Jerusalem: Yad Vashem and Yehuda market

From Palestine soil we went back to Jerusalem, stayed the night in The Stay Inn, a nice hostel in the Jaffa area. The hostels are quite expensive, the life too. 28-30 euro for a bed in a dorm is normal and imagine this is the low season.. The food and drinks are highly priced, compared to those in Western Europe.

Leaving Bethlehem was easy, there is a straight bus going to Jerusalem, avoiding questioning at checkpoint 330. The checkpoint at the border by bus was easy for us, for we only had to show our passports. For the Palestinians it was something else. They all went out of the bus out of a sudden and were queing up. They looked like beaten dogs. After the bus was checked, a 17/18 year old soldier (female) checked their Id (calling them one by one to come forward) and decided If they were allowed to get back in the bus by a knod, a friendly or nasty one. It was one of the most humiliating things I experienced. I had to cry some minutes in silence. There are those moments when you are happy to carry your sunglases. This was one of them..

Yad Vashem

In Jerusalem we went to see the yad vashem, the holocaust museum/ centre. It’s a big complex, very sober from the outside but with a great view, and full with films and photos, attributes concerning the history of the Jews through the centuries and from the second world war until now. Admission is free. Some parts of the building were sponsord by US (Jewish) families, there were signs everywhere. It was very crowded with groups and youngsters/ classes. This center touches me also. So much suffering. The concentration camp clothing, used, it was heartbreaking. I also saw the ghettos during WWII and they reminded me somehow of the Palestine area. Why do the same to another people what was done to you throughout all history? That’s a big questionmark.. Not many people seem moved, maybe they grief in silence.

After this we went by tram back to the center and walked in the Jehuda Market, with lots of local products, shops with food, small restaurants. A lively street/neighbourhood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, it was a day filled with contrasts. Up to the desert!

Hebron

With a local from Bethlehem Maren and I visited Hebron. The old city is on the list of World Heritage. Very beautiful, but needs to be restored too, and there was work in progress going on. The streets were being repaired. I think it’s done with international money, because the Arabs who live there/ the arab authorities probably have other things on their minds.

Part of the old city is taken by a hand full Israeli who live there as settelers since a few years. Fences around the houses and a watchtower and permanent soldiers control the street. One street is totally blocked for Palestinians, there is made a checkpoint. An Arab family is living near this controlled settlement, will not leave, but is having a really hard time. We were able to enter his house and see the fences of the settlers.

Parts of the streets in the old city and souk are totally covered with fences, because the settelers seem to throw their rubbish and stones in the street and on the people as to be seen on the photo above.

Abraham

To enter the Abraham mosque and (Sarah) tomb (the Israeli claimed 70% of the building, so it’s used by muslims and jewish people now) we had to pass a checkpoint. Our pasports were checked and the Arabs were questioned and checked on their id. Strange to see a building divided, it was an old mosque and the tomb of Sarah was the end of the moslim part. You could hear a jewish lecture going on (in english) on the other side.

New settlements?

Outside the mosque is an area which the Israeli have occupied not that long ago. It looks like a ghost town, with only soldiers and a handful settlers, who are also carrying weapons. This occupation is against every international agreement. The Mameluk style houses seem to fall apart soon and there were Jewish people/ tourists (Europeanen, US) walking there, with a Jewish organisation, a tourguide and they were shown the part of this new holy land, maybe being persued to buy or claim a house there.. There was a sign that the Jewish claimed their land back after it was stolen from the Arabs in 1929. To live in this area might be even subsidised by the state, who knows? And the mamluk/Ottoman architecture may disappear, if they plan new buildings. It felt shameful and it was unreal to walk there. Very tensed. I got emotional/ could hardly breathe and wanted to leave the area. Whoever is right here, it didn’t feel good. There were observers (neutral people) in this borderarea as well. It’s not clear what their role is, they make reports of the situation. This is against all international agreements and convention, but nothing happens!

Jews were not allowed in the Arab part (nice market and this old historical town) and the Arabs have left and can’t go to this occupied part anymore.

Hebron is tensed for a long time and it’s where the heart of the conflict is. (Next to Gaza). The weekly protests are more severe in this town, according to our guide. The status of the town is also different/ special, it’s B 1 area. (not A, B or C*). The people are very conservative, every woman is veiled. The guide told us that the woman of Hebron are known to be the most beautiful of all the palestinians.The people are not bitter, but also not happy, especially at the checkpoints. They are welcoming, greeting us and business men as they are, trying to get us into their shops.

