A PRE-GAZA WAR WINDOW ON ISRAEL

Contrary to expectations, Israeli check posts at the entrance to the West Bank were not heavily manned. Israeli military presence was hardly visible.

- DINESH KUMAR

'Our driver is an Arab Muslim while I am a Jew. We live in harmony. There is no problem between us", said Gabi (short for Gabriel), our guide, as we drove in a bus full of tourists, almost all from the American continent and Europe. We were cruising down a highway that was as smooth as a runway past white coloured limestone hills of the visually mesmerising Judean desert after setting off from the 5,000-year-old historic city of Jerusalem. Gabi was voluntarily commenting on Jewish-Muslim relations, his only such remark during our tour of some historical and geographical landmarks across Israel and the West Bank.

We were en route to the historic fort of Masada built over 2,000 years ago by Jewish King Herod on a plateau shaped hill from where one gets a clear and imposing view of both the Dead Sea and of the hills of Jordan located just beyond what is essentially a gigantic saline lake that is horizontally divided between Israel and Jordan. The Dead Sea, where non-swimmers can safely float on water without a life vest, is located over 400 meters below sea level. It is the lowest place on the earth's land surface.

Just the previous day we had visited Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ located in West Bank, where we were given a guided tour of both the Catholic Shepherds Field (there are three such Shepherds Field in Bethlehem) and the Church of Nativity that is built over the cave where Jesus was born. Our tour guide, a Palestinian Christian and resident of Bethlehem, interestingly informed us how three different Christian sects in Bethlehem observe three different Christmas' in the birth place of Jesus Christthe Catholics on 25 December, the Orthodox Christians on 7 January and Armenian Christians on 18 January.