The Land of God
Seeing some of the most revered sites on earth in less than 3 hours is quite a jolt to the system.
This is the centre of three of the world's main faiths and the land fought over in the longest and most intractable dispute in recent history.
The Muslims are here because Muhammad was here. On Mount Moriah, they built The Dome of the Rock over the stone from which the Last Messenger ascended to Heaven.
The Christians are here because Jesus walked on the city's cobblestones, healed the blind and the crippled and carried a cross to his death through its streets.
The Jews are here because it is The Promised Land, and they are not going anywhere because they haven't had a nation to call their own for almost 2000 years before 1948.
And having seen the hill where Abraham built an altar to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, the garden where Jesus prayed and wept and asked to be delivered from pain, and the remaining Wall of Solomon's Temple, I now know why people are willing to fight and die for it.
10 per cent of the population still wear 15th century Jewish gear proudly. And the Israelis leave as a living museum exhibit armoured vehicles which carried supplies to their army in Jerusalem as they fought their numerous Arab neighbours in 1948.
For the ordinary Israeli who does not care about religion or statehood - though I am not sure if there is such a person; almost every car I saw carried a flag of the nation - Israel is the Dead Sea, The Mediterranean, gorgeous hills, lush fields, sunflowers and jaffa oranges.
Israel is a people who went into exile and is now back.
I hope they stay a while.
This is the centre of three of the world's main faiths and the land fought over in the longest and most intractable dispute in recent history.
The Muslims are here because Muhammad was here. On Mount Moriah, they built The Dome of the Rock over the stone from which the Last Messenger ascended to Heaven.
The Christians are here because Jesus walked on the city's cobblestones, healed the blind and the crippled and carried a cross to his death through its streets.
The Jews are here because it is The Promised Land, and they are not going anywhere because they haven't had a nation to call their own for almost 2000 years before 1948.
And having seen the hill where Abraham built an altar to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, the garden where Jesus prayed and wept and asked to be delivered from pain, and the remaining Wall of Solomon's Temple, I now know why people are willing to fight and die for it.
10 per cent of the population still wear 15th century Jewish gear proudly. And the Israelis leave as a living museum exhibit armoured vehicles which carried supplies to their army in Jerusalem as they fought their numerous Arab neighbours in 1948.
For the ordinary Israeli who does not care about religion or statehood - though I am not sure if there is such a person; almost every car I saw carried a flag of the nation - Israel is the Dead Sea, The Mediterranean, gorgeous hills, lush fields, sunflowers and jaffa oranges.
Israel is a people who went into exile and is now back.
I hope they stay a while.
posted by Jean.Chua at 3:48 PM
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