Ah!. Eilat, el pais prometido [the promised land]!. Tell me, what is the place like?.
It is actually a resort, a bit contrived. Imagine huge flats where you can book a room anonymously, basically it is the costa brava concept, only the beach is smaller.
Perfect planted slender tall palm trees, loungers, a lifeguard, a boulevard with restaurants, bars, etc. as the boulevard of Scheveningen [the Netherlands] and jolly russian warbling around you [the place is full of Russians].
When the State of Israel in 1948 was proclaimed by David Ben Gurion two battalions of the Ha`ganah [the forerunner of the Tsahal / IDF [Israeli Defence Forces]] moved to the Gulf of Aqaba to conquer the strip - which right now is Eilat -from the Jordanians in order to gain access to the Red Sea.
There is a small monument near the beach [say a copy of the famous photograph in which American GI`s during World War II in the Pacific hoist the Stars and stripes after defeating a Japanese unit] of Israelis who do exactly the same but with the David`s star.
Besides access to the Red Sea there was for the Israelis `s another reason to conquer the Negev [desert] right?.
David Ben Gurion had to make an important choice during the war of independence of 1948: concentrate the limited [numbers of] forces on the `liberation' of East Jerusalem and the 'old city ', historical Jerusalem [that was in Jordanian hands] or conquer the Negev [a desert which is an offshoot of the Sinai extending roughly from Jerusalem to the Red Sea, on the west side bordered by the Sinai mountains and on the eastern side bordered by the river Jordan and the Dead Sea].
He chose the Negev ...
Really?!. Why did he do that?.
A remarkable man Ben Gurion. Maybe one of his sayings says enough:
" The Negev offers the Jews their greatest opportunity to accomplish everything for themselves from the very beginning. This is a vital part of our redemption in Israel. For in the end, as man gains mastery over nature , he gains it also over himself. That is in the sense, and not a mystical but practical one, in which I define our redemption here".[bron: authenticIsrael.com]
In addition, he saw the Negev as an important area for settlements, colonization thus not interferring with Arab villages [!].
A policy/ idea which is completely the opposite of the current Israeli policy [initiating new settlements in the West Bank, or building a settlement at such a place that the access of Palestinians to East Jerusalem is closed].
Right. Enough politics!. How long are you now in Eilat?.
Three weeks.
Three weeks? Joder [= Fuck]!. Were you all this time in Eilat? And why so long? Are you back in a kind of mini oasis that you just cannot tear you apart from?
It is a combination of both: I'm in a hostel named the Arava hostal with kitchenette [I cook every day, yes really! - because eating outside the door is horribly expensive-] there is the internet and nice people [staff and other guests]. As an excuse for the wasting time I tell you that I had to find hike equipment [backpack, hike shoes, guide book of the Shvil] because I want to hike the shvil Israel insj-allah!.
But I was also at Masada, and Jerusalem with my brother John [who I had not seen in 2.5 years!].
Oh .. Well he came specially for you [or for the holy land?] ... and what about Masada?. What the hell is that?
I keep it on a combination of both [see me and expore Israel with me :)]. But it was very nice to hang out with him although I had to catch a bus [for the first time in two years, shame on me!]. But I made this sacrifice happily for him...
... the road [snakepath] to Masada
Masada is a huge fortress in the desert on the edge of the Dead Sea, built by the half Roman- Jewish king Herod [37-31 BCE] as a refuge for a possible military attack. It became eventually a Roman desert fortress.
... the snakepath, with on the background the view over the dead sea, Masada
In 66 at the beginning of the `great revolt` [the revolt against Rome with several Roman legions crushed by Jewish rebels and the conquest of Jerusalem] Jewish `Zealots` led by Eleazar Ben Yair [a sectarian movement that rejected the Roman way of life and culture and prevailed military resistance against Rome] took Masada.
In 70 after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem surviving Zealots fleed to Masada which made the population 960.
In 72 the Roman governor of Judea, Lucius Flavius Silva besieged Masada with the aim to crush the last pickpocket of stubborn jewish resistance.
Spring 73: Romans take Masada and found only corpses of jewish insurgents: The Jewish insurgents have collectively committed suicide to avoid the cruel fate they were to be expected when they would be taken prisoner by the romans. To indicate that it was a choice they made of their own free will the huge stocks [grain, wine, etc] were left intact to make the Roman occupiers clear: we have committed suicide voluntarily and not because of you.
Or as the Zealot leader Eleazar Ben Yair said:`... Now that all hope has fled, abandoning us to our fate let us at once choose death with honor. "
... an enormous water Cistern with a capacity of 40.000 m3 [!], Masada
... the ancient ramp build by the romans to chrush the wall of the besieged, Masada
... the path to Herodes` palace, Masada
Besides a tourist attraction Masada is an important symbol for Israel. Under the motto `Masada Shall never fall again' generations of Israeli soldiers are sworn in at Masada.
That was a lot of history!. But you were also in Jerusalem. What kind of impression the city has made on you?.
It is not normally how much history you can find at that place. Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Mores [Arabs] have since built over each other. A cacophony of architectural styles and religions [buildings]. You will find there mosques [peacefully crying the Allah Akhbar five times a day] and Christian convents together.
On the Temple Mount [where the old temple stood, destroyed and looted by the Romans during the conquest of the city] is now the huge Al Aqsa Mosque with its huge copper dome. Right below is the Mourning Wall [western wall] where Orthodox Jewish homies almost nonstop come to complain, do a bar mitzvah celebration or study the Torah.
