Golan Heights and the Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee. We were joined by Major Sarit Zehavi, an IDF military intelligence specialist who would be our tour guide. We made several stops to talk about Israel’s northern borders and its neighbors, and at each place she used several maps to illustrate to the group where we were located, what we were seeing, and its strategic importance. Major Zehavi focused on two main geographic areas – the Galilee and the Golan. These two locations in northeastern Israel are of strategic importance for Israel in that they provide a fine line of security as well as a source to supply the population with proper drinking water.
We began by climbing up to the Golan on a very narrow and steep road that produced frightened emotions as well as fantastic scenery. We were traveling on the eastern border of Israel along the Jordan River, which, together with the small wire fence running along the road we traveled, separates the two nations of Israel and Jordan. Our first stop was an abandoned military fortress on top of the Golan, which Sarit explained was a strategic location for the IDF. In this location the Israeli army was a second line of defense. The first line is comprised of anti-tank missile trenches, several lines of barbed wire, and landmines. Together these provide the barrier that terrorists would have to cross before entering Israel.
We then went to an overlook on the southeastern edge of the Kinneret, a body of water which Sarit explained was beneficial to Israel for both its water and its security. Again using her maps, this time a 100-year old Sykes-Picot map, she taught us about this northern border and its history under the French and the British.
Lastly, we traveled to Tel Sakki where we entered a bomb shelter that was raided by the Syrians in the Yom Kippur War. Sarit told us a story of a courageous young soldier who gave himself up to the Syrians to protect the other 27 men hiding in this shelter – a dramatic expression of the IDF value of brotherhood. Currently, Syria is in the middle of a civil war which began in 2010 and in which civilians are fighting for basic rights and freedoms. Sarit described this war as “an Arab spring that turned into a stormy winter.” In Syria, there is a terrorist organization of sunni muslims that functions under the name ISIS. A split from Al Qaeda, ISIS engages in worldwide recruitment for their religious beliefs and to fight for control of territories rich in oil and water.
Before leaving this site we encountered 3 Israeli soldiers who were on watch in this stretch of the Israel-Syria border. They noted that there is usually very little commotion and it can sometimes be boring. Now I am sitting here, the next morning with a croissant in one hand and a bag of chocolate milk in the other, writing this blog and reflecting on my experience along the northern border. Although there is an ongoing threat, life is good in Israel.