Palestine: Day 2, Part 2: Bethlehem and Hebron

Great lunch in Bethlehem followed by a visit to Hebron, an experience in sorrow

Bethlehem

We visited the International Cultural Center, a youth and cultural center offereing education, enrichment, opportunities to build skills the arts, community support and health services to young people, plus a small guesthouse. The complex is one of the hopeful signs of better, more tranquil times to come.

Then we made our way through the old city for lunch at Afeem, down a little street near Manger Square in Bethlehem. Under vaulted stone ceilings, the staff brought out wonderful renditions of Middle Eastern specialties that we'd had before and would have again. Everything came out family-style, so the narrow table was packed with plates and bowls. The hummus was the best I've ever eaten. But the real discovery was lemonade mixed with finely chopped mint. A champion in the thirst-quencher competition.

Hebron

From Bethlehem, we drove to Hebron, a city that was an early hotbed of Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation to their territory and unprecedented retaliation on the part of the Israeli government, whose army has the big guns in this conflict. The city center is busy and lively, but pairs of armed soldiers stand around, and scores of checkpoints require Palestinians to show identification on demand when traveling around their own city.

Most controversial and provocative are the Jewish settlements plunked in the middle of old city, not on the outskirts as elswhere. Palestinians have been displaced to make way for these settlements, each protected by a high fence or wall and armed soldiers. The population of the three settlements is reportedly somewhere between 300 and 500, with something like 1,000 soldiers to protect them. Streets and alleyways that used to go through are now blocked off, and hundreds of shops in the old souk have closed, either their metal doors welded shut by the Israelis or abandoned by shopkeepers who no longer had business in this tense place.

One of the settlements looms above the centuries-old market. The settlers, fanatics by anyone's standards, took to throwing shows and trash down on the narrow market paths below. Nets and fencing suspended over the streets (below) now prevent this detritus from hitting passersby. Hebron authorities are so eager to repopulate the old city that they are offering free housing, free schooling and free medical care as incentives to Palestinian families to return to the heart of the city. It would take that for people to be willing to endure the inconvenience and even humiliation literally and figured heaped up them by the small minority of settlers in their midst.

Visitors get an eyeful if they walk through the market, passing many forever-closed shops, en route to Harem el-Kahlil Mosque, which should be sacred to all three major mono-theistic religions. It holds the red and white striped  Tombs osf the Patriarchs -- where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and other members of the family are buried. They are revered by Arabs, Christians and Jews and should be sacred to all. But it was the site of one of the West Bank's worst incidents -- and there have been a lot of incidents. In 1994, Dr. Baruch Goldstein, an American-born Israeli  physician with undisputed credentials as a fanatic, donned his Army reserve uniform, entered to mosque and threw a grenade, killing 29 people and wounding 125.

When we left the mosque and again passed through a floor-to-ceiling metal turnstile watched by an armed soldier and walked down the net-covered byways and shuttered market stalls, I bought a beaded bracelet in the colors of the Palestinian flag from one of the young vendors. It was a sad and sobering afternoon. There are many Israelis and non-Israeli Jews who favor peace talks and peace. But the government, with its many travel restrictions, makes such talks difficult. I hope something clicks in, that the conservatives and fnatics on both sides lose power and influence, and that future generations will live in harmony and peace.

En route out of town, we stopped at a glass and ceramics shop (three photosjust below) with one traditional glass-blower showing off his craft for visitors' camera. Then we briefly visited the pools of Solomon, an ingenious water storage and delivery system from antiquity. The pools are located in a shaded area that is currently roped off (bottom) while workmen do some restoration or repairs. Across the street is is a newer resort amnd conference center.

In the evening, we had dinner with Palestinian tourism VIPs at the Tent Restaurant back in Bethlehem. I had to make myself chat and socials, enjoy the group of young dancers and tasty food. Everything was good, but in truth, I continud to be haunted by Hebron and had trouble focusing on the feast.