Israel and Palestine

Palestine is a conventional name used to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands, an area that today includes Israel and the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, as well as part of Jordan, and some of both Lebanon and Syria.

Jerusalem is located in Palestine and is the center of three major religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

EASTER 1: The Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony, is a Roman Catholic church located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, next to the Garden of Gethsemane. It enshrines a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before His arrest.
EASTER 1a: Located in the Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony. The bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before His arrest is found at the bottom of the frame.
EASTER 2: On the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane has two areas -- one for the public and a larger, more private area that's not open to anyone. This is a picture of the private garden. (Don's note: This picture involved climbing a wall. This part of the garden is not open to the public.)
EASTER 3: The Via Dolorosa sign found outside the Chapel of Simon of Cyrene, considered the fifth stop on the pilgrimage. The fifth station refers to the biblical episode in which Simon of Cyrene takes Jesus' cross, and carries it for him.
EASTER 4: The Via Dolorosa (Latin for Way of Grief or Way of Suffering) is a street within the Old City of Jerusalem, believed to be the path that Jesus walked, carrying His cross, on the way to His crucifixion. Visitors from all over the world go on this path every single day. There are designated stations or stops where major events occurred according to the biblical narrative.
EASTER 5: This is outside the entrance of The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, otherwise known as the Church of the Resurrection.
EASTER 6: According to tradition, The Stone of the Anointing is where Jesus' body was prepared for burial on the Friday before Sabbath (Saturday).
EASTER 7: The Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre (The Tomb of Christ) with the dome of the rotunda visible above. Tradition holds that this is where Jesus was buried, then rose again. His death was on Friday, His rest was on Saturday (Sabbath), and rose again on Sunday.
An Orthodox priest meditates in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine and the major landmark of Jerusalem. It is located on the Temple Mount area. Completed in 691, it is the earliest existing Islamic building in the world.
The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine and the major landmark of Jerusalem. It is located on the Temple Mount area. Completed in 691, it is the earliest existing Islamic building in the world.
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a concrete barrier surrounded by an average 60 meter wide exclusion area and high walls up to 8 meters high. The barrier is highly controversial. Supporters argue that the barrier is necessary to protect Israeli civilians from Palestinian terrorism, while others call it as nothing less than imprisonment. (Don's note: This is the first time I have ever been in Palestinian territory. After years of fighting, the West Bank was relatively peaceful when I came. I had to go to the West Bank to visit Bethlehem, which is under Palestinian control.)
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth, and it is considered sacred by followers of both Christianity and Islam. (Don's note: A very interesting entrance, you have to go through a narrow entryway then you get to finally see the church inside.)
The Church of St. Catherine is a Catholic church connected to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The church is first known in records in the 15th century and may have been built on top of the 12th-century Crusader monastery that stood on the site.
B&W picture of Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine.
Leaving Bethlehem, mid-afternoon.
The Valley of Elah where Goliath and David fought their epic battle.
Yardenit is situated at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee, at the place where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea on its way down to the Dead Sea. Along with Capernaum and the Mount of the Beatitudes, and it is one of the most important sites in this area. Many speculate this is the likely area where Jesus was baptized. Christians around the world make a pilgrimage to this site to get baptized.
Yardenit is situated at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee, at the place where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea on its way down to the Dead Sea. Along with Capernaum and the Mount of the Beatitudes, and it is one of the most important sites in this area. Many speculate this is the likely area where Jesus was baptized. Christians around the world make a pilgrimage to this site to get baptized.
The Mount of Beatitudes refers to the hill in northern Israel where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. This Roman Catholic chapel sits on top of the Mount of Beatitudes.
Overlooking the Sea of Galilee from the Mount of Beatitudes.