Reminiscence from the Levant: Part Twenty Three – The Wall that separates.
Bethlehem is in Palestinian Territories. To reach there- first you need to go to the Israeli Border Security Check Point (corresponding with Bethlehem) and then cross over.
I started off for Bethlehem soon after checking in the New Palm Hostel. Took a minibus all the way to the Security Check Point corresponding with the entrance of Bethlehem… I was there in 45 minutes.
The Public Transport is very good and surprisingly cheap. Everything else is very expensive. Though, I did not feel the pinch as I was coming from Jordan… and had lived quite lavishly over there. The overvalued Jordanian Dinar makes Jordan a bad tourist proposition- I had never felt the pinch in Egypt, Syria (or for that matter even in Cyprus)… but Jordan was definitely very expensive. In case of Israel, even though the prices are high but it is also geared up to serve the backpackers… so one can enjoy Jerusalem, without spending too much of money. Things like Hostels, good Public Transport, and Low Entrance Fees make the life of a traveler, easy.
Israel and Palestinian Territories are separated by a wall. Since mid 1990s, Israel has been trying to construct a Wall that separates the Palestinian Territories from Israel… it contends that such a wall will help it in protecting its civilian population from Palestinian terrorist attacks. However the Palestinian's counter this claim, calling this wall a racial wall that intends to usurp their land… The wall has assumed iconic position in the dispute between the two parties.
Crossing the wall was an experience. The security apparatus that separates Israel from Palestine is very strict and modern. At one Check Point, I saw a black girl manning it. I greeted her, though her reply was a bit terse. I introduced myself as an Indian tourist, which changed her attitude towards me… I realized that she came to Israel from Ethiopia, some seven years ago. Soon I stepped into the Palestinian Territories; while stepping in- it occurred to me that perhaps this is the last piece of Occupied Territory in the entire world, in an undisputable sense.
The other side of the wall is interesting- it bears the testimony of one of the longest drawn political struggle in the modern history of mankind. The entire wall is painted with slogans, graffiti, and caricatures depicting the "plight of a Palestinian". Some caught my attention-
After crossing, one can find a lot of cabs waiting for potential customers… I didn’t want to take a cab, and yet after some querying I realized that Bethlehem (and for that matter, most of the Palestinian cities) are poor in terms of intra-city public transport. I hired a taxi- 20 USD for 4 hours- to see Shepherd Fields, Nativity Church and Milk Grotto.
My first stop in Bethlehem was Shepherd Fields. Shepherd Field is the place where the angels visited, announcing the holy birth to a group of simpleton shepherds. A church was built on the site in early phases of Christianity, but later it was decimated… in recent time, a new church has been built in this place…. Nearby are the ruins of a Byzantine Church and monastery.
Inside of the church is beautiful, the walls are painted with beautiful frescoes depicting the events of the holy birth. I was mesmerized with the beautiful frescoes. The nearby ruins of a Byzantine Church and the monastery are interesting; they depict a lot of information on the life and times of its era.
The Second stop was the Nativity Church. The place where Jesus was born, it is housed in what is arguably the oldest church in entire world. A grand church was constructed in fourth century by the Byzantine emperors. This, however, was destroyed by Pagans. A smaller church came in its site, given protection by the Ottomans. However, later a grand church was made by the Armenians and Greeks at the site.
Staying in this region has introduced me to the contributions of Greek Orthodoxy and Armenians in preserving the pristine sites of Christianity. Most of the sites that I saw in Syria, Jordan and Israel… that naturally were the most pristine sites of Christianity- were manned by either the Armenians (in few cases) or the Greeks (in majority of the cases). Even in Egypt, the Saint Katherine monastery is manned by the Greek monks. The public face of Christianity… that is Roman Catholicism is territorially footloose, in comparison… more stress is given to Vatican than the actual site where Christianity started- that is Levant.
In front of the church compound, there is a place called Bethlehem Peace Centre. The Bethlehem Peace Centre is a cultural centre that organizes cultural shows for the locals and tourists… the importance of the place, however, is in the fact that prior to establishment of the Centre, the building used to house a Police Station… So for the locals, it depicts a process of dismantlement of occupation giving way to cultural renaissance. My Taxi driver told me something I already knew, Palestinians lay a huge stress on modern education and broadening of cultural horizons- they have a high literacy rate, a lot of Palestinians know one of the two big international language- English and French. He also told me something interesting, till a few years ago there were no madarassas in Palestine (of course Israelis would not have allowed them in past) - and even today there are very very few takers for them. The crux being that Palestinians are one of the most modern and progressive society in Arab world… they are readily accepted in Western World, often seen as good and intelligent workers and are actually more trusted on security related issues.
After paying a small visit to the Centre, I was ready to enter the Nativity Church.
I started off for Bethlehem soon after checking in the New Palm Hostel. Took a minibus all the way to the Security Check Point corresponding with the entrance of Bethlehem… I was there in 45 minutes.
