Blogs from West Bank, Israel, Middle East - page 15

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Middle East » Israel » West Bank January 3rd 2006

Disclaimer from the author: Thank you for the comments and messages; I appreciate them! I should point out, however, that this trip occurred more than six years ago in late 2005. Some of the information below regarding border formalities, etc. may not reflect the current situation. Though Amman, Jordan is about 45 miles from Jerusalem as the crow flies, and would normally only be an hour-long bus ride on a highway, this ignores the fact that between the two cities lies one of the most disputed pieces of land in the world. Consequently, getting from Amman to Jerusalem can be a time-consuming and patience-testing process. Crossing Jordan The first step was to get out of Amman, and this was easily accomplished by catching a bus at Abdali station that went to the Jordanian side of the ... read more

Middle East » Israel » West Bank » Ramallah November 6th 2005

During my short stint in Jerusalem, one of the most memorable experiences was being able to spend a few hours over in the West Bank town of Ramallah. The trip started with a bus ride to the Israeli side of the security fence (read concrete wall). From there, a short walk to the Palestinian side and another bus to get to Ramallah. We arrived at around rush hour, and the traffic was fairly intense considering the limited space available for the buses to load. It took about 25 minutes to get to the center. I was surprised to see that the city seemed to be better off than many other parts of the Arab world. The explanation I was given was that the majority of NGO's and wealthy Palestinians live in the big cities, and that ... read more
Center of Ramallah
Ramallah Mosque
Recruitment poster for the martyrs brigade

Middle East » Israel » West Bank » Bethlehem July 2nd 2000

Hello my fellow travelers! This is the second and final post I'll do about my trip to Israel and Palestine in July 2000. The last post covered my time in Israel while this post covers my time in Palestine. We didn't (as far as I remember) venture into the Gaza Strip but we did go to the West Bank to visit Bethlehem and Wadi Qelt. Ownership of this area is complicated to say the least, as it is for the whole region. Nominally the West Bank is under control of the Palestinian Authorities but it's still occupied by Israel for safety reasons. There is much that can be said for both parties but I personally do understand Israel's concern. After all, when they released control completely of the Gaza strip in 1995 all they really got ... read more
Minaret
Protest
Beautiful View

Middle East » Israel » West Bank » Bethlehem December 29th 1985

There's not much to see. A church, seemingly similar to any other church. A garden, not much unlike other gardens. However, this place has a slight edge over its colleagues. It's the alleged birth site of Jesus. Might as well be. If so, one of the most important historical locations on the planet. Should be treated with due respect. Nowadays it is not. It is a war-zone. Kind of kills the myth that wars are about religion, does it not? Religion might be the excuse for the people to fight. However, the conflict is about everything but religion; principles, money, greed, power, pride, differences in logical reasoning, culture, language, you name it. And my least favorite: pure stupidity. End it with a poker game, coin toss, camel race, dwarf hunt, whatever. Let the rest of us ... read more

Middle East » Israel » West Bank » East Jerusalem August 9th 1963

The Middle Eastern Airlines flight from Beirut landed at Jerusalem's Atarot Airport at 8:30 a.m. This allowed for a full day of sightseeing before pushing on to Cairo. Jerusalem was the ninth stop on the Around the World trip. In 1963 East Jerusalem and the West Bank were governed by Jordan. (It was before the six Day War in 1967.) A series of private cars, mostly American models, transported the group. The first stop was Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity. The church was built about 326-339 over the traditional site of Jesus' birthplace, the Nativity Grotto. It was rebuilt in the 6th century under Justinian. Next on the drive through the Judean Desert was a stop at the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1946. Returning to East Jerusalem, ... read more
Church of the Nativity
Church of the Nativity
East Jerusalem, the Old City




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