Kiwiblog

Going to be on an area with little or no Internet coverage until Tuesday, so lite blogging over the weekend. Have scheduled the general debates to appear each day.

At 6 pm off to an ASPG event at Parliament on how the relationship between Parliament and the Executive — how it has evolved over the past 20 years and where the relationship might head over the next 20.

At 9 pm will be at Backbenches, where I’ll be doing a 60 second soapbox on the issue of the NZ Flag. I’ll even have some Canadian and Australian flags with me as visual props!

Tomorrow morning I’m one of three submitters appearing on the Electoral (Administration) Bill between 10 am and 11 am in Bowen House. This is the bill that merges the Electoral Commission with the Chief Electoral Office. The major issue all three submitters (The other two are Andrew Geddis and the NZ Law Society) have raised are that the new Commission should be an Independent Officer of Parliament, or the very least the appointment of Commissioners should not be decided by the Minister of Justice, but require parliamentary agreement.

Another year gone already!

The consumption pattern has been:

1. 2003 – 325 bottles (0% stelvins)
2. 2004 – 393 bottles (0% stelvins)
3. 2005 – 392 bottles (3.8% stelvins)
4. 2006 – 456 bottles (17.7% stelvins)
5. 2007 – 496 bottles (21.9% stelvins)
6. 2008 – 512 bottles (46.9% stelvins)
7. 2009 – 517 bottles (76.3% stelvins)

I hasten to add these are not all mine, but from a group of us!

People are welcome to guess (by 18 Feb) the total number of stoppers, and also the percentage that are stelvins.

Not once, but twice, on Thursday I had people come up to thinking I was Whale Oil. One asked me how my father, John S, was going and the other congratulated me on my campaign against name suppression laws.

The only consolation is that Whale will probably be as upset that people confuse the two of us, as I am!

A mate had to suddenly head off to Palmie North for a few hours yesterday and as his wife was working, I got a call to see if I could look after Master Ten and Miss Six.

Normally looking after demon spawn is not high on my list of things to do on a Friday and I was resigned to several hours of losing at pick up sticks. However the kids asked if they could go to the beach, and as my instructions said nothing about avoiding drowning, off we went.

Wellington is not actually renowned for great beaches, but have to say Oriental Bay was great.  The kids swam, played on the playground and built sandcastles, while I made conversations with the many Mums there, pretending they were mine.

The best thing of them not being your own kids are that when they say “Can we have ice creams” you don’t have to pause to say yes. And then “Can we have a double scoop” the answer is still yes and “Can we have a triple scoop” also gets a yes. After all I don’t have to look after them when the sugar high hits

At around 6 pm last night I got offered a free ticket to the AC/DC concert. I paused to consider my options. Either I could be responsible and finish the report I was working on, and also write my weekly NBR column (due in  by 7 am Friday) or I could go to the concert.

I pause and convince myself that I can get home by midnight and write my column then, and dive into my bedroom to hunt out a black t-shirt!

Never has Thorndon had so many bogans pass through it! I was not surprised to see Paula Bennett entering the grounds!

The UNITE union was outside trying to get people to sign their petition for the minimum wage to go to $15 an hour. One of them recognised me and asked me to sign. My response was that they should tell Matt McCarten to stop campaigning for measures that will destroy his own members jobs!

The crowd warms up to Shihad.

And then the main event! They rocked even though Angus Young stripping off reminded me a bit of a scene from the Love Actually movie

A concert goer who has found a cheap bed for the night!

We left around midnight. Of course the sensible thing at this stage would have been to head home and write my column. But when people say that magic word – Hummingbird – I can never resist. So down to Courtney Place we went.

I finally got home at 2 am. Set my alarm clock for 4 am, and luckily did not sleep through it. Two hours later at 6 am, I file my NBR column with an hour to spare!

Have had a great three days in the Mount. Swimming, bbqs, meeting a couple of the local cougars, reading and just generally relaxing. I find I can relax far better when I am away from home!

This morning I went out for what I was told would be a walk around the Mount. It turned into a walk up the Mount. We took the difficult steeper route (as locals say it is quicker) and I have to say was not the most pleasant of ascensions, but the view from the top is well worth it – a must do if you are in the Mount.

Now I didn’t take a camera up with me, so this photo is courtesy of Virtual Oceania, but it is the view you get. Hardly a cloud in the sky.

I’m in Mt Maunganui for the weekend, and my phone/Blackberry is is Wellington (long story) so don’t call or text me if you want a response -e-mail is the only thing I’ll see.

I grew up in Island Bay. Katie Chapman at the Dom Post profiles the suburb:

The sun beats down on Island Bay, the water lapping gently on the shore as fishing boats bob in the harbour.

