11 Oct Open Disregard: Israel vs Palestine
what at stake?
Both countries are now not seeking for round-table deal[negotiate] any time soon, to solve this conflict, with perhaps basic non-sense offers(what have been discussed before but never agreed on), including western destructive policies to undermine collective peace efforts coming form African states, Russia (“arm conflict should be avoided, as its been for last 75 years, diplomatic solution needed”), China (call for Palestine’s independence).
“Spiral of violence”,”Debris instead of peace”,”Middle East Bloodshed”, “Massacre of innocent”, “Dead beheaded babies”…- the cover statements that sparkle on the tv news linked to Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including dubious claims of harm to children. Perhaps mostly for its ‘eye for an eye’ attitude from both states. After the 7th October (2023) hostilities at the music festival ( Nova festival in Negev desert, not far from Gaza strip) Israeli people rung the bell, to say – from their words – what monstrous actions Palestinians did to the Israeli young adults who were, innocent festivagoers and did nothing to be kidnapped or killed ( more than 260 people confirmed dead and still missing) by Hamas forces (Palestinian, Islamic Resistance Movement), and second, ask their (Israel) government to respond and rescue those who is still captured, run the justice for these merciless crimes. Well, make sense, and it needless to say how heartbroken it is to whath some real footage where concertgoers fighting for their lives, but shortly have no where to run and eventually facing the front-justice. Meanwhile not forgetting that the same complain regarding the killing innocent civilians and the need to serve justice is also in the heads of Palestinians, who were suffering from inhumane treatment for years by their neighbour (Israel). So to not colour this conflict in black and white.
Quick Remark: the recipient always sees the violence against him/her as worse than anything he/she had previously done thus the escalation of violence is inevitable.
A long-lasting territorial, religious, ethnic disregard, anger towards each other, and total ideological confrontation – all are currently among the main issues in Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Who would doubt that two nations, would not start living peacefully after having such territorial conflict, for the last 75 years, when Palestinians had to narrow, periodically, their geographical placement, and Israel from their part, had to strengthen its national position on their new living area. Bit of history: special thanks to the Balfour Declaration (1917), and time after WWII (1947), whereupon causing an Arab-Israeli War in 1948 (Israel’s victory), and the USSR’s reluctancy to foresee some issues related to the new settlement when granting de jure recognition to the Jewish state in 1948, and somewhat ignorance from Western world regarding the Palestinian territory and Palestinian nation as whole, and…
The territory has now divided into 3 parts: the State of Israel, the West Bank (of the Jordan River), and the Gaza Strip( cfr.org). For the last one(Gaza) they [ Israel and Palestine] have never been close to cease-fire term… well, I might be mistaken based on my non-expertise in this case. In one thing i could reassure you, when you there in Israel or Palestine, you can sense that thick air in between those nations: one is (Palestine) offended for being suddenly asked to ‘scoot over’ and share their land with another nation (Israelis) that is quite opposite to them religiously, and culturally, whereas another one (Israel) feels obligated to fight for survival of the Jewish state, which is itself stirs up fear to defend their ‘homeland’. In short: one side seems to have every reason to hate their newly neighbour, while another side of the conflict knows that, but has nothing to offer rather than protect their own rights and freedoms, because they(Israel) can’t and don’t want to leave the territories which were given to them by the peace treaties after WWI. And often this ‘ways’ to protect both freedoms goes beyond the diplomatic acts launching vengeful preemptive wars against each other.
Western Wall in Jerusalem after which some are hooked on the thought of being a messiah [Jerusalem syndrome].
As I said, this is quite complicated and delicate situation. Both deny each others legitimacy. Therefore, the places like Jerusalem with it’s sacred areas (Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Dome of the Rock), Dead Sea… are still questioned to what nation it belongs to. So if you there traveling you might see non-stop confronting campaigns to fight for ‘occupied’ territories and unfortunately, so far no mutual agreement will be reached any time soon.
There is no clear solution to what would be the best deal or compromise for both Israel and Palestine, and the longer it goes the more rigid on their own decisions both become. Collecting more and more disagreements, sum it up to the past concerns – who is responsible for what deeds, which are stressed on different beliefs that are now hard to confront or prove wrong or right. Israeli-Palestinian conflict touching many aspects, (even mythological aspect of Zionism plays its role), and thus, has high chances to go on for another century, if not for centuries.
But away from the conflict ‘forecast’ and to the travel point. For the Fall of 2023 you should avoid to put you foot in both countries – ongoing war. Before and usually you can travel to both countries at once: flying to Israel and then going to Palestine, then again to Israel to fly back. There is also been a risk to get Jerusalem syndrome there.
Since you can’t travel to both countries it is still good to know what places are treasured there. Best time to visit: Ironically(as the war goes on from October) September, October, November or April, May.
Ways to travel to Palestine. Ben Gurion airport (quite risky), or Tel Aviv (which is apparently the easiest and quickest method), or travelling to Jordan Queen Alia International Airport (after taking a taxi to the Jordan-Israeli border then entering the West Bank, Palestine through the Allenby/ King Hussein border crossing.)
In Palestine :
- Bethlehem city (info)
- Jerusalem (info)
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre (info)
- Al- Aqsa Mosque (info)
- Dome of the Rock (info and here)
- Ramallah city (info)
- Dead sea (info)
- Deir al Krntl (info and here)
- Mar Saba Monestery (info)
- Ibrahim mosque (info)
- Temple Mount (info)
- Church of the Nativity (info)
- Hisham’s Palace (info)
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