The Nature Reserve at Ein Gedi

This past weekend Uma, a friend from Arabic class, and I went to the nature reserve and waterfalls at Ein Gedi. I don't know what I expected, but was pleasantly surprised with the beautiful turquoise color pools, the sound of trickling water, and lush vegetation that surrounded each fall.
It is always excruciatingly hot in Ein Gedi (near the Dead Sea) in the summer, but the hike up the mountainous trail wasn't as bad as I had feared. About every eighth of a mile or so we would come across a new fall and pool which only seemed to get more impressive the higher we climbed. It was refreshing to swim in fresh water and the ancient rock formations composing the base of each fall, decorated with vines and greenery, was really something special. Uma and I both had a good laugh when I told her the last thing I ever pictured myself doing was swimming in waterfalls in the Middle East. I guess there's a first time for everything.

On the way back down, we ran into some of the wildlife that lives in the park. There was a large group of Orix (a deer like creature) and a few Rock Bunnies. I have no idea what the name of these funny looking creatures are in English, but the Hebrew translation is "rock bunny." Yes, they climb rocks like its nobody's business, its they're pretty impressive actually, but they look like no bunny I have ever seen. You can check them out yourself on the Ein Gedi album.

Listening

Considering the multitude of interactions I've had with so many unique individuals and groups of people (Israelis, Palestinians, and foreigners, not to mention all the subgroups within these groups), I have had the privilege of being exposed to a wide variety of ideas, beliefs and experiences. I have also become painfully aware of how few people actually know how to listen to the person they are talking to. This has come to my attention both from observing others as well as through my own interactions. Life taught me early on just how hard it is to find a person who truly hears what you're saying, let alone one who can understand the content of your words and their intentions. Still, never have I seen this deficiency so glaringly obvious as in my time here.
I am working to put more effort myself into being calm, quiet and attentive when people are confiding in me as a result of this. When I was conversing with a young American Jewish woman who is here to finish her Masters, she began to express her feelings toward the situation in Israel/Palestine and where she comes from personally. She raised some interesting and relevant points so I did my best to remember what was said in order to reiterate it. I don't want to give the girl's name for privacy purposes (I'll refer to her as Sarah), but the idea's expressed below come from her.
Sarah came to this country to get a deeper look at the conflict by examining the other perspective, the Palestinian perspective, in hopes of getting away from the Westernized insight she'd been fed in the States as well as any personal bias she might have as a Jew. She felt the best way to do this was to live in the West Bank and interact with the Palestinian population. When she wasn't working, she took time to travel around Israel in order to experience Israeli opinions and culture. In doing this she gained a secure understanding of the Palestinian issues, but felt that her conception of the nationalist religious Jewish population had only become less clear. The more she learned and interacted with the Jewish communities here, the more detached she felt from her own people.
Though Sarah doesn't come from a particularly religious family, she has always felt a strong connection to her faith. She recognizes that perhaps she is harder on the Jewish population because she feels they should represent who she is, but she found no semblance of herself in the hateful attitudes and actions that permeate the region. She was distressed as she loves her faith and the country of Israel, apart from the actions of its government, but the teachings of Judaism as she had learned them (the pursuit of justice, value of human life, etc.) were absent. People here have placed the value of land above human life and these same individuals hold the power here over the land and over the government. She could not equate her own morals and ideologies with those who were suppose to have this in common.
The high levels of extremism flowing through the society is another impediment in her ability to relate. Due to Sarah's ethnicity and background, the same people who act in a manner that that disgusts her also embrace her and insist that what is being done is for her own good and for the good of the Arabs, and that the Arabs are all liars. If this is what is required for them to be together in the holy land, than Sarah wants no part in it, though she admits she will always be connected to these people in some way.
Unlike many others, Sarah makes an attempt to understand all aspects of what's happening here by questioning and dissecting the status quo, then voicing her concerns when she feels something isn't right. I (referring to myself, not Sarah) am passionate about the conflict, the land's history, human rights and justice, but Sara possesses a love for this country that I am simply incapable of. She wanted to make Aliyah (the immigration of Jews to Israel, literally meaning "ascent"), but due to the actions of the government, she does not see this as a possibility. She refuses to endorse Israel's undermining, malevolent, and frequently violent policies which aim to disable the peace process.
There is nothing that can be said that can justify what is happening here, but Sarah takes solace in the people here doing similar work who seek to understand the situation from all angles and who attempt to spread that understanding to promote communication and peace.

