 1929 Massacre. So far, no plans have been discussed to build a museum to the 1994 Massacre, in which 48 Palestinians were murdered by the Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein from Hebron. The Palestinians had been praying inside the Cave of the Patriarchs, when he shot them to death with an assault rifle.
Inside the Settlers' Museum. These are pictures of the victims of the 1929 Massacre.
Another checkpoint
Jewish settlers in the Old City of Hebron
Houses in Hebron
The main streets in the Old City have divided walkways for settlers and Palestinians. The Palestinian sides were always more narrow and had all the garbage in them, as far as I could tell.
Sad horse
Israeli soldier
Leah is directing us through Hebron
Yet another checkpoint
This is one of the main divisions between the Palestinian and the settler sides of Hebron. Dr. Taleb Harithi from the Palestinian Peace Society talks to Bonnie about how to get her scooter over the turnstile.
Palestinian side of Hebron
Members of the Palestinian Peace Society talk to us about a non-violent protest they are doing to end the Palestinian closures in Hebron's Old City.
Leah talks about our delegation and what we have seen, so far, in Israel and Palestine
No explanation needed
The leader of the Hebron Women's Committee leads us to their headquarters
These members of the Hebron Women's Committee talk to us about what it is like to live in modern Hebron. They told us they were happy we would be staying with them and their friends in Hebron for the night, because then at least they know they will be safe from settler attacks (and Israeli soldier attacks, which often happen in Hebron, as well) for one night.
The Hebron Women's Committee consists of poor Palestinian women who are not able to find jobs in Hebron. They work together to sew clothes, blankets, and tents to be sold to tourists and the local community. A lot of them survive solely off this money, and whatever donations are given to the Committee.
This is Baheera. Maria and I stayed with her family overnight in Hebron. She is in her last year of school. She's 17 years old.
This is Khaled (my homestay father) and Ahmed (my 4 year old homestay brother). This is in their apartment in Hebron.
This is Janan, my 9 year old homestay sister. She asked if she could hide in my bag and come back with me to the United States.
Janan and me
This is Mohamad, my 10 year old homestay brother. I helped him with his English homework. (His English is a lot better than my Arabic..)
Mohamad stole my scarf and started showing me how to dance
Janan and Baheera are much better dancers than me, too
Still dancing
Maria busts a move
Amani, my homestay mother, made us a glorious breakfast feast
I play ball with Ahmed and Khaled watches the news, waiting to hear the acceptance speech from Barak Obama. This is right after we found out he was the elected.
My family's mosque
This is a road closure in Hebron, just outside Khaled's mother-in-law's house. My friend Lorrie stayed the night at this house, and we were going to pick her up and drive back to Bethlehem to meet the rest of the group. This road closure marks the new border between settlers' and Palestinians' land. Unfortunately, his mother-in-law's house in now on the Israeli side (as of two week's ago, when they drew this border).
This is inside the mother-in-law's house. Three days ago, a settler threw this rock through her window in the living room. She still hasn't finished cleaning it up.
This is her living room. The shades are drawn because two days before Lorrie got there (three days ago, at this point), settlers shot through the windows on the wall on the left. They are trying to drive her family out of the house, so that they can take it over. The family now stays in the kitchen, because it is the only room without windows.
This is Lorrie and her homestay family. Khaled's mother-in-law is the women standing behind Lorrie. The woman in the front is her daughter, Naheel Mohammad. These two women live in this house with Naheel's two little girls. There are no men here to protect them. They said they would leave but they have no money and nowhere to go. When we left, the older woman was crying. We promised to pray for her. There have been so many riots in Hebron over the past few weeks, that I have started checking with Lorrie and reading the Palestinian obituaries to make sure our families are okay. So far, they are still safe.
This is the upstairs apartment over theirs. The settlers and soldiers have already taken it over and destroyed it.
This is Hebron, as seen from the top of their building.
The same upstairs apartment
This is the hallway in the upstairs apartment. Look at the blood on the wall in front of me.
Lorrie in the apartment. You have to walk on top of this refrigerator door lying in the hallway in order to get in
This used to be the family's kitchen.
Windows in this apartment
Bedroom
Living room
Bullet holes
The hallway
Porch
Another apartment in the building. Lorrie's family is the only family left (out of four apartments).
This is their front door. As I said: the warning.
Left to right: Betsy, Maria, Ari, Leah, and Linda celebrate the Obama victory back in Bethlehem
Checkpoint at Ramallah (the capital of Palestine)
Ramallah checkpoint
Ramallah!
