i Masjid
- Security Checkpoint #3
- Security Checkpoint #3 on way to Ibrahimi Masjid
- Stairs to Masjid Al-Ibrahimi and begging teenage boys
- Stairs to Masjid Al Ibrahimi (from the point of view of the masjid looking down)
- first view inside Masjid Al Ibrahimi
- inside Masjid Al Ibrahimi
- inside Masjid Al Ibrahimi
- resting place of Ibrahim’s wife, Sarah (ra)
- plaque over door in main area of masjid
- Resting Place of Isaac/Ishaq (as)
- Salahuddin’s original minbar in Masjid Al-Ibrahimi (1 of 3 total; 1 of 2 originals remaining)
- inside Isaac/Ishaq’s tomb (as)
- resting place of Prophet Abraham/Ibrahim (as)
- Prophet Abraham/Ibrahim (as)
- Prophet Abraham/Ibrahim (as)
- Decoration of walls and dome ceiling inside Prophet Abraham/Ibrahim’s (as) room
- Minbar and Ishaq (as)
- Minbar and mihrab (niche for prayer)
- resting place of Rebecca (ra), wife of Isaac/Ishaq (as)
- Closeup of Salahuddin’s minbar
- Palestinian village outside Gush Ezzion, right outside of the masjid where Zakaria (as) may be buried
- Unfinished minaret of masjid where Zakaria (as) may be buried
- Inside masjid where Zakaria (as) may be buried
- Inside masjid where Zakaria (as) may be buried
- Possible burial site of Zakaria (as)
- Inside masjid where Zakaria (as) may be buried
- Schoolroom inside “illegal school” in Palestinian village, Hirbeit Zakariya, Hebron, West Bank
- Unfinished masjid possibly holding Prophet Zakariya’s (as) tomb
- The Lone Tree
- The Lone Tree park of Gush Ezzion and Hirbeit Zakariya
- Driving into the kibbutz with Myron
- Hassan walking to checkpoint
16 thoughts on “Day 19: Journey to Hebron”
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How does this transpire if there already are people living in the supposed homeland? If this means relocating and settling on Palestinian soil and displacing its people, then good manners and friendly civility are an absolute contradiction to the fundamental essence of Zionism. How can occupation be sugar- coated?
Sumaya, Zionism can’t be sugar-coated. The definition you quoted was my paraphrasing of web definitions for Zionism. The point here is it’s dangerous to look at the conflict from only one side and not the other.
I am curious how does someone reconcile being a Zionist with having good relations with Palestinians? It is as paradoxical as a Muslim Neo- con! I 100% support Jews who stand up for Justice and are against the occupation, and cannot help but be wary of those who settle in Palestine, enjoying the privileges that belong to the Palestinians.
So Myron was friendly, looked out for fellow Americans and was quite hospitable. Alhumdu Lillah. For that I thank Allah (SWT) that my family was provided with safety and information on these more perilous aspects of their vacation. Friendly or not, the fact remains that “settlers” do so at the expense of displaced Palestinians and at the expense of peace. I’m certainly no religious scholar, but didn’t the Creator say the Jews were not to form a nation??? Perhaps then, they could at least stop expanding. Check out this website:
According to these Jewish scholars, Zionism is a political, not at all a religious movement. It’s good to be friendly, but there were many friendly “kind” slave owners in this country that treated their captives with “kindness”. It did not make our ancestors captivity any more “right” than those of our ancestors that got whipped everyday. But anyway, thanks for opening up the lines of communication. We will get nowhere if we don’t start listening to one another.
I like your analogy with the history of African-Americans here. The history of the indigenous vs. the invader runs like a broken record wherever you go. The stories are almost the same. However, as a note to all before the comments for this blog post become so emotional and heated that I retract the post or start censuring comments, please remember that this is my personal rendering of the day’s events. I do not support Zionism, but I am thankful for the friendly encounters that I have had with Jews and with Zionists during our stay. At certain points, their interaction was crucial for our safety. As many Palestinians say, not all Jews are Zionists, and not all Zionists are Jews. But perhaps, just perhaps, someone could be both, though some would disagree…This is sometimes the problem with using labels…And blogging the personal in a political climate such as this. Here, the personal becomes political and though I wanted nothing to do with the political, here it is slowly but surely creeping it’s way into the blog. It’s the nature of Palestine/Israel. Though you may feel like you have, you haven’t heard Myron’s story. He’s a great storyteller in his own right. I did not tell his story, nor did I word things exactly as he did. Readers, don’t blame him for the faults of his government. At least he isn’t in denial about his residency status. He at least is working on developing better relations with Muslims and Palestinians. He is seeking to understand and right wrongs. There are so many there who turn the other heel, unwilling to budge…unwilling to even think how the other feels…unwilling to work with Palestinians towards something positive. All any reader knows is what I’ve told them. My account is subjective and reveals the truth of the events as I encountered them. I’m sure my retelling of this day isn’t the same way Hassan would tell it, or Myron would tell it. But that’s how human truth works. It’s relative. Only The Truth knows the entire truth.
(And mom, this isn’t entirely addressed to you…it’s more of a preventive measure for future readers).
In all honesty, I think it is impossible to delve into any discussion regarding the Palestinian region and keep it unpolitical. It’s like talking about a holiday to sunny South Africa amidst the apartheid regime. What an injustice silence can be…
Whittni, Thanks so much..for your colorful report but more so for your visit!!
I can understand the reactions about Zionism, but i feel that the term is being misunderstood. When the Zionist movement accepted the partition plan in 1947 they viewed it as an opportunity to create the State of Israel in part of Palestine without pushing anyone out.
As the conflict continued, battles took place, sad things AND bad things happened including the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who lost their homes.
I think both sides have a lot of soul searching to do!
I live in Gush Etzion where Jews owned land from the 1920’s. Yet, i agree the fact that the land was owned by Jews should not deter a solution, whereby both nations can find self determination- in two states or in some sort of confederation.
We cousins/brothers could do so much good if we can overcome our fear and mistrust..and our feelings of hurt from the past.
As Salaamu Alaikum Dear:
Ah, you have experienced first hand the confusion and conflict of the land that belongs TO ALL OF US – Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Myron is correct in a lot of ways, especially how the wars got out of hand and things shifted. Back in the day, Jews and Palestinians were loving friends and brothers. It wasn’t always this way. Arabs willingly sold land to Jews. Why? Because the threat that exists today didn’t exist back then. I am in my 60s, and have spoken to many Palestinians my age who have told me this. One of them told me that they used to work each others’ farms, watch each others’ children, eat together, etc. And yes, they sat in the Sukka together 🙂 Things got really out of hand. On the other hand, yes, Zionism is a political movement and many Orthodox Jews believe it is not a part of the religion of Judaism. And yes, it is true, that it is impossible to discuss Zionism without discussing politics.
Myron, I hear a lot of love and a lot of guilt, too, in your words. Unlike you, many Zionists do not live on land owned by Jews, but land stolen from Palestinians. I have friends from Ramallah who own olive trees. One day, my friend’s father went out with his sons to do some farming. The Israeli soliders were there and informed the father that he wouldn’t be farming there anymore. The Israeli government had taken their land. “Settlers” live there now 😦
My friend was just in Palestine in June. She and her husband are Palestinians who came to America. My friend’s husband and children no longer have Palestinian identity cards, but she still retains hers. She has family there, and hopes to return some day and build a house. Anyhow, she was denied access into “Israel” from the Jordanian side and was forced to return