The water is central to Island Bay life, says local fixture Carlo Muollo, 68.

He should know. His family has been fishing the local waters since 1902, and sitting in the kitchen of the house he’s lived in for the past 44 years, he rattles off tales of family fishing life.

Everyone knows the Muollos – or at least some of them. I went to school with a few of them.

The suburb’s name itself is one of the more straightforward around Wellington – simply reflecting Taputeranga Island that sits in the middle of the bay, while nearby Houghton Bay is named for Robert Houghton, the first signalman at the station above Newtown. …

A group of us once spent the night on Taputeranga Island. In hindsight not that fun

In 1908, Island Bay became home to one of New Zealand’s most revered women, when the Home of Compassion for the terminally ill was founded by Mother Mary Joseph Aubert. The hospital remained open until 2002.

I know the Home of Compassion well. My father worked there (not exclusively) for around 35 years, and since I was a infant we would go up there for Christmas Day. We still know several of the nuns, and have a coupel come around for Christmas every year.

The spire of St Francis de Sales Church was built to resemble the prow of a ship, in acknowledgement of the history of Island Bay as a safe harbour for fishermen and their families.

Heh I’ve climbed the spire and rung the bell. It is very loud when you are up inside it!

Erskine College was called The Convent of the Sacred Heart until the late 1960s when it was renamed in honour of former Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart, Mother Janet Erskine Stuart. The school closed in 1985 and today the building is privately owned.

I twice got chased off the property or Erskine late at night, when I was ahem visiting a friend

This week and next I’m at a remote beach which has very poor Internet connection. I’m basically logging in just twice a day for around half an hour each time – usually once to read the news, and once to do some posts.

Do not expect me to be reading or responding to comments during this time – it is just too hard. If you really have to, you can e-mail me, but to be blunt I’d rather you don’t unless it is urgent, until the 18th.

Headed up to Paraparaumu Beach during the week to catch up with friends who have a holiday home there. I went to university with Michael and we catch up regularly for movies and drinks. I hadn’t seen his younger sister Elaine for around 20 years, so it was a bonus to catch up with her also.

Not sure I made the best impression on her kids though as she introduces me to her daughter who is 13, and I proclaimed “Fuck I feel old”. When I first met Elaine she was at school herself, so suddenly realising she has a daughter who is only a couple of years younger than Elaine was when I met her, really makes you realise how much time has gone by.

The weather wasn’t great but their dog still enjoys chasing sticks into the ocean. It really is nice having the beach five metres away from the house.

It got me thinking about where my ideal holiday home would be, if my finances get to the stage where I could afford one. I have a mental shortlist along these lines:

1. Marlborough Sounds. I’d love a place down there, preferably as remote as possible so we have no road access and no neighbours. It would mean I need enough money to buy a boat and a house there, and sadly that is more a pipe dream for now. Ongoing costs of a boat also a factor.
2. Kapiti Coast. My family had a small batch at Waikanae and then a farmlet (15 acres) at Reikorangi so I know Kapiti very well. It is logistically the easiest option as just 45 minutes from Wellington. The beach is nice, and the prices not too unreasonable. The downside is it isn’t really remote enough.
3. Great Barrier Island. I absolutely live the Barrier, and if I lived in Auckland that would be where I want my holiday home. I’d probably spend half the year there if I could. The downside is I do not live in Auckland, flights over there cost quite a bit if regular, and pretty expensive to buy. I’d be more tempted to build something custom.
4. Wairarapa. I don’t mean Greytown or Martinborough but rural Wairarapa. Three friends of mine have places north of Masterton, and they are wonderful remote. No neighbours, superb bush and views and the prices are actually quite affordable. The downside is having to drive there and back regularly, and the distance to the beach.

Not sure how I will ever decide. If there is ever a Mrs Farrar, I guess she’ll decide for me

Well just in time for year end, my complimentary copy of Norton Internet Security 2010 turned up. Time to try the install.

The installation was going fine until it discovered some remains of Trend Micro 2007, which has proven resistant to deletion. I tried everything but couldn’t get rid of it, but then realised you can just skip the warning about a possible conflict.

Next step was the product key. I had a brain meltdown and tried entering the serial number instead. Finally realised my mistake, and got it right.

After that it was all smooth sailing, and all installed in under 10 minutes. I’ve been using Norton for the last two years, and have to say yet to have a a real problem. Norton 360 was a bit difficult, but Internet Security 2009 worked perfectly I found, and 2010 looks to do the same.

I like the fact it doesn’t just keep away the real nasty stuff, but alerts me to even tracking cookies, and allows me to delete them as I go.

