Taylorian 2020

74 F ourteen pupils from Divisions, Fifths, and the Sixth Form, accompanied by Mr Garvey and Miss Innes, spent six extraordinary days of the October half-term in Israel and Palestine for a geopolitical adventure. Having flown in to Tel Aviv, we drove down to the edge of the Negev desert and stayed in the small town of Arad for our first night, taking in the rolling arid countryside on our journey south. The drive included everyone’s favourite warning sign: ‘Danger: Camels crossing’. Day two saw us journey to the Ramon crater, a geographical anomaly called a ‘makhtesh’, formed through massive erosion. From there we drove north to get our first glance of the Dead Sea and Jordan beyond it. Staying in a Bond-villain-style Youth Hostel at Masada, we enjoyed a dip in the pool and steeled ourselves to climb the Snake Path to Herod’s Palace at Masada the next morning. The climb was epic and the views worth the hike. Our guide for the week, Mahdi, found the climb quite a challenge but found his breath eventually and gave us a great insight into the history and aims of the palace complex, including the famous account of how it was defended to the death. From Masada we headed on to Jericho, met our first camel, and enjoyed some seriously tacky shopping before descending to the Dead Sea for a mud-bath and a float. It really does work! From the Dead Sea we decamped to Bethlehem. We hiked to the Palestinian village of Battir, walking through biblical olive groves and discussing theArab-Israeli conflict with our guide before a stellar brunch to celebrate Theo’s 17th birthday. From Battir we went to an Israeli settlement on contested land and heard from a ‘settler’ who explained to us why he didn’t consider himself to be a settler. After visiting the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, we then went to Banksy’s Walled-Off Hotel, considered the case against the separation wall, and saw the graffiti and political declarations at first hand. On day five we visited Jerusalem, seeing the Dome of the Rock, Western Wall, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, all of which are within a few hundred metres of each other. The afternoon was spent at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial museum, which was a moving and important experience; the boys rose to the occasion. Before we knew it, we were heading back to Jaffa for a final walk along the Mediterranean coast and an enormous kebab lunch, and then returning to Tel Aviv airport for our exit interviews and flight home. It was a superb trip, full of fun and great food, but also hugely engaging and helpful for all who came. We may not have come up with a resolution to the Middle East peace problem, but we certainly understand it better now. Mr R C Garvey Trips Trips Geo-Politics Trip to Israel and Palestine