Handala

Naji Salim al-Ali was a Palestinian political cartoonist born in 1938 in the northern village of Al-Shajara. He was known for his criticism of Israel, its politics and its leaders and while he composed more than 40,000 cartoons, perhaps most well known is the character Handala (the cartoon shown in this post). Naji al-Ali was shot in the face in London on July 22, 1987. The shooter remains unknown and Naji al-Ali died five weeks later in hospital care.
The character, Handala, represents Naji al-Ali when he was a ten year old boy. He chose this depiction because this was the age at which he and his family were forced to leave Palestine. Naji al-Ali stated that Handala would forever remain ten years old until he was allowed to return to his home. The cartoon was first published in Kuwaiti newspaper, Al-Siyasa, in 1969. The figure usually has his head turned from the viewer as he is baring witness to an event of some kind or participating in it in some way by writing, throwing a rock, hugging, etc., and almost always has his hands clasped behind his back. Handala's face was drawn facing away from the viewer and his hands clenched behind his back permanently from 1973 and thereafter. This came as the result of the war in October of 1973 which lead to a set of agreements manufactured by Henry Kissinger that were thought to impose an unjust solution on behalf of the Palestinians in regards to the conflict. The position of Handala's hands and head were meant to condemn these solutions and to show a lack of participation in a prejudiced proposition.
The boy wears ragged clothes and goes barefoot, symbolizing the neglected and poverty stricken conditions of the refugee camps. His hair is bristled like porcupine spikes which he can use as a weapon. Handala is thought to have his name derived from the handhal plant which grows deep roots and is resilient in its ability to thrive despite attempts to cut it down or pull it from the earth. Naji al-Ali used Handala as his signature for his cartoons and the character has survived as a symbol for the Palestinian refugee as well as Palestinian opposition and identity.
I see Handala quite frequently graffitied along the enormous wall being built around Jerusalem and the West Bank, drawn on the sides of buildings, buses and along the alleys of refugee camps. I have taken a few pictures of him, but I'm not sure if any are posted online (I'll double check and remedy this). A young woman in the Al-Azzeh refugee camp in Bethlehem took the time to explain to me the significance of Handala to the people of Palestine and now I've shared it with you. Even before the explanation of exactly what Handala is, I found him to be a profoundly simple yet powerful character.

Weekend Trip to the North

Last weekend a few of my buddies from the UN and myself took a trip to the Golan Heights. I've composed a post below this one to provide some brief background information on the area for those of you who are unaware of its significance and history. Situated between Syria and Israel, the land here is different than any other I've seen in Israel and Palestine. There are many green hills and valleys along with fresh water springs and waterfalls. With as many rich resources as the area provides, especially water considering the shortage in the region, it is clear why Syria and Israel have been at odds over the land for so long. It was a wonderful thing to see so much green again and for a moment, it almost seemed like I was on a hike back in the States.
You can preview the trip by checking out the album below. We visited Baniass Falls, a near by spring, and the Temples of Pan and Zeus. On the way up we also stopped at Tiberias, the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. Alas, I did not walk on water and have since given up aspirations of prophet-hood.

