Jerusalem: A City For The Brave Or The Fool-Hardy

30th November -0001

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Israel: A Destination for the brave or the fool-hardy

Long running conflicts have all but spelt the end for tourism in Jerusalem, but the city is no less fascinating a place.

To the Christian world the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is where it all began. But you would never know that for the site, considered the most holiest of places, a must to visit yet as a direct result of hostilities in Israel that of the world's two billion Christians, visitors only arrive in single figures.

For the adventurous willing to make the trip, the church situated in Bethlehem is a 20 minute drive from Jerusalem, though few tourists make the trip now because the area has become the centre for Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Ever optimistic Palestinian guides hover at the entrance to the church hoping for the rare site of a tourist and the chance to earn some money.

Entering the high-roofed stone church, across a mosaic floor and then descend two flights of stairs to a small alcove, the birthplace of Jesus, where the precise spot is marked by a silver star.

As with most historical sites it is the catalyst for a religious feud this time between Christian faiths. The Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian branches of Christianity share control of the church a volatile arrangement that has led to rows over prayer times and even cleaning rosters.

Though Jerusalem is the crucible of the Islamic, Jewish and Christian faiths, the number of visitors to Israel has dropped from two million a year in the 1990s to 850,000 in 2003.

The latest uprising, or intifada, has seen the death of more than 2000 Palestinians and 700 Israelis since it began in 2000 so it's no surprise many tourists stay away.

But put aside the religious hatred and the underlying tensions and the city of Jerusalem is fascinating spectacle.

But a brief insight into the tensions are highlighted when you see a middle-aged man going to pray, with his family with a high-powered rifle over his shoulder, and young men and women at nightclubs dancing with M16s across their backs

Other musts to visit is the Dead Sea a short drive from the city where you can float on top of its still waters as others daub themselves in jet black mud said to have healing properties.

For the steadfast religious visitor, Jerusalem's Old City is the main attraction, nestled together there is Islam's cherished al-Aqsa Mosque and the spectacular Dome of the Rock; Judaism's Western Wall and the site of the First and Second Temples; and Christianity's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, quite a concentration of religious sites

The Dome of the Rock is where the Prophet Mohammed was said to have ascended to heaven, and where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith. Along with Mecca, the Dome is among Islam's most sacred sites.

But for Jews, the Dome is built on Temple Mount site of the remains of their faith's First and Second Temples. The Western Wall is thought to be a remnant of the Second Temple.

Just a short walk away is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus died on the cross. The Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows, down which the condemned Jesus is said to have carried his cross, runs past the Temple Mount.

Nowhere else in the world contains such a diverse selection of so many different faith's holiest sites and as such is a recipe for tension.

With the feel of an Arabian bazaar lots of falafel and cake stalls and souvenir stands the whole of the Old City is under the control of Israel and is guarded by heavily armed troops, and many Jewish visitors carry rifles with them to pray at the Western Wall as they have to cross the Palestinian quarter to reach it.

Religious tensions have even seen the city give its name to a unique psychiatric illness Jerusalem Syndrome, an obsessive and delusional religious fascination.

To get the best view of the Old City and the Dome of the Rock go to the nearby Mount of Olives the largest and most spiritually important Jewish cemetery in the world.

The Jewish faith holds that the Messiah will come through the nearby Golden Gate on Judgment Day and raise the dead. Not surprisingly it's a sought-after final resting place and it's believed to cost more than $64,000 to be buried there.

Holocaust hero Oscar Schindler is buried there, when the city was under Muslim control, authorities bricked up the Golden Gate to prevent the arrival of a Christian or Jewish Messiah, though you'd have to think that if he could raise the dead, bricks would offer little challenge.

Tensions run high in Jerusalem and visitors cannot completely safeguard themselves against becoming an innocent casualty of the struggle for control of the Holy Land, but it's possible to minimise the risks.

In Palestinian areas dining out sticking to restaurants in these areas. Palestinian-run buses on the Palestinian side are unlikely to be targets of suicide attacks, but many people find a taxi or a friend with a car more convenient.

In Jewish areas, cafes and restaurants often have metal detectors and security guards to check for suicide bombers. Travel by car rather than the city's Jewish-run public buses, as they are often the target for suicide bombers.

Facts

Travel: Jerusalem is a short bus ride from Tel Aviv.

Cost: Israel is expensive, particularly by Middle-East standards. Eating out is about the cost as the UK with groceries and alcohol considerably more so.

Flights, Heathrow/ Manchester direct to Tel Aviv by El Al notably the most secure and safest Airline in the world.

Bird flu 'cured' by cabbage dinner From correspondents in Seoul March 16, 2005 From: Agence France-Presse AN extract of South Korea's famed spicy fermented cabbage dish known as kimchi could cure bird flu and other chicken diseases, scientists said. Researchers at Seoul National University said chickens infected with the deadly bird flu virus began recovering a week after they were fed with fermented bacilli extracted from kimchi. The experiment has yet to be scientifically proven but professor Kang Sa-Ouk said kimchi did appear to have a curative effect. Kimchi, made by fermenting cabbage with radishes, red peppers, garlic and ginger, is a symbol of national cuisine. Advertisement: "Our research showed the chickens fed with a cultured fluid of fermented bacilli extracted from kimchi were recovering rapidly from bird flu and other diseases," Kang said. "Only four of the 26 chickens used for our experiment died within four days," he said. Park said his team needs more research to see whether the extract is an effective remedy against bird flu. "We will speed up a chemical study into its constituents," he said. Since late 2003 millions of birds and 69 humans in Asia have been infected with bird flu. A total of 33 people have died in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand and one in Cambodia. Kimchi consumption rose sharply two years ago when some Asian countries were hit by SARS. It was reputed to prevent the respiratory disease although there was no scientific proof.