Birds and Bombs
Today we went to Quneitra, about an hour west of Damascus. The province is 1860 square kilometers and 1260km of that is under Israeli occupation, the Golan Heights. Part of the town has been kept as it was after the 1967 war, as an exhibition of the brutality the war resulted in. Before viewing the destruction, we were fortunate to meet with the mayor of Quneitra.”They destroyed everything,” he said, “man, stone, and trees”. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the forefront of everyone’s minds here when discussing relations with the United States. Our visit to the Golan was a rare and fortunate opportunity exemplified by the fact of national news coverage of the event (a few students were interviewed). For now, I am just going to let the pictures speak for themselves, as I gather my thoughts and delve into more discussions with my peers. It is an extremely sensitive topic, and I want to be sure to discuss it with as much reflection as it deserves.
Olive orchards and snowy mountaintop on the way
UN checkpoint
Our meeting with the mayor
One of dozens of destroyed homes
Hospital window with bullet holes, the hospital was used for target practice after the initial destruction
hospital facade
Inside the hospital
A bombed out Greek orthodox church
Our police escort
me and a UN soldier at the border with Israeli occupied lands
Birds were everywhere throughout the day. They reminded me how nature endures as humankind destroys itself.
Syrian flag with Israel occupied Golan Heights in the background (they are on top of the mountain)
The Scottish thistle in Syria! The climate is so interesting at the Golan. The temperature was absolutely perfect, and one of our hosts told me that one translation for Golan is beautiful weather.
Barbed wire seperates us from field with land mines, and Israel on mountain in distance. The land mines have even recently killed and mamed people and animals in the region.
Rich talking with a high ranking Syrian army official
One of the reasons the Golan Heights are so highly contested is because of their richness as an agricultural area. In addition to the temperate climate, the soil here was made originally from volanic activity and is ideal for many types of crops.
hi, nice work. Did not see any birds….
Still would like to see a pix of you in
Godmother’s scarf, green could be your
new favorite color.
What country was the UN soldier from ?
Lots of love, dad
Hi Andrea, This must have been quite a day-so much to take in. This is amazing that you are seeing Quneitra and having an interview with the Mayor. The pictures are so good-they tell the story. You are front and center. I can’t wait til you come home and tell us all about it. So proud of you! Keep up the great writing! By the way, short sleeves ok here? Glad you brought some. Love you, MOm xoxo
Andrea, Thanks for some great pix. I was moved by your caption on one of them, “Birds were everywhere throughout the day. They reminded me how nature endures as humankind destroys itself. ” James’ Mom
I have a picture posing with a UN peacekeeper from the Israeli side many years ago. It is indeed a very complex, complicated and sensitive topic. You’re all so young and yet managing to do some extremely compelling writing. Great pictures…….I’m proud of all of you.
Sandy