Eilabun was our first stop on the Friday trip organised by Ein Harod as part of the 'Founders Day' celebrations.
The outing was one of four separate activities planned for the day. We chose the 'whistle-stop' tour which included a visit to Yusef Abdullah's ornamental brass and copperware workshop and showroom at Eilabun. Most of the town's 5,000 inhabitants are Christian Arabs, the descendants of people who came here from a nearby village early in the 19th century. There is an air of prosperity about Eilabun, evident in the spacious dwellings, a small industrial zone, branches of well known chain-stores as well as a good measure of civic pride. However, the apparent prosperity is deceptive. The time-honoured sources of livelihood – agriculture and traditional trades like artisan Yusef Abdullah's workshop are of necessity supplemented by tourism. Some have turned to construction work while a fortunate few have acquired professions.
Eilabun is just a short distance from Ein Harod perched on a northern slope above the Beit Hanetufa Valley. An ancient spring found further down the incline below the town was once Eilabun's only water source.
Eilabun has an earlier history when it was known as Eilabu or Ein Lavon. Priestly families (Cohens) settled here after the destruction of the Second Temple.
These groups known as the priestly guards lived in anticipation of an early rebuilding of the Temple. They lived in a state of preparedness, ready to renew their sacred duties. Some people are still waiting for it to happen.
The descendents of the Temple priests, all the people called Cohen or variants of the name – Cowan, Kohn, Kahan, Kahana, Kagan, Katz and others have for all practical purposes lost their ritual jobs. Nevertheless, jobs or no jobs Jewish law places certain restrictions on male Cohens no matter how they are called. For example a Cohen cannot marry a divorcee or a proselyte. Since there is no civil marriage option in Israel "disobedient Cohens" and others who prefer a wedding ceremony without a rabbi travel to nearby Cyprus. The Cypriots are happy to oblige their neighbours. They offer special "nuptial deals", everything included travel packages. The flight, paperwork, ceremony and hotel accommodation (if required) are handled by enterprising people on the island. The sinning couple can get hitched and home the same day. Quick to take a page from their southern neighbours mixed Lebanese couples (e.g. Sunni Muslims and Maronite Christians) normally unable to marry in Lebanon now choose the Cyprus option.
The hoped for "gestures" from Arab states in return for a freeze on construction in West Bank settlements haven't materialised so far. Analysts say that fly-over rights for El Al planes would help the company cut costs on certain routes. However, opening Israeli trade legations in the Gulf States wouldn't necessarily improve trade with those countries. As it is, total annual sales of Israeli goods (usually with the labels removed) to Arab states excluding Jordan and Egypt, amount to more than $1 billion. Until recently Israel had a trade legation in Qatar, a fact we chalked up as a diplomatic achievement. Yet more than being an ego booster, the legation wasn't much of a sales promoter. It seems Qatari businessmen are prepared to buy Israeli goods clandestinely through a third party with labels removed but not directly with a blatant Israeli brand-name attached.
Our Syrian neighbours aren't exploring any form of trade options with Israel. Instead they are gunrunning for Hezbollah and trying to upgrade their air force with MiG 31E interceptor fighter planes The Russian daily Kommersant claims the sale has been approved but the delivery date is unknown, however the older MiG-29M fighters are being shipped to Syria.
The MiG-31E is faster and more manoeuvrable than the MiG-29 series fighters. It can fire simultaneously at several targets up to 180 kilometres away. According to one Israeli military analyst the advanced MiG in Syria's hands, would probably alter the balance of power in the region.
The first reports of the sale appeared in 2007 but were quickly dismissed by Moscow and its official state arms-trading monopoly Rosoboronexport, which issued a statement saying, "Russia has no plans to deliver fighter jets to Syria."
In May this year, outgoing head of the Pentagon's Defence Intelligence Agency Lt.-Gen. Michael D. Maples told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Damascus would be receiving the advanced MiG-31E fighter jets in the near future.
