Israel 1984-2017

Israel
1984 - 2017

2017	A trip to Jerusalem and the Galilee.
2009	Rick was invited on a military analyst tour of Israel to assess the Israeli military operation in Gaza, courtesy of the American Jewish Committee's Project Interchange.
2006	Rick was invited on a media military analyst tour of Israel, courtesy of the American Israel Education Foundation and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
1984-1988	Some pictures scanned from slides taken on various short trips between 1984 and 1988.

Israel
November 2017

Jerusalem

View of the city from the Mount of Olives

View of the al-Aqsa Mosque from the Mount of Olives

View of the Dome of the Rock from the Mount of Olives

View of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from the Mount of Olives

View of the King David Hotel and the al-Aqsa Mosque from the Mount of Olives

King David Hotel

Golden Gate

Garden of Gethsemane

Church of All Nations - Garden of Gethsemane

Church of All Nations and the Church of Mary Magdalene

Church of Mary Magdalene

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Tomb of Jesus in Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Dung Gate

Western Wall of the Temple Mount

Bar Mitzvah at Western Wall of the Temple Mount

Western Wall of the Temple Mount

Rick at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount

Southwestern corner of the Temple Mount

Southern wall of the Temple Mount

Eighth station of the cross

Roman cardo

"In the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate"

Fruit market

Juice maker

Arab souk

Jaffa Gate

Nazareth

The Church of the Annunciation

Door to the Church

Portico ceiling

Grotto church

Art work near actual grotto

Altar in front of grotto of the Annunciation

Mosaic floor

Upper church

Art from around the world

Art from Ukraine

800 years of Franciscan custody of the holy places

St Joseph's church

Juice and shawarma bar

Spice market

Shawarma stand

Souvenir shop

The Khan al-Basha / White Mosque car parking area

Municipality of Nazareth - Public Works Department

Church

Church and mosque

Officially, the Central Fountain
Unofficially, the Martyrs' Fountain - a tribute to three Muslim youths killed by Israeli security forces

Galilee

The Jordan Valley is below sea level - the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights across

The Golan Heights, Syria (left) - Jordan (right) - Israel (front)

Jordan River where it exits the Sea of Galilee to flow south towards the Dead Sea

Sea of Galilee from the north

Church of the Beatitudes

Capernaum

Capernaum

Capernaum

Sunset over the Galilee

White-breasted kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) at Yardenit

Haifa

Israeli Navy Sa'ar 5 missile boat

Israeli Navy Sa'ar 4.5 missile boats

French Navy frigate Aconit (F713) at the Haifa naval yard

The Gaza - Israel border

Israel
January 2009

Rick was invited on a military analyst tour of Israel to assess the Israeli military operation
in Gaza, courtesy of the American Jewish Committee's Project Interchange.

Gaza - Sderot

Three of the network of blimp-borne multi-sensors around Gaza

Blimp with sensors

Bayt Hanun rocket launch area

Border at Erez Crossing

Bayt Hanun rocket launch area

Border crossing between Gaza and Israel

Medical clinic at Erez Crossing
When care exceeds that available at Shifa hospital in Gaza City,
patients are moved through the Erez Crossing to hospitals in Israel

Bayt Hanun rocket launch area

Al-Qassam rocket in Sderot (fired January 8, 2009)

Rocket impact in Sderot

Fuze from al-Qassam rocket

The last al-Qassam fired this round (note date 18.1.09)

School with overhead shelter

Pre-cast concrete shelter

Tail-fin art - "to the the stars"

Shrapnel damage from al-Qassam rocket

House shelters under construction in Sderot

Al-Qassam rockets at Sderot police station

Steel awnings to prevent shrapnel from penetrating school walls

Reinforced concrete bus-stop/shelter

Instructions to tune radio to rocket warning broadcast

Pre-cast concrete shelter - graffiti reads "The people of Israel live"

Tel Aviv

Hotel row on the Mediterranean - Jaffa in the distance

Typical neighborhood street scene

That's about $4.50 a gallon

Jerusalem

Outside the Zion Gate

Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion

Cable car mechanism (now in Mount Zion Hotel)
Operated covertly at night during fighting in 1948-49

Mount Zion hotel lounge

Mount Zion hotel lounge - view of Dormition Abbey

Mount Zion hotel hallway

World famous Bahari confection shop

Cable car and cable across to Mount Zion

Mount Zion hotel hallway

Gate to Ethiopian Church (seen in the movie Exodus)

