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| Jerusalem diary: Farewell, l'hitraot, wa masalaam | Jerusalem diary: Farewell, l'hitraot, wa masalaam |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| By Tim Franks BBC News, Jerusalem | By Tim Franks BBC News, Jerusalem |
| I have been one of the luckiest postcard-writers around. Between November 2007 and March 2010, I wrote a regular Jerusalem Diary for these pages. It allowed me to go off-piste from my day job as the Middle East correspondent for radio, TV, and the internet. | I have been one of the luckiest postcard-writers around. Between November 2007 and March 2010, I wrote a regular Jerusalem Diary for these pages. It allowed me to go off-piste from my day job as the Middle East correspondent for radio, TV, and the internet. |
| Sometimes, clichés are clichés because they speak a common truth. So here, unapologetically, is one: it has been a huge privilege to go to the places and meet the people who cram onto this small and turbulent land. | Sometimes, clichés are clichés because they speak a common truth. So here, unapologetically, is one: it has been a huge privilege to go to the places and meet the people who cram onto this small and turbulent land. |
| What follows is a selection of some of the photos I took and encounters I had over three years: some for this diary, some for radio, and some for my own private pleasure. | What follows is a selection of some of the photos I took and encounters I had over three years: some for this diary, some for radio, and some for my own private pleasure. |
Viscous and sweet | Viscous and sweet |
| Many places claim an over-riding passion for food, and its rituals. The Middle East is one. This couple made the most extraordinary olive oil I have ever tasted, and had clearly been doing so since biblical times. They lived in a hamlet close to Nablus. I would buy it in jerry cans, from the courtyard of their family home. They measured the oil using stones as balancing weights. It was dark green, viscous and sweet. Next to it, all other olive oil seemed as weak as water. | Many places claim an over-riding passion for food, and its rituals. The Middle East is one. This couple made the most extraordinary olive oil I have ever tasted, and had clearly been doing so since biblical times. They lived in a hamlet close to Nablus. I would buy it in jerry cans, from the courtyard of their family home. They measured the oil using stones as balancing weights. It was dark green, viscous and sweet. Next to it, all other olive oil seemed as weak as water. |
Lettuce festival | Lettuce festival |
| One of my happiest diaries. I withstood a certain amount of mocking, from fellow Jerusalem journalists, for saying that I was off to cover the 16th Festival of Lettuce, at a village near Bethlehem. How little they knew. Believe me: I was no great fan of lettuce, believing it to be a mere green stocking-filler. | One of my happiest diaries. I withstood a certain amount of mocking, from fellow Jerusalem journalists, for saying that I was off to cover the 16th Festival of Lettuce, at a village near Bethlehem. How little they knew. Believe me: I was no great fan of lettuce, believing it to be a mere green stocking-filler. |
| My first sight was therefore a surprise - always a good thing in journalism, that. Before me, grown men, transported in private or communal rapture, were devouring great clumps of the stuff. And they had every reason to. It was magnificent. "Sweet and juicy, with a magical top note of dill," I wrote in my notebook. | My first sight was therefore a surprise - always a good thing in journalism, that. Before me, grown men, transported in private or communal rapture, were devouring great clumps of the stuff. And they had every reason to. It was magnificent. "Sweet and juicy, with a magical top note of dill," I wrote in my notebook. |
Running for Gaza | Running for Gaza |
| Sari Bashi runs Gisha, an Israeli human rights group which specialises in challenging the Gaza blockade. She also, er, runs. Her thing is marathons, and - recently - ultra-marathons. | Sari Bashi runs Gisha, an Israeli human rights group which specialises in challenging the Gaza blockade. She also, er, runs. Her thing is marathons, and - recently - ultra-marathons. |
| She sees a thickly drawn parallel between her work and her hobby. And so it made sense - at the time - for me to interview her about Gaza, while going for a run with her. This is an excerpt from some of the strangest-sounding 45 minutes I have ever committed to tape. | She sees a thickly drawn parallel between her work and her hobby. And so it made sense - at the time - for me to interview her about Gaza, while going for a run with her. This is an excerpt from some of the strangest-sounding 45 minutes I have ever committed to tape. |
| This was taken in Gaza, immediately after the end of Operation Cast Lead, in January 2009. | This was taken in Gaza, immediately after the end of Operation Cast Lead, in January 2009. |
Dr Abu Eleish | Dr Abu Eleish |
| Occasionally, as a journalist, you meet people of astonishing integrity and bravery. Izzeldin Abu Eleish was one. His story was unique, even before the Gaza war of 2009. | Occasionally, as a journalist, you meet people of astonishing integrity and bravery. Izzeldin Abu Eleish was one. His story was unique, even before the Gaza war of 2009. |
| He was a Gazan gynaecologist, who used to travel regularly to Israel to treat Jewish patients. In 2008, his wife died of cancer. | He was a Gazan gynaecologist, who used to travel regularly to Israel to treat Jewish patients. In 2008, his wife died of cancer. |
