Monday, May 16, 2016

Churches near Jesus' baptism site to be cleared of mines

It is interesting to think that it has been nearly 50 years since tourists and followers of Jesus Christ have been able to visit this holy site without having to fear for their own lives in doing so. The only time that even some of these mines have been removed is when Pope John Paul II came in 2000 before any modernization efforts had been attempted. Now however there is a mass interest in removing these mines, which are in the range of thousands, to create a place for safe reflection at one of the holiest places in the entire world. All of these mines come from about 50 years ago during the six days war between Israel and Jordan. I want to believe, although it is not mentioned in this article, that tension between the two nations is finally being alleviated. Yes, they did sign a peace agreement in the 1990's but that does not mean a whole lot if nothing gets done at the site of war, and nothing has until now. But all in all, I do believe that this is an interesting read because I sure did not know there was a six days war that left one of the holiest sites from the Bible in peril. Knowing that there is finally an effort being made by a British company called "HALO" can potentially show the direction the Israeli government is taking after a long standing stalemate involving the land.

-Chris Kucinsky

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/15/travel/jesus-baptism-mine-field-liebermann/index.html

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