Mount Zion hotel was originally an Ottoman bath - the Sultan

Israel
October 2006

Rick was invited on a media military analyst tour of Israel, courtesy of the
American Israel Education Foundation and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Golan Heights

Approaching the Golan Heights escarpment from the south Sea of Galilee to the west	Kursi River valley - old border (pre-1967) between Syria and Israel
On the Golan overlooking the Hula Valley Lebanon across to the west	From the bottom looking up the escarpment
A former Israeli army post on the Golan	Overlooking Al-Qunaytirah, Syria
Israeli electronic intelligence site Tal Abu Nada (Har Avital), Golan Heights Al-Qunaytirah - church destroyed in 1973 Syria maintains the ruins as a museum	Satellite imagery of Israeli electronic intelligence site (left) Al-Qunaytirah - destroyed hospital

Produce of Israel?

While in Tel Aviv, we had dinner at a restaurant with a senior Israeli army officer. The waitress asked if I would like to try some Israeli wine. Sure, why not?

I had been in Israel numerous times over the last three decades, and when I had tasted "Israeli" wine, it always turned out to be "from the Holy Land." That's Israeli political-speak for the West Bank - in other words, occupied Jordan or Palestine, depending on when I was there or what your opinion is, but certainly not Israel.

As you can see from the label, this wine is from the Golan Heights, specifically Mount Hermon, or as the Arabs call it, Jabal ash-Shaykh. I asked the waitress if she in fact meant Syrian wine. She shrugged and backed away with the "I'm not going there..." look..

For more on the Golan Heights, see my Syria page

Lebanon Border

Metulla, northernmost point in Israel Lebanon to the west, north and east	Marj 'Ayun, Lebanon, north of Metulla The Litani valley to the north of Marj 'Ayun
Lebanese villages on hills northeast of Metulla	The famous Shaba' Farms, east of Metulla Lebanon and Syria now claim this to be part of Lebanon, although most maps show it to be Israeli occupied Syria.

Galilee

Church of the Beatitudes, north of Tiberias Location of the Sermon on the Mount	Sea of Galilee and Tiberias to the south
Hittin Site of Salah Ad-Din's victory over Crusaders in 1179	Mount Tabor Site of Deborah's victory over the Canaanites in the Jizreel Valley
Bayt Sh'an - Roman city in the Galilee
Typical Roman city construction	Roman toilets

Jerusalem

The temple mount with the Dome of the Rock

Temple mount from the south

Dome of the Rock and Russian Orthodox Church near the Garden of Gethsemane across the Kidron Valley

Western Wall

Church of the Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane and Russian Orthodox Church Church of the Nations Church of the Nations Church of the Nations Russian Orthodox Church Russian Orthodox Church Church of the Holy Sepulchre Church of the Holy Sepulchre Church of the Holy Sepulchre entrance Church of the Holy Sepulchre - spot of the Crucifuxion Church of the Holy Sepulchre - spot of the Crucifuxion The tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Mosaic of the death of Jesus Mount of Olives Tomb of Lazurus in Bethany Inside the tomb of Lazarus
Herod's Gate or the Flower Gate	Jaffa Gate
Security wall in Jerusalem	King David Hotel
Lobby of the King David Hotel	King David Hotel from the Old City

Jordan Valley

Masada (Roman ramp visible)	Masada from the Dead Sea highway
Dead Sea from Masada	Bath at Masada
Heated bath at Masada (terra cotta pipes)	Roman camp remains at foot of Masada
Roman ramp at Masada

The Gang

Steve Simon (CFR), Charlie Perkins (AIPAC), Paul Vallely (Fox) Bill Cowan (Fox), Tom McInerney (Fox), Chuck Nash (Fox), Rick Francona (NBC), Don Shepperd (CNN), Ken Allard (NBC)	Group with archeologist Ian Stern (right)
Josh Block AIPAC Director of Media Affairs "your cruise director"	Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu Steve Simon, Council of Foreign Relations Wendy Singer, Director of AIPAC's Israel Office
Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Rick Francona (NBC)
IDF spokeswoman Major Avital Leibovich	Lt Gen Tom McInerney (Fox)
Maj Gen Paul Vallely	Charlie Perkins and Maj Gen Don Sheppard
Chuck Nash "I fly the tomcat, you're a ....."