The IFPO in all of it's wisdom decided that taking it's students of the Near-Orient to a fought-over territory would be a great experience. One part education, one part propaganda, what could be better for those of us willing to see and to learn and those of them willing to show and teach us? So off we filed into our comfortable air-conditioned bus, single file into the south-western corner of Syria, into land that was once occupied by six-sided star toting military personnel. Golan (جولان) is the south-western most province in Syria, not to be confused with the Golan Heights (هضبة الجولان) which is the Israeli-occupied (now settled) mountainous region further west. Naturally there is a UN-administered portion in the middle with cute little white-with-black-letter vehicles roaming around, driven by people in blue hats. (Presumably) Map below for reference.
Our first stop was in Quneitra (al-Qunaytirah on the map). Formerly the largest inhabited city in the Golan, now a ghost town of only a handful of families. The story goes that after the 1967 6 Day War the Israeli army occupied the city, but eventually withdrew. As they were withdrawing they took every salvageable item and then razed the city, leaving it a burnt out carcass. The Syrian government decided not to clean up the mess or rebuild the city, choosing to leave it as a reminder of "Zionist brutality".
Of course the other story goes that once the Israel army withdrew they did take some things with them, but after they left the Syrian army destroyed anything left standing in the name of propaganda so they could have a "smoking gun of Zionist brutality". The truth? Probably somewhere down the middle. (reoccurring theme) The following are pictures of Quneitra.
The town is little more than a collection of rubble like this one
(Someone should have told the Syrians that propaganda, regardless of it's truth, is most effective when grammatically correct)
The whole hospital is a bullet-laden carcass. The not so subtle ironic point that an institution of life should be transformed into a symbol of destruction is deafening.
Contentious Issue #1: The Golan is a member in a small community of arable lands in the south of Syria. Note the greenery.
We carried along on our trip and saw various sights, the most memorable being the border. Oh what fun with barbed wire, UN patrols, and minefields. It was simply a modern fairytale of Near Eastern origin.
Empty fields usually mean one thing: mines.
Barbed Wire party!
Contentious issue #2: Disputed territory that is settled on. The civilization before you is all brand-spanking post-1967 new. That's because it wasn't part of Israel before that year. Peace process? I don't think so.
Patriotic border.
My favourite picture (courtesy of Jeremie), note the "Welcome to Israel" sign past the UN guard stations. That sign is ready for the day that diplomatic relations between Syria and Israel normalize. Regardless, I wonder just how 'welcome' the Syrians will feel.
So we made our merry way back to Damascus after a long and tiring day of Zionist hating. Our attempt was thwarted on a deserted highway when our front tire spontaneously popped. Coincidence? I think not. This could only be the sinister work of The Zionists! Fortunately we needed only wait 45 minutes before the charter bus company came and rescued us. Thank goodness for kind, hard working Syrians to save us from the evil, maniacal Israelis. !يا الله
Pop goes the bus tire.
(this tour really was a sham)
E
