Steve&Bev Middle East Discovery 2011: Jerusalem: Palestine Discussion, Mt. Zion, Israel Museum, Old City (Steve as guide)

September 30, 2011

Rise and shine again! And the sun seems to shine every day this time of year. Early 8:00 a.m. we had a talk by and discussion with a Palestinian man of 39 years of age.

Now to elaborate! The talk by Farash A., the Palestinian man, was just after breakfast. He was very thorough and passionate (calmly and resolutely, as I remember). Referencing several maps, he explained facts (from his point of view and his experience), referencing several maps including the one above, "Palestinian loss of land" (from http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/media/landloss.gif), and the other titled "Israel's Wall and Settlements (Colonies) February 2007" included in a pdf document, 0609settlersfactsheet.indd. Although my notes below are long, I find it helpful (to me) to type them, and hope they are helpful to you, my readers.

First some background: Farash was born in the Old City of Jerusalem, in the Muslim Quarter, attended Arab-Palestinian-Muslim school in the Christian Quarter, moved to North Carolina in the U.S.A. to study international economics, and now works in a hotel and does specialized work such as talking with OAT pilgrims/travelers. The following notes are in Farash's first person voice: Not currently a member of the PLO, nor of Hammas, I speak today as a Palestinian.

Part I: Who are the Palestinians? They are not homogenous, but are Canaanite Arabs (mostly) and some Philistines. Some may be Jewish, some Christian, some Muslim, some Bedouin, some Druze. Where do Palestinians live? 1.5 million (21%) live in Israel, 2.2 million live in the West Bank, 1.5 million live in Gaza (the most densely populated area in the world), and 30 million live world wide. Palestinians consider themselves indigenous to the Holy Land. 750,000 left in 1947-1948 as a result of direct danger, fear of danger, or hearing of danger.

Part II.A: The Peace Process: The OSLO Accords declared that there must be (1) an Interim Palestinian Authority, self-government would be granted by Israel in stages (Palestinians are still waiting for this), (2) an Israel State (established in 1947), and (3) the Palestinian National Authority would be created, with government located in Ramallah.

In the West Bank, there were created by the OSLO Accords, administrative divisions Areas A, B, and C that divide and make the West Bank discontinuous. Palestinian economy depends a lot on Israel and Jordan, Kuwait and the UAE, the U.S.A., Europe, and Japan. Farash: "We need territorial continuity."

Part II.B: Obstacles to peace include: (1) Israeli settlements. 46,000 settlers who are religious zealots and create economic obstacles. Farash quoted U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "settlers are an impediment to peace." (2) The Israeli "security fence" is referred to by Palestinians and Europeans as "a separation wall" that bulges into Palestinian territory. (3) Jerusalem: Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their capital. Farash stated: "Bill Clinton came the closest to understanding and suggesting a solution." The IDF (Israel Defense Force) is a presence in the Christian and Muslim quarters. 90% of holy sites are in East Jerusalem. (4) Freedom of Worship: (a) The state of Israel is impeding this. (b) A Muslim must be over 50 years old to enter the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque.

Part III: Statehood: Many Palestinians think the U.S.A. is not a fair arbitrator. The 2003 decision by Palestinian Authority was that we will be peaceful (but not lay down when attacked by settlers). Regarding Gaza: Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) was created in 1985 as an extreme arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. 70% of West Jerusalem is Palestinian property. The park in the West Jerusalem neighborhood of Mamilla is a Muslim cemetery. And about 60% of Gaza people do not support Hamas.

Whew! That was a lot to digest, along with pointed questions and discussion.

Then we were off, via bus, to Mt. Zion where there is a Center for Peace and where we saw the site of the Upper Room (Cenacle) where Jesus met with his disciples. Our Jewish guide is very thorough about weaving together history, archaeology, Biblical texts. The Hagia Maria Sion Abbey with which the Upper Room is connected was formerly known as the Abbey of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. The name was changed in 1998. As with most sites, the Upper Room and the building it is in has a long history, including as a former synagogue (last BCE or early CE), a meeting place for Jewish Christians (early CE), and then the room itself was transformed into a mosque (ca. 1552). Read more at wikipedia or other perhaps more reliable sources.

Shrine of the Book

Shifting gears again, Amitai and Nurit treated us to several hours at the amazing Israel Museum including the Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit), an extensive model of Jerusalem as it was at the time of Herod, and recent archaeological findings from 6,000 years ago in the museum's permanent archaelogy collection which you can view (partially at least) online. See especially the Anthropoid sarcophagi in the Canaan portion of the exhibit.

Rosemary plants, Israel Museum

outdoor art, Israel Museum

For lunch we stopped at a place just outside the museum with one man making all of our hot sandwiches! It was a welcome change from eating in a restaurant!

Interior, Church of the Redeemer

Steve in Bell Tower

In the afternoon Steve was the guide for Evelyn, me, and himself, taking us up 700 steps in the bell tower of the Lutheran church of the Redeemer, then up on the ramparts to the roof tops and down again to the Church of John the Baptist (which was locked and then opened soon after we "crawled" through an opening into its courtyard), then off to the Western Wall to meditate and leave our written prayers. To get a sense of where all we went, look at Steve's photos (with some captions) in Part 5 of Israel albums.