What Internet Security packages do readers use and like the most?

At the weekend, headed up to Busted Blonde’s rural retreat in Wairarapa. Was a very pleasant day with lobster and sausages and some nice lamb chops which up until around three hours before dinner was prancing around the paddock. Always a bit weird to eat something that you have seen alive just before dinner!

Busted had her parents and son, with her and her Aussie Rock. Lots of fun conversation. One hilarious part was when these was a discussion of her son’s exes, and I suggested maybe one could discuss Busted’s exes instead. Her son piped up that he had a poor attention span so didn’t think he could pay attention to the entire list. Busted’s yells of protest about not saying mean things about her in front of her mum didn’t have much effect – I even got a reference to the Green Parrot in there.

Anyway the highlight came after dinner, where her Aussie Rock proved he was as good with his hands as he is with his …. mind. He brought out his miniature plane which he had made.

I had wondered what the strip of lawn was for in the middle of the paddock. Now I knew – a runway. And along it goes.

And we have takeoff. The plane had great lift – not quite a harrier, but could climb quite dramatically when needed.

The plane could go up hundreds of metres easily. It was damn fast also – I’d say it could give a car a good run for its money. I’m not sure what the range is, but it looked to me that it could get up to a km or so away without difficulty.

And it successfully lands again.

I really enjoyed the drive to and from the Wairarapa. The traffic was light and got over the Rimutakas in under 20 minutes. There are so many great rural roads out there, that at some stage I want to spend a few days there just exploring the more remote areas.

IrishBill blogs at The Standard:

David Farrar is largely to blame for the Nats running Melissa Lee in Mt Albert. According to a friend of a friend David decided the demographics meant she could win and convinced the caucus his crazy idea would fly. Note to DPF: learn to count.

I am not sure what is more hilarious – that Irish Bill blogs on an allegation from a friend of a friend (of a friend of a friend ….) or the assertion that I convinced Caucus.

Sadly Caucus don’t invite me to their meetings. It is possible that I did attend Caucus one day, and they surgically removed the memory of it from my brain. Maybe that is what he heard from a friend of a friend.

One could also quibble and point out Caucus doesn’t select the candidate. But hey lets keep facts away from this.

Anyway now that The Standard have acknowledged my power of control over Caucus (and by implication the entire Government of New Zealand), may I suggest some sensible strategies for those wishing to buy influence:

1. Ask me to review new luxury hotels in Queenstown for you
2. Insist I spend several weeks on a cruise ship in the South Pacific, getting the feel of it
3. Place me on the mandatory invite list for all games at the Stadium (esp the Sevens)
4. Take me out to dinner at Logan Brown
5. Propose funding of Kiwiblog interns to assist me

Now some corporates out there may feel this is not a good return on investment. But remember The Standard’s sources are impeccable – it comes from a friend of a friend!

Was going to just be a quiet dinner with Auckland Girl in Karori. A visiting mutual Auckland friend tried to head up at 11pm to join us but her Iraqi taxi driver did not know where Karori was, let alone the street we were on. And her cellphone died so she spent 55 minutes in a taxi looking for us before returning back to town.

We then decided after that effort we had to head down to Courtney Place to her (temporary) place. The party there turned serious with the introduction of Mexicans (don’t ask if you don’t know) and I got home around 4.30 a.m. A very funny night.

Anyway we have a caption contest from the party, as one person managed to fall asleep next to the blaring stereo!

The end of last week turned out to be one that, as someone on my Facebook page commented, Sir Geoffrey Palmer would disapprove of.

Wednesday night started at 9 pm and ended at 3 am. The Nat’s caucus party on Thursday started at 5 pm and again the night ended around 3 am and on Friday a boozy lunch started at 1 pm and I finished drinking around 9 pm.

I guess this makes me an official heavy drinker – like Karl du Fresne. And soon we will hear what proposals are going to Government to try and “fix” us.

Anyway back to the Caucus Party – it was a very fun night. The location of Premier House made it a very well behaved night also, so not a lot of extra pages for the book. It was my first time inside Premier House in literally a decade. I did enjoy asking a staffer if they had a tapu lifting ceremony performed there earlier in the year

Everyone was in a pretty good mood, and the election seemed a long time ago. The food was superb, but there was a slight under-estimation of the number of people who would still be there at 11 pm, when the food stopped. So someone did a whip around for pizzas, and I got to make the call to Dominos to deliver a dozen pizzas to Premier House.

