Karnei Hittin

 

Horns of Hattin is an extinct volcano with the crater between two peaks. Archaeologists have found remains of settlement from the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze era. The Canaanite settlement was destroyed by Joshua and replace by a large Israelite village.  The mountain reaches 554 meters above the Sea of Galilee and 346 meters above sea level. This is the site of the Battle of Hattin, Saladin’s victory over the Crusaders in 1187, which was fought in summer when the grass was dry. Saladin’s troops set fire to the grass, cutting off the Crusaders’ access to water in the Nebi Shu’eb Springs.

 

The Church of G-D Monument

On the way up to the summit of Karnei Hittin, you pass this monument built by the Church of G-D, a Pentecostal Church of God, with many schisms and  over seven million members in over 170 countries. They identify Karnei Hittin as the place of the Sermon on the Mount. This black monument replaces an earlier white stone monument.

 

My good friend Yaakov Yaari wrote the Church of G-D to inquire who gave them permission to build a monument in a National Park:

‏בתאריך יום שלישי, 11 בנובמבר 2014, Stephen Smith <ssmith@thechurchofgod.org> כתב:

Dear Mr. Yaakov Yaari,

I apologize for being slow