Qasr el Yahud (Photo by Viktor Karppinen)
“You and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them — to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” (Joshua 1:2–3)
Almost 4,000 land mines will be removed from the Yardenit, also called Qasr al-Yahud (Castle of the Jews), part of an Israeli national park in the Jordan River Valley where Joshua and the Israelites are thought to have crossed into the Promised Land and where Yochanan (John) immersed Yeshua (Jesus).
Jewish tradition also suggests that at this spot, Elijah the Prophet crossed the Jordan River from the Land of Israel before being carried to heaven in a whirlwind by a chariot of fire and horses of fire. (2 Kings 2:11)
Followers of Yeshua have also considered this place holy, thinking it where Yeshua was immersed by Yochanan and anointed by the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). The Spirit of God descended like a dove and rested upon Him, as a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16–17)
The Mikvah of Messiah, by James Tissot
The site has largely been gated off from visitors since the Six Day War of 1967 when Israel laid land mines there to protect its border from Jordanian invaders.
The Israel National Mine Action Authority, of the country’s Defense Ministry, and the British-based HALO Trust have estimated that the 0.4 square-mile area designated for clearance is riddled with 2,600 anti-tank mines, 1,200 anti-personnel mines, as well as a number of explosives and booby traps. (BIN)
“Clearing minefields at the baptism site not only removes a deadly legacy of conflict, it helps build bridges between fractured communities,” the HALO Trust added. (Kehila News)
The Halo Trust, an organization that clears landmines and manages weapon stockpiles in post-war regions, said that it had the “blessing” of the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Orthodox Coptic, Ethiopian, Greek, Romanian, Syrian, and Russian churches for the move.
“The HALO Trust has secured approval from the Israelis, Palestinians, and religious denominations to remove the landmines so that people can explore the area in safety,” the HALO Trust said in a statement.
“Our purpose is to help the Christian communities, the seven denominations here, help the Israelis, help the Palestinians to clear this site for all mankind,” said HALO CEO James Cowan, a former British army officer.
“Joshua led the Children of Israel by crossing the Jordan River, arriving in the Jordan Valley, and then camping in Gilgal. It is only just and fair that the modern Jewish community of Gilgal as well as all of the communities in the area continue to grow and thrive as centers of Jewish life,” said Director of Christian Friends for Israel Communities Sondra Oster Baras. (BIN)
Christian pilgrims gather at the Yardenit on the Jordan River to be baptized, a Christian rite that originates in the Jewish mikvah or Biblical ritual cleansing.
While tourists have not been able to walk the site, except for a small area of the park cleared in 2011, tour buses have driven by to point out and discuss the history of the place to more than 300,000 pilgrims a year. The churches and monasteries in the area have not been accessed since 1967.
“It is my belief that clearing this iconic site of landmines will benefit all humanity for centuries to come,” Cowan said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel’s first priority in its security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority would always be that “the State of Israel’s security border remains along the Jordan [River].”
The 1,022,770 square meters scheduled for demining, according to HALO Trust, will take two years at a cost of $4 million.
