Nablus

We spent the day in Nablus with Father Ibrahim, the Episcopal priest there. He arranged for us to have a walking tour of the old city, a meeting with a Muslim sheik (a kind of judge), and, best of all, with the Samaritan high priest. This last meeting was most amazing. There are only 700 Samaritans left in the world, 350 of them in Nablus. The high priest is always the oldest man in the priestly family; the current high priest is 82. He received us graciously in his home, and we had conversation for about an hour. His English was quite fine. We were able to meet with him because Bruce is a bishop.

Getting through the checkpoint to get to the high priest's house was another story. Father Ibrahim has a special VIP card that gets him through all the checkpoints, and he has never been denied access to this one. Today, the soldiers decided he could not come through. The rest of us could go, but not the priest. It was completely random and nonsensical. Bruce asked to speak to their commander. After an hour and a half of waiting, Father Ibrahim was finally given permission to pass. This is the kind of treatment Palestinians experience regularly.

Tomorrow we will leave for the villages, so no updates for a few days.