"With regard to its external defence, Syria's military remains in a defensive posture and inferior to Israel's forces, but it is upgrading its missile, rocket, antitank, aircraft and air defence inventories," Maples told the committee. "Recent Syrian contracts with Russia for future delivery include new MiG-31 and MiG-29M/M2 fighter aircraft."
The MiG fighter jet shipments to Syria are of less concern than the supply of Russian SAM 300 ant-aircraft missile systems to Iran.
Ten days ago President Shimon Peres made a surprise, unscheduled and slightly low-profile visit to Russia where he met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. According to reports in the Israeli news media Peres asked Medvedev about an agreement signed between Russia and Iran on the sale of several S-300 anti-aircraft systems. Peres asked that the Russian government not carry out the deal, saying that it would violate the "delicate balance" of power in the entire region.
Medvedev promised Peres that Russia will review its decision to sell the anti-aircraft missiles to Iran.
Peres added that Israel has "clear proof that Russian weapons reach the hands of terrorist organisations, especially Hamas and Hezbollah, which receive them from Iran and Syria."
It’s possible to argue that Shimon Peres was paying a courtesy call to discuss reciprocal relations and a number of topics that concern the region.
However, another surprise unscheduled visit to Russia this week, this time by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu was a real eyebrow raiser.
Netanyahu met his opposite number Russian Premier Vladimir Putin. At first the visit was denied, then confirmed and the Israeli official who issued the denial was reprimanded (the fate of all messengers). The mystery surrounding the visits has caused a lot of speculation, some of it related to
the disappearance of a Russian cargo ship in the English Channel.
The Observer believes the ship was carrying arms to Iran and was being tracked by the Mossad. The paper quotes sources in both Russia and Israel to support this opinion.
“The vessel flying a Maltese flag and bearing the name ‘Arctic Sea’, was according to its cargo manifest carrying a shipment of timber when it disappeared en route from Finland to Algeria on July 24. It was recovered off west Africa on August 17 when eight alleged hijackers were arrested. The Kremlin has consistently denied that the vessel was carrying a secret cargo. It claims the ship was hijacked by criminals who demanded a £1m ransom. “
The official version was challenged by sources in Tel Aviv and Moscow who claimed the ship had been loaded with S-300 missiles while undergoing repairs in the Russian port of Kaliningrad.
The Mossad, which closely monitors arms supplies to Iran, is said to have tipped off the Russian government that the shipment had been sold by former military officers linked to the underworld. “
BBC Online claims “Israel was linked to the interception of the missing cargo ship Arctic Sea last month, a senior figure close to Israeli intelligence. said Israel had told Moscow it knew the ship was secretly carrying a Russian air defence system for Iran.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has dismissed speculation that S-300 missiles were on board the ship.
Moscow announced that the Russian navy had captured the hijackers and rescued the crew.
Eight men were later charged with hijacking and piracy.
BBC Online said an Israeli source claims the piracy story was a cover and that Israel told Moscow it was giving it sufficient time to stop the shipment before making the matter public.
Admiral Tarmo Kouts the European Union's rapporteur on piracy told TIME Magazine that: Israel was likely behind the hijacking of the Russian-manned ship en route to Algeria.
"There is the idea that there were missiles aboard, and one can't explain this situation in any other way. As a sailor with years of experience, I can tell you that the official versions are not realistic."
According to TIME, Russia's official explanation for the incident is that the ship set sail from Finland bound for Algeria carrying a cargo of timber. Then a group of eight Russian and former Soviet hijackers boarded the ship on July 24.
This version of events is undermined by the fact that the ship issued no distress signal and President Shimon Peres visited Russia a day after the ship was rescued.
“Curioser and Curioser” cried Alice.
If you have had trouble following this convoluted series of events you are in good company. I too find it a little baffling. Let’s wait a year or two till somebody writes a book about the mystery of the Arctic Sea, a modern day Marie Celeste. Only this time the crew didn’t disappear. Maybe one of them will tell the story.
Next week we celebrate the Jewish new year. Shana Tova to everyone.
Beni 10th of September, 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment