West Bank
Israel facts & history
in brief
The State of Israel, a republic
was declared 1948 and occupies more
or less the Promised Land, the Bible
Lands, the Holy Land and many other
names to many people.
Bordered by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan,
the Red Sea, Egypt the Mediterranean
Sea.
Now includes East Jerusalem, part
of the West Bank, the Golan Heights
and the Gaza Strip, since Israel
captured them in the Six-Day War
in 1967.
Israel also captured the Sinai Peninsula
from Egypt, but returned it since
in 1982, and granted Palestinian
self-rule in the Gaza Strip and
parts of the West Bank in 1994,
after a peace agreement between
Israel and Palestinian Liberation
Organisation.
Geographically it can be divided
into the areas of the hills of Galilee,
the Plain of Esdraelon, the Judaean
and Samarian hills, the coastal
plains, and the Negev.
Israel has a population of over
5 million.
The capital is Jerusalem.
The history, tradition and the struggle
of the land and its people is the
Bible for many people.
The "Promised Land" "of milk and
honey", was more recently discovered
to be barren and infertile, that
has many mineral, agricultural and
human resources.
As in the Bible and in the middle
ages during the crusades the 'Land
of Peace' is in a bit of a turmoil.
Hui Chin, Endre and I crossed
over from Jordan by the Allenby
Bridge.
We begin our explorations with Jericho
before we visited Jerusalem, New
Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives,
Bethlehem, Tiberias, Nazareth, Tabigha,
Qumran, Masada, Beit Haarava and
Eilat.
Bethlehem
is a one of the holiest city to
Christians all over the world, the
birthplace of Jesus Christ, about 8 km
south of Jerusalem, in the West Bank.
During the time of King David, who was
born there, Bethlehem was a walled city.
Changed hands many times during the Crusades.
It was annexed by Jordan in 1950, until
the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel
took control of the West Bank.
Birthplace of our Lord, Jesus Christ and Christianity.
There are many Bible related places and churches.
I would like to visit the place again and again.
The history and the atmosphere awe inspiring.
You can click on these photos for an enlargement.
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