Holy Exposures Commentary and Photos of Israel

15 seconds is all that it takes for a rocket fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza to land in the nearby Israeli town of Sderot. It will probably take you longer than that to read this blog post.

Imagine that you are in your living reading a book, watching TV or having a bite to eat, your kids are in the next room playing, and then you hear the sirens sounding that another mortar or rocket is heading your way. You now have 15 seconds, FIFTEEN SECONDS, to run as fast as you can to your shelter and hope that the rocket goes somewhere else.

Gaza Under Fire (AP)

This is the life that has been determined for the residents of Israeli towns near by Gaza the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist organization. Israel has suffered much damage, including loss of civilian lives, damage to buildings, destruction of local economies, and emotional scars to the local residents for eight years.

Israel’s decision to finally (hopefully) put an end to this suffering of its innocent civilians, and to rid the Palestinians of their Iran-backed terror state, was met with mixed responses by the world community. We didn’t expect praise from the Arabist U.N., nor from our ’so-called’ friends in Europe, but let’s see how any country, democratic or otherwise, would respond to these similar circumstances.

The State of Israel is fighting the same war it has always fought, since it’s inception in 1948. This is a war of “kiyum”, being able to remain a sovereign nation. This is a war we must win.

When I think of Caesarea, and its 18 hole golf course near the beach, it usually comes with a longing for my golf clubs that I left in the USA 14 years ago.  It’s situated about 50KM north of Tel Aviv and is easily accessible from the main Coastal Highway.

Caesarea, is actually however, a top Israel tourist destination. The town is built on the ruins of a Herodian village from the times of the Roman era. The tourist section, which is much bigger than the inhabited portion, is filled with activities, Roman ruins, and the famous Roman Amphitheater.  Click here to learn more about the city’s impressive history.

The central tourist area has many artisan shops, including a “yekev” vineyard factory store.  The Israeli army brings cadets to Caeserea for training and for history lessons.  A soldier has to know what he’s fighting for.

Here are some photos of the beach, the Ampitheater,  Roman Ruins, and Aqueducts, which were quite an engineering feat.  (Remember the Monty Python skit about “what have the Romans done for us”?)…

Husan חוסן is a sprawling West Bank town on the southern edge of Jerusalem, straddled by Gilo, the tunnels road, and Beitar Ilit.  Most of the residents work in neighboring Beit Lechem, or tend to their fields or herds.  Commerce is practically non-existent in Husan.

In good times, Husan has also been a prime source of day labor for Israeli contractors in Jerusalem and as far as Bet Shemesh.  In bad times, such as in the recent second Intifada, Husan acted as a springboard for hostilities.  The road that connects Beitar Illit with the tunnels road that heads north to Jerusalem and south to Gush Etzion also shares a two kilometer southern border with Husan.  Beitar residents would often be stoned, or worse, by projectiles thrown from the Husan residents from their higher vantage point.

The Israeli army clamped down on Husan with several measures to alleviate the stress and risk of injury or death of Beitar residents.  A huge link fence was erected on most of the southern border of Husan that would effectively eliminate terrorist attacks from the high points.  Next, the army declared the tunnels road and the Beitar access road to be inaccessible to Husan residents.  Husan residents were now trapped in their village except for taking a long walk across the tunnels road to Beit Jara or Beit Lechem, and a loophole that allowed transit vans from employers in other cities to pick up Husan residents for work.  However, Husan is several kilometers long in its own right.  As a result, an odd daily ritual could be seen, as Husan residents either walked or were transported from their homes to the edge of the city, where they would walk across the army baracades, and then step into other vans that would take them to their work or shopping in nearby cities.

Here’s some images of this daily spectacle and of the environs:

What a great birthday. Israel is now 60 years old. A little grey hair and plump around the waist, but looking better than ever!

A marvelous thing happened today on our hike to Tel Azeka (more on that later). As we reached the top of the hill, we saw 5 IDF fighter jets soar above our heads with sky-sweeping fly bys. I imagine that this would not be a welcome site in Lebanon or Gaza, but here in the center of Israel, this is just awesome to see.

I am assuming they were participating in some ceremony for Israel’s Independence Day. At 60, our air force is still the giants of the sky.

Click on the images for larger views.