Israel for real travelers – Part 2

The Golan Heights are on the north-east of Israel and is an area of despute between Syria and Israel, for the Jewish army occupied it in 1967, and today some 18.000 Jews live there. First settlements here were made some 5000 years ago, when Amorits settled here, but were later on replaced by Arameans, Jews, Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians. The area was concurred by Alexander the Great and it was a part of the Helenic Greek world until Romans conquered Greece and took control of the region in second century BC. After the collapse of the Roman empire it became a part of the Byzantium empire and fell into the hands of Turks in the 16th century. The Turks controlled the region until the end of First World War and was then under the French administration from 1920, until it became a part of Syria.

After the Israeli-Arabic war the Syrians used it as an outpost for attacks on Israel, until it conquered it in 1967. Although Syrians regained much of it in 1973 the counterattack was effective and Israel controlled it once again. In 1974 a neutral zone (from 100meters to 3 kilometers wide) stretches all along the length of the border. So the border between the countries is hermetically sealed and only international officials may cross it. This is the shortest possible explanation of why Syria and Israel are at a brink of war for decades now. During the six day war Israel also took some land that belonged to Lebanon, near the village of Šeba.

And what does it mean to a visitor?

If Israel wanted to settle this region it had to make the conditions for settlements, thus some industry and above all agriculture was moved into the region. There are plenty vineyards here, for the climate is very suitable for it, and recently they opened a brewery here. Apart from culinary treats you can climb Mt. Bental, where you can see Israel’s outposts and above all you have a good view over Syria, and you can visit Mt. Hermon (2814m), which is the only winter sports resort in Israel. A visit to this place is a part of basic military training, so you will see even more soldiers here, then usually in Israel.

So, a typical Slovenian will find many things that he’d treasure here: mountains, grapevines, a brewery, fresh air and moderate temperatures in summertime. But if this didn’t convince you, take a look at this slideshow! 

After a day in the mountains have a rest at the Youth Hostlu Karei Deshe, at the coast of the Sea of Galilee and has its own beach. The self service diner offers a huge variety of fish from the lake as well as other treats. But let’s talk about the lake not the food. With 166 km² it’s the largest lake in Israel. Its surface is 209 meters under the sea level, making it the lowest sweet water lake in the world. Through it flows the river Jordan, but due to the lack of water it would hardly be called a river, where I come from.

It’s also the lake where it is said Jesus walked on water, divided two fish among 5000 people along with five slices of bread. There is a church there, surrounding the rock where Jesus made this miracle of division and multiplication. There is also a city here, formed by Herod Antipas, the sun of Herod the great in the first years of our year-count. _Near the lake you can even find an Australian zoo with kangaroos.

You can’t really capture the whole feel of this lake by watching the photos, still here’s a slide. Projection!

But Israel is also a Mediterranean country, with some important cities and tourist resorts. I will only mention three Tel Aviv with old Jafa, Haifa and Acre or Akka. The last one, Acre, is a city with very rich history. It was founded some 3600 years ago and was a trade center in the Greek and Roman times, until it came under Arabic rule. In 1191 the crusaders fought here and after the crusades it was governed by Ottomans. Next the British took control of the city, and with the UN plan of 1947 it should be a part of the new Arabic country, but the army of Israel concurred it in 1948 and it still controls it today. You can find more about it in Wikipedia.

Haifa is the most important Israeli port and this has left a mark on the city. It’s not only a cargo, but also a passenger port, mostly connecting Israel with Cyprus. Most of the city is not attractive for tourists, but there is a center of the Bahaian religion there (that formed in Persia in the 19th century). Today there are some 6 million followers of this religion world wide. The center and its exterior became the symbols of Haifa and also the only thing I recommend you should see in the city.

Tel Aviv and Jafo are two cities that merged as the years passed. The old city of Jafo is a typical ancient city, but the city of Tel Aviv is a modern metropolis with high skyscrapers. There is a sand beach offering the Mediterranean sea and sun, that Israel has plenty off.

Because the whole of Jerusalem was occupied in the six day war in 1967, most countries placed their embassies in Tel Aviv, to show they don’t recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Unfortunately Aviv also got famous for the assassination of Jicaka Rabina, the prime minister of Israel and the Nobel Prize recipient (for peace) of 1994. He got killed by one of the radical Jews, who opposed to peace between Jews and Palestinians.

The city of Tel Aviv itself started to develop in the 20th century. When the fortification of Jafo got torn downin 1908 the development of Tel Aviv started. When the terror of fascists and Nazis in Europe started, more and more Jews came to live in Tel Aviv, so it grew from 24.000 in 1925 to 150.000 in 1937, and this influx of population caused quite some opposition in the Arabic part of the population. Tel Aviv built its own sea port then and became the Israel’s link to the world. Today Tel Aviv has some 390.000 people living in it.

Not to try and go into too many details about history and politics of Israel, because it’s really too complex, so to conclude my article I’d just like to invite you once more to see a projection of different photos I took on the way. Enjoy in the views of Acra, Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jafo. 

And in the end, there’s only an invitation left, to visit Israel, a land with rich history and a complex political situation of everyday life.