The Public Transport is very good and surprisingly cheap. Everything else is very expensive. Though, I did not feel the pinch as I was coming from Jordan… and had lived quite lavishly over there. The overvalued Jordanian Dinar makes Jordan a bad tourist proposition- I had never felt the pinch in Egypt, Syria (or for that matter even in Cyprus)… but Jordan was definitely very expensive. In case of Israel, even though the prices are high but it is also geared up to serve the backpackers… so one can enjoy Jerusalem, without spending too much of money. Things like Hostels, good Public Transport, and Low Entrance Fees make the life of a traveler, easy.
Israel and Palestinian Territories are separated by a wall. Since mid 1990s, Israel has been trying to construct a Wall that separates the Palestinian Territories from Israel… it contends that such a wall will help it in protecting its civilian population from Palestinian terrorist attacks. However the Palestinian's counter this claim, calling this wall a racial wall that intends to usurp their land… The wall has assumed iconic position in the dispute between the two parties.
Crossing the wall was an experience. The security apparatus that separates Israel from Palestine is very strict and modern. At one Check Point, I saw a black girl manning it. I greeted her, though her reply was a bit terse. I introduced myself as an Indian tourist, which changed her attitude towards me… I realized that she came to Israel from Ethiopia, some seven years ago. Soon I stepped into the Palestinian Territories; while stepping in- it occurred to me that perhaps this is the last piece of Occupied Territory in the entire world, in an undisputable sense.
The other side of the wall is interesting- it bears the testimony of one of the longest drawn political struggle in the modern history of mankind. The entire wall is painted with slogans, graffiti, and caricatures depicting the "plight of a Palestinian". Some caught my attention-
Give them justice and they will reward you with peace.
Bridges not walls.
Jesus wept for Jerusalem, we weep for Palestine.
Strangely, the roads in Palestine are picture perfect. The best that I have seen in any Arab country. Of course Egypt has wonderful roads, so has Jordan- but Palestinian infrastructure is superlative…. Was I in an occupied land? But as somebody later quipped, these roads are not a gift… yes; the Palestinians ply on them- but so do the Israeli armoured vehicles.Bridges not walls.
Jesus wept for Jerusalem, we weep for Palestine.
After crossing, one can find a lot of cabs waiting for potential customers… I didn’t want to take a cab, and yet after some querying I realized that Bethlehem (and for that matter, most of the Palestinian cities) are poor in terms of intra-city public transport. I hired a taxi- 20 USD for 4 hours- to see Shepherd Fields, Nativity Church and Milk Grotto.
My first stop in Bethlehem was Shepherd Fields. Shepherd Field is the place where the angels visited, announcing the holy birth to a group of simpleton shepherds. A church was built on the site in early phases of Christianity, but later it was decimated… in recent time, a new church has been built in this place…. Nearby are the ruins of a Byzantine Church and monastery.
Inside of the church is beautiful, the walls are painted with beautiful frescoes depicting the events of the holy birth. I was mesmerized with the beautiful frescoes. The nearby ruins of a Byzantine Church and the monastery are interesting; they depict a lot of information on the life and times of its era.
The Second stop was the Nativity Church. The place where Jesus was born, it is housed in what is arguably the oldest church in entire world. A grand church was constructed in fourth century by the Byzantine emperors. This, however, was destroyed by Pagans. A smaller church came in its site, given protection by the Ottomans. However, later a grand church was made by the Armenians and Greeks at the site.
Staying in this region has introduced me to the contributions of Greek Orthodoxy and Armenians in preserving the pristine sites of Christianity. Most of the sites that I saw in Syria, Jordan and Israel… that naturally were the most pristine sites of Christianity- were manned by either the Armenians (in few cases) or the Greeks (in majority of the cases). Even in Egypt, the Saint Katherine monastery is manned by the Greek monks. The public face of Christianity… that is Roman Catholicism is territorially footloose, in comparison… more stress is given to Vatican than the actual site where Christianity started- that is Levant.
In front of the church compound, there is a place called Bethlehem Peace Centre. The Bethlehem Peace Centre is a cultural centre that organizes cultural shows for the locals and tourists… the importance of the place, however, is in the fact that prior to establishment of the Centre, the building used to house a Police Station… So for the locals, it depicts a process of dismantlement of occupation giving way to cultural renaissance. My Taxi driver told me something I already knew, Palestinians lay a huge stress on modern education and broadening of cultural horizons- they have a high literacy rate, a lot of Palestinians know one of the two big international language- English and French. He also told me something interesting, till a few years ago there were no madarassas in Palestine (of course Israelis would not have allowed them in past) - and even today there are very very few takers for them. The crux being that Palestinians are one of the most modern and progressive society in Arab world… they are readily accepted in Western World, often seen as good and intelligent workers and are actually more trusted on security related issues.
After paying a small visit to the Centre, I was ready to enter the Nativity Church.
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