Ir-Amim

is the name of a free tour around the southern and eastern bits of Jerusalem that are this side of the Wall of Separation. Our Israeli guide prefers to call it the Fence. In part because quite a lot of 760km is fenced and because it helps him think about this being temporary even reversible.

The 4hr lecture in a nice air conditioned bus with 45 students, some of whom want to listen, took us to see: looking towards Bethlehem, an olive grove on the wrong side of the Fence (from the Palestinian owner's point of view). There's a law from 1949 that said If you ran away from your home during the 1948 war then you're clearly Enemy and that means we can confiscate your land. Its called the Absence Property Law. If you're clever you can use try and apply this law to this man's olives.

On the east side of Jerusalem there's a cream building (top photo) designed to be the Palestinian Parliament. But its on the wrong side.

And then if you're an Arab, living in Shu'afat (north jerusalem) on the plus side you get to pay Jerusalem taxes because you're a resident. On the downside Israel built the Wall through your neighbourhood so that you're on the wrong side of it. (next photo)

Ordinarily this shouldn't matter, after all you've got a pass that will take you through the check point when its open. On the downside the Binmen don't like coming here, and Firemen insist on having an army escort and you can forget about getting a plumber out here or an ambulance.

Bear in mind that this lecture was from an Israeli who is proIsrael and hopeful about the possibility of real peace and a two state solution.

Sorry about the lack of comic content today so here's a photo of a camel you can ride for £1 round the roundabout much to the annoyance of the Taxi drivers. No, we didn't.