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Old main gate to Aburaq |
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Old main gate to Aburaq |
During the most
recent World Tourism Organization conference held in Tel Aviv on “Implementing
Ethical Principles in Tourism Development”, all parties, including the
neighboring countries of Jordan and Egypt, displayed an interest in cooperation
and the development of the region as a whole. The Convention Center could be one
of the biggest centers in the Middle East and will open a new sector of tourism
in Palestine, which is mainly and traditionally visited by religiously motivated
guests. Yet the repeated attacks on the Convention Center and the area of the
project is causing many to ask what is it that the Israeli government wants to
“tell” us Palestinians here at the Solomon’s Pools?
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| Tiling goes
on the mall with its background of Fortress and Israeli position at by-pass road |
The Solomon’s Pools, which are located
in an area that is famous for the richness of its water springs, has been used
for centuries as the main water reservoir for Jerusalem and its holy places. In
fact, Flavius Josephus mentions these pools as a favorite recreation area of the
legendary King Solomon. In the mid 1960s, the area of the pools was one of the
few locales that benefited from a forestation program by the Jordanian
government. Thus, the area west of Al-Khader village was for all intents and
purposes an asset that had to be used in tourism development by the Palestinians
after 1995 to establish a recreation area for Palestinians and visitors alike.
Only in Area A such a large project could have been possible to undertake.
Hence, the Solomon Pools Resort Co. started work on the Crafts Center and the
Citadel in November 1997, while the Convention Center Project was started in May
2000. Had a final status agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis been
reached in September 2000, the site could have been a possible candidate to host
the World Economic Forum in November 2001, as President Arafat once suggested.
The project of renovating and constructing
new facilities in the Solomon’s Pools area by the private sector is one of the
biggest tourism investment projects in the Middle East and is within the
framework of the outgoing Bethlehem 2000 Project. The plans include renovating
the three pools and the standing Ottoman citadel known as Murad’s Citadel or
the Castle of the Pools, as well as building a conference center and a crafts
center. The design, colors, and use of the red limestone of the area to
construct the new facilities are in harmony with the existing forest, the red
soil and the historical buildings.
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| Tank targeted crane and front of
Convention Castle building along nature and heritage |
To maximize the use of the three
pools and to enjoy their splendor to the fullest several ideas were proposed.
One idea was to turn one of the pools into an open amphitheater, since it
already has naturally carved seating, while fill the remaining two with water
and have small boat rides in them. Another idea was to just fill these pools
with water so that the visitors sitting on the grass underneath the surrounding
trees can enjoy the tranquility they will offer. As for the convention center,
it is designed and built to host 1200 people and was to be used for hosting
international conferences. The crafts center, which is still under construction,
is planned to display 78 types of crafts in 90 different shops. As for the
renovated 17th century Ottoman citadel, built under the Sultan Murad
IV, it was to be turned into a museum and restaurant for the use of both
visitors and locals. Such leading project is important for Bethlehem’s
economy, since it means employment opportunities for a minimum of 1000
Palestinians as well as the development of the tourism infrastructure in the
Bethlehem area in general.
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Lower of Salomons pools just rehabilitated and no visitors |
Currently the
work on the project, which should have been finished in February 2000, is still
going. However, since the beginning of the
second Intifada the project has been facing serious problems. The heavy shelling
by the Israeli military caused severe structural damage to the buildings and
equipment. As of today, the damage is estimated to be around $900,000.00 USD. The
workers and subcontractors working on the project are themselves working under
difficult and at sometimes life threatening conditions. On many occasions, they
as well as the needed materials have been prevented from reaching the site. At
the moment, the atmosphere of the place is
gloomy and sad. No longer is the area filled with the sounds of children playing
around the pools, nor with that of visitors wishing to enjoy the beautiful
atmosphere of the site with its small forest and gardens.
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Court of the Fortress damaged wall and Convention Castle background |
Despite all of
the difficulties, the Jordanian contracting company and the engineering team on
the site made a decision to go on with the work but to postpone the finishing
works to minimize the financial loss due to the Israeli shelling. Still, the
decision makers are faced with a catch twenty-two, since by not finishing the
whole project the invested capital is also at risk. The big challenge today for
the project is whether the constructive power or the destructive one will
prevail in the area.
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A shell hit the wall of Alburaq
Fortress carefully |
As a result of the escalation of violence and the terror campaign launched by the Israeli army, the inhabitants of the Al-Khader village, like the two-year old Amani Ghnaim who was shot in the head at the eastern end of the village while carried by her parents both of whom were injured as well, have to live in constant fear for their lives and livelihood. The physical and mental safety of children in Palestine is a constant source of worry to the society as a whole, which is trying to deal with too many problems that have resulted from the Israeli aggression on the unarmed civilian population.
(See www.indymedia.org.il/imc/israel/webcast/display.php3?article_id=3590).
In response to questions asked about the
reason why they are shelling this historic site, the Israeli army claims that
the Palestinians have been using the area to shoot at the Israeli colony of
Ephrata. This colony, which was founded 1979 near the junction of road 60 and
369, has been continuously expanding. Today it is only 5km away to the north of
the Pools’ site (Giv’at Hazayit), cutting the West Bank along the
North-South ridge (link: www.arij.org/paleye/bethlehem/index.htm).
Taking a closer look
at the place where the Israelis claim that
the Palestinians are shooting from, one can immediately note that it is
virtually impossible to shoot from the location towards the colony. A new
Israeli military post was set up near an unfinished colony of containers that
was built near a new access road to the northern end of the colony and pointing
to the village of Artas. (Seewww.arij.org/paleye/hazayit/fig5.gif).
The Israeli army also claims that the Palestinians are shooting from that area
on the by-pass road up on the hill south of Al-Khader village, where the Israeli
settlers commute to Jerusalem.
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Foot of the crane, aiming exercise for Israeli youngsters in uniform |
Whether these claims can be substantiated
or not the
Israeli army speaks a strange language through the use of its tanks. This
language translates into the destruction of an investment in a peaceful future
in the region that aims at development of necessary economic infrastructures and
creating job opportunities for hundreds of Palestinians. However, one cannot
help noticing that the tourism industry in Palestine is targeted as a whole. For
example, the Israeli military authorities have been prohibiting visitors from
visiting the ancient city of Jericho, which is a favorite tourist destination.
Moreover, the Israeli military is deliberately targeting necessary tourism
infrastructure, such as hotels. The
Paradise Hotel in Bethlehem and the City Inn Hotel in Ramallah have been shelled
and severely damaged, requiring major work in order to be rehabilitated. Other
hotels in Bethlehem, such as the Bethlehem Inn Hotel, have been occupied by the
Israeli soldiers and turned into a military post. Indeed all those wishing to
enter the Bethlehem Inn Hotel are turned away, even the owners of the place
themselves, for whom there is no room in the Inn. (See http://www.poica.org/casestudies/bombardment-bethlehem/index.htm)
The question
that needs to be asked here is does tourism development projects in Palestine in
general, and the Solomon’s Pools project in particular, pose too much of a
competition to the Israeli tourism industry that it wishes to see it destroyed?
Is the coming diversity in travel itineraries a threat to the domination of
Israeli marketed tours? What does it mean that Bethlehem, as a Palestinian city,
could become a full day or more destination for visitors coming to the Middle
East? So, what is the real “message” that the Israeli government wants to
“teach” us here at the Solomon’s Pools?
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Convention Castle Model Completion delayed due to siege |
Article by Sami Abu Ghazaleh and Andreas F. Kuntz,
pictures by Andreas F. Kuntz
