After four weeks in Palestine, the Israeli checkpoints or gates which are dotted, strategically around Palestine, still makes me nervous. Built ostensibly for defensive purposes, these structures are meant for Palestinians, not, of course, for international tourists. Nevertheless, the groups armed with guns who man the iron gates and in some cases watchtowers, are as unnerving as when I arrived. As we pull up at Read More …
My first view of Bethlehem was from a kibbutz where the party with whom I was travelling stopped for lunch before going on to see the place where Mary gave birth to Jesus. We looked across a wide valley to see the buildings of Bethlehem above terraces of olive groves, hugging the ridge on the other side. Towers of Christian churches and Moslem mosques dominated Read More …
A unique experience in this place for me was exploring the Old City which until 1860 was the city of Jerusalem in its entirety. The city is surrounded by a wall and is currently located within East Jerusalem. As I went around the wall, I was able to discover the eight gates through which it is possible to access the city. The gates are also Read More …
