Up on the Golan Heights

Thursday, November 6

Our entire group travelled together today through the Galilee, driving north around the Kinneret, through the Hula Valley, and up to kibbutz Misgav Am, which is one of the farthest north settlements in Israel. We sat together on stone steps at the top of a mountain as Aryeh ben Yaakov, an American-born Israeli, told us about his own background and his perspective on the situation between the Israelis and Hezbullah, whose flag we could see flying in the village precisely below the overlook where we sat.

From our vantage point, we could see the Mediterranean Sea to our west and Mount Hermon to the east. We were only 35 miles from Damascus to the northeast. Aryeh made it very clear that Israel is the target of Muslim leaders in places like Iran and Syria, who hope to ultimately gain prestige in the Arab world by destroying Israel as the next step to establishing a fundamentalist Islamic rule in other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia. In Aryeh's opinion, there was no hope of making peace with people who have no interest in making peace because they literally believe that "the road to Mecca is through Jerusalem."

Arab village below us >

Aryeh emphasized the fact that the land owned by the Jews in the Galilee was legally purchased from the Muslim Turkish rulers of the land in the 1890's, who sold it because it was totally useless swampland. Therefore, he said, do not believe what anyone says about Jews "stealing" Arab lands--the lands occupied by Jews before 1948 were all purchased legally. Aryeh was adamant that he had no sympathy with what he called a "battered wife syndrome", saying that "no one has any right to hit me, and if he does, I'm going to hit him back." After fighting for Israel in four wars, Aryeh put his faith in God and in his own rifle, with an understanding that the former was ultimately responsible for the success of the latter.

When asked about the army presence at the kibbutz, which was invisible to us as guests, Aryeh refused to give any specific details. Gesturing to a tower not far across the valley, he said, "There are certain things I just won't talk about. Don't kid yourself--Hezbullah is over there, listening to every word we say." As he looked down at the Arab village below, Aryeh told us that he subscribed to the Chinese saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." "I feel very safe up here," he quipped wryly, as he gestured to the village located literally at our feet. He was so blunt and straightforward, and had so much personal history in that precise area of the country, that he was an exceptionally compelling speaker. Although perhaps not everyone agreed with his conclusions, we all found him to be a fascinating guy who obviously knew exactly what he was talking about.
After leaving Misgav Am, we climbed into jeeps for a jolting, bouncing ride across the Golan Plateau. Our jeep driver explained some of the history of the battle for the Golan Heights in 1967, pointing out the Syrian bunkers and lines of defense. We got out at an overlook which showed us the valley at our feet, and Mike hardly needed to explain the strategic importance of the place where we stood, looking down at Israeli towns beneath us which were so terribly vulnerable to shelling during the years when the Syrians controlled the Golan. We climbed on the ruins of a stone fort which had previously served as a Syrian defense bunker, taking photos of the spectacular view. Another short jeep ride took us past beehives, cows, and ruins in the town of Banias, to the kibbutz which sold honey from the bees, as well as fresh fruit and snacks.

Then we drove further south on the Golan Heights. We passed the "ghost town" of Kuneitra, a town the Israelis destroyed before returning the land on which it stood to Syria. We stopped at another overlook from which we could see the new Syrian village of Kuneitra farther away from the border, as well as the road to Damascus, the UN Peacekeeping village, and the Israeli "eyes and ears" on the mountain above us, vigilantly keeping guard to the east.

Our next stop was at the town of Katzrin. After lunch, we split up. Some people chose to visit a nearby "Talmudic Village", what someone referred to tongue-in-cheek as an "Israeli Williamsburg". Actually, the site was more modest than that, containing a reconstructed house and synagogue, as well as an olive press.

. Other people went to the Golan Magic multi-media presentation. Finally, we toured the Golan Winery. A number of people chose to skip that altogether and go back to our hotel in Tiberias early--it had already been a very long day. Those who did return early were treated to dusk at the shores of the Kinneret, with a soft breeze, the sound of music from the arcade beside our hotel, and the sight of lights coming on in the city and on the water, as small, tourist-laden boats sailed past in the setting sun.