What I found disturbing was when I went down to the front gate to tell the Police about the order, and the officer there greets me with “Oh you’re the guy who ordered the pizzas”. As I had ordered them just a few minutes ago from my cellphone, this reinforced my paranoia that I am being monitored

At some stage after midnight, a few of us went down to Courtney Place. By coincidence ran into several Labour MPs at Hummingbird, and enjoyed some drinks and conversation with them. I tried hassling one progressive Labour MP about the Easter trading vote, asking him if he didn’t feel dirty that they only won, because God squaders voted with them. The response was when you win, you only feel bloody glad that you have won. Damn it- he is right.

Eventually the Nats threatened violence against me if I remained with the Labour MPs, instead of the National ones so drifted across, and finished up around 3 am. It goes without saying I am firmly against the proposal to have bars close at 1 am!

Friday lunch was at the new Cafe Ortega on Majoribanks Street. The food was simply superb. Oysters as a starter, followed by a superb squid and chorizo sausage mixture. And my boneless chicken breast on pappardelle pasta was the envy of many. Highly recommended.

Busted Blonde blogs the lunch in more detail.

I was planning to get home around 8.30 pm last night, after a talk to a group of small business owners. I made the mistake of popping into Backbenches on the way home, which then led to Hummingbird in town.

End result is got to sleep around 3 am. I blame the MAF staff. Feeling decidedly slow today.

Got to Tel Aviv at 11 pm Saturday night and crashed briefly at a place provided by Yani. Then had to taxi to airport at 3 am. The taxi did not turn up though, so Ebba and I ended up dragging out suitcases down the road onto the main street, where we managed to hail one.

At the airport, went through much much tougher security than I have seen anywhere else in the world. In one sense it was very reassuring that they take security so seriously, meaning you have a safe flight. On the other hand it meant I only hit the lounge 15 minutes before I had to go to the gate. The security process was:

1. A 5 – 10 minute interrogation by a young female airport official while waiting in the queue for first x-ray. She asked me detailed questions about why I went to Turkey, Egypt, Kuwait, Dubai and Iran. When I said I had a friend working in Kuwait, she asked why was she working there and she didn’t even smile at my response it was because she earns three times what she would in NZ. Also asked me several times if anyone had given me anything to carry for them, as it could be a bomb.
2. Then went through first x-rays of all luggage.
3. Then had a total search of my suitcase (presumably based on my suspicious itinerary to date) which took ten minutes
4. Then passport control. More questions
5. Then a x-ray of my hand luggage
6. Then a search with a wand of not just me, and the hand luggage, but also my shoes, my camera, my books etc.

While all the security was a hassle, it did mean at least I could be confident we would have an incident free flight. And Israel, of all countries, does need to be vigilant. If interested, see Wikipedia on El Al security.

Was sad to leave Israel, as it was such a fascinating place. There is a wonderful blend of racial backgrounds. Another country I am definitely going to return to. Very grateful to Davidi and Young Likud for their first class hosting, and to my European friends who made the trip so fun.

Flew to London, which took almost six hours. My ticket conditions meant I had to continue around the world, so could not take the much quicker eastern route back.

I had a standby upgrade request for the 11 hour leg from Heathrow to LA, but the flight was full. Annoying that one had to go through security scan, even in transit. The lounge there was quite nice, and got some work done.

Then landed at LA after 11 hour flight. They no longer allow you to access the Koru Club, if you are Star Alliance Gold, due to security restrictions. Very peeved as really wanted a shower. Then a 13 hour flight to Auckland.

Did get an upgrade to Premium Economy, which was my first time trying that section out. Biggest boon for me was a power supply as I worked on laptop entire flight catching up with emails, writing blog posts (including most of this one) etc.

Having the seats recline back more is useful, but also proved a hassle as the person in front put their seat so far back I could not use my laptop in front of me. But by chance luck was with me as I was in a window seat (despite a standing request for aisle seats). In premium economy they had a foot wide ledge (with storage space beneath them) next to the window. Not only is it great for storing papers and books (and even the laptop so I did not have to get it from overhead after takeoff, but it allowed me to use the area as a work station by balancing the laptop on my arm rest and a cushion propped up on my shoes on the ledge – a real no 8 solution

So my advice for travellers if to go for the window seat if in premium economy (or at least the upstairs section).

Got into Auckland at 7 am Tuesday and stayed overnight.

Went to the famous switching on of the Franklin Road Xmas lights. 99% of the houses on the 1 km long road put up extensive lights and decorations. It’s a wonderful community initiative and the entire road was a party zone. They were even giving away free food.

I attended one of the parties, which was great fun. Damien Christie spent the night introducing me as David Farrier from TV3!

Woke up with a hangover around 10.30 am and almost missed my flight to Wellington.  I blame xxxxxxx.

Is good to be home, but have had wonderful month in a region I have long wanted to visit. And I must be one of a very few people who have done Iran and Israel consecutively in the same trip!

