Today a cease-fire started between Israel and Hamas. 50 hostages, or about 1/5th of the hostages abducted by Hamas, are supposed to be released, against 150 Palestinian terrorists held by Israel. At first Hamas is said to release 13 hostages this afternoon.
A couple of days ago Iran was appointed to chair the UN human rights meeting in Geneva. Yet another blunder on the side of the UN who seems to have misplaced their own textbook on human rights. Let me help you find it – it’s here: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights. If I recall correctly, the United Nations was created to prevent war and stand up for human rights. Iran openly and actively supports the Hamas terror regime in Gaza. It provides weapons to Hamas, to the Hezbollah in Lebanon and to Syria for the purpose of destroying Israel. Iran arms the Hoothi rebels in Yemen and is involved in armed conflicts against Middle Eastern states and their Western allies. It also supplies weapons to Russia for its war against Ukraine. Add to that the human rights abuses inside Iran and its nuclear program and you get the picture.
Read more(I had started a war diary on my German-language website and got requests to translate and re-post here.)
Another hot, humid day. This afternoon my dog and I were surprised by a rocket attack (well, it wasn’t entirely unexpected). We sought shelter in a neighboring house. Today, there were “only” 72 rocket attacks.
Read moreA week ago I woke up to the sound of sirens. Rockets rained down on Tel Aviv and, much more so, on the towns, cities and kibbutzim around the Gaza strip. This was only a cover for the most vile, barbaric attack in modern times. The massacre perpetrated by Hamas and their Palestinian allies enters history as the worst pogrom on Jews since the holocaust. Hamas declared war on Israel!
Read moreIn recent years the Armenian Museum underwent a complete renovation. Housed in a pilgrims hostel turned priest seminary turned orphanage turned museum (all that in a century and a half), the museum gives an insight into the history of the Armenian people and the Armenians in Jerusalem.
Read moreGood news for Israel travelers (or those who plan to come): As of Saturday, May 21, foreign (and Israeli) travelers no longer need to do COVID-19 tests to enter the country, neither before boarding a flight nor after landing.
Israels Minister of Health also announced that face masks will no longer be required on international flights as of May 23, 2022. Masks remain mandatory only in hospitals and homes for the elderly. (Please note that regulations in the country of departure may be different.)
These latest decisions regarding COVID-19 greatly simplify traveling to Israel. As regulations and requirements are changing often, please make sure to check the official Israeli government websites and/or the embassy of Israel website in your country. You find useful links on my COVID-19 information page.
A couple of weeks ago Australian wildlife and travel photographer Margaret Weiss (website: https://margaretweiss.com.au/) and I went to the “Rosh Tsipor” bird-watching center to photograph birds. Tel Aviv with all its parks has got quite some wildlife. The Rosh Tsipor bird-watching center is located in the Hayarkon park in Tel Aviv right next to the neighboring city of Ramat Gan.
Read moreAs announced in the media, Israel is opening its borders to unvaccinated tourists, starting March 1, 2022. The continuous decline in COVID-19 cases led the Israeli government to remove restrictions for tourists.
Travelers to Israel still have to test negative on their pre-flight PCR, as well as on their PCR upon arrival to Israel. For further information and links to government websites, see under “COVID-19 in Israel” on my website.
Israel plans to further ease regulations. As of March 1, Israel is to abolish the “green pass” system for public venues that required visitors to show their vaccination proof to enter. However, wearing masks is still required on public transport (bus, train, taxi, etc.) as well as in public buildings and shops.
As Israel reopens its border on January 9, 2022, tourists and foreigners will once again be able to visit. Israel also removed its list of “red” countries (with high Covid-19 numbers), allowing travelers from all regions to enter.
Visitors planing to travel to Israel must adhere to the regulations of the Israeli Ministry of Health. In general, travelers are required to be fully vaccinated and produce a recognized vaccination certificate. See also the “Who can travel to Israel and how, as country reopens to visitors on Sunday” article in the Times of Israel.
For further information and helpful links to official websites, see my “Covid-19 in Israel” page.
For early visitors: Now you have the chance to visit the country’s many historic and holy sites without the usual queues.
Stay healthy!
The West Bank town of Jericho is part of the land controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Inside the West Bank, it is probably the biggest tourist and pilgrim attraction after Bethlehem. With good reason I believe, as the history of Jericho is one of a kind that you find nowhere else in the world. In the following article I describe the most important archaeological sites, in chronological order.
Jericho is thought to be the oldest city in the world. How old? About 11,000 years old. It was before pottery had been invented. Archaeologists call that period PPNA, short for Pre-Pottery Neolithic A. A later period of Jericho falls into PPNB. To see this most ancient part of Jericho, we need to visit the Tell Es-Sultan archaeological park near the cable car station. A modest entry fee lets you climb the “tell” or settlement hill.
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