For Israel, simply surviving is serious business. More and more Israeli Jews, along with people around the world who care about peace in the Middle East, think Israel would be wise to lighten up a bit. But when you travel there and hang out with the older generation, you appreciate why most of them take every threat to their nation extremely seriously and make their own rules for security without waiting for anyone else’s OK.
That’s the generation that remembers 1967, when Hebrew-language propaganda radio from Egypt broadcast to a young generation of Israelis: “Dear fish of the Mediterranean, don’t bother eating now because in a few days you’ll be dining on two million Jews.” And, while lately, the news fixates on missiles from Iran, Israel considers it has two Iranian divisions right on its border: Hamas (in Gaza) and Hezbollah (in Lebanon).
My guide, Benny Dagan, illustrated with maps and charts how Israel quadrupled in size in 1967 after the Six-Day War. For its own defense, Israel insists on keeping the land it took as a buffer, and to never again have Arab gun emplacements able to shoot down at Israel from the high ground — a kind of grinding terror the country lived with from the late 1940s to 1967.From this Syrian military post, named “High and Mighty,” Syrians looked down on Israel’s primary water source and shelled civilians at will from 1949 until 1967, when Israel “made them pay the bill” in a six-day military rout.
Photo by Trish Feaster. (for her blog, see The Travelphile.)
The Gadot Lookout in the Golan Heights overlooks the upper Jordan River valley, and is on the border of the present UN buffer zone with Syria. Since 1967, Israel has controlled the Golan Heights. As long as things are peaceful, the trenches and barbed wire here provide a kind of commando playground for visiting Israelis. Another vantage point, on Mount Bental, looks down on the road to the Syrian capital, Damascus — just 35 miles to the north. The café atop Mount Bental is named “Coffee Annan,” a clever reminder that it was United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan who once led the UN troops stationed below. And, Annan means “clouds” in Hebrew — so it’s “coffee above the clouds.”It was fascinating to drive right up to the Israel-Syria border, a tense no man’s land patrolled by United Nations troops.Souvenir T-shirts like this weave in political themes, as the political realities are a part of any curious visitor’s experience. It is thought-provoking how many mighty nations and empires once threatened Israel and how — of all of them — only Israel survives. The joke: Israel has friends in high places. (In all fairness, along with heaven, that would include Washington, D.C.)All Israelis go into service at age 18: men for three years, women for two years. While the primary purpose is to protect the country, a strong secondary purpose for the universal draft is to build social cohesion. Military service functions as a kind of cultural boot camp for first-generation Israelis — new arrivals from places like Russia, Iraq, and Ethiopia. After three years in the army, they’re no longer FOB — “fresh off the boat.”
It’s not true that ALL citizens do national service. The fact that the ultra-orthodox are exempt is a big political issue in Israel right now. I believe it is also the case that the 20% of the population who are Arab may opt to serve but are not conscripted, and in general do not volunteer.
Interesting that your guide does not accept that the occupied territories should be returned to the Palestinians. So much for the two state solution.
When I went to Israel a lot of the non-American English speakers (i.e. Australians and New Zealanders) seemed disturbed by the groups of young Israeli soldiers walking the streets with an M16 slung over their shoulder and a loaded magazine stuffed in their back pocket. I found it reassuring though; the mission of the IDF is to protect the residents of Israel and her guests. I got the same reassuring vibe from most of the AK47-toting security personel in Egypt; especially the ones taht seemed to come from a higher socio-economic group. But then again I own an M16, so when I see a black rifle I see a tool for protection, not a weapon of aggression. Your feelings/experiences may vary.
Rick – I am pleased and relieved to read your most recent post from Israel. Indeed, in Israel survival is not only serious business, but is the #1 most important issue. How could it be anything else when Arabs in this tiny country still resolve to drive you into the sea and have actually removed the state of Israel from all maps used in their schools? On my first visit to Israel in 1990, when looking up at the Golan Heights from the highway, I mused that the thought of Syrians shooting down at Israelis there was akin to considering someone on Lookout Mountain (just above Lakewood, a suburb of Denver) shooting down onto US6 as it meanders through Lakewood! My next and most recent trip to Israel occurred a year ago – among other things, we listened to an intense and powerful presentation by a man who had been a tank commander in the 1967 war – We were at Tel Saki, a mile from the Syrian boder, where he and the soldiers operating 12 tanks were charged with holding back the Syrian army. Most of his troops died. The issue remains the same – Survival, but the focus of threat has largely shifted to Iran.
Iran as we know it today will go the way of the trash-heap of history. Thus always has been of despotic regimes. The only question is will it come from external or internal forces. We should all pray for the latter.