The Golan Heights

The area referred to as the Golan Heights is a mountainous region bordering Syria, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. The Golan was governed by Syria until it was seized by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967 and was placed under military administration from 1967 to 1981. Israel currently controls 2/3 of the area as a portion was returned to Syria following the Yom Kippor War of 1973. Construction of Jewish settlements by the Israeli government began in the 1970s in this area and in 1981, Israel enacted the Golan Heights Law placing it under civilian Israeli law, administration, and jurisdiction. The Golan Heights Law has been condemned and remains unrecognized by the international community. Israel uses UN Resolution 242, created on November 22, 1967, to defend its actions, labeling the Golan Heights as part of the Israeli occupied territories.
Syria continues to demand that their land be returned. In 2006, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution requesting that Israel end its occupation of the Golan while simultaneously rendering all legislative and administrative actions taken by Israel in the Golan to be illegal, invalid, and nonexistent (resolutions 267 and 497). Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the international community also finds the settlements in the Golan Heights to be illegal and these sentiments are supported by UN Security council resolutions 446, 452, 465, 471 and 476. Any action on the part of Israel to withdraw its control over the area remains to be seen.
In addition to it's hills, valleys, fresh water and vegetative landscape, the Golan Heights is scattered with prehistoric sites including Hellenistic towns, Roman fortresses and Crusader castles. Some sites are more mysterious in nature and have purposes that are still unknown to modern society.
The Golan was also the sight where Jesus stopped to contemplate before undertaking his final journey to Jerusalem. The birth of three of Jesus' disciples, the miracle of the Gadarene Swine, the healing of the blind man, the second miracle of the loaves and the fishes and the transfiguration as well as where Jesus gave Peter the stewardship of the kingdom of God, were all biblical events said to have taken place at this cite.

Land Distribution

Below shows the Palestinian loss of land from 1946. If the font is too small to read, just click on the image to increase the size. Otherwise, to help you out, from left to right the years are 1946, 1947, 1949-1967, and 2000. The green represents Palestinian land and the white represents Israeli.

An Ode to the Olive

Here in Israel slash Palestine the hills are landscaped with olive trees.
Fact: I very much enjoy a good olive
Having so many olives easily accessible, I grew excited at the prospect of being able to pick my own olives right off the tree when they ripened.
Fact: You cannot eat olives directly from the tree
I explained to my roommate Alina that I was getting impatient waiting for the olives to ripen (as every other week I pick one, take a nibble, and spit it out when the bitterness overwhelms my taste buds). At the mention of this, Alina responded with a "tsic tsic" and a simultaneous head nod from left to right. The "tsic tsic" is a common response in these parts and can be imitated by putting the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and pulling down quickly and with force.
Fact: Olives of all species must first go through a curing process to be edible
Being half Italian and coming from a father that praises anything and everything Italian, I have officially shamed my heritage. To compensate, I have since educated myself on the process of olive preparation. If you too want to be enlightened, I have included the process in the following paragraphs.
Fact: Dani feels cheated by this knew found knowledge

Olives appear on the tree within eight years of life, but it takes fifteen to twenty years before they produce a worthy harvest. Crops continue to be produced until the tree is around 80 years old, though the life span of the olive tree can span for several hundred years.
Six to eight months after its flowers bloom, the olive reaches its greatest weight, twenty to thirty percent of which is oil (excluding the pit, which contains one or two seeds). Olives used for oil are left on the trees longer than those used for other purposes.
Depending on the curing method, pure water, caustic soda or lye, and coarse salt are used in combination to shape the taste and texture of the olive. Flavorings can be added to the brine such as red peppers, fennel, garlic, Mediterranean herbs, chillies, etc.
The flavor, color, and texture of the olive is determined by when it is harvested and the combination of the harvest, cure, and any added flavors which yield the unique characteristics produced by the maker.
The lye treatment removes the bitterness of the olive caused the compound glucoside. Since curing with lye softens the olive it can be picked earlier when it is still hard. Olives naturally cured must be more ripe, handled with more care, and readily processed.
When olives are harvested by hand, sheets of netting or plastic are placed on the ground under the trees and the harvesters climb ladders and comb the fruit from the branches with long-handled rakes made of wood or plastic. Handpicking and machine harvesting are also employed methods. Olives are then transferred to a processing plant where they are washed in pure water and placed placed in barrels where they are soaked in a curing solution for an elongated period of time. Curing solutions and salinity vary depending on the processor. Following the curing process the olives are rinsed in water, damaged olives are removed, and stored in jars that filled with an eight to eleven percent saline solution. If the saline is flavored, herbs or other flavorings are also added to the brine.