No visit to Palestine would be complete without a visit to Ramallah. The stated ambition of the Palestinians is to have their capital in East Jerusalem, but for now, Ramallah is the de facto capital of Palestine. I’ve already shown you Yasser Arafat’s tomb whose surrounding buildings serve as the home of the Palestinian Authority … Continue reading
A view down into the city of Nablus from Mount Gerizim: Upon making the offhand comment in Israel that we were traveling to Nablus, the reaction was almost always one of horror and a warning that Nablus was full of militants and/or terrorists. I suppose this is somewhat understandable. The Battle of Nablus that took place … Continue reading
When I use the term “Occupied Palestine”, I am referring to the West Bank. Although Israel and Egypt have the Gaza Strip tightly encircled, Hamas runs Gaza. And if Israel does enter Gaza, they must do so with a full-scale military invasion. That is not the case in the West Bank, which is firmly under … Continue reading
It may not be quite as tranquil anymore as the above poster would suggest… However, the impression below that most individuals have of the Palestinian Territories of Gaza and the West Bank is not entirely accurate either: I will certainly get into that side of the Palestinian Territories in the future. However, before launching into … Continue reading
Yes, those good Samaritans we’ve all heard of… Historically, Samaritans were a large community — up to more than a million in late Roman times – but over the subsequent centuries their numbers have been reduced until today there are a total of only 745 Samaritans left in the entire world. These remaining Samaritans live … Continue reading
We often hear the term “Palestinian refugee camps” casually thrown around in any discussion of the Israeli/Palestinian situation… To me a “camp” is a temporary place with tents. And these refugee camps once did have tents fifty years ago. But, as I briefly mentioned in my post on Tripoli, the Palestinian refugee camps of today … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 