After a couple of days in Palestine, I am really impressed by how much fun it is to simply be here. There’s a resilience, a welcoming spirit, and a warmth that is striking. While I haven’t seen a single American here (except for a few Christian and political tour groups), everywhere we go, we hear, over and over, “Welcome to Palestine!” It’s as if people are just thrilled that they have a name for their country…and someone from the outside world is here to see it.
I like classic old tour posters like this one, which remind me that until WWII, this region was called Palestine. The recent international recognition (via the UN) of the “State of Palestine” — also known as the West Bank and Gaza Strip — revives that tradition, and helps remind us that the Holy Land is shared by both Israelis and Palestinians. While there are different perspectives on this, from the Arab side I keep hearing that the norm until after the creation of Israel in 1948 was that Jewish and Muslim communities lived here in relative harmony.
We intended to film the Dead Sea later in the shoot. But as we came down from the fabled mountain fortress of Masada on the last gondola (at 5:00 p.m.), the light was plush along the Dead Sea. The mountains of Jordan melted like hot buttered rum into the glassy sea, and bathers bobbed like little marshmallows on vacation. We stopped at a resort and took full advantage of the “magic hour” light, filming the whole bit in about half an hour. Here’s the script: “The road ends where the Jordan River does, at the lowest place on earth: the fabled Dead Sea. Officially, Palestinians in the West Bank don’t control any seaside, riverbank, or lakefront — including the Dead Sea shoreline, which is controlled by Israel. But when tensions are low, Palestinian families who can afford the admission are welcome to enjoy the Israeli Dead Sea resorts. The Jordan continually empties into this inland sea. Because there’s no outlet for the water and the scalding sun causes constant evaporation, the minerals concentrate. That’s why the water is more than one-third minerals — about six times as salty as the ocean. You’ll float like a cork. If you have any little cuts, you’ll sting like mad. Keep the water out of your eyes and bathe near a shower. Locals come here for the black mud, filled with natural minerals. Women count on it to keep their skin young.”
A frustration when traveling in Palestine is being overfed. I don’t like to overeat or to waste food. And it seems I have to do both twice a day when traveling here. Then my local friend taught me that, according to Palestinian culture, whenever a guest finishes his plate, it’s only hospitable to refill it. So I found the solution: not to finish my plate. There’s also a rhythm of eating here. Routinely you’re presented with a delicious and irresistible array of little appetizer plates — humus, salads, cheeses, meats, eggplant, and various dips to eat with pita bread. Then, just when you’re about full, the real meal arrives — generally a plate full of various meats and grilled vegetables. And save room for dessert! If food is love, there’s an abundance of that in this land.
About a year ago, my partner and I spent a day in the West Bank. We only spent an hour in Bethlehem and had the balance of the day to check out the other sites. Outside of Bethlehem, it’s true; no Americans. No anybody really as far as tourists are concerned. There are some great sites here, but they can be so empty as to almost gives you the uneasy feeling of being the last people in a movie to find out the world has ended. You absolutely need a guide to go past Bethlehem, especially if you’re there during a particularly stressed time in the region–which isn’t rare. In fact, a missile from Gaza landed in the West Bank on the day we were there. Of course, we didn’t even know about it until we looked at the news back at the hotel. I’ll always wonder what that boom was that we heard as we toured Herodium. Probably just mining…but who knows…
I had the pleasure of visiting the area in the 1980s. It is a shame that it is not easy to enjoy the sites there today. At that time before the first intifada Israeli and Palestinians police worked together in one car in the West bank area. There was no problem with our Israeli guide taking us through what is now “Palestine.”
It is true that there was a “relative” calm before 1948, in the sense that there was not a constant war, with the British in control. But there were anti Jewish pogroms even before 1930.
Everyone living in that area including Jews, were considered Palestinian. Palestinian was written on the British passports of Jews, Christians, and Muslams. One reason that the British left was the constant fighting.
No Jews were permitted in the West Bank under Jordan control. The Arabs living there were considered Jordanian. The term Palestinian to define only non Jews occurred after 1967. There are about 3 million citizens of Jordan who are Palestinian, and 1 million non citizens who are classified as Palestinian refugees. They are under the control of the Jordanian government supported by about 2 million, loyal to the King.
I would not object at all if travel attire like the sort pictured in the above illustration came back in vogue. White jacket, shirt and tie, riding pants, knee boots and a pith helmet- brilliant! Forget the shorts or no shorts debate, let’s bring back the travel attire of the Pax Britannica era.
Lived in relative harmony? Study your history and you’ll find Jews persecuted for a very long time. Your blog is awash with anti-Israel revsionist history. So disappointing from someone whose work is usually so factually based.