ipples ashore were nearly none existent when I strolled into the chilly Mediterranean ocean, as calm water glided over my skin.

It was the day before my journey to England. Thinking how serene Israel had been, I wanted so much to stay in Tel Aviv. Seconds later the water reached my belly button height; still feeling the bite from peacefully cold water I submerged gracefully, while keeping my head above. After suffering mild earache from a blocked right ear a couple of days earlier my response was to avoid further complications. It had taken several hours to clear!

Low tides meant a tranquil swim would wake me up fully, without loads of caffeine, and at the same time give me an early morning workout, whilst giving me the opportunity to reflect over the past weeks of my Israeli trip. Blue skies filled the horizon over the distant ocean on earth’s edge. It had been fun; a time to relax. But on reflection I recalled the people I had met, their friendly temperament, and serious attitude towards life!

Israel is a wonderful country; yoffee - Its people love the land that they call their home. Israel is an independent country of open-minded thinkers who have greatly influenced the Middle East region, produced little into abundance, and kept peace by standing up for their rights. When one reflects on the misfortunes of war it makes it all seem surreal, but alas these lands have seen bloodshed for dispute over the ownership.

It’s a political standpoint which dates back thousands of years before Christ when the Jews rightfully were the first to settle in Israel. Then the Roman’s dominated, also the Crusaders  in 1099, and then for hundreds of years the Ottoman Empire  ruled up until the 20^th century when the British Mandate came into effect.

According to my research Islam, in other words Muslim followers started in or around 622 AD. Since then many Arabs have lived in and around Israel. So from what I can gather the original refugees rightfully are Jews as they were massacred and expelled. These facts can be verified in the links from this article. Many massacres were committed against Jews and I have verified some like the Hebron slaughter of 1929 before writing this blog!

On July 22, 1946, in retaliation for a harsh crackdown on Jewish defense fighters by the British, the smallest and most radical group of freedom fighters called Lehi and according to some the Etzel or Irgun groups bombed the King David hotel. This was radicalism, but as the British ignored a warning to evacuate the hotel, dismissing it as a joke many died. However, according to sources telephone warnings were sent, but not to the British authorities.

That isn’t to say that they didn’t come back, and it would appear many have come back over the years. When the British decided to leave Jerusalem in 1947 they wanted to divide the state of Palestine between Muslims and Jews, but from what I understand the Arabs were against it. Although they outnumbered Jews, Zionists wanted to bring back Israel to Jewish sovereignty.

Refugees arrived after the Second World War after losing their homes, the atrocities suffered from concentration camps and hardship, and in many cases believed Israel was the land that rightfully offered hope of reuniting them in their own kingdom. It was a small piece of land that thousands of years ago once belonged to them.

Fighting between the Jews and Arabs escalated and several Arab country sympathizers supported the Arab Palestinians. Jewish organization such as The Hagana was founded in 1920 to defend the Jewish community in Palestine against Arab violence. It fought like an underground resistance to gain control against British after the war to form the state of Israel.

In 1948 Israel finally had its independence when Ben Gurion became the first Prime Minister. Since then there has been many conflicts between the Palestinians that were not prepared to live peacefully together. It is currently believed that just over 20% of Israel’s population is made up of Arabs who have the same rights as any Jew in theory, but some say in practice it isn’t the case.

Nevertheless, on the last night before leaving it was spent dinning at Benny Hadayag, a bustling fish restaurant in the port of Tel Aviv. There at the next table were two Israeli Arabs dressed with Arabs veils. It just goes to show Arabs and Jews can live together. This is an overall account of my analysis and an attempt at painting a regional picture of Israel!

* All pictures were taken with a Nokia N73 mobile phone.