In my update last week I forgot to mention that we went to the Mount of Temptation (near Jericho); this is the traditional place of one of Jesus’ temptation (on the mountain!).

In the monastery on the 'Mount of Temptation' by the stone which tradition says is the spot of Jesus' temptation (Luke 4: 5-8)

Saturday went into Jerusalem to meet up with and have lunch with Father Showri’s Bishop: Bishop Gali Bali.

Bishop Gali Bali (Bishop of Guntur.....Father Showri's Bishop) with Vincent at the Notre Dame Centre in Jerusalem

On Sunday I went to meet a pilgrimage group from St Joseph & St Edmund in Southampton and joined them for Mass and a beer (or two); their parish priest, Canon John O’Shea is the priest I will be taking over from in February 2010. On Monday I met up with Father Dominic Golding, who is a Spiritual Director to the ‘Knights of the Holy Sepulchre’; I joined them all for dinner. Father Dominic, as you know, is replacing me at Holy Ghost in February!

This week we spent Tuesday morning on the Mount of Olives and the afternoon at the Dheisheh Refugee Camp on the edge of Bethlehem (One of 59 such camps; ‘founded’ in 1948 it now has 12,000 residents within one square kilometre; they have sent up a ‘cultural centre’ to provide educational and cultural programmes for children, youth and women [see: www.ibdaa194.org].

Visiting the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the West Bank: shown around by one of the Education Team:
Shadi (centre)

A 'worried look' in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp.

Large tanks to store water as (we were told but have not confirmed)
the camp only has piped water one day a month

Graffiti making a statement in Dheisheh!

Today (Wednesday) we had an hour on the Temple Mount and were privileged to be allowed into the ‘Dome of the Rock’ (it is generally only open to Muslims but Tantur authorities sought special permission because of our course; we were warmly received and dealt with and are grateful to the Temple Mount Authorities): see photos on blog page.

Lectures this week (to keep me out of mischief and make me more confused): ‘The Holocaust and Jewish-Christian Identity’, Islam, Palestinian Liberation Theology and, finally, Jesus in His milieu (all lectures 2 ½ hours!).

Sunday: probably Mass at the Melkike Catholic Church.

Your correspondent in Jerusalem!!

It is a while since I have written. I am spending all my time keeping up with typing lecture notes and summaries of site visits (the Negev, the West Bank, the Galilee etc).

Last week (12-16 October) we were in Galilee from Monday to Friday. Each day was long (leaving the hotel at 8 am and returning at 5 or 6 pm). They were full but rewarding days. Many of the places visited: Nazareth, Mt Tabor, Mt of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Caesarea Philippi and the like I have been before but we visited places new to me: Megiddo (foretold by some to eventually be the place of Armageddon!), Nain, Druze villages and so forth. All were interesting and the guide was able to open up new areas of understanding using the appropriate scripture passages.

This week is a week of lectures (though tomorrow: Thursday – we are going back into the desert to visit the Mt of Temptation and Jericho).

On Monday morning I joined 3 others to visit the security point just below Tantur (one the big ones to pass in and out of Bethlehem and the West Bank). We arrived at 4.45 am and met the volunteers who monitor the Palestinians who have to queue up daily to get out of the West Bank for work, and the system they have to use. They count how many (can be a couple of thousand), if there are any issues (delays with security and the like), any tensions and any trouble. There are Jewish women volunteers also who try to help if there are problems.

When we arrived (see photos below) there were already a few hundred (300 +) waiting in the caged walkways. After our briefing we went up the ‘Humanitarian Line’ together with a few other people; there were only about 15 people in the queue but it took us 20 minutes to get through one turnstile (two more to go!)…….how long it took the growing number of Palestinians I don’t know.

The Palestinians leave the West Bank (Bethlehem and the surrounds) to work in Jerusalem and the wider area. They have to be over 35 years old and married to obtain a work permit for 3 months. When they go through the permit is checked and their identity is checked bio-metrically (palm print). They cannot go through before 5 am (unless they have a 24 hour permit which is very, very rare) and have to be back before 7 pm (if they miss the 7 pm deadline they can lose their permit).

The situation is complex and it is stressful for the Palestinians and for the Israeli guards and security personnel. Another week!

From your correspondent…………Vincent!.