On the sabbath we had brunch in the Hula Valley in the Golan Heights. We had “local” food pretty much every day, and I have to say it was damn nice. It’s a shame to eat your normal diet, when you are in other countries, but often you end up doing so if staying in hotels. Having a local guide really helps.

That sign is not just for show. The Syrians left a huge number of mines behind, and Israel decided it was better to just fence off some areas than try and detect them all (hazardous to the detectors)

Sweden doubles its defence force capability

One mine field has these cacti in them. I mentioned to the group that I would plant a mine at the bottom of the cactus so that if the mine doesn’t get you, then you’ll still be hit by hundreds of pieces of cacti. One of the others said they hoped never to have to go to war against NZ with that mentality!

A fairly major strategic battle happened on this hill. 20 Israelis died taking the hill against a mortar and very well defended trenches. They Syrian soldiers were very young and inexperienced and eventually fled a superior position. Our host mentioned that the Syrians were very much innocent victims in a conflict not of their choosing.

One of the trenches on the hill

Nearby was Fort Nimrod. Now this has nothing to do with any modern conflict but was established as a Muslim fort in 1300 AD or so. There are extensive ruins to look at, if you make the drive up to it.

More of the fort.

Down to the secret tunnel

Used the zoom lens to snap this little creature on a ledge below the fort. It looks like the little critter is about to jump!

We then went to Mount Bental. On the path at the top, they have entries from a competition to design children’s toys out of former military weapon. I asked if there was also a competition to design weapons out of children’s toys

And another

At the top they have a former bunker a a very nice café. The Hebrew word for in the clouds is Annan and for coffee is Kofi, so the café is called Kofi Annan, a nice play on the former UN Secretary-General.

Again this is regarded as a very strategic hill. You can actually see a Syrian city, and Lebanon is not far away. Contrary to what might assume, there is no border fence.

At one stage we we driving next to the Jordan. In fact we got so close my cellphone told me I was now receiving Vodafone Jordan.

Going down into the bunker.

This is at Qatsrin, and is the remains of a very early Jewish synagogue from 2,000 years ago.

At Janhnun we saw a great audio-visual show on the history of the Golan Heights, beamed onto a replacia model of them. Then afterwards we had a beer tasting of local beers. Yum.

A sunset over the Sea of Galilee. Beautiful.

Finally we visited Hamat-Gader where we saw some animals, had dinner, and dipped into the local thermal pools. Those leaving later on Sunday stayed the night at the Kefar-Ha Nassi Kibbutz.

We had an interesting debate about whether that fence was high enough to stop a determined crocodile.

We also saw a nine metre python.

A photo of the pool area. The main pool was hot enough, but the inside pool was an uncomfortable 43 degrees – maximum time recommended 10 minutes.

On Friday we went up north. First stop was the Caesarea National Park, which has the ruins of the city set up by King Herod.

The park has lots of ruins, and also a good museum explaining the history of the area.

A group shot by the harbour. It was constructed to be a major port – around 100,000 square metres in size. The constructed a reef by dropping bales of volcanic ash into the sea, which turns them into solid concrete.

We then went to the Aaronsohn House. They were a family who operated as a spy network in WWI for the British against the Turks.

27 year old Sarah Aaronsohn was captured and killed herself after four days of torture, so she would not reveal her colleagues.

Despite being way north of Jerusalem, we ran into a Cabinet Minister. She is with the Labor Party, and I think has the commerce facility. Despite Davidi being with Likud, he is very good friends with the Minister – they were hugging each other when they ran into each other. Israel is a very small place, like NZ.

We then went to the old city of Tsefat (aka Zefat and Safed). On the way we visited a couple of war memorials. At most tourist sites they have a machine which will play an audio recording in Hebrew or English. They were really good to listen to – giving you a five minute history of what happened there.

Tsefat is a very old city, and many Orthodox Jews live there. Almost every second building is a synagogue. It is one of four holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias. We saw the (outside of the) former home of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who left in 1948.

The rest of Thursday was learning about some of the history of Zionism and Likud specifically.  The first stop was the Menachem Begin Centre. Begin, who signed the peace treaty with Egypt, was effectively the third leader of the revisionist zionism movement. The modern founder of zionism was Theodor Herzl, and then Vladimir “Ze’ev” Jabotinsky led the revisionist faction, which Begin then led.

Begin died in 1992, and usually tops the polls of most admired former prime ministers. However for most of his career he was a terrorist/freedom fighter (depending on point of view) and was very much a political outcast until the 1970s.

