Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A Stranger Among Us at the Golan Heights

Signpost Indicating Direction and Distance to Capital Cities

To end our day of touring, we drove up into the Golan Heights. It was a beautiful drive up into the mountains of Israel - and one of the most windy roads I have ever taken. I kept telling myself to keep my eyes on the horizon (to avoid becoming bus sick)- but I so wanted to look out the windows at the lovely landscape along the way! Beautiful fertile ground, terraces cut into the sides of mountains, thick lush trees, ancient rock wall boundaries, evidences of Israeli army presence, and warning signs marking possible land mines leftover from a previous war flew past my sight. I could hardly take it all in.

The windy road finally ended in a parking lot at the top of the mountain. Our astute tour guide immediately noticed the large black, armored SUVs parked in succession nearby. She mentioned to us that it looked like there was someone of importance visiting the Golan Heights. She told us that she had read that Rahm Emanuel was in Israel for his son's bar mitzvah, so she deduced that it could be him.

Rahm Emmanuel Siting at the Golan

Sure enough, as we were walking up the path to the top of the mountain, we passed Rahm and his entourage coming our way. You will notice in the picture above the smiles on Evan, Ross, and Don's faces as they have just passed quite closely by Rahm. I turned around to snap the picture - you never know when CNN will be calling...

Actually, good old Rahm (seen in the light blue, short sleeved shirt) arrived to the Golan Heights via Israeli military IDF blackhawk helicopter. The news was full of bitter remarks and Israelis even tried to block and then ended up trying to heckle his son's bar mitzvah. Let's just say he is not the most popular guy in these parts.

The Golan Heights is more than just a mountain with a glorious scenic overlook, it is both a strategic place and a historical place for many reasons.

The Golan Heights extends like a sore finger (see below) between the borders of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria in the northeastern section of Israel. Israel is still "technically" at war with Syria, Lebanon, and most of the countries of the Middle East. The only countries with whom they have "peace" agreements are Egypt and Jordan - and those are tenuous at best. If controlled again by a hostile country, the Golan would be a strategic nightmare for Israel.


The importance of the Golan Heights to Israel's national security hinges on the eastern mountain ridge, stretching between Mount Hermon, Israel's highest mountain, in the north and the steep canyon of the Rokad River in the south. This ridge creates a most effective natural tank barrier protecting Israel from the advance of enemies from the East. Syrians who held the Golan Heights prior to 1973, used their vantage point to frequently snipe at Israelis below. They were always sitting ducks, so to speak.
View From Atop Mount Bental - Looking at the Lush Israeli Fields that Give Way to the Barren Demilitarized Zone run by the UN Forces at the very top of the Frame.  

Also, the mountains of the Golan Heights make up an important watershed for the Sea of Galilee, which provides Israel with more than 30 percent of its drinking water. An enemy controlling that watershed could contaminate the lake, or could easily divert the sources of the lake, causing Israel, already watching the level of the Sea of Galilee shrinking at alarming levels, to have unspeakable water shortages.

At one point, Henry Kissinger tried to convince Israel to hand over the Golan Heights for the sake of "peace". All Prime Minister Golda Meir had to do was to take Kissinger up to the very place where we were standing and allow him to see for himself the Golan. After visiting this ridge, he realized the importance of this piece of land for Israel's security and peace, and he quickly changed his mind, agreeing with Golda that Israel should hang onto it.

We looked out across the land below. We could see the town vacated by Syria (see below) in the Yom Kippur War - we could see the border of Syria snaking through the countryside outlined by the barbed wire fences and outposts that protect the border for now. Hannah, our tour guide told us incredible things - miraculous things pertaining to that war.

Another View from Atop Mount Bental - Golan Heights

On October 6, 1973 on Yom Kippur, Israel's holiest of all the holy days, when the entire nation virtually comes to a standstill. — Egypt and Syria opened a coordinated surprise attack against Israel. Since even non-observants Jews honor this holyday by fasting, staying home or going to synagogue, and refraining from the use of fire, electricity, and communications systems, Israel could not have been more vulnerable. The equivalent of the total forces of NATO in Europe were mobilized on Israel's borders and she was unprepared. On the Golan Heights, approximately 180 Israeli tanks faced an onslaught of 1,400 Syrian tanks. Along the Suez Canal, 436 Israeli defenders were attacked by 80,000 Egyptians. At least nine Arab states, including four non-Middle Eastern nations, actively aided the Egyptian-Syrian war effort.

Because of the surprise attack on Yom Kippur, Israel could have been wiped out - or at least that was the plan. Regular communications are sparse, but because most of the population was in the Synagogues, they were able to send word from Synagogue to Synagogue urging citizens to report to their posts. They even flew planes dragging banners urging men to report right away. Because of Yom Kippur the roads were clear and the Israeli army was ready in record time.

At the Golan Heights, Israel was greatly outnumbered. Like facing Goliath of old, the Israel army was forced to hold their border with 177 Israeli tanks while Syria threatened to move through the interior with an onslaught of 1,400 tanks. In order to encourage their men to march closer and engage Israel, the Syrians sent word that the Israelis were in the Golan, which was not true. However, the radio broadcast backfired and instead of moving their troops toward the Golan, Syria fled - practically vacating the town at the foot of the Golan and allowing the incredibly undersized Israeli troops to roll in and take the empty town with no resistance.

Another miraculous account took place during the Yom Kippur war. I read that the Israelis found themselves surrounded by a mine field laid by the enemy. Their commanding officer ordered the men to vacate their tanks and crawl on their bellies along the sand. Inching along, using their knives on the end of their guns, the men precariously searched for the hidden mines buried in the sand. When out of the blue a fierce wind came - an unusual wind they had never seen before - and in 45 seconds of gust - removed the top 4-5 inches of sand, revealing all the hidden mines. The soldiers returned to their tanks and easily drove through the maze of death in pursuit of their enemies.

Entering the Reconstructed IDF Bunkers

As we toured the underground bunkers, it felt at times like we were walking on holy ground. It was a sobering experience for me, and I'm sure it brought back vivid memories for others who have served in times of war. For the children - they enjoyed running through the bunkers and gleefully exploring the underground world of the soldier.



Walking in the IDF Bunkers

The border between Israel and Syria remains one of the most heavily "mined" areas in the world. While the scenery is lovely, the history enchanting, the reminder of a country surrounded by enemies sworn to annihilate it is ever before you.  


These signs are everywhere to warn you to stay on the path - Dangerous Land Mines are near!
Not my picture....









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