No. 7 of 47. First published 3 Dec 2007. This morning Gregor Henderson and I walked along the ramparts of the Old City of Jerusalem to the Western Wall at the Temple Mount (pictured, photographed today by me). Gregor is the President of the Uniting Church in Australia. We reflected on the irony that the …
Books on the Arab-Israeli conflict
No. 6 of 47. First published 3 Dec 2007. As a child, I heard news and occasional adult conversations about Arabs, Israel, oil and the fate of the Temple Mount. Yasser Arafat's characteristic dress was both familiar and unfamiliar. The wars of 1948, 1967 and 1973 were discussed as possibly fulfilling biblical prophecy. My paternal …
The journey to Israel
No. 5 of 47. First published 2 Dec 2007. The Israeli city of Tel Aviv, on the Mediterranean coast. Someone has said that to travel hopefully is better than to arrive. Existentially they were correct, and I'm fond of quoting the line to my wife, but common sense (and hindsight) do suggest that travelling hopefully …
In a war such things happen
No. 4 of 47. First published 30 Nov 2007. War poetry. Something many of us wish we had no need for, but a literary genre of immense significance nevertheless. When you think of war poets, you might recall Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, John McCrae or others. In my view, one of the most moving poems …
“I know what it’s like”
No. 3 of 47. First published 30 Nov 2007. If you pay attention to mainstream news services, you'll be aware that there are important - some would say fundamental - differences between people (and groups) in the Middle East. There are differences and divisions on the grounds of geography, ethnicity, culture, language, age, religion and …
iDigress 