I couldn’t be in Israel this whole summer without at least seeing the other side. Yesterday, the Bureau Chief here at The Media Line was nice enough to take me on a drive around the parts of Jerusalem I never get to see.

Our first stop was East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem is the Arab center of Jerusalem and is on the other side of the “green line.” (“The term Green Line is often used to refer to the 1949 Armistice established between Israel and its opponents [Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt] at the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.” www.answers.com).

From there we drove to the Mount of Olives to get a stunning view of Old City. From that vantage point, I was able to see the entire Northern wall of the Old City and probably the best view I have had this summer of the Temple Mount. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Gethesemane were also in the distance.

Then we drove to Abu Dis, an Arab village still within the municipality of Jerusalem. In Abu Dis, I got a good look at the security fence which from where I stood, was a 30 foot wall covered in the most colourful anti-Bush graffiti I have ever seen. The security fence is supposed to be stopping terrorists from infiltrating Israel but it not yet fully sealed. At one crossing, we tried to get across by car but the border police said we could only cross over by foot at our own risk. So, instead of driving 20 feet, we had to make a huge circle which took 40 minutes. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to do that every day.

Now fully in the West Bank, we drove into an Arab village called ‘Azariyya. We weren’t within the municipality of Jerusalem anymore more—‘Azariyya is fully run by the Palestinian authority. Palestinian areas are visibly different from Israel. The architecture changes, everything looks more rundown and signs become prominently Arabic.

In a residential area of ‘Azariyya we noticed Lebanese flags flying from a storefront. We stopped the car and I was asked if I felt comfortable getting out. With a deep breath, I got out of the car and crossed the street to the store.  The Bureau Chief wanted to take pictures of the Lebanese flag flying for the website (it was featured briefly today on The Media Line) and also perhaps purchase some flags to use as props for pictures. We already have a green Hamas flag at the studio, so why not add more flags to the collection? Not only did we find a hand-painted Lebanese flag (clearly produced quickly and cheaply to meet the current demand) and a Palestinian one, but we found the jackpot—a bright yellow flag of Hizbullah. We had to be careful getting this one back into Israel so we hit it in the glove compartment. Perhaps due to the yellow foreign press sticker on the car, we were able to drive through the crossing at the security fence/wall which saved a lot of time.

When I was safely back within the confines of my office, I looked back on my West Bank journey worrying how I was going to explain this one to my parents. I’m starting to realize how necessary it is to get a view of both sides before forming opinions about the Middle East.

Back to the news. The temporary ceasefire is more than over. An Israeli civilian died today in Northern Israel and Hizbullah launched an Iranian made rocket that hit Beit Shean. Beit Shean is 70 km south of the Lebanese border and is the farthest town to have been reached so far.

I’m supposed to have an article up on the site today about sectarian strife in Lebanon. The technical team is working right now to find a suitable picture to accompany the article. Most of the articles I have written have been short, around 600 words. This one is double the length and is a thorough look at who exactly are these “Lebanese” people that headlines keep talking about. I managed to get a cell phone number for the academic I mentioned in my last post. He was very knowledgeable and provided me with the information. In my last recorded interview, I did not feel 100 percent comfortable as my knowledge of the subject was limited. This time, I researched the subject of sectarianism in Lebanon for days and went over my questions with another reporter to make sure I sounded somewhat informed. In the end, I was really happy with how the interview went and I wasn’t even as embarrassed as I usually am to hear my voice on tape. It helps in an interview to be genuinely interested in the subject. I have never had a recorded conversation flow so easily.

My trip is really winding down. Tomorrow is my last day at the office but I will try and post a final update of news. Tomorrow is a Jewish fast day called “Tisha Ba’av” or the Ninth of Av. The fast commemorates the destruction of the two Jewish temples. The site of the second temple is in the Old City and I heard it is quite the site when it gets packed on this fast day. I want to head there tonight or tomorrow to get some pictures of the crowds before I leave

I posted some pictures from 'Azariyya as attachments.