People, just some comments to round out the picture here. Ive just returned from several weeks in Iran, and Ive never seen such hospitable, friendly and honourable people. I felt instantly relaxed there, was made to feel at home, and have nothing but the greatest respect for them and their culture. Yes, their regime has much to answer for, but so do all regimes in the world. I never heard a word against Israel there…indeed Iran has one of the largest and oldest population of Jews in the Middle East, and has several Jewish shrines there, including that of Esther and Mordechai. The only comment I heard was from a 30 year old guy who said loudly that he really liked Jews and enjoyed visiting their sites. So, seeing idiotic and simplistic t-shirts like the one Rick posted makes one wonder and who is really causing problems. If anything, its just gov’ts pulling their usual tricks to stay in power. The Iranians I met and spoke with certainly have no desire for war with anybody, that much was evident. They are much more interested in solving their own domestic problems
Second, regarding these comments about the Golan Heights. Just for the intellectual sport of it, I think its far closer to the truth to imagine what you would think if Mexico invaded and occupied Texas, on the grounds that they used to own it, and then complained about being shelled from across the Oklahoma border. This blank cheque that many Americans give to Israel to do whatever they like is counter productive, to put it politely. Some dispassionate observation of the reality of the situation is what’s needed here, and the reality is that Israel has a great deal to answer for and the views and experiences of both sides need to be taken into account.
Rick, I am enjoying your reporting–just getting to all your posts now, and reading them through.
The comments are interesting, although some people, like “s” above, do not know the history of he region if he or she compares the capturing of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 war, to Mexico invading Texas. To be a good analogy, an army of Texans would have to have joined forces with 5 or 6 other bordering, belligerent states in order to start a war with Mexico and then get defeated on their own high ground where territory of a few miles would change hands and a buffer zone would be created to end the war.
It is a sort of common thing that happens between warring countries.
“Ive just returned from several weeks in Iran, and Ive never seen such hospitable, friendly and honourable people.”
Travelers in 1938 Germany found the same thing.
Regarding the Golan Heights, Syrian said it will resume its attacks if it ever gets them back. Israel is justified in keeping them.
LesLein, can you clarify your meaning behind the comment that travelers to Germany found the same thing in 1938? Apart from sourcing evidence, I would like to know what you are intending to say with this comment, before I reply and possbly impute meanings to your words that you may not have intended.
Re the Golan Heights, Id happily agree with you. It would be folly from the military/tactical viewpoint for warring part A to cede high ground to warring part B. My concern is not with tactics however, but with the deeper ethical considerations surrounding the entire situation. That seems a more fruitful area for debate.
My point about Iran is simple. I find that this country is being denigrated wholesale, without very many of the commenators having been there, without them showing any evidence of knowing the history, culture etc. I have studied the history and culture for a good few years and having been there, I stand by what I said. The ordinary people are, on the whole (there are always exceptions in any large group of people) wonderful and didn’t give any sign of hostility or warlike intent towards others. At least, that is what I saw and experienced with my own eyes. The government is a different issue. As an atheist, I dont support any theocracy, and I certainly saw and heard official ‘news’ items and commentary in Iran that is every bit as obnoxious and silly as what you’d find elsewhere in the world, including the States. I don’t support the aims and ambitions of their government, but neither (it seemed to me) do many Iranians, who are very well aware that this is, at base, propaganda. My call is for people to look beyond what the governments and media outlets say (on both sides) and get to know the people, their own hopes and views, in their own words before forming judgements, which is what Ive tried to do.
a reply to “s” comment about the Golan heights:
Your example about Mexico and Texas is not at all close to what happened in the Golan heights. As Rick stated in his post, the Syrians and Palestinians frequently shot at Israeli villages and kibbutz in the Galilee BEFORE Israel occupied any Arab land. They shot at Israelis because they refused to accept Israel’s right to exist even within the borders that were giving to Israel by the UN in 1947. The 1967 war and occupation of the Golan was the result of the Arab aggression, not its cause.
It’s not true that ALL citizens do national service. The fact that the ultra-orthodox are exempt is a big political issue in Israel right now. I believe it is also the case that the 20% of the population who are Arab may opt to serve but are not conscripted, and in general do not volunteer.
Interesting that your guide does not accept that the occupied territories should be returned to the Palestinians. So much for the two state solution.
When I went to Israel a lot of the non-American English speakers (i.e. Australians and New Zealanders) seemed disturbed by the groups of young Israeli soldiers walking the streets with an M16 slung over their shoulder and a loaded magazine stuffed in their back pocket. I found it reassuring though; the mission of the IDF is to protect the residents of Israel and her guests. I got the same reassuring vibe from most of the AK47-toting security personel in Egypt; especially the ones taht seemed to come from a higher socio-economic group. But then again I own an M16, so when I see a black rifle I see a tool for protection, not a weapon of aggression. Your feelings/experiences may vary.