| In January 2009, three of his daughters were killed, in northern Gaza, during the Israeli offensive. I met him in the hospital, near Tel Aviv, where another daughter, who'd been injured during the fighting, was being treated. | In January 2009, three of his daughters were killed, in northern Gaza, during the Israeli offensive. I met him in the hospital, near Tel Aviv, where another daughter, who'd been injured during the fighting, was being treated. |
Coming of age | Coming of age |
| Arieh Czeisler was a quiet man with a remarkable life. I met him, at his home on a small, northern Israeli agricultural settlement, just a few days before his barmitzvah. | Arieh Czeisler was a quiet man with a remarkable life. I met him, at his home on a small, northern Israeli agricultural settlement, just a few days before his barmitzvah. |
| Jewish boys are supposed to have their barmitzvah - their religious graduation to adulthood - at the age of 13. Arieh did not have that chance. When he was 13, he was deported to Auschwitz. Now, as he turned 79, encouraged by some Israelis whom met on a recent tour of the death camps of Poland, he was about to have the ceremony, 66 years late. | Jewish boys are supposed to have their barmitzvah - their religious graduation to adulthood - at the age of 13. Arieh did not have that chance. When he was 13, he was deported to Auschwitz. Now, as he turned 79, encouraged by some Israelis whom met on a recent tour of the death camps of Poland, he was about to have the ceremony, 66 years late. |
Minor key | Minor key |
| Not many national anthems are in a minor key. Most countries want the music to suggest hope more than longing. Which is why the Israeli national anthem is unusual. | Not many national anthems are in a minor key. Most countries want the music to suggest hope more than longing. Which is why the Israeli national anthem is unusual. |
| But if you want pain, here's the paradigmatic pre-state Jewish song, "Eli, Eli". It's sung, in his office in Jerusalem, by one of the world's top Jewish musicologists, Professor Eli Schliefer. | But if you want pain, here's the paradigmatic pre-state Jewish song, "Eli, Eli". It's sung, in his office in Jerusalem, by one of the world's top Jewish musicologists, Professor Eli Schliefer. |
| My God: why have you forsaken me? | My God: why have you forsaken me? |
| In fire and flames, they burned us. | In fire and flames, they burned us. |
| Everywhere, they shamed and mocked us. | Everywhere, they shamed and mocked us. |
| But no-one could turn us away from you, O God. | But no-one could turn us away from you, O God. |
Loud debate | Loud debate |
| One of the treats of journalism is to walk in on worlds apart. | One of the treats of journalism is to walk in on worlds apart. |
| Yeshiva Aish Hatorah boasts one of the finest roof-tops in Jerusalem, overlooking the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock. | Yeshiva Aish Hatorah boasts one of the finest roof-tops in Jerusalem, overlooking the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock. |
| Inside is a scene redolent of many hundreds of years of rabbinic Judaism - students and teachers pouring over texts and exegeses, trying to reach enlightenment through loud debate. | Inside is a scene redolent of many hundreds of years of rabbinic Judaism - students and teachers pouring over texts and exegeses, trying to reach enlightenment through loud debate. |
Welcome to Israel | Welcome to Israel |
| Everything - well almost everything - is political over here. Hapoel Katamon fans wear their allegiances with pride. | Everything - well almost everything - is political over here. Hapoel Katamon fans wear their allegiances with pride. |
| I have never been to another football game where the one of the terrace anthems is The Internationale, and where the half-time entertainment - to wild applause - was a bunch of Sudanese refugees being brought on to the pitch, to be welcomed to the country they hoped would now be their home. | I have never been to another football game where the one of the terrace anthems is The Internationale, and where the half-time entertainment - to wild applause - was a bunch of Sudanese refugees being brought on to the pitch, to be welcomed to the country they hoped would now be their home. |
Keeping the faith | Keeping the faith |
| Amos Oz is a rare man: an internationally acclaimed author who lives in a modest house in a modest town, deep in the Negev desert. I interviewed him, in his house, on his 70th birthday. | Amos Oz is a rare man: an internationally acclaimed author who lives in a modest house in a modest town, deep in the Negev desert. I interviewed him, in his house, on his 70th birthday. |
| His accomplishment is not just literary. He was a progenitor, as he explained, of the two-state solution. And, despite the gales of pessimism and cynicism that blow through this place, he keeps the faith. | His accomplishment is not just literary. He was a progenitor, as he explained, of the two-state solution. And, despite the gales of pessimism and cynicism that blow through this place, he keeps the faith. |
No-one's constituent | No-one's constituent |
| In the dust of conflict, some are more dispossessed than others. The Bedouin - particularly the Bedouin on the West Bank - have some of the toughest lives. | In the dust of conflict, some are more dispossessed than others. The Bedouin - particularly the Bedouin on the West Bank - have some of the toughest lives. |