Hilarious..
Walking through Ramallah
Ramallah
Yummy Ramallah ice cream (which tastes like ice cream, but is somehow the same texture as taffy)
Lion's Circle in Ramallah
Zahira Kamal. She is one of the leaders in the Palestinian Democratic Union. We met with her and her associates at her office in Ramallah. She talked about the failures of both Hamas and Fatah, and how much better life would be for the Palestinians if the Democratic Union wins the next election.
Palestinian man and Israeli guards in Ramallah
The Wall in Ramallah
Leaving Ramallah
Mosque on the way to Jericho
Road to Jericho
More camels!
Settlements on the road to Jericho
Village in the Judean desert
Outside Jericho
Mount Quarantania, where Satan tempted Jesus
The Sea of Galilee! (Now we're back in Israel)
The Sea of Galilee (as seen at Ohalo Manor, the guesthouse at Kibbutz Kinneret)
Sea of Galilee
Ohalo Manor
Kibbutz Kinneret grounds
Left to right: Ari and Gin at the Sea of Galilee
I love it here!
The Sea of Galilee is actually very shallow on this edge, so you can walk out very far without sinking. (That makes it look as though you are 'walking on water'..)
Ohalo Manor, as seen from the beach
Someone else made this fish and left it here on the beach
Left to right: Noam, Liat, and Anael Harpaz. Anael runs Creativity for Peace, an organization that brings Palestinian and Israeli teenage girls together once a year in the United States to meet and talk about the conflict together. The girls almost always leave as friends, and then spread the message back home that the 'other side' is worth getting to know. These two Israeli girls (Noam and Liat) did the camp this past summer. They talked to us about how traumatic it's been for them to begin their military training, since they don't want to fight the Palestinians anymore. They talked about how they cried the first time they had to hold guns and shoot at cutouts of Palestinian men. (Our delegation also left in tears..)
Kibbutzim farms at the Sea of Galilee
Farms in the Golan Heights
The Golan Heights
Plants at a settlement in the Golan Heights
Efrat Badihi. She is a settler from Keshet in the Golan Heights. She describes herself as a 'nice fanatic' Zionist who is commited to the 'Greater Israel.' When the Israeli military was evacuating settlers from Gaza, she traveled there for the first time to try to get them to change their mind and let the settlers stay. She said she wishes Israelis and Palestinians could live in peace together because: 'The Palestinians could learn so much from us. They don't even have a culture. We could really teach them a lot.'
The Golan Heights. Many of these fields look beautiful, but they are very dangerous. Syrian and Israeli mines were never removed from this area, and the fields are full of them. In many places, you have to watch for red markers indicated nearby landmines. People and cattle get blown up all the time here.
This is the Hamat Geder Hot Springs. It's built on the border of Israel, Syria, and Jordan. We spent several hours here. I highly, highly recommend it.
Driving down off the Golan Heights
Hamat Geder Hot Springs
Ohalo Manor, back at the Kibbutz Kinneret
Driving to Mt. Tabor
Mt. Tabor, near Nazareth
A restaurant near Mt. Tabor
Bedouin Heritage Center, Mt. Tabor
Aida Shibli. She is a Bedouin peacemaker who lives with her daughter (the girl on her lap) on Mt. Tabor. Her father opened this tent in October 2000, with the aim of providing a place where Israelis and Palestinians can meet and talk about the conflict and come to understand one another. She helps lead discussions here, and organizes peace marches throughout Israel with people from both sides of the conflict and internationals. Their slogan is 'We refuse to be enemies!'
We prayed with Aida
Nidal, our driver
Mt. Carmel in Nazareth, where Elijah lived for a few years
The Valley of Megiddo. According to Revelations, the final battle of good and evil will take place here.
The IEC Tower, the tallest building in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa and the Mediterranean Sea
Susan in Haifa Cemetary
Left to right: Yossi Zur and Julia. Yossi's 16 year old son Asaf Zur was killed in the Haifa bus bombing on March 5, 2003. Sixteen other people were also killed, including Tal Kehrmann, a 17 year old. We met Yossi and his friend Ron Kehrmann (Tal's father) at their children's graves in Haifa Cemetary.
Paulo and Yossi hold up the photos of the 17 people who were killed in that bombing. There were Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze on the bus when it blew up. All of them are now dead.
