Galilee and Peace Talks...

Today was my first day back from a three-day holiday. As a group, we spent Monday – Wednesday at the Galilee enjoying swimming in freshwater and taking in religious sights. I’m reading the Bible with a great deal more interest since I can picture where the stories took place. The Galilee includes many famous stories and places such as Nazareth, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, and Jericho. Nazareth is the site of the Basilica of the Annunciation where it is believed that the Angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she was pregnant with Jesus. We also visited the Greek Catholic Synagogue Church – a synagogue built on the site of a synagogue said to be where the young Jesus regularly prayed and later preached.

Next we arrived at our accommodations at the Galilee and enjoyed the sea. This is where Jesus walked on water though scientists believe that he skated due to a freak cold spell – the jury’s still out for me. The next day we visited the ancient town of Capernaum, Jesus’s home base during the most influential period of his Galilean ministry. He also recruited his first disciples here: Peter, Andrew, James, John (all fisherman), and Matthew (a tax collector).

Wednesday we spent time at the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3 – 10

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The verses are beautiful as is the view of the Galilee. Now there is a church and gardens on the site. Next we went to the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes where Jesus fed 5000.

Lunch was at Pagoda a Chinese/Thai restaurant. I had no idea how much I missed a good Pad Thai and it was nice to feel like I was eating something from home. Our last stop was to Jericho. The city of Jericho is the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth as well as the lowest (1200ft below sea level). So far the terrain of Israel/Palestine has been mountainous, but Jericho is quite different, a valley miles from the Dead Sea and completely flat. Security in Jericho is very high since the second infitada and is often where heads of government meet.

Settlements were at the center of peace talks this week between Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas refuses to engage in peace talks as long as settlements are still under construction. Israel has ignored Obama’s call for a settlement building freeze, though they have now agreed upon “restraining” settlement activity. Ultimately, Obama called for negotiations to be made without preconditions and on Tuesday, Obama, Netanyahu, and Abbas met. Though there were no breakthroughs, both sides did agree to send negotiating teams to Washington net week and there was a general agreement that peace talks should restart quickly.

The notion of settlements is a double-edge sword. While the building of settlements in the West Bank is illegally confiscating Palestinian land, the construction of them (and the wall) employs thousands of Palestinians. A Palestinian friend told us last night that his friend had recently lost his job with a family and two kids. When I asked what he did, he said he worked in the settlements and the slowdown cost him his job. It’s very ironic. Prior to these talks there were currently around 2500 units in production and 500 more planned, I do not know what the current plans are post-peace talks.

The talk of settlements unfortunately is just the tip of the iceberg for peace. Bigger negotiations such borders, Jerusalem, the right of return for Palestinian refugees will prompt much greater debate. Most people favor a two state solution, but when actually considering the logistics of moving 500,000 Israeli settlers out of the West Bank and negotiating borders as well as figuring out what to do with people who were forced to leave their homes in 1948 or later, it’s a nightmare, not to mention questions of whether Palestinians can maintain an economy without ties to Israel. A one state solution is far and wide easier logistically, but can Arabs and Israelis coexist?

I admire Obama for taking the initiative to restart peace talks, but his power seems limited as, in my mind, the only action the US could take to prompt Israel and Palestine from dragging their feet is end our foreign aid – a budgetary power given to Congress. Israel has the largest foreign lobby in Washington, so it is unlikely this will happen. Below is a breakdown of aid and other forms of trade that we are engaged with in Israel that I found online, it’s amazing to see how much interaction we do with each other. It is also important to note that we also fund a great deal of social projects through USAID for Palestine too, mainly around building hospitals and schools, that could easily be suspended as well, but I do not have the specifics on.

According to the book "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" by Walt and Mearsheimer, "Israel receives on average about 3 billion in direct foreign assistance each year, an amount that is roughly one-sixth of America's direct foreign assistance budget and equal to about 2 percent of Israel's GDP. In recent years, about 75 percent of U.S. assistance has been military aid, with the remainer broken down into various forms of economic aid. In per capita terms, this level of direct foreign assistance amounts to a direct subsidy of more that $500 per year for each Israeli."Other US help includes:

• US Jewish charities and organizations have remitted grants or bought Israel bonds worth $50 billion to $60 billion. Though private in origin, the money is "a net drain" on the United States economy, says Stauffer.

• The US has already guaranteed $10 billion in commercial loans to Israel, and $600 million in "housing loans." (See editor's note below.) Stauffer expects the US Treasury to cover these.

• The US has given $2.5 billion to support Israel's Lavi fighter and Arrow missile projects.

• Israel buys discounted, serviceable "excess" US military equipment. Stauffer says these discounts amount to "several billion dollars" over recent years.

• Israel uses roughly 40 percent of its $1.8 billion per year in military aid, ostensibly earmarked for purchase of US weapons, to buy Israeli-made hardware. It also has won the right to require the Defense Department or US defense contractors to buy Israeli-made equipment or subsystems, paying 50 to 60 cents on every defense dollar the US gives to Israel.

US help, financial and technical, has enabled Israel to become a major weapons supplier. Weapons make up almost half of Israel's manufactured exports. US defense contractors often resent the buy-Israel requirements and the extra competition subsidized by US taxpayers.

• US policy and trade sanctions reduce US exports to the Middle East about $5 billion a year, costing 70,000 or so American jobs, Stauffer estimates. Not requiring Israel to use its US aid to buy American goods, as is usual in foreign aid, costs another 125,000 jobs.

• Israel has blocked some major US arms sales, such as F-15 fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia in the mid-1980s. That cost $40 billion over 10 years, says Stauffer.

Well, it is time for me to go to bed. I hope you’re all well. Thanks for the comments!

Laurie