August 9, 2003

This morning we went to Jerusalem for a tour of settlements in the Old City led by students at Al-Quds University. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people with us, and the leader had a hard time speaking up, so we didn't learn as much as we'd hoped. We were also an hour late, and missed a great deal as a result.

Palestinians living underneath Jewish settlements in Jerusalem.

But we did get a good look at the outsides of residences in the Muslim and Christian Quarters which have been taken over by settlers. In many cases, it's simply a case of squatters taking over other people's homes. They are then protected by the Israeli government.

One Palestinian man, whose home was confiscated in 1967, tried to buy back his home. He came and presented the correct amount of cash.

"You can't do that," he was told.

"Why not? Here's the money."

The Jewish Quarter has been extensively renovated.

"But you haven't served in the army."

"Well, I'm willing to serve. Where do I sign up?"

His case went all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court, where it was turned down. According to the ruling, there are four quarters in Jerusalem - Muslim, Christian, Armenian, and Jewish. Based on these divisions, the man will be able to live in the Old City accordingly. However, Jews are not subject to the same restrictions, as the Old City settlement policy shows.

We also saw the very poor conditions that some Palestinians live in, some fenced in under settlements, not unlike the Old City of Hebron. We also walked through the Jewish Quarter, which was extensively restored between 1967 (when Israel took the West Bank, including the Old City and east Jerusalem) and 1983. The contrast is stark.

The Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock.

The solid gold menorah, rumored to be worth $4 million, is just one of many decorations on display from those who hope to rebuild the Temple on the site of the Dome of the Rock.

We went to an overlook where we could see a few people praying at the Wailing Wall under the Dome of the Rock, glistening in the sun. The noon call to prayer sounded from Jerusalem mosques while we were there; that, and the distant sounds of Jewish prayers below gave an interesting a polyphonic experience. After wandering around a bit (and seeing things such as an enormous gold menorah, estimated at $4 million, built according to Biblical standards for the Temple, ready for installation when the Temple is rebuilt), we went back to Ramallah, and ended up at Stones, another one of Ramallah's night spots, to relax with friends. We were deep into a card game when we were told that card playing us not allowed there. Apparently card playing is only allowed in special card and backgammon and billiards places - it has a seedy reputation, and this was a respectable establishment. No problem - we had fun anyway.