Rick – I am pleased and relieved to read your most recent post from Israel. Indeed, in Israel survival is not only serious business, but is the #1 most important issue. How could it be anything else when Arabs in this tiny country still resolve to drive you into the sea and have actually removed the state of Israel from all maps used in their schools? On my first visit to Israel in 1990, when looking up at the Golan Heights from the highway, I mused that the thought of Syrians shooting down at Israelis there was akin to considering someone on Lookout Mountain (just above Lakewood, a suburb of Denver) shooting down onto US6 as it meanders through Lakewood! My next and most recent trip to Israel occurred a year ago – among other things, we listened to an intense and powerful presentation by a man who had been a tank commander in the 1967 war – We were at Tel Saki, a mile from the Syrian boder, where he and the soldiers operating 12 tanks were charged with holding back the Syrian army. Most of his troops died. The issue remains the same – Survival, but the focus of threat has largely shifted to Iran.
Iran as we know it today will go the way of the trash-heap of history. Thus always has been of despotic regimes. The only question is will it come from external or internal forces. We should all pray for the latter.
People, just some comments to round out the picture here. Ive just returned from several weeks in Iran, and Ive never seen such hospitable, friendly and honourable people. I felt instantly relaxed there, was made to feel at home, and have nothing but the greatest respect for them and their culture. Yes, their regime has much to answer for, but so do all regimes in the world. I never heard a word against Israel there…indeed Iran has one of the largest and oldest population of Jews in the Middle East, and has several Jewish shrines there, including that of Esther and Mordechai. The only comment I heard was from a 30 year old guy who said loudly that he really liked Jews and enjoyed visiting their sites. So, seeing idiotic and simplistic t-shirts like the one Rick posted makes one wonder and who is really causing problems. If anything, its just gov’ts pulling their usual tricks to stay in power. The Iranians I met and spoke with certainly have no desire for war with anybody, that much was evident. They are much more interested in solving their own domestic problems
Second, regarding these comments about the Golan Heights. Just for the intellectual sport of it, I think its far closer to the truth to imagine what you would think if Mexico invaded and occupied Texas, on the grounds that they used to own it, and then complained about being shelled from across the Oklahoma border. This blank cheque that many Americans give to Israel to do whatever they like is counter productive, to put it politely. Some dispassionate observation of the reality of the situation is what’s needed here, and the reality is that Israel has a great deal to answer for and the views and experiences of both sides need to be taken into account.
Rick, I am enjoying your reporting–just getting to all your posts now, and reading them through.
The comments are interesting, although some people, like “s” above, do not know the history of he region if he or she compares the capturing of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 war, to Mexico invading Texas. To be a good analogy, an army of Texans would have to have joined forces with 5 or 6 other bordering, belligerent states in order to start a war with Mexico and then get defeated on their own high ground where territory of a few miles would change hands and a buffer zone would be created to end the war.
It is a sort of common thing that happens between warring countries.
“Ive just returned from several weeks in Iran, and Ive never seen such hospitable, friendly and honourable people.”
Travelers in 1938 Germany found the same thing.
Regarding the Golan Heights, Syrian said it will resume its attacks if it ever gets them back. Israel is justified in keeping them.
LesLein, can you clarify your meaning behind the comment that travelers to Germany found the same thing in 1938? Apart from sourcing evidence, I would like to know what you are intending to say with this comment, before I reply and possbly impute meanings to your words that you may not have intended.
Re the Golan Heights, Id happily agree with you. It would be folly from the military/tactical viewpoint for warring part A to cede high ground to warring part B. My concern is not with tactics however, but with the deeper ethical considerations surrounding the entire situation. That seems a more fruitful area for debate.
My point about Iran is simple. I find that this country is being denigrated wholesale, without very many of the commenators having been there, without them showing any evidence of knowing the history, culture etc. I have studied the history and culture for a good few years and having been there, I stand by what I said. The ordinary people are, on the whole (there are always exceptions in any large group of people) wonderful and didn’t give any sign of hostility or warlike intent towards others. At least, that is what I saw and experienced with my own eyes. The government is a different issue. As an atheist, I dont support any theocracy, and I certainly saw and heard official ‘news’ items and commentary in Iran that is every bit as obnoxious and silly as what you’d find elsewhere in the world, including the States. I don’t support the aims and ambitions of their government, but neither (it seemed to me) do many Iranians, who are very well aware that this is, at base, propaganda. My call is for people to look beyond what the governments and media outlets say (on both sides) and get to know the people, their own hopes and views, in their own words before forming judgements, which is what Ive tried to do.
a reply to “s” comment about the Golan heights:
Your example about Mexico and Texas is not at all close to what happened in the Golan heights. As Rick stated in his post, the Syrians and Palestinians frequently shot at Israeli villages and kibbutz in the Galilee BEFORE Israel occupied any Arab land. They shot at Israelis because they refused to accept Israel’s right to exist even within the borders that were giving to Israel by the UN in 1947. The 1967 war and occupation of the Golan was the result of the Arab aggression, not its cause.