The centre in his name, obviously is very favourable to him. They have a very nice set of displays, and audio-visual effects. The tour guide, who works for the centre, was a young Canadian girl who emigrated to Israel just two years ago, leaving her family behind.

Begin was a leader within the Irgun, and there is no doubt by today’s standards some of what they did would be called terrorism – especially the murder of the Sergeants. The British response was not much better.

There was also the infamous bombing of the King David Hotel, and to this day, there are bitter different points of views between the UK and Israel on it.

Not once in my time in Israel did I hear any demonisation of the Palestinian Authority. The two countries that were always criticised were in fact Britain (for former acts) and Iran (for current support of Hamas, Hizbollah etc). Britain was as much the enemy in the mid 1940s, as was the Arab states.

After the war of independence, tensions between the Ben-Gurion Government and Begin’s Irgun were massive, and in fact led to some bloodshed. Begin’s decision not to retaliate is said by his supporters to have prevented a civil war. Ben-Gurion seemed to despise Begin and would not even mention his name for several decades.

In 1977 Begin broke the 30 year monopoly of the Labour Party on power and became Prime Minister. His entire career had been as a hard liner who was against turning over any of the occupied territories to its neighbours. Yet he signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, which set the precedent of land for peace, handing over the entire Sinai peninsula. He won the Nobel Peace Prize along with Anwar Sadat and Shimon Peres. His peace treaty was bitterly opposed my many in his own party.

The signatures on the final page of the peace treaty.

He also bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, and in 1986 approved the invasion fo Lebanon, which eventually led to him retiring in 1983. He was a recluse until his death in 1992. One of the reasons for his popularity is he was seen as a simple man of the people – and refused to be buried on Mount Herzl, but instead on the Mount of Olives next to two young Irgun fighters who killed themselves in jail to avoid execution by the British.

A view of old Jerusalem from the Begin Centre.

After the centre, we went to the West Bank. It was fascinating to see first hand parts of the occupied territories. Two things struck me. The first is how big the West Bank is, and how much room there. It is not some crowded area like Gaza. The second is how close many Palestinian and Israeli cities and settlements are to each other. Don’t think there is some nice straight line you can draw between the two.

Much of the West Bank will form a future Palestinian state. But it is not as simple as just going back to the 1967 boundaries. Even the Palestinians say they are not expecting Israel to abandon major cities in the area. What is likely to happen is that any area Israel keeps, might be replaced with some territory elsewhere from sovereign Israel. This can be made into a win-win but the devil is in the details.

A typical shot of the West Bank.

This is at the top of a strategically important hill in the 1967 war. The military are very reluctant to give up this area, as they say they could not prevent an invasion from reaching major cities without it. That is of course their point of view.

Below is a Palestinian town.

A photo of the group, in the West Bank. Regardless of the politics of the area, it was a fascinating place to view.

Then we headed to Tel Aviv where we visited the Jabotinsky Institute. This was the only part I did not enjoy much. It mainly consisted of a lecture on Jabotinsky, and the presentation was too zealous – mainly about how all the other Zionists turned out wrong and Jabotinsky was right. Was interesting to learn about him (I had never heard of him before), but what should have taken one hour took two and a half.

We then checked into out hotel in Tel Aviv. Now the hotels generally in Israel had been three star ones to keep costs down. The total cost for the six days was only 500 Euros, and that included hotels, food, travel, driver, and entry tickets.

Now the hotel in Jerusalem was very basic (probably a 2 to 2.5 star in reality) but okay to sleep in. But the hotel in Tel Aviv was a 0 star. You opened the door and immediately saw a cockroach. Not in just one room, and the first three rooms we opened. We gave up after that. Also I noticed the beds had just sheets on them, no sleeping covers. We eventually worked out based on the neighbourhood that this is one of those hotels that you normally rent by the hour.

We staged a walkout and found a much nicer one down the road. The owner actually got offended we were leaving. She was lucky we did not report it to the health authorities for demolition. Yuck. On the plus side it allowed us to hassle our host greatly about how he tried to book us into a prostitute hotel.

Then Thursday night was night clubbing until around 2 am in Tel Aviv. It has a active party scene. I had to cut out early to write my NBR column

What I gained most from the day is understanding that the issues around Israel did not start in 1948 or 1967. The zionist movement grew out of the late 1800s, as a response to the discrimination and worse of the Jewish populations in almost every country on Earth. People will disagree on whether or not the response was the correct one, but it is simplistic to see it as merely to provide a homeland after the events of the Holocaust – the move for a homeland had been steadily underway for some decades. Most of the planning happened when there was no Palestine – when the area was part of the Ottoman Empire.

Today Israel is an established fact, and there is little doubt there will be a Palestinian state at some stage. But under what conditions, and what boundaries is a long way from being resolved.

