Exploring Tel Rumeida and Jerusalem's ramparts

This morning at 6:30 I went again to watch the Palestinian children head down to school past the Israeli checkpoint. Unlike yesterday, when I saw 260 kids, I didn't see a single student in half an hour. I asked a man in Arabic, "Where are all the children?" He replied that there is no school today because of the school calendar. [I'm not sure why, because Fridays and Saturdays are normally their weekend.]

So I took an early morning stroll around the hilltop neighborhood of Tel Rumeida, above the ancient Jewish cemetery, overlooking downtown Hebron. Here are some pictures of what I found:

One of the two mosques I passed

Palestinian homes

A front yard flock on a back street

I ended my walk when a couple of men indicated that I should not go any further, suspecting that I was Jewish. Many of the men on the street had exchanged friendly greetings with me, however.

Separation wall en route to Jerusalem

Ending my International Solidarity Movement assignment, I had an hour and a half wait until enough passengers appeared for the collective taxi to Jerusalem, where this odyssey began on October 23. The Israeli checkpoint was a breeze. I just showed my passport, didn't have to open it. I was surprised that the taxi dropped off its passengers right in front of my hostel, not a few blocks away as I had expected. On the way, I was reminded of the apartheid policy here as we passed under a huge overhanging security barrier.

Ramparts of the old city

In Jerusalem I decided to do something different to relax. For a small fee, I hiked the ramparts halfway around the old city from the Jaffa Gate to the Lion's Gate, the only part that was open.

This is what the straight sections of the path look like. There were also many stone stairways, with sturdy iron railings. At times it was a game to find where the path continued. The grandchildren would love it.



The trail is so high that it gives a look at life inside the old city--kids playing soccer, people drying clothes, soldiers on guard. It also gives a great view of all that is outside the wall, as in the photo below that shows the famous Dome of the Rock as well as the Mount of Olives. (I took dozens of pictures.)

Mount of Olives (left), Dome of the Rock (right)

Turnstile to exit ramparts walk

After the beautiful scenery I was jolted back to reality by the old turnstile I had to use to exit the path. It reminded me of the turnstiles that many Palestinians still must endure every day when they are herded through the Israeli checkpoints, although I was pleased to see that some of them are no longer used on a regular basis, such as the big one near Nablus we had to walk through in 2008.













This morning on the street in Tel Rumeida I saw this beautiful snail, which reminded me that I must develop the virtue of patience. God's timetable may be slower than mine for ending Israel's violation of Palestinians' human rights.

This is my final blog of the current series. Thanks for following it.  I'll be home Sunday evening, God willing.