
Blogs
Israel and Golan Heights
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 by Phyllis Smith Kester
During the Christmas/New Year college break of 2006, Monty and I traveled with about a dozen people to visit Christian, Jewish, and Muslim sites of significance in Jordan and Israel, and I learned some surprising things.
We were the only ones on the trip willing to acknowledge any familiarity with the bible. Hence, by default, we became the Christian experts in Israel if our guide or someone wanted to question something from a Christian point of view. That twist caused some participants to buy a bible to read after they got home.
This was not my first trip to Israel, but this time I was struck by how natural factors, such as the geography of the Rift Valley, affect such a small country. Israel is a little smaller than New Jersey, the fourth-smallest state by area in the United States.
To comprehend the size, consider driving the entire length of Israel’s Route 90 which connects Israel’s northern edge to its southern tip at the Gulf of Aqaba. It would take about six hours if you didn’t stop, for it’s approximately 300 miles. A large portion of this road is below sea level in elevation because it is located in a segment of the extensive East African Rift System. (The north part of the Rift Valley is occupied by the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba—the northeastern extension of the Red Sea.)
Israel, perched at the crossroads between Africa and Eurasia, occupies a slender strip of land about 85 miles wide at its widest point. Its unique position on the Rift and bustling aviation traffic revealed surprising aspects of the natural world. This narrow bottleneck plays a crucial part in the seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds twice a year, which is challenging for pilots during the two migration periods in the spring and autumn when 500 million birds traverse Israel’s airspace.
Before 1983, Israeli planes did their training mostly over Sinai, but that year they gave Sinai back to Egypt. Suddenly, they had much more limited air space, and the planes were concentrated in the middle of the birds’ flight paths.
Many heavy birds migrate over land because they need the thermal currents, which are rising columns of warm air created by the sun heating the land. The thermals lift them to heights from which they can glide and conserve energy. These soaring birds fly only during the day and avoid crossing large bodies of water like the Mediterranean, making Israel’s tiny, narrow landmass an international highway for a billion birds annually since the Rift Valley serves them well.
According to published data, 800,000 storks flew over Israel between August and the end of September one year. Yet, there are about 540 species in Israel, including 35 different raptors. The sheer scale of this migration is staggering, with a billion migrating birds, including White Storks, Lesser Spotted Eagles, Honey Buzzards, and white pelicans, flying through Israel yearly.
Monty and I saw examples of the terrible results of planes hitting a bird in flight, including damage to the aircraft and, in some cases, loss of human life. They now have to have bird spotters along the borders and in other places, simply for the safety of their military planes.
I was shocked. I had never thought about Israeli jets restricted to flying over such a small land area and having to avoid the billion birds that fly the length of Israel.
I was further surprised during late December of that trip when we explored several sites north and east of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel’s Golan Heights, a tiny sliver of Israel between Lebanon (on the west) and Syria (on the east). It extends about 44 miles from north to south and is about 27 miles from east to west at its widest point. The better agricultural land lies in its southern portion, while the stony foothills of Mount Hermon in the north have patches of woodland and scrub where cattle are raised. The Israeli portion of the Golan rises to 7,297 feet at its extreme northeast point on the Mount Hermon slopes. We encountered a light snow flurry in that northern location.
The Golan Heights was where I became acutely aware of the high, elongated ridge paralleling the border with Syria, still part of that Rift Valley system. After the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-49, Syria fortified the crest of that ridge in Golan Heights overlooking the upper Jordan River valley. This hilly area overlooking the upper Jordan River valley was part of extreme southwestern Syria until 1967. This particular section along the Jordan River in the Rift Valley is where many Israeli civilians were killed by Syrian artillery and snipers firing down from the ridge overlooking the settlements and the farming and fishing below the snipers.
If Israel were to withdraw from the Golan Heights, I suddenly understood the topographical concerns. Anyone hostile to Israel occupying that higher ridge would immediately pose a threat that is dangerous to all the farmers and settlers living in the river valley below.
We stayed in some different kibbutz in the Golan Heights. I found it sobering to see the number of bullet holes remaining in a couple of them from Syrian snipers on the ridge above them from before Israel took the high ground in the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War of 1967 between Israel and an Egypt-Syria-Jordan alliance. I wondered how families could live, work, and raise a family while having snipers on a ridge above you shooting at random.
In the northern tip of the Golan Heights, we visited a home within walking distance of Lebanon and Syria. Several women had come together to fix us a delicious meal of their traditional foods. Because of the amount of food for the dozen of us, they spread the platters on a sheet on the floor as we gathered around to eat and visit with our hosts. I had naively thought that families living in war-torn areas shuffled back and forth between various countries over the years could pick up and move to another country where it might be more stable. It shocked me to learn that all our hosts felt it too dangerous to have passports of a particular country when they never knew what country might take over their locality. They said to have an Israeli passport if Syria or Lebanon took over again could be deadly for them. Consequently, they had no passports and couldn’t leave if they wanted to. I was horrified.
As we left these lovely families and scampered through the falling snow to our van, I wondered about the many Jews, Arabs, and Palestinians we had visited in various places. It’s a complex situation in Israel with its internal divisions and conflicts, as well as being surrounded by hostile groups. It made me more concerned about my response as a Christian to them.
God calls Israel the “apple of His eye,” which is a term of endearment (Deuteronomy 32:10, Zechariah 2:8). Balaam said God showed him that blessed is he who blesses Israel and cursed is he who curses Israel (Numbers 24:9).