Thursday morning we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Church is a sacred site for many Christians, who believe is the site of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Apart from the spiritual aspects, it is a magnificent ancient building and is a must see.

This is the entrance to the Church, which was constructed around 300 AD.

This is the Stone of Annointing, claimed to be the spot where Jesus was prepared for burial.

One of the many artworks on the walls.

Upstairs is the purported site of the crucifixion, You go up a narrow winding rock staircase to get to what is called Golgotha. You can see the rock the cross was placed in, and down below is also the rock that sealed his tomb.

Whether or not you are a believer, the church is a sacred place, and was a real highlight for me.

Catching up on the last few days, as have had no time to blog.

Wednesday afternoon we visited the Knesset, and were very fortunate to not just have a private tour, but also hosted by the Knesset Chairman, Speaker Reuven Rivlin. We met in his private offices until he had was suddenly summoned to a meeting with the Prime Minister, to be told the PM was recommending a 10 month freeze on settlements.

The Speaker with the Swedish contingent, and Davidi (our host from Young Likud).

Rivlin was the Likud candidate for President in 2007, and has a reasonable chance of becoming President at the next election. His family have resided in Jerusalem since around 1800.

Just as Israelis are very proud of their Supreme Court, they are also proud that they have a universal democracy. There are no electorate seats in Israel – it is proportional representation for every party that gets over 2%. The threshold used to be 1%, then 1.5% and now is 2%. Some advocate it should keep going higher to prevent the small extremist parties. There are 18 parties in the 120 member Knesset, but they stood under 12 lists only.

Of the 120 Knesset members, 13 are Arabs. Some of them have been elected Deputy Speaker, and one has served as Acting President.

We also went and observed the Knesset in session. It is quite different to the NZ Parliament. The MK speakign does so from a platform next to the Speaker. The MKs themselves sit in four horseshoes (in the shape of the symbol on their coat of arms – its formal name escapes me).

Their debates are not just confined to passing laws (as NZ is except for question time and general debate). They debate many varied issues every day. However where it is like NZ, is that few attend at any one time.

The visitors gallery is behind soundproof glass. We were told that no matter what we said, no one would hear it. I was tempted to jump up and start yelling out Allah Ackbar to test that assertion, but luckily my common sense won out that this would be a very bad thing to do

The artwork in the Knesset is stunning – some of them took a decade to complete. It is a building well worth a tour.

As I mentioned in my NBR column, I was surprised at the degree of pragmatism I encountered amongst some of the politicians. You realise after a while that so called bottom lines are initial negotiating positions. We saw that the day we were there with the freeze on settlements (which is a good thing).

After the Knesset we had a meeting with Yigal Palmor, who has one of the more difficult jobs in Israel – he is the Spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Again fascinating discussions about prospects for peace agreements, and it was during that discussion the idea of both Israel and a future Palestine being part of NATO (to guarantee secure borders) was discussed.

I asked if the settlement freeze will make his job easier, as it will be popular internationally and he (correctly) predicted that the Palestinians would reject it as inadequate. He stressed the US reaction is very important. Paraphrasing, if the US supports Israel on something, then most of the rest of the world will offer mild or muted criticism only. But if the US itself is critical (even mildly), then Israel will face harsh denunciations around the world.

Also talked Iran with him, and asked outright if he thinks Iran would be more willing to drop its assumed nuclear weapons programme, if Israel disposed of its nuclear weapons. I was somewhat amused that he didn’t even try and deny Israel had nuclear weapons – he just said that he thinks Iran would want them regardless due to Pakistan and India.

We also have two impromptu meetings in the streets. One was with the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem. He is a very close friend of Davidi, the Young Likud Chair, despite the fact he is also the Young Labour Chair.

We also ran into Davidi’s former army commander. He is now a General, and his job is head of counter-terrorism for the Armed Forces. Only had a brief chat to him, but we had dinner the next night with a former Deputy Chief of General Staff, who was in charge of the Northern Command.

A very interesting day all up.

Our first day in Israel was sightseeing around old Jerusalem. On our second day, we did a mixture of history and current affairs, thanks to our hosts, Young Likud.

First up we went to The Greats of the Nation on Mount Herzl. Theodor Herzl was the founder of modern Zionism, and seen as the seer of the State of Israel even though he died in 1904.

This is the memorial to Herzl, whose remains were moved to Israel in 1949.

On the tomb on Yitzmak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister who struck peace with with the PLO through the Oslo Accords, and was assassinated in 1995.

And Golda Meir, one of the first elected female leaders in the world, when she became PM in 1969.

We then went Yad Vashem, which is the Holocaust Memorial.

