A week in the Middle East
By
James Norton
| Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Editor's note: The Monitor's Middle East editor James Norton shares his observations during a one-week tour of Jordan and Israel.
1-29-03
Logan International Airport, Boston
It's a long way from Boston to Jerusalem.
For the past year, I've served as The Christian Science Monitor's Middle East editor, working with reporters stationed halfway around the world.
Most of the time, assisted by e-mail, international long distance, and thick stacks of patience, we're able to understand one another.
But it's hard not to be conscious of the distance between my desk and the crowded streets of Cairo. Or the Israeli settlements that dot the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Or the palaces of Iraq.
And from the US, it's easy to forget that just beyond the suicide bombings, Israeli incursions, Al Qaeda operatives and rumors of war, there's an entire population that keeps waking up every morning and trying their best to lead a normal life.
Tonight, I'm heading to Amman, Jordan to bring some cash and gear out to the Monitor's Middle East correspondent, Cameron Barr.
I'll be spending a week traveling through Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Territories, tagging along with Monitor correspondents as they follow the news. I'll also gamely attempt to keep my wits about in one of the world's most politically and culturally complicated regions.
As an amateur historian and longtime observer of the region, I'm comfortable talking about Mideast politics and policy. But having read about the fear that so often prevails in the West Bank and the streets of Jerusalem, the idea of actually strolling through either has me on edge.
But our reporters do it every day. And I'll be doing it this week. I hope you'll join me for the trip.
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