Rick Steves’ Travel Blog

Hebron is the West Bank’s biggest city, and is also home to one of the holiest sites in the Holy Land: The Tomb of Abraham, who is a revered figure among Jews, Muslims, and Christians. According to scripture, Abraham had one son by his wife, Sarah (Isaac, the ancestor of the Jews), and another son by their Egyptian servant, Hagar (Ishmael, from whom the Muslims are descended). So both Jews and Muslims come to the Tomb of Abraham seeking their spiritual roots. While this confluence could have been an opportunity for unity and cooperation, instead it has turned the tomb into a divisive place. The tension in Hebron — and especially at the tomb itself — is palpable.

I’ll continue this Holy Land series until November 21st. Then, to celebrate my homecoming, I’ll give a live, free slideshow lecture on Thursday, November 21st at 7 p.m. P.S.T. in Edmonds, Washington. You can attend in person (registration required)…or watch the live webcast from anywhere in the world (no registration required). Learn more at Rick Steves – Holy Land – Israel and Palestine Today.

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.

Palestine is pretty brown and dusty. Especially in the late fall, it was tough to find a lot of green. And with a desperate economy, there’s not much funding left over for parks and appreciating nature. Still, there are some beautiful corners. One of the most beautiful is the national park of Battir — famed for its hikes through olive groves and ancient terraces.

Here in the Holy Land, the land itself is holy to its inhabitants. And, for Palestinians, the olive tree is a kind of lifeblood for the culture. In the Palestinian national park of Battir, you can walk among olives trees and so-called “Biblical terraces.” These terraces, carved out of the hillsides, have been lovingly tended for more than 2,000 years.

Our guide, Kamal, helped us put together a great olive sequence: walking through the Biblical terraces, dropping in on a family harvesting olives, and then popping into the village oil press where families bring their olives to be pressed into oil. It’ll be great TV. The “money shot”: The golden liquid spouting into jugs, then being taken home to enjoy by the same people who picked those olives.

It’s that time of year when, across the land, families gather in the olive groves for the harvest. They explained, “The olive tree is the tree of poor people — it gives without taking.” To Palestinians, it represents both their past and their future: “planted by grandfathers for us to eat, and we plant for our children to eat.”

I’ll continue this Holy Land series until November 21st. Then, to celebrate my homecoming, I’ll give a live, free slideshow lecture on Thursday, November 21st at 7 p.m. P.S.T. in Edmonds, Washington. You can attend in person (registration required)…or watch the live webcast from anywhere in the world (no registration required). Learn more at Rick Steves – Holy Land: Israel and Palestine Today.

Both of my Palestinian guides helped me understand that here in the Holy Land, “religion” is a matter of both faith and culture. Muslims, Jews, and Christians who don’t practice their family’s faith still embrace that tribe or clan as an identity. Even non-practicing Christians wear a cross to indicate their culture (not their faith). And it can be devastating for a young person to marry out of their faith. On the other hand, someone told me, “I’m a Christian. My friends are Muslim. For us, it’s cultural more than religious. When we get old and scared of death, then we become more religious.”

The whole religion vs. culture thing is interesting to me, as there are so many intersections between my Lutheran/Norwegian heritage and the Catholic/Irish or Catholic/Italian or Catholic/Filipino heritage of my friends and loved ones.

In Palestine, where Christians are an important minority, Christians tell me they don’t feel treated like a minority. Among Palestinians, one’s Arab-ness trumps their Christian-ness or Muslim-ness when it comes to identity. But in Israel, Arab Israelis report to really feeling treated as if they’re a minority.

While Christians make up only 8 percent of the Palestinian population, the constitution of the country requires that the mayors of two leading cities, Ramallah and Bethlehem, be Christian. My guide, Kamal, is a Christian, as is Palestine’s Minister of Tourism (the Christian quota for the cabinet is 10 percent — and, since she’s also female, she’s a twofer in the diversity game).

The per capita Christian population of Palestine is shrinking. I asked the Minister of Tourism whether, if there were only one Christian left in Bethlehem, that person would be the mayor. She said, “Yes.”

For over a thousand years, a mosque has shared Bethlehem’s Nativity (or Manger) Square with a church. Jesus and Mary are both a big deal for Muslims. After filming a prayer service in a mosque, I sat cross-legged on the carpet for a joyous interview with this imam. He explained, “Bethlehem is holy for Muslims as well as Christians. For Muslims, Jesus is the #2 prophet. We also revere Mother Mary, who is very holy to Muslims. In fact, an entire book in the Quran is named for her.” I asked him to let me hear how he talks to God, but in English, and his prayer literally brought me to tears. As we hugged, I could feel the pull of Islam.

Lots of tourists go to Palestine, but I’d estimate that 90 percent of them do it as a strategic strike from Jerusalem to Manger Square in Bethlehem (about six miles away) to see the Church of the Nativity. They then return directly to Israel without spending a single shekel in restaurants or hotels. Obviously, there’s much more to experience in this country.

In eight nights in Palestine, we are spending four each in Bethlehem (for sights in the south) and Ramallah (for sights in the north). Each city is like a suburb of Jerusalem, but because of the political situation, wall, and checkpoints, they are a long one-hour drive apart (barring delays, which are routine).
Just across the wall from Jerusalem stands Bethlehem. No longer just the little town of Christmas-carol fame, Bethlehem is a leading Palestinian city. From the rooftop of the highest hotel in town, we found the perfect wide shot to establish the city. Book covers featuring Bethlehem show a delightful town capping a hill with spires and minarets. This was pre-growth spurt and would be impossible to film today, as the city sprawls and is almost indiscernible with greater Jerusalem.

I want to encourage travel to Palestine with this program. While it’s probably a bit too edgy for most Americans, it’s amazing how after a couple days in Palestine, you feel right at home. I recently walked from San Diego over the border into Tijuana. Walking through the wall from Jerusalem to Bethlehem feels much the same. Of course, if you’re Mexican or Palestinian, it’s a different story. But for the American, just flash your passport and try not to get your sweater dirty on the turnstile. At first, we were nervous here with our big camera. But it soon became clear that Israeli guards don’t really care what happens on this side of the wall. I walked through one way (back into Israel) and waited for a gang of Palestinian workers (who have special permission to do menial labor in Israel) to get off a bus. Then, with our camera rolling, I joined them filing through the turnstile back into Palestine. The travel nitty-gritty: Your passport is all you need. Palestine uses Israeli currency. Just walk across the border and haggle with the taxis… and in $5 and 10 minutes, you’re looking at the church marking the spot where Jesus was born.

The little town of Bethlehem has a very cool Arabic vibe, especially in the early evening. Bethlehem’s skyline is a commotion of both crescents and crosses — a reminder that the town, while almost totally Arab, remains a mix of Muslims and Christians. While Palestinians are Arabs, not all Palestinians are Muslims. In fact, about 350,000 are Christian. And both Christians and Muslims are drawn to Bethlehem. For some reason, Palestine (while east of Israel) is one hour earlier. It’s pretty late in the year, and we are out of light and done shooting here by 5:00.

I’ll continue this Holy Land series until November 21st. Then, to celebrate my homecoming, I’ll give a live, free slideshow lecture on Thursday, November 21st at 7 p.m. P.S.T. in Edmonds, Washington. You can attend in person (registration required)…or watch the live webcast from anywhere in the world (no registration required). Learn more at Rick Steves – Holy Land: Israel and Palestine Today.