This part of Haifa Cemetary is reserved for Israelis who have been killed in terrorist attacks.
This grave in front is Tal's. Her friends wrote messages to her and her family on stones. These were eventually attached to the original tombstone.
Ron shows us pictures of Tal at her prom. These were taken a few months before she died.
This is Asaf's grave. He always loved surfing, so his parents decided to make his tombstone look like a surfboard and waves so that it will always stand out and help people remember Asaf.
Haifa Cemetary and the Mediterranean Sea
Sunset at the cemetary
Our group meets to talk about how we feel about the day's sessions.
Lobby of the YMCA Three Arches Hotel. This is considered to be the nicest YMCA in the world. We stayed here during our last two nights of the delegation. (This is in West Jerusalem.)
YMCA Three Arches Hotel
The King David Hotel is right across the street from the YMCA. In the lobby, there are pictures of the aftermath of the 1946 bombing.
Sign outside the YMCA hotel. Amen.
Tel Aviv site where Yitzhak Rabin was killed. He was assassinated in 1995 by Yigal Amir, a right-wing Orthodox Jew who opposed the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Back in Tel Aviv
Left to right: Maggie, Amy, Julia, and Paula outside the Zochorot office in Tel Aviv.
Susan and me. Susan was taking a year's sabbatical to travel around the world and help in the most dangerous and politically damaged countries. Before doing this trip, she worked in Uganda, Rwanda, and Morocco. After this, she was headed to Burma. We affectionately called this 'Susan's World Atrocities Tour.' Unsurprisingly, she is one of the most amazing people I've ever met..
Bonnie and Michael
Norma Musih. Norma works for the Israeli organization Zochrot (which means 'Remembering' in Hebrew). Zochrot's main purpose is to teach people about the 'Nakba,' or the Palestinian 'catastrophe.' When Israel was established in 1948, more than two-thirds of the Palestinian population was exiled. 500 Palestinian villages were destroyed. More than 800 Palestinians were killed in village massacres, such as at Deir Yassan and Kafr Qasem. Collectively, these events are known to Palestinians as 'an-Nakba.' Most Israeli citizens do not know about the circumstances under which the Palestinians left Israel. They have never heard of the Nakba. The people at Zochrot are working to teach the Nakba in Israeli schools and raise awareness about the suffering on both sides of the conflict.
House in Jaffa
Family in Jaffa
Jaffa
Tel Aviv, as seen from Jaffa
Lighthouse at Jaffa
Clocktower in Jaffa
We spent our last day in Jaffa because Julia (the only Palestinian in our group) was originally from this area. Her father grew up in Jaffa. He was 16 years old in 1948 during the Nakba. A van drove through the center of town and someone with a bullhorn warned people that they had five minutes to leave the town before the Israeli army got there to take it over. His family fled, and he has never been back since. When he found out Julia was going to visit Israel / Palestine for the first time, he drew her a map of where his house was in Jaffa. This used to be the house. It is now a French hospital.
Left to right: Julia and her Israeli friend (whose name I've forgotten) in Jaffa
The Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Trees in Jaffa
Horseback riding on the beach in Jaffa
Glorious sunset!
I love this country
Left to right: Maria, Bonnie, and Diane. They helped Bonnie out of her wheelchair so she could watch the sunset from the beach.
Joyce
My last of four seas..
Sunset at Jaffa
God, I love this place
Saying goodbye to Paulo
Left to right: Dalia Landau and Leah. Dalia is an Israeli from Ramle, near Jaffa. Her family moved from Bulgaria to Israel in 1948, and took over a house that was declared 'abandoned property by the state.' In 1967, Dalia met the Palestinian family who had been forced out of the house during the Nakba and heard their story. With their consent and participation, she transformed the house into a coexistence center for Jews, Muslims, and Christians called 'Open House.' She now lives in Jerusalem, and often travels to Ramallah to visit with her 'Palestinian family.'
Saying goodbye to Yael
Phil and me
Saying goodbye to Linda
Left to right: Diane, Janet, and me
Joyce and me
Saying goodbye to Lorrie
Bonnie and me
Maria and me
Amy and me
Leah and me
My room at Ecco Homo Convent in the Old City of Jerusalem. I stayed here with Julia my last night in Israel, after the delegation was over.
Ecco Homo Convent
The checkpoint into Jordan at Bet She'an
At the checkpoint
Leaving Israel
Crossing the Jordan River (it's much smaller than I had imagined..)
Back in Jordan!
