Magical mornings in Nazareth

Note: Long days have meant little time for writing, so I'm a little behind in my posts. Have completed three days walking--about 54 km. Leaving Nablus this morning and heading for Duma. May not have internet access until Jericho in a few days. Also haven't yet been able to find a way to upload any photos.

The effects of jet lag forced me awake earlier than I would have liked, but in doing so I was treated to a magical scene as the morning sun peeked above the hills surrounding Nazareth, bathing the town in a warm glow. Our hotel, St. Margaret’s Pilgrims Hostel, sits atop one of these hills, offering sweeping views of the town and surrounding countryside. Each morning I was awoken by the wonderful sounds of roosters and church bells. The centre of the town is dominated by the Church of the Annunciation, which as the story goes is the place where the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she would bear a son.

Over breakfast, we met the third person in our group (though we would learn later that 11 Belgians would be joining us for the first three days). Ronald was a young guy from The Netherlands, who wasn’t shy about advertising his politics. One day he wore a black t-shirt with a red image of a Nike symbol that had been turned into the old Soviet Hammer and Sickle image, with the words, Strike – Just Do It, emblazoned on the front. He has been to Palestine twice before, supporting local farmers by picking olives. He has an unabashed passion for the Palestinian cause, but has a habit of using the pronoun “We”, when discussing these issues, even though he isn’t part of the “We”. In talking about the Wall that the Israelis have built to separate the Palestinian West Bank from Israel (though in many cases the Wall, or Security Barrier, as the Israelis call it, actually separates Palestinians from Palestinians, but more on that later), Ronald quickly shot back: “We call it the Apartheid Wall”. Sometimes he talks as if he is Palestinian himself. Maybe when one is so passionate about a cause they assume the identity of that group. It’s still annoying, nonetheless.

The other member of our group, who I have referred in previous posts, is Dr. John Soos (yes, his name is pronounced the same as the famed author Dr. Seuss, though we haven’t had any green eggs and ham). John is spirited, easily excitable, and has become the source of much comic relief. On more than occassion he has exclaimed, "I can't believe I'm here!"

As a transplant psychologist for the past 20 years, I knew John as a colleague. We would often swap stories about our travels, and several months ago he asked if I had any trips planned. I told him about this adventure. Thirty minutes later he returned to my office and exclaimed, “I’ll go with you!”

The three of us were sitting in the back seat of a car that was winding its way up Mt. Tabor. John was educating us about the significance of the mountain in Christianity. Something about a mystical experience and Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah, and a foretelling of his death and resurrection.

I asked Ronald about his religious beliefs.

“Yes, I’m Catholic.”

“Then, we’re kind of like a sandwich,” I said, sitting between two Catholics. “You guys are the bread, and I’m the ...” I was trying to think of a good metaphor, when John quickly said, “And you’re the spam.”

After descending Tabor, we drove about 15 minutes through the fertile Jezreel valley to the Israeli military checkpoint on the Palestinian border, not far from the city of Jenin.

We were not able to cross by car, so our driver and guide left us, and we crossed on foot. We weren’t sure if anyone would meet us on the other side.

We walked through a narrow maze-like passage way that was hemmed in by a high chain link fence. Not far away was a watchtower. It felt much like I imagine a prison might. Inside the heavily fortified building were 16 customs booths. It wasn’t busy, so just one booth was open. The woman took our passports and told us to wait. Two security guards took our passports away. We watched as Palestinians were forced to show an identity card and put their hands on a fingerprint reader before being allowed into their country. For me, the poignant moment came when I saw an elderly Arab man shuffle up to the checkpoint. Years before Israel even became a state in 1948, this man probably lived on the same land, where he now had to be fingerprinted each time he came and went.

I didn’t see them when we first entered, but up above on a cat walk were two Israeli security personnel. They walked around slowly, all the time with one finger on the trigger of a very large gun. Every time I looked up at them, they would lock eyes. It was very unnerving. Then, 30 minutes after arriving at the checkpoint, our passports were returned and the security officer told us to enjoy our trip.

After negotiating a series of security gates, we were in Palestine. No one was waiting for us, but we knew the name of the hotel we were staying at, so we jumped into a taxi, and sped off.