Peace Poles & Peace Totem Poles in Israel & Palestine

Click here for peace monuments in Palestine before 1949 -- with chronology of selected events before 1949
Click here for peace monuments in Palestine (West Bank & Gaza) since 1948
Click here for peace monuments in Israel (All EXCEPT Jerusalem) since 1948 -- with chronology of selected events since 1948
Click here for peace monuments in Israel (Arab monuments ONLY) since 1948
Click here for peace monuments in Jerusalem (West & East) since 1948
Click here for peace monuments at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in West Jerusalem (Israel)
Click here for peace monuments related to Olive Trees & Olive Branches worldwide
Click here for peace monuments related to Quakers (Society of Friends) worldwide
Click here for peace monuments related to Rachel Corrie [1979-2003] worldwide
Click here for Oldest & Biggest Peace Monuments worldwide
Click here for Palestinian Village of Deir Yassin in West Jerusalem (Israel)
Click here for Peace Poles in Palestine & Israel -- THIS WEB PAGE
Click here for Peace Poles worldwide
Click here for Vocabulary of the Israel/Palestine Conflict

B R I D G E

P O L E

Before 1993 - Peace Pole, Allenby Bridge, Jordan River (between Palestine & Jordan). Connects Jericho in the West Bank to the Kingdom of Jordan. The original bridge was built in 1918 over a remnant of an old Ottoman colonial era bridge by the British General Edmund Allenby [1861-1936]. It was destroyed once in the Night of the Bridges operation by Palmach at June 16, 1946. It was destroyed again during the Six-Day War [in June 1967], but was replaced in 1968 with a temporary truss-type bridge. This bridge is still called the Allenby Bridge by Israelis, although it is also known as Al-Karameh Bridge to Palestinian Arabs, and the King Hussein Bridge to Jordanians. /// Lower image shows Peace Pole at the bridge in 1993.

Late 1990's - "Subsequent to the Israel-Jordan peace treaty [on October 26, 1994], a new modern paved crossing was constructed adjacent to the older wooden one with the aid of the Japanese Government. This new structure is currently used exclusively." It is currently the designated exit/entry point for Palestinians residing in the West Bank traveling to and from Jordan to the West Bank & Israel. /// Peace Pole visible in air photo behind the bus?

S I T E

P O L E

Date? - Peace Pole, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee (Israel). Also called Kefar Nahum. "The town is cited in the Gospel of Luke where it was reported to have been the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew, James & John, as well as the tax collector Matthew. In Matthew 4:13 the town was reported to have been the home of Jesus. According to Luke 4:31-44, Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum on Sabbath... In March 2000, John Paul II visited the ruins of Capernaum during his visit to Israel." N.B.: We saw the two stones on June 22, 2011, but the peace pole was missing! (middle image).

P O L E

April 22, 1999 - Peace Pole, Hill of Megiddo Megiddo (Israel). With "May peace prevail on earth" in Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic & English. Planted by Megiddo Project/Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice, Ann Arbor, Michigan (USA). Har Megiddo (Armageddon) is an ancient crossroads of Egypt, Europe & Persia, a tell (hill or mound) made of 26 layers of the ruins of ancient cities at the head of a pass through the Carmel Ridge, which overlooks the Valley of Jezreel. In 1964, Pope Paul VI met with President Zalman Shazar, PM Levi Eshkol & other Israeli dignitaries in Megiddo.

P O L E

September 25, 1999 - Peace Pole, Gaza Strip (Palestine). Where is this exactly? "With the hands of Hagit Ra'anan (the Israeli peace & human rights activist), Barbara Wolf (the American activist) and numbers of Palestinian peace & human rights activists, the peace pole which has the sentence "May peace prevail on earth" with the four languages, the Arabic, Hebrew, English & Japanese on a metal plate, was planted on the land of Gaza, under the auspices of a Japanese association concerned with peace... In front of tens of Israeli peace activists in the peace pole planting cremony, Gaza-Ala El Mashharawi (head of the preventive security in Gaza governments), the general Mohammed Dahalan assured that the Palestinian authority encourages the empowerment of the principals & concepts of peace between the Palestinian & the Israeli nation."

