Nablus is proof the Israelis are not “occupiers”
Many sources today condemn Israel as occupiers and having no claim to the land called the “West Bank.” The facts, however, contradict this belief.
Take the Palestinian city of Nablus for instance. (scroll down for a larger view)
Looking down on Nablus from Mt. Gerizim, (the Mount of Blessings), one sees a large open field on the left. And, by the way, the ancient name of this place is Shechem.
In the close up below, we find the same field as the one above left. This is Jacob ‘s field:
Gen_33:18-19 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.
And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.
Notice the domed structure on the right end of the field. That is Joseph’s tomb. (Look for the two squared U shaped buildings on the upper right side…trees planted in center of each. The tomb is just left of the lower one.) Here is what the Scriptures record about the tomb in Joshua:
Jos 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Judging from the passage above, the claim on the land dates back at least 3500 years…not to mention the purchase of the field, also mentioned above, which came even earlier.
What can we conclude from this? The land title is confirmed by the physical evidence.
Yet, there is more evidence. This is where Jesus/Yeshua met the woman at the well:
John 4:5-6 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
Notice in the reference above, the identification of the place as being near Jacob’s
Field. (Sychar is another name for Shechem)
In the view below, notice the narrowing of the city on the left of Jacob’s field.
This is the beginning of the narrow valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. In
the valley there are three ancient wells each named for Jacob. No one today
knows which is the actual site where the John event took place. Nevertheless, it is
clear it happened close to Jacob’s field.
As the television commercials say, but wait, there’s more!
Jos 8:30 Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,
Recently, archaeologists uncovered the apparent altar mentioned here on Ebal. It is located about even with the upper-most building on the mountain and to the far right where the faint line of a road is visible.
And, there’s still another “more”…
Jos 8:33 And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.
If the estimated 2 million people were split into two groups and stood here in this small valley facing the ark and the Levites, where would the Levites have been able to stand?
The only logical place for them to gather to face the people on the mountains would be at Jacob’s field.
And, of course, this is the place where Joshua gathered the people before he died.
There is another interesting observation about these two mountains. Notice Ebal is barren.
Below we have an example of what the top of Mt. Gerizim looks like. The Mount of Blessings if being blessed.
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