The same day we were going to fly to Beirut to spend the summer there, the airport was bombed. Instead we ended up in Israel and East Jerusalem in the Occupied Territories for five weeks the hot summer of 2006.
This is a selection of pictures from Jerusalem, Hebron, The Dead Sea, Masada, Ein Geddi Nature Reserve and Ramallah. There are almost daily updates with more information in the blog. You will find more pictures from Israel and the Occupied Territories here & here. I have also posted paragliding pictures from Israel here.
 
 
Israel & OT week one
Paulushaus - this is were we stayed, a pilgrim hospice run by German nuns
Every Friday there is a big police checkpoint outside our entrance
A woman tries to negotiate her way through the checkpoint
Virgin Mary’s grave
The stairs down to Virgin Mary’s grave
The Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
The Dome of the Rock and The Holy Sepulchre
Women selling cheese in the Old Town arabic market
Market man
Heavy transport in the Old Town market
Market woman at Damascus gate
The western part of the City walls surrounding the old Town of Jerusalem
Roof of a little mosque in the Christian part of Old Town
Antenna mayhem in the Old Town
Palestinian kids on football training in the Old Town
The Dome of the Rock again
The Church of All Nations (lower right)
This way
Gate of Damascus, close to where we live.
Downtown Hebron is a ghost town. It is a ”Sterile Zone” meaning Palestinians are not allowed to enter.
All the shops are closed down. Everything to please the Jewish settlers.
Jewish grafitti on a closed down Palestinian shop
Empty streets in a city divided by apartheid rules to protect extemists Jewish settlers.
Grafitti on a wall in the former Palstinian shopping area, just below a settlement.
A closed down house.
Palestinian shops destroyed by the extremists settlers.
The son of a Palestinian we visited
Extremist and armed settlers shouting insults to us and our guide.
Street life in the occupied Hebron - checkpoints everywhere
Memorial of two killed Jews
Yet another checkpoint, close to the closed down kasbah of Hebron
Settlers’ kids in front of closed Palestinian shops
The only open passage between the occupied part of Hebron and the Palstinian part
A view over Palestinian controlled Hebron
International observers from TIPH
An armed extremist settler refuses to let us through thr gate on the main road out of Hebron
A traditional drink salesman outside the Damascus Gate
The road next to the Dead Sea
Dried up land
Canyons close to Masada
View from Masada
View North from Masada, the Northern castle below
Details from the Northern castle
The Roman ramp up to Masada
Details of a mosaic in the Byzantine church
Ein Gedi Natural Reserve
Ein Gedi Natural Reserve
Ein Gedi Natural Reserve
Refreshing waterfall pool in Ein Gedi
Cooling off
Another pool
Waterfall Mermaid
Cool beauty
Ibexes, Mother and child, in Ein Gedi Natural Reserve
Ibex
Ibex II
Tiny ibex
Ibex III
Tiny ibex II
Pickaboo!
Flirting dragongflies
Dead Sea mud is fun!
Muddy brothers
Muddy Bro’s II
Floating in the Dead Sea II
Culture chock
Dead Sea Coast, Jordan in the background
Blond lost in the Old City
The Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock
Details on The Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock
Internally displaced person looking for lodging in the Jewish quarter of the Old City
Orthodox Jews in the Jewish Quarter
Matching computer
Children of Orthodox Jews close to the Wailing Wall
Women at the Damascus Gate
Young woman at the Damascus Gate
Transport of goods in the Arabic market in the Old City
Local Guy (that looks like a character from a Tintin album)
Incense anyone?
Outside the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus was supposedly ceucified and buried
Security Guard inside the Holy Sepulchre
Inside the Holy Sepulchre
Inside the Holy Sepulchre
Jesus’ grave Inside the Holy Sepulchre
Jesus’ grave Inside the Holy Sepulchre
Jesus’ grave Inside the Holy Sepulchre
Yad Vashem exit
Yad Vashem
Training of Palestinian journalists in Ramallah
Ramallah market
Flags from Hizbolla and Hamas for sale, downtown Ramallah
Grafitti and art on the separation wall, close to Qalandia checkpoint
Grafitti and art on the separation wall, close to Qalandia checkpoint
Grafitti and art on the separation wall, close to Qalandia checkpoint
Grafitti and art on the separation wall, close to Qalandia checkpoint
Grafitti and art on the separation wall, close to Qalandia checkpoint
Watchtower at the Qalandia checkpoint