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Journeys, those magic caskets full of dreamlike promises, will never again yield up their treasures untarnished... I can understand the mad passion for travel books and their deceptiveness. They create the illusion of something which no longer exists but still should exist.

Claude Levi-Staruss, Tristes Tropiques, 1975

Armon Hanatziv is often referred to as East Talpiot, a large residential area developed after the Six-Day War. It is to the east of the Talpiot area of Jerusalem. Armon Hanatziv means The Governor's Mansion and refers to the complex of buildings in which the British High Commissioner of Palestine resided during the Mandate period. The Haas Promenade at its entrance provides one of the spectacular views of Jerusalem.

Hidden among pines and cypresses on a 16-acre hilltop in a southern corner of the city (known as the Hill of Evil Counsel) is Government House. Opened in 1930 by Sir Arthur Wauchope, the High Commissioner for Palestine, it served as the residence of a number of British high commissioners. Today the building serves as the UN headquarters in Jerusalem.

What makes a "holy city" holy?

Better to use the word in Hebrew (which roots are actually Ugaritic and Accadian): Kadosh. 'Kadosh' indicates a separating out, making the subject quite special, unique.

Can any mere 'place' be Kadosh? In what sense is it Kadosh?

Surely it has much to do with the way in which people relate to it: Certain people see a place as unique, although they may not be able to explain why this is so.

Can you explain "Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh?"

Set in the magnificently restored ancient Citadel' first constructed 2,000 years ago by Herod the Great, the Tower of David Museum traces Jerusalem long and eventful history through state-of-the-art displays and exhibits' utilizing the most advanced technologies.

Canaanites and Hebrews, Greeks and Romans, Crusaders, Muslims, Turks, British, and Israelis are richly presented and seek harmony within the age-old walls.

The Western Wall that is seen today from the large plaza is only about 15% of the original massive retaining wall that supported the Herodian Temple mount (the "second temple"). The tunnels dug to the left of "the wall" reveal its tength and much else of interest.

A Brief Review -

On 3 April 1949, The Kingdon of Jordan and the State of Israel signed an armistice agreement on the island of Rhodes that, among other things, set a temporary "demarcation line" between Israel and Jordan (this line approximated the place of the opposing armies, and the negotiators made significant adjustments). It seems that on the maps attached to the agreement the line was colored green, giving birth to the idea of a "green line."

The Kingdom of Jordan immediately annexed its territories on the west bank of the Jordan river. Geographically, this kidney-shaped area was west of much of the Jordan river and the upper half of the Dead Sea. This is how "The West Bank" was born.

In Jewish memory, this area was known as Judea (south) and Samaria (north).

"Jerusalem" is very many things to very many people.

- For people who live in Jerusalem, it is home and daily life.

- For people who dream of, and hope for, Jerusalem, it is a place of pilgrimage.

- For people who lust for Jerusalem, it is a place of argument.and violence.

- For people generally, it is a place of interest.

- For diplomats, it is a mission.

In 1949, Jerusalem was politically divided between the Israeli West Jerusalem and the Jordanian East Jerusalem. This division, was marked by cement walls, border crossings and occasional shootings. Jews had no access to the Kotel.

Jewish Jerusalem was also at the eastern end of a corridor, which armistice lines were no more than 10 kilometers from north to south. As had happened in 1948, Jerusalem could potentially be cut off from the rest of Israel in time of conflict.,

Among the changes wrought by the Six-Day War (5 - 10 June) 1967, was the political re-unification of Jerusalem, this time under Jewish control. Decisions were immediately taken to rectify the immediate defence dangers to the city and municipal bounderies were drawn that brought Jerusalem to the edge of Ramallah in the north and Bethlehem in the south. A ring of satellite neighborhoods were created that have become part and parcel of Jewish Jerusalem:

- Ramot Eshkol, Givat Hamivtar and French Hill connected pre-67 north-east Jerusalem with the Hebrew University campus on Mount Scopus;

- Neve Yaacov was established in the north-east;

- Ramot (Alon) in the north-west;

- Talpiot Mizrach (East Talpiot also called Armon Ha'natziv) in the east/ south-east; and

- Gilo in the south-west.

Since their establishment in the early 1970's, other neighborhoods have been developed, filling in the map: Pisgat Ze'ev in the north-west Ramat Shafet in the north, Har Homa in the south-east.

A significant part of the difficulty in resolving the issues of Jerusalem (and Judea/Samaria - West Bank) is not only dealing with what Jerusalem means to very many different people. It is also a difficult legal issue.

While the partition plan of 29 November 1947 called for Jewish and Arab states in Palestine, an independent Arab state never came to be: it's territories became part of Jordan and were lost to it in the context of the Jordanian attacks on Israel that were part of the outbreak of the Six-Day War.