... western wall [kotel]
The old town is divided into a Jewish, Arab, Christian and Armenian quarter though the city is under Israeli rule. Israeli's take care about the safety [Israeli police and IDF soldiers]. It [the old town] is actually a big souvenir shop. 
Actually outside the historic center I got an idea of city life: for the Jews it is the Yafo street: a tramway, huge buildings like the ones which can be seen in Zurich [Switzerland], fancy bars, cafe`s ...
For the Palestinians the real city life is off the Damascus gate, everything is on the street, street vendors, traders as in Cairo. You feel as if you are again in the middle east. Women with headscarves, a stray bedouin with his characteristic Arafat scarf, boys who try to fill a collectivo [van] to Jericho, Ramallah by yelling to potential clients..
In this place I felt really most at ease. Here you pay normal prices and you are treated normally. It is striking that all these different groups [Palestinians, Jews, immigrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea many -Jews- from Russia] not seem to interact with each other at all. Through the turmoil orthodox jews wrestle/ run - who always seem be in a hurry- to the old town, the western Wall, followed by their spouses dressed as characters from a book by Chaim Potok.
... `Touwla` [backgammon], THE game in the middle east but also in Israel
I do some shopping in a Palestinian shop and speak the Arabic I've learned in Egypt. They understand me although it's not the same language they speak here. But as everyone in the middle east the Palestinians watch the Egyptian cinema which is big in the Islamic world. Everyone knows Om Kalthoum, the great Egyptian singer [she was a superstar in the arab world!].
When the boy answers me in Arabic it gives me great satisfaction because I understand what he is saying. The Palestinians I speak seem a bit stiff but open up when I talk to them. Like everywhere it applies here: what you give is what you get.
We stay in the Christian Quarter, the `Citadel hostel'. The staff are all Palestinians who speak perfect English. The entire hostel resembles a cave, with on the floor cushions and rugs on which you can sit. If you move through the building you have to bow over almost constantly because of the low ceilings. It is a nice place but cold during the evening. With John I play chess, we play for hours.
Have you undertaken other special [tourist] activities with your brother in Jerusalem?.
Oh, I love walking, and I believe John too. We have hiked the Jerusalem trail for a while, a path that goes around the old city between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives through an old cemetery. First we came through a Palestinian neighborhood [where John assured me that he felt very safe haha]. I bought wahed kilo mouzz [1 kilo of bananas for six shekkel - 1,20 E Allah Akhbar!].
We bumped along a rock hewn mausoleum of Absalom [where have I heard that name before?!] and at night we were invited by מעיין [M`ayan] to have dinner. Mayan is a girl I've met six months ago in Addis Ababa. It was very nice to see her again. In order to get to her we had to walk through a Palestinian neighbourhood to reach the campus of the Hebrew University. Huge luxury flats, fences with barbed wire around it.
We had to show our passports to the guard, me a little longer because the man was fascinated by my Sudanese visa.
... mount olive, Jerusalem
It was the Shabat meal. Before we ate Dani spoke in Ivrit the blessing/ prayer over it, though the other students were not so religious. They were nice open people. They were interested, and I told them about my trip. We were talking about the Shvil [Israel Trail]. Mayan said she will hike a piece of the trail with me [first to see before to believe :)].
... church of Capernaum, mount olive, Jerusalem
Johannes asked them if they interact with Palestinians, but they said no. They seem to meet each other only in public settings such as a hospital.
Johannes and I actually know very little about Jerusalem. We wandered through and absorbed impressions.
Is there something special you notice about daily life in Israel?.
I've not seen much of the country, but I think I am treated very nice. In addition many people here carry a weapon, much persons in uniform but also civilians. On the bus from Jerusalem to Eilat were many armed soldiers. Many girls in uniform and armed.
Israelis are coming from everywhere. Here in the Arava Hostel the staff comes originally from Yemen, another guest who also will hike the Shvil, Maurice, is Irish but has an Israeli passport. In the bus I heard all the time Israeli soldiers speaking american english...
Israel has a policy whereby Jews from around the world are encouraged to come to Israel, settle into Israel thus give the Jewish population a boost as a counterweight to the Arab neighbors but also the Arab Israelis. It is enough if your mother is Jewish to get an Israeli passport. A new Israeli gets many advantages such as not paying taxes, free medical facilities ... Free language courses are offered.
... You were also at the dead sea, what was it like?
Very strange!. You can barely swim because of the greater force pushing you up compared to a normal sea. And don`t stick your head under water because it stings your eye!. Johannes smeared himself with mud but I cannot place a photo from him like that because he is afraid of his image haha [on the photo he looks like a negro].
... a local fisherman, dead sea
What about your plan to stay/ work for a while in a Kibbutz?
I don`t know ... For sure it must be a great experience. But the thing is that I am not that idealistic. First I want to know this country better by hiking the Shvil and shape my view/ opinion upon this country [do I sound arrogant now?].
Everything can happen but my initial plan still holds: hike the shvil, coming back by bus, cycle my way up to the north, through Jordan, or the dead sea route in Israel [I don`t know yet] , go to Haifa and try to hitch a containership heading for Turkey.
In Turkey I will decide if I go back to the left [Holland] or to the right, Iran, Pakistan, India ...
Vale papi, get your ass on the shvil because time / plaka is tickin '!.
listo!
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