P O L E

Date? - Peace Pole, Givat Haviva Educational Institute, Menashe, Northern Sharon Valley (Israel). "The leadership of Hashomer Hatzair movement from the USA & Canada, in Israel on a seminar with the World Movement leadership & Israeli counterparts, & accompanied by Israeli movement emissaries Yaniv Sagee & Doron Erez, spent some time visiting a few interesting corners of the Givat Haviva campus with Lydia & chance for a photo around the pole for peace planted by the library by members of a Japanese peace organization some years ago."

H O U S E

P O L E

Date? - Peace Pole, Open House of Ramle, Ramla (Israel). Built in 1936 by a Palestinian family. Occupied in 1948 by an Israeli family. Turned into "a preschool & daycare center for Arab & Jewish children in October 1991. Runs extracurricular coexistence programs for Jewish, Christian & Muslim children in the afternoons." Described in "The Lemon Tree: An Abab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East" by Sandy Tolan (2006). Click here for 7-minute video by Sandy Tolan. /// Right image shows peace pole of unknown date. N.B.: Most of us had read the book, but no attempt was made to visit this house when we passed by on June 23, 2011.

P O L E

C H U R C H

Before 2000 - Peace Pole, Cathedral of St. George the Martyr, Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (Anglican Church), 20 Nablus Road, East Jerusalem. Sunday morning service attended by Bill, Linda, Marina, Ted, Shirley & Susan on June 26, 2011. All but Ted shown in right image at the peace pole which has the Peace Prayer ("May Peace Prevail on Earth") in English, Hebrew, Arabic & Japanese. Images at far right from various websites.

P O L E

S I T E

Date? - Peace Pole, "Yardenit," Kibbutz Kinneret, Jordan River, Galilee (Israel). Yardenit is "the Baptismal Site on the Jordan River." Pole is not far from Jordan River overlook. It has the World Peace Prayer in English, Hebrew, Arabic & Spanish. Right photo taken on June 22, 2011.

P E A C E . P O L E S Peace Day 2002 - Peace Poles with Flags, where? (Israel). "...erected as part of the Peace Day observation carried out by Bridges of Peace." Is this Bridges for Peace?

T O T E M . P O L E 2002 - Tree of Peace, Palmach Grove, Kibbutz Ginosar (Israel). On the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Carved by Amir Baumfeld. Kibbutz Ginosar was the home base for Yigal Allon [1918-1980], commander of the "Syrian Department" of the Palmach during the War of 1948. Today the Yigal Allon Museum displays the "Jesus Boat" (right image) discovered in 1986.

P O L E

Date? - Peace Pole?, Kafr Quasim, (Israel). Airview shows what appears to be a Peace Pole on top of some kind of mound or tell.

M U S E U M

October 29, 2006 - Memorial & Museum of the Martyrs, Kafr Quasim (Israel). Also spelled Kafr Kassem. About 20 km east of Tel Aviv, near the Green Line between Israel & the West Bank, in the southern portion of the "Little Triangle" of Arab-Israeli towns & villages. They interpret the Kafr Qasim Massacre, in which the Israel Border Police killed 49 civilians on October 29, 1956... [Muslim residents] of Kafr Qasim annually observe the massacre, and the commemorative memorial was raised in the village. The Museum of the Martyrs was opened on [the 50th anniversary] October 29, 2006 [but apparently has no website]. In December 2007, Israel President Shimon Peres formally apologised for the massacre" which happened at the beginning of the 10-day Suez Crisis. News of the massacre was suppressed for weeks, then considered by Palestinians to be another Deir Yassin.

T O T E M . P O L E Future - "Healing the Family of Abraham" Peace Totem Pole, Har Adar Settlement, near Jerusalem (Occupied West Bank). "Native American Leadership Alliance (NALA) has recognized the powerful healing work of Master Carver Jewell Praying Wolf James & the House of Tears Carvers at the Lummi Reservation in Washington State (USA). NALA is sponsoring a Healing Pole project to address the current global crisis at its core, in the Middle East . This 'Healing the Family of Abraham' Peace Pole project will cross the USA to be blessed, then will pilgrimage from Gaza to Jerusalem finding its permanent site in Israel. NALA is organizing a special dedication ceremony and celebration in Israel for this event." Left image shows "NALA leaders at proposed site at Har Adar; the hills of Jerusalem are visible in the background." Lower image shows "Har Adar, a settlement founded in 1982 by the Radar Hill Organization. Like all Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories, Har Adar is considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this." Click here for info about NALA's April 2005 visit to Har Adar.