Blogs from Bethlehem, West Bank, Israel, Middle East - page 3

After Jerusalem, we hopped on the bus and went headed to the West Bank! We were met by and enthusiastic tour guide, Khalid, who in my opinion, was the best of the 3 we had so far. After we past the checkpoint, (which I was totally unaware of since I was asleep :)) ), we headed to the Church of the Nativity where Jesus was born. We parked in a parking structure and it was probably a quarter mile walk to the church. On the walk there we got our first glances of Palestinian life. Despite all the media coverage, all we (or at least I saw) was a city of regular people living day to day trying to make a living. I really liked walking that quarter mile, and as we reached the church, we ... read more

The Israeli separation barrier, made of a combination of fence and concrete wall, can be spotted from nearly everywhere in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Its ominous contours are unavoidable. Begun in 2002, the wall is set to extend some 470 miles upon completion, several times the length of the Berlin wall which was 96 miles long. There’s nothing nice about the wall—called the Apartheid Wall by its critics—except for maybe one thing: it’s become a canvas for A LOT of cool graffiti by both Palestinian and foreign artists. The wall even attracted the famous Banksy, an English graffiti artist who keeps his identity secret. A friend and I found a taxi driver to take us to some of Banksy’s art works in and around Bethlehem. No way we would have found them on our own, especially the ... read more

From the Arab bus station in East Jerusalem, just off Damascus Gate, I hop on bus number 21 to Bethlehem. My guidebook revealed to me that this way, I won't have to pass an Israeli checkpoint. It will make me feel a bit more subversive. It's also cheaper, for I won't have to take a taxi after the checkpoint to the centre of Bethlehem. I sit down next to an Arab boy, and ask him: "Is it ok?" and he answers "It's ok". He thinks for a moment, watching me from the corner of his eye, then finally asks, albeit a bit haltingly: "How are you?" -"I'm good", I reply with a big smile, "Thank you. And how are you?" He smiles in acknowledgment. "Where you go?" -"Bethlehem. What about you?" "Hebron." After about 45 minutes, ... read more

A bon port Maintenant notre marche prend fin, devant les portes de Jerusalem nous avons la joie des pelerins heureux d'avoir ete conduits jusqu'a destination. Pourtant, l'echec nous a severement menace. Nos passeports, apres 4 voyages inch'Allah, presentent une collection quasi complete de visas des ennemis d'Israel. "Je ne pense pas que vous puissiez franchire cette frontiere" nous lache la douaniere, peu commode. Nos affaires sont confisquees, nos telephones et nos boites mails controles. Alors nous faisons le choix de la plus franche verite, expliquer en detail le contenu et l'esprit de notre projet, raconter les joies de nos rencontres, la teneure de nos conversions, la richesse de nos decouvertes... Petit a petit Adie, notre "geoliere", s'adoucie, la Verite fait son effet. Elle s'interesse de plus en plus a inch'Allah et finit par nous liberer, en ... read more

Bethlehem is only 10km away from Jerusalem. But it may as well be on the other side of the world. Because getting there so I have to cross the security fence and enter Palestine. Actually I was quite nervous about it as well. The West Bank has been built up by the international media into a extrememly dangerous world, loaded with unexploded bombings. Getting into Palestine wasn't difficult, I walked up from Damascus Gate of Jerusalem from my beloved Petra Hostel near Yaffo Gate, I paid NIS4 (HK$13) and hopped on the government official minibus and at about 5km west, I was pulled off to the check point, this is the end of Jerusalem also where the "Berlin Wall in the east" located. The Israeli may refer the wall as security fence, but the Palestines usually ... read more