Since Paul instructed Christians to pray for governmental authorities, leaders, and all people (1 Timothy 2:1-4), shouldn’t we pray for peace in the Middle East, particularly for Israel? Israel is not perfect and has made mistakes, but I believe they are God’s chosen people according to scripture.
I suspect the problems we see in the Middle East are not being fought “over a piece of land” but are more about some people who simply object to the very existence of Jews and anyone who helps them. It’s a spiritual problem, not a “land” problem. So, let us lift up prayers for Israel. Since it’s a war in the spiritual realm, we should use spiritual weapons.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV)
Comments
Peggy Holcomb From Ft worth, Texas At 9/26/2024 2:35:17 PM
Enjoyed the pictures and your storyReply by: Phyllis
Thank you, Peggy. Good to hear from you.Dianne Johnson From Baytown, TX At 9/26/2024 10:42:20 AM
I really enjoy your blog each month. This is really eye opening. Thank you.Reply by: Phyllis Kester Author
Thanks. It's so great to hear from you!Carolyn Hill From WC B313 At 9/25/2024 1:12:53 PM
Thank you, Phyllis, for this excellent and informative perspective on this important part of our world. We appreciate your biblical insights. -Carolyn and JackReply by: Phyllis
Thanks. I appreciate you as readers.Previous Posts
Meeting Corrie ten Boon
Phyllis Smith Kester
2/10/2025
Walking the Plank
Phyllis Smith Kester
1/28/2025
Train Ride in a Flood
Phyllis Smith Kester
1/13/2025
Saltillo Surprises
Phyllis Smith Kester
1/1/2025
Connecting Two Pictures
Phyllis Smith Kester
12/18/2024
Kintsugi Brokenness & Beauty
Phyllis Smith Kester
12/3/2024
Capillary Action
Phyllis Smith Kester
11/20/2024
A Forge and Anvil
Phyllis Smith Kester
11/5/2024
Tree Analogy #5-Bloom
Phyllis Smith Kester
10/24/2024
Tree Analogy #4: Brokenness
Phyllis Smith Kester
10/9/2024
Israel and Golan Heights
Phyllis Smith Kester
9/25/2024
Tree Analogy #3: Bent Tree
Phyllis Smith Kester
9/11/2024
Lesson From NASA
Phyllis Smith Kester
8/27/2024
Storm Warning
Phyllis Smith Kester
8/14/2024
Tree Analogy #2: Hanging Sod
Phyllis Smith Kester
7/31/2024
Tree Analogy #1: Angel Oak
Phyllis Smith Kester
7/17/2024
The Warning Shot
Phyllis Smith Kester
7/2/2024
Trip's Delayed Surprise
Phyllis Smith Kester
6/18/2024
Antelope Slot Canyon
Phyllis Smith Kester
6/4/2024
The Pioneer Woman
Phyllis Smith Kester
5/21/2024
What is a Woman, a Wife, or a Mother?
Phyllis Smith Kester
5/8/2024
Two Analogies
Phyllis Smith Kester
4/24/2024
Solar Eclipse Analogy
Phyllis Smith Kester
4/10/2024
EASTER
Phyllis Kester
3/26/2024
The Resurrection Plant
Phyllis Smith Kester
3/12/2024
Busted on Pikes Peak
Phyllis Smith Kester
2/27/2024
What is Love?
Phyllis Smith Kester
2/13/2024
Looking, But Not Seeing
Phyllis Kester
1/30/2024
Remembering Christmas 2023
Phyllis Kester
1/16/2024
The Potter
Phyllis Kester
1/2/2024
The Tree Ornament
Phyllis Kester
12/19/2023
Cockapoo Kristy
Phyllis Kester
12/6/2023
Surprises & Obsessions
Phyllis Kester
11/21/2023
Breaking Thru
Phyllis Kester
11/7/2023
Eagles
Phyllis Kester
10/24/2023
Facing Fear
Phyllis Kester
10/10/2023
The Bug-Eyed Monster
Phyllis Kester
9/25/2023
The Flash Flood
Phyllis Kester
9/12/2023
David's Library Book
Phyllis Kester
8/29/2023
Object Lesson: The Leaky Bucket
Phyllis Kester
8/16/2023
Turpentine Creek
Phyllis Kester
8/1/2023
The Surprise
Phyllis Kester
7/17/2023
Small Pleasures
Phyllis Kester
7/4/2023
Are Fathers Important?
Phyllis Kester
6/20/2023
Fathers and Father's Day
Phyllis Smith Kester
6/6/2023
Legacies of my mother, Hallie Hays Smith
Phyllis Smith Kester
5/23/2023
Hallie's Handkerchief Holder
Phyllis Kester
5/9/2023
A Voice from the Past
Phyllis Kester
4/25/2023
Object Lesson: The Crystal Paperweight
Phyllis Kester
4/11/2023
Grandma’s Quilting Bee
Phyllis Kester
3/28/2023
Actions have Consequences
Phyllis Kester
3/14/2023
Hungry Baby
Phyllis Kester
2/28/2023
Married to a Texan
Phyllis Kester
2/14/2023
Charley Kester’s Horses
Phyllis Kester
1/31/2023
Persistence In The Dirt
Phyllis Kester
1/17/2023
Object Lesson: Mushrooms in Our Life
Phyllis Kester
1/3/2023
Trip with Unexpected Twists
Phyllis Kester
12/20/2022
Grandma’s Important Legacy
Phyllis Kester
12/6/2022