Day 7 of the Delegation: the Theft of Palestinian Resources & Historical Sites in Jericho

Day 7 of the Delegation: the Theft of Palestinian Resources & Historical Sites in Jericho

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Today we spent time in Areeha, of Jericho, exploring the history of one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The name Areeha is on Canaanite origin, meaning “fragrance,” but also refers to the name of the Canaanite moon goddess who was worshiped at Jericho. The Palestinian people are descendants of the Canaanites, and many cities and landmarks still have their original Canaanite names in Arabic.

The original plan was to enter Jericho via the main road from Beit Sahour (village near Bethlehem, and the site of the incredible institution hosting our delegation, Alternative Tourism Group), but the Israelis had closed that road and were not allowing any traffic, so we instead lost precious time entering from an alternate route—a vivid reminder of what Palestinians here have to navigate every single day.

We finally arrived at the Jordan River, the site of Jesus’ baptism. Today, the Palestinian side of the river is under complete Israeli control. Hundreds of pilgrims were there, but its beauty has been ruined by the military vehicles and the fields of land mines surrounding it. Like many Palestinian tourist destinations, the Israelis have taken total control over the site, and benefit politically and economically from this theft.

Next, we visited the ruins of Hisham’s Palace. Built in the 8th century by an Umayyad Caliph, and rediscovered in the early 20th century by Dimitri Baramki, a Palestinian archeologist from Jerusalem, it was originally mislabeled as a Byzantine church until Baramki discovered an inscription amongst the ruins with the name of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham bin Abdel Malik. In these ruins lies perhaps one of the world’s most famous mosaics, “The Tree of Life,” which is currently being restored and renovated. Hisham’s Palace bears witness to the indigenous Arab history of Jericho, one that zionists consistently try to erase.

We then took a cable car ride up to the monastery at the Mount of Temptation. This is where Palestinian Christians believe Jesus fasted for 40 days and was repeatedly tempted by the devil. The original monastery was built by Saint Helena in the 4th century, and has remained a place of consistent religious pilgrimage and prayer ever since. Hundreds of years before the establishment of Israel, Palestinian Christians have come to this mountain, and they will continue to come here long after the liberation of Palestine.

We ended our day in Jericho at the Dead Sea, where we surveyed the environmental destruction the occupation has ravaged on the landscape. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism has complete control of the Dead Sea, including the parts that are in the West Bank. There is no public beach, and all people must pay to enter to access the area.

In addition, the Israelis have rerouted the water that had historically flowed from Lake Tiberius to the Dead Sea. With this theft, the Dead Sea has lost hundreds of thousands of liters of water. In fact, standing on the beach, we were able to see the former water level, which was 20 to 30 meters higher than it is now. At the current rate, the Dead Sea may dry out in the next two decades, if sources to replenish its water are not returned.

Even while visiting historical sites and the Dead Sea, we saw all around us the effects of the occupation. We witnessed the commodification of Palestinian religious sites for the benefit of Israeli state and private partners. This plunder has wreaked havoc on the environment and resources that rightfully belong to the Palestinian people. To protect our land, our people, and our resources, there is only one answer: the complete and total liberation of ALL of historical Palestine.

Until Liberation & Return,

USPCN
June 8, 2018