Blogs from West Bank, Israel, Middle East - page 11

Back in Nablus after two weeks of computer-free travel in Israel, I am learning to find my way to and from the important points in town, such as the Al Jasmeen Hotel which is a local hangout for foreigners, I've been told, and has great coffee and free wifi. Now that I've found my way here I can write a little about my recent travels. There has been a lot of contrast during these last two weeks between Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Deisha, a refugee camp outside of Bethlehem in the West Bank. After staffing a Shambhala Training level in Tel Aviv I was planning to embark on a couchsurfing mission around Israel in order to meet Israelis and get some sort of a picture of Israeli society first hand rather than rely on other people's ... read more

Photos of Bethlejem...... read more

I am writing this from the comfort of my living room in Marietta, Georgia having just returned from Israel a few hours ago. Many thanks to Patricia and Dale for picking me up at the last minute from Marta and Mitch for taking exceptional care of Snuggles these last two weeks. I have one last entry from Israel--Bethlehem from the West Bank. This was definitely not a planned trip but one I will never forget. A colleague named Pat from the counselors' group and I headed out to Jerusalem on Saturday as we had some rare time to ourselves during the Jewish Sabbath. We were approached by a cab driver in front of our hotel who made an offer we decided we would not pass up--he drove us to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem ... read more

After driving across the desert plain of Moab, we crossed the Jordan River approximately where the Israelites crossed when Jehovah miraculously stopped the river. The Allenby Bridge is named for the British field marshal who captured Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks in 1917. I must agree with Naaman the Syrian. Although the River floods to a mighty crest in the spring, at this time of year it is a muddy trickle. I'm sure he felt insulted at being asked to dip himself in it, and I'm certain there are seven streams back in Fairfax County that appear more impressive. We are already over 800 feet below sea level. Nearby is the ancient city of Jericho, where Rahab hid the 2 Israelite spies, and where God made the city walls collapse so Joshua could take the city. ... read more

Bienvenue en Territoire Occupé Une charmante douanière aux yeux bleu (presqu'aussi beaux que ceux de mes soeurs) me demande avec un ravissant sourire si je compte me rendre en territoires palestiniens, j'acquiesce naïvement... funeste aveux qui nous coutera 8 heures d'attente à la frontière! C'est l'occasion d'expérimenter les péripéties qu'endurent systématiquement les Palestiniens de Jordanie pour rentrer dans leur propre pays, on en rencontre certains qui attendent depuis plus de 10 heures sans explications ! On arrive à Jérusalem en soirée Phillippe, Véronique et leur fils Amadéo nous hébergent dans leur immense appart' grand confort, ambassadeur Belge pour la Palestine il nous parle du pays : toujours aussi passionnant, mais les choses n'ont pas l'air de se diriger vers la paix... Pour la fête de l'Assomption toutes vos intentions de prière ont pieusement été déposées au ... read more