John Hauser
Since capturing the West Bank from Jordan in 1967, Israel has been on a steady course to annex the land into a Greater Israel. What to do with the millions of Palestinian Muslims and Christians who live there now has never been completely determined (some say evict them), but the land must be annexed and made safe for Jewish expansion. Never mind that this appropriation has never been accepted by the rest of the world. In all the years since 1967, not one other nation has signed on to the idea that Israel can keep the West Bank, not even Israel's greatest benefactor, the United States. The colonization of occupied territory is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. Arab nations have lately offered a peace deal if the Israelis will return to their '67 borders, even approximately, but the answer so far has been ``no''. As long as Israel continues to insist on confiscation and ``religious cleansing'' of the West Bank in complete defiance of world opinion, sympathy for the country is going to keep draining away. Israelis today seem intent on proving to us that their lust for land exceeds their good sense. Stop building Jewish settlements in occupied territory.

Pictures of History - Ostia

Ostia was a town connected to the port of Rome during the time of the Roman Empire. The Mediterranean Sea was the main highway of the Roman world, yet Rome is located on the Tiber River almost 40 kilometers inland from the sea. Ostia grew up where the Tiber empties into the Mediterranean, a natural place of arrival and departure for ships. During the early days of the Roman Empire an artificial harbor--the Roman port--was built nearby, and was later expanded.

When Rome fell, Ostia and the port were also attacked. Afterwards, Ostia lost its importance and was gradually deserted. Though never completely lost like Pompeii, much of Ostia remained hidden until excavated in the twentieth century. Most of the ruins visible today date from the late Roman Empire.

Overviews  (3 images)
Public areas  (9)
Streets and businesses  (6)
Baths of the Seven Sages  (6)
House of the Charioteers  (7)
Marble and mosaics  (9)

Back to Roman Empire index Start with Overviews
Related sites

The Internet Group Ostia's premier Ostia Web site.
Photographs of Ostia at the Maecenas Web site.
A walkthrough of Ostia from In Italy Online.

John Hauser, 2003 May 12