| They are no-one's constituent. This baby girl lived among a small collection of tents and shacks, next to the thriving settlement of Karmel, on the southern Hebron hills. From time to time, the Israeli army come and demolish a Bedouin hut, on the grounds that it is built without planning permission. | They are no-one's constituent. This baby girl lived among a small collection of tents and shacks, next to the thriving settlement of Karmel, on the southern Hebron hills. From time to time, the Israeli army come and demolish a Bedouin hut, on the grounds that it is built without planning permission. |
| Meanwhile - despite the professed "settlement curb" - construction of new houses is currently carrying on apace in Karmel. | Meanwhile - despite the professed "settlement curb" - construction of new houses is currently carrying on apace in Karmel. |
West Bank life | West Bank life |
| Shoshanna Shilo appeared in my closing From Our Own Correspondent from Jerusalem. She was warm and welcoming, and utterly clear-eyed about what moved her to settle in the West Bank. | Shoshanna Shilo appeared in my closing From Our Own Correspondent from Jerusalem. She was warm and welcoming, and utterly clear-eyed about what moved her to settle in the West Bank. |
| Ideologically-motivated settlers are a minority of the estimated 500,000 Jewish settlers who live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Shoshanna offered one of the crispest explanations I ever heard of why she was one of them. | Ideologically-motivated settlers are a minority of the estimated 500,000 Jewish settlers who live in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Shoshanna offered one of the crispest explanations I ever heard of why she was one of them. |
| Abu Hamer was the mayor of Burqa, a village close to Migron - one of the largest unauthorised outposts in the West Bank. | Abu Hamer was the mayor of Burqa, a village close to Migron - one of the largest unauthorised outposts in the West Bank. |
| The Israeli Supreme Court had ruled that Migron had been built, illegally, on privately-owned Palestinian land, much of which belonged to villagers from Burqa. Several court-issued evacuation orders have been delayed and delayed and delayed. | The Israeli Supreme Court had ruled that Migron had been built, illegally, on privately-owned Palestinian land, much of which belonged to villagers from Burqa. Several court-issued evacuation orders have been delayed and delayed and delayed. |
| Having interviewed Abu Hamer some weeks previously, he then invited two colleagues and me back to his home for "mansaf"… for which he slaughtered one of his 12 sheep. A great honour, and a wonderful meal. | Having interviewed Abu Hamer some weeks previously, he then invited two colleagues and me back to his home for "mansaf"… for which he slaughtered one of his 12 sheep. A great honour, and a wonderful meal. |
Difficult day | Difficult day |
| There are two reports to be done each May. One reflects the Israeli perspective on the state, on the anniversary of its creation in 1948. The other piece hears from Palestinians, on the anniversary of what they call the "Naqba", or catastrophe. | There are two reports to be done each May. One reflects the Israeli perspective on the state, on the anniversary of its creation in 1948. The other piece hears from Palestinians, on the anniversary of what they call the "Naqba", or catastrophe. |
| For Israel's 60th anniversary, in 2008, I took Nahla Assali back to the house, in west Jerusalem, where she had lived until the tumult of May 1948. She now lives in a small apartment in east Jerusalem. It was her first time back inside the house for 60 years. Then, as we went up on to the roof, her difficult day became more so. | For Israel's 60th anniversary, in 2008, I took Nahla Assali back to the house, in west Jerusalem, where she had lived until the tumult of May 1948. She now lives in a small apartment in east Jerusalem. It was her first time back inside the house for 60 years. Then, as we went up on to the roof, her difficult day became more so. |
Too much pleasure | Too much pleasure |
| The eponymous Dr Shakshuka (aka Bino Gabso, a Libyan emigre, living in Jaffa) is too modest. His signature dish of eggs poached in a thick, spicy tomato sauce is - in my reasonably wide experience - the Prince of Shakshukas. | |
| He now has added high-quality shwarma (shaved meat kebab) to his repertoire, leading to Death by Pleasure. | He now has added high-quality shwarma (shaved meat kebab) to his repertoire, leading to Death by Pleasure. |
| One of my favourite Middle Eastern sounds. The qanoun, plucked inside a grand and shabby building in Damascus. Mohammed Kheder was a recently arrived refugee from the civil war in Iraq. | One of my favourite Middle Eastern sounds. The qanoun, plucked inside a grand and shabby building in Damascus. Mohammed Kheder was a recently arrived refugee from the civil war in Iraq. |
Always searching | Always searching |
| People often asked how it was possible to deal with the clamour of competing narratives, and arrive at the truth. I used to say that the search for fact and for context should never stop - that it would be dangerous ever to convince yourself that your journey had finished. And then, I found it, on a street in Beirut. You can imagine my relief. | People often asked how it was possible to deal with the clamour of competing narratives, and arrive at the truth. I used to say that the search for fact and for context should never stop - that it would be dangerous ever to convince yourself that your journey had finished. And then, I found it, on a street in Beirut. You can imagine my relief. |
| Please send us your comments on Tim Franks' final Jerusalem diary |