This is a photo of a photo taken from a liberated concentration camp. At this stage we were told no photos are allowed, which is a pity as so many of the scenes there need to be shown as widely as possible.

The museum is very moving, and very detailed. There is a huge amount of documentation, plus audio and visual displays. Allow two hours at least. I thought I knew a lot about the Holocaust, but I learnt a lot more at the museum.

At the very end you can search their database of holocaust victims. I spent a while searching for various relatives, which made it very real.

The museum covers well not just the Holocaust, but the conditions that led to it, and also the many people who risked their lives to help the victims.

A Holocaust monument in the exterior of the museum.

Female soldiers are a very common sight in Israel as military service is compulsory for both genders.

This is a picture of one of the Supreme Court courtrooms. The Israeli Supreme Court is much hallowed in Israel, as the vision was to found a country based on the rule of law.

The Supreme Court is unusual, in that it is not just an appellate court. It does hear appeals from District Courts (akin to our High Courts) but also is the High Court of Justice and has original jurisdiction on some matters such as petitions against the state. So rather than be a leisurely few cases a year supreme court, it hears over 5,000 cases a year.

The reasons for this is the British, it seems. When the British ruled the area, they did not want the lower courts hearing petitions against their actions, so they

It can and does strike down laws that conflict with the Basic Law. Rather controversially it just a few days ago declared a law allowing for private prisons (I think owned not just managed but am not sure) to breach human rights for prisoners. It tends to be seen as an activist or liberal court, but in a country with no constitution and no existence until 1948, they have been forced to create their own law, relying on overseas precedents where possible.

The Court has 15 members (was 12 until recently) and normally sits in benches of three. More important cases can have bigger benches, and one case had 11 Judges sit on it. There must be an odd number.

We also went to the Knesset, which I will blog about in a new post.

The Supreme Court Building is quite magnificent – a mixture of old and new. Definitely worth a tour.

On Tuesday I flew from Tehran to Tel Aviv via Turkey. Iran will not let you enter if you have been to Israel previously, so I guessed they would not be that keen on me heading there straight afterwards, so I had been very careful  not to mention the Israel part of my trip publicly.

I got a bit nervous at the airport though when I realised that as I was on the same airline from Tehran to Istanbul and Istanbul to Tel Aviv, they could see the next leg, as they asked me if I wanted to check my bags all the way through. I very quietly said yes.

The flight to Istanbul was a nightmare as the airport fogged in, and we circled for an hour then diverted to Ankara, refueled and then went back to Istanbul. A two hour flight took almost six hours, and I missed my connecting flight. Got transferred onto a later one okay though.

Just as Iran is not that keen on visitors who have been to Israel, Israel is not that keen on people who have just flown in from Iran. At the gate in Istanbul, I was taken aside and questioned for around 10 minutes about why I had been in Iran, how long would I be in Israel etc.

Eventually got onto flight. When we went through passport control at Tel Aviv, I thought it would be even worse, but the officer accepted my story straight away, and took only a couple of minutes.

Met up with the rest of the group. We have five Swedes, two Finns two Austrians, a Swiss and one Kiwi.

Around 5 pm we went to the Shrine of the Book. This museum houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Aleppo Codex. Most people will have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but now the Codex, which is basically the oldest existing bible – around 3,000 years old. It isn’t a bible per se – more the authoritative source for the bible. So you get some idea of its historical value.

This is a photo of a model of old Jerusalem at the Shrine of the Book. The model is huge – only a 50:1 ratio.

Then went to the Mount of Olives and saw some of the 150,000 graves there, plus the superb view of old Jerusalem.

At 8 pm we hit Old Jerusalem. I can’t describe how wonderful the city is – such a sense of history. We visited the Western (or Wailing) Wall, and also had tours through the Generations Centre and best of all though the tunnels underneath the wall.

This is the base of the Western Wall. All day and night many Jews go there to pray.

The original temple here was the Temple of Solomon. After that was destroyed in 586 BC, a second temple was constructed by Herod in around 19 BC. The wall is part of the remains of that temple. Judaism believes a third temple will be constructed there when the Messiah comes.

The original temple was on the Temple Mount, which is the holiest site in Judaism as it is taught as the place where God created Adam. It is also sacred to Islam as the site where Muhammed ascended to heaven.

The tunnels under the Western Wall are incredible. So much history down there. Not one for claustrophobics though. Also a bad place to be if there is an earthquake!

Also did a walk through the alleyways and bazaars of East Jerusalem. This is basically Palestinian/Arab area, and is likely to be officially part of a future Palestine state. While there has been violence in the past, things were generally very relaxed in this area, with people from all religions and races walking about.