|
Geography
Many people have traveled, traded and fought in the land called Canaan,
Judea, Palestine and now Israel. The land, a narrow strip between desert and
sea, is a kind of a bridge linking Africa, Asia and Europe.
 
Hippos is in the northern part of modern Israel. The mountain on which the city
was built rises 350 meters over the Sea of Galilee — but the lake itself is 209
meters below sea level, so the mountaintop is only about 140 meters above sea
level. The floor of the Northeast church is about 130 meters above sea
level.
The Mediterranean Sea is 40 miles west of Hippos. Jerusalem is about 90 miles
to the southwest. Damascus, the capital of Israel's sometime enemy Syria, is
just 75 miles to the northeast.
At Hippos, rain from late October until April turns the grass green. In January,
flowers cover the mountain. When the rains stop in late spring, grasses wither
and die in the heat.
Jesus lived and preached on the Sea of Galilee, or Lake Kinneret as it's
called here. Fishing craft and tourist excursion boats now ply the freshwater
lake, which is 13 miles (21 kilometers) long and 7 miles (11 kilometers) across.
Hippos marks the western edge of the Golan Heights, a hilly area cut by deep
ravines. Israelis started farming in disputed territory nearby in 1948 when
Syria held the Golan Heights. Sometimes Syrians shot at the settlements from the
heights. The Israelis captured the Golan from Syria in 1967 and still control
it.
Minefields
Abandoned fortifications from that war are on the mountain. Old minefields on
the mountain have been "swept" for explosives, but are still enclosed by barbed
wire just in case any live mines remain. Keep out!
Modern Israel is a small country, only 50 to 115 kilometers (30 to 70 miles)
from east to west and 420 kilometers (260 miles) from north to south. More than
6 million people live in Israel. Another 2.6 million Palestinians live in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip. These territories aren't part of Israel but are
controlled by Israel since the 1967 war.
Jerusalem is Israel's largest city, but Tel Aviv is the capital. Control of
Jerusalem remains unsettled since the 1967 war. Palestinians still want
Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.
The Israeli-Palestinian dispute is complicated. People called Jews lived in
Israel starting about 1,000 BCE. In 587 BCE, Babylonian invaders took many
Jewish prisoners back to Babylon. About 50 years later the Jews were allowed to
return to their homeland, though many stayed in Babylon.
After failed revolts against Rome in 70 CE and 132 CE, the Romans again drove
the Jews out of Jerusalem and the surrounding area, renaming the land Palestine.
Control of Palestine passed to the Byzantine Empire, Muslim conquerors, European
crusaders, Turks and, after World War I, to England. By then, Muslims, Jews and
Christians had lived together in the land for centuries.
After Nazis in control of Germany executed 6 million European Jews in the
Holocaust, the United Nations agreed to establish the modern state of Israel in
1947.
Independence And War
But when Israel officially became an independent Jewish state in 1948, its
Muslim neighbors attacked, angry that Israelis were forcing Muslims out of their
homes. Israel fought and won wars with its Muslim neighbors in 1948, 1956, 1967
and 1973.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter arranged talks in 1978 that led to a peace treaty
between Israel and Egypt. His efforts won Carter a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Outbreaks of violence in Israel have continued, however. Palestinians whose
parents and grandparents lost their homes after 1948 are still living in refugee
camps.
Palestinians want their own state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Many want
peace, but are angry about continued Israeli control of those territories.
Palestinians can't travel wherever they want. Many must pass through military
checkpoints to get to their jobs. Many can't get jobs. Israelis want to limit
Palestinians' movements to prevent terrorist attacks.
Palestinians and Israelis have been discussing a solution for years. But
militants have repeatedly interrupted this peace process by sending young
suicide bombers and other attackers to kill Israeli soldiers and civilians. In
turn Israel attacks the militants, but often kills innocent Palestinians as
well. A remedy still seems far away.
Read more:
|
|
