Political Issues Ctd

Israeli politics are back in the news again - specifically in a way that is important to the United States. Since Barack Obama assumed the presidency in January last year, the Israel-US relationship has cooled considerably. After many false starts and canceled visits, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, finally traveled back this week to Washington, D.C. for only his second meeting with his US counterpart, President Barack Obama. See below for a YouTube video of their Oval Office meeting from Britain's ITN News.

Hopefully the Obama and Netanyahu meeting will help begin to diffuse the rising level of animosity that has prevailed for much of the past year. Ultimately though, I'm certain it will take significantly longer for the average Israeli to begin to trust that President Obama has their (and Israel's) interests at heart. As the New York Time's reported yesterday:

Photographers clicked away in the Oval Office as Mr. Obama praised the prime minister as someone "willing to take risks for peace" and blamed the press for reports of discord. Mr. Netanyahu loosely quoted Mark Twain, saying, "Reports about the demise of the special relationship aren’t just premature; they’re just flat wrong."

As an American in Israel, the feeling among the Israelis I've met has been an adamant and clearly voiced dislike for our president. By all accounts, President Obama is persona non grata among most Israelis. Looking at the situation from my American perspective I definitely understand (though don't agree) with their assessment. As I've quickly come to find out, Israelis view our politics (and political leaders) only through the limited lens of how much we support (or don't support) their position regarding the Palestinian situation.

The perception (rightly or wrongly) is that President Obama is taking a more Pro-Palestinian stance than his predecessor George W. Bush. For Israelis that is unacceptable. It will be interesting to see how this issue (i.e. changing US-Israel relations) plays out over the coming months - especially as other more pressing regional issues (unrelated to Gaza, settlements in the West Bank, or the peace process generally) come to a head (e.g. Hezbollah and Lebanon, Iran's nuclear ambitions, American withdrawal from Iraq, etc.).

Jerusalem Visit

After a day back in Haifa for our weekly class at the Technion, on Friday morning the Smith team was back on the road for a full weekend of touring and sightseeing. In the morning we were met by our guide, Israel, who gave us a preview of the days activities as we sped down the highway to our first stop of the day, Caesarea.

"Our guide Israel weaves a story about ancient Caesarea"
Photo by Kristin Thompson

Planted firmly against the coast, halfway between Haifa and Tel Aviv, Caesarea is an ancient port city that dates to the time of Herod the Great – about 22 BCE. The ancient city itself is no longer inhabited - as the last occupants, French crusaders under Louis IX - were forced to flee when the city was put to fire by Baybar invaders in 1251 CE. Literally lost to the sands, the city was rediscovered and its secrets uncovered in the 1940s due to the financial generosity of Baron Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild.

"Modern concerts in Caesarea's ancient amphitheater"
Photo by Kristin Thompson

Our first stop in Caesarea was the Roman aqueduct that provided fresh water to the city for over a thousand years. From there we proceeded to the old city itself, where we visited the Roman theater, hippodrome, and palace (which was possibly the former residence of Pontius Pilate). As we walked back to the van, we passed through the city walls and across the moat, which were both constructed by the Crusaders. All in all, Caesarea was awesome!
 

"Driving through East Jerusalem"
Photo by Kristin Thompson

From Caesarea we drove directly on to Jerusalem. Since it was Friday, a lot of tourist sites were closing at sunset for Shabbat, so we were in quite a rush to get into town. We drove into the Old City and parked right next to the City of David – where the Biblical King built his palace and capital in 1000 BCE. The key attraction at this famous archaeological site is Hezekiah's Tunnel. This tunnel, which runs for a little under half a mile is filled with about three feet of water at all times. We walked (in my case barefoot) through the tunnel before emerging on the other side in East Jerusalem. Following our underground trek (which seemed to go on and on), we proceeded to the promenade overlooking the city.

"Looking out at Old Jerusalem from the Haas Promenade" 
Photo by Kelley Harris

We went next to our hotel for a brief rest before Shabbat dinner. Max and Sue Singer (parents of Saul Singer, the author of Start-up Nation) were kind enough to invite the entire Smith team into their home to participate in this weekly Jewish tradition. Dinner began with the serving of homemade challahs. Afterwords, this ritual was followed by Kiddush, the blessing of the wine. Max and Sue then led us through a number of other songs and readings before we finally began the meal in earnest. Altogether, everyone had a great time!
 

"Shabbat dinner with Max and Sue Singer"
 Photo by Stephen Kushner

In the preceding days, I had been coming down with a bit of a cold. A bug of some sort had been making its rounds around the team - and unfortunately my time arrived sometime late Friday night. I woke Saturday morning feeling pretty horrible - so somewhat reluctantly I opted to skip the tour that morning. I did get a pretty good report from the team later that evening though, when we all convened for dinner.
 

"Old Jerusalem near the Jaffa Gate" 
Photo by Kristin Thompson

On Saturday the group met our guide, Israel, at 9am in the hotel lobby. From there the group went to the Old City, this time for a more thorough tour of its many historical sites. The team walked the Via Dolorosa, visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and shopped (and ate) in the Muristan Souq. From there they climbed the ramparts and walked the city walls, emerging just next to the Western Wall. The last stop of the afternoon was a short drive to the Mount of Olives – a site significant to both Jewish and Christian traditions.

"Fresh food at the always busy, Muristan Souq"
Photo by Kristin Thompson

I was feeling a bit better that evening so I opted to join everyone for dinner at Asher Epstein’s place. Altogether, the group was feeling pretty fired up about everything we’d seen and done so far this weekend. Additionally, this evening was especially important to everyone, as it was the England vs. USA World Cup match. Americans (myself included) have a funny habit of completely ignoring the sport of soccer (nee football) for 4 years and then suddenly remembering when the Cup comes around again. It may be the world’s sport, but it certainly isn’t America's sport. Anyway, the game started at 9:30pm, so many in the group decided to head to the The Lion’s Den pub to watch.
 

"Everyone celebrates as the USA battles back against England in the World Cup" 
Photo by Kristin Thompson

Ninety minutes later the game was over and we (the USA) had forced England to a 1-1 tie. I’ve read that this was a fantastic result – as everyone had expected England to prevail. That being said, I have a hard time getting excited about a tie game. I mean, really? A tie? I think this fact alone is what makes it so hard for Americans to get behind this game. Someone has to win. Without a winner, what’s the point?  

Anyway, one other cool outcome from the game: our esteemed photographer, Kristin had the previous photo featured in the Washington Post. Congrats, Kristin! All in all, Jerusalem was a blast! We got to see some fantastic historical sites, eat wonderful food, and watch the USA beat up on our cousins across the pond. It would be hard to ask for much more – well maybe the USA could have won rather than tied - but I digress.