After this somewhat heavily loaded visit we went back to Bethlehem by bus to relax and unwind.

*The Palestine area (west bank and Gaza) is divided bij 3 sections: A, B or C since the Oslo convention of 1993. A- under Palestine authority, B- partly Palestine authority but Israeli military control and C- under control of Israeli government. Purpose was to withdraw Israeli control and get this area under Palestinian authority in 5 years and have peace.

Jerusalem-Bethlehem

At the moment I’m staying in Bethlehem, Yes, the place Jesus was supposed to be born.. Today it’s a city under Palestine authority, area A (Oslo convention, there are A,B,C areas on the westbank). Let’s share my last adventures of the last days..

The last day in Jerusalem was very cold, windy (stormy) and rainy. My wish was to visit the Temple mountain and the Dome of the Rock. Opening hours there are tight, (rules of Jordan and Palestine authoroties) but I managed to get there (after queing long). The site struck and moven me deeply; I cried because of the beauty and the fact I was there. If there is a holy land in Jerusalem, that was the part where I could feel it a bit. But that all is based on my own feelings, and I can be mistaken. It can also be that the rest of the city was too crowded, filled with groups (and it’s not even high season) so I kind of missed the point.

Bethlehem

We (Maren and me) went to checkpoint 300 by bus, that’s really easy. The bus stops at a 10 m high concrete wall. After that we could pass the border without any check or questions. The way back will probably take long(er). Maren booked a dorm in the fancy Walled off hotel (with art gallery and little museum), initiated by the artist Banksy. I found a place in hotel Assaraya on the opposite side. The wall on the Palestine site is full with streetart and graffiti. Amazing.. It is like one big act of protest and request for peace.

Old town

After a long stroll (we took the wrong way) we found the old city of Bethlehem. We visited the nativity church of Jesus (partly under construction) and saw a mosque and the syrian catholic church, the franciscan church and pilgrim house. There were a lot of day tourists, with tourist buses. ‘Genesis tours’ 😉 and other religious buses were all well represented.

We went for diner with an American guy in the museum of Bethlehem, a Nice and cosy place. Afterwards we got a free tour in the museum! So Nice. The people are very friendly and welcoming. The Palestinian history is filling our heads and it’s a lot, all these impressions. The situation, to feel and see with your own eyes is hardly to put down in words. It goes beyond our common sense. Mixed and sadening. We live in a crazy world. Unbelieveable what we humans do to eachother. In Bethlehem there are living 55% christian orientated people and 45% Palestinian Arabs. They all (muslim and christians) need to go through checkpoint 300 or another one if they work in Jerusalem. That means going there at 4.00 in the morning, to que. Hours of waiting every day and they have a work permit. There are watch towers all along the wall with camera’s and soldiers, weapons like tear gass and granates. Gives you the shiverings. They are watching you, us.

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After seeing the street art we went to a refugee camp. It’s founded by the UN, still supported by it (but because of the current US policy this support is uncertain) and is now more like a permanent settlement in the town. In the 40s of the last century (during the war of 1948) a lot of Palestinian villages were under treat of Israeli forces occupying the area.. Some villages were attacked, and that’s why many people left their homes. There are Palestinian refugee Camps in 4 countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Irak or Syria. This camp was build as a temporary shelter first, the key above the entrance is a symbol of returning one day soon, the people all kept their keys of their houses. Today the camp is still under attack, you see bullet holes everywhere and remainings of granates, tear gass weapons. The school has no windows; in the past children have been killed in the classroom. It looks peaceful, this sort of village, but always looking at a wall with watchtowers all over is no fun and feels like a prison. One of the towers is black, is being put on fire once in a while to ‘smoke’ the soldiers out. And every friday there is a demonstration near one of the towers. It’s peaceful, but not totally non-violent. Gass will be sprayed, sound bombs and Stones will be thrown, but the people will not give up protesting.

One of the guys we met is a tourguide and grew up in this camp. He is taking us to Hebron, I will write about that later. I have been emotional about this situation at some moments. I hope humanity one day can truely understand that Selam means the same as Shalom and then act upon that. I must admit I have a hard feeling in this…