The centerpiece of the visitor center’s publicity efforts is a 20-minute film that opens to a thumping beat as a plane soars skyward and then swoops down giving a bird’s eye view of the rushing waters of the Jordan River, cows grazing in a verdant pasture, sun-kissed vineyards, passengers waving from jeep tours, and a snow-topped Mt. Hermon.Read the whole thing.
The words “Discover a New World” roll over fields of wild purple irises and cowboys gallop through a golden sunset before the special effects are released: a light spritz of mist falls on the audience as artfully shot fat rain drops fall slow-motion onto Golan ground. It looks more Montana than Israel and this is a point that resonates with the majority of Israelis who do not see Jewish settlement of the Golan Heights, annexed from Syria following the 1967 Mideast War, in the same controversial light as they view their countrymen who have settled in other territory captured at the same time like the West Bank.
The Golan, with a population of about 20,000 Jews and 18,000 Druze has been thoroughly embraced by Israelis who have made it a popular destination for hiking and holidays, beloved for the natural beauty of its open spaces, a respite from the crowded sun-parched center of the country.
A poll of 600 Israelis by the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research found that 67 percent of Israelis oppose signing a peace deal with Syria that would involve handing over the Golan Heights. And 60.5 percent were not particularly troubled by the lack of peace between the two countries saying that prospects of war seemed unlikely and the status quo of no deal suited them just fine. [emphasis added]
Travel agents are waiting for your call.
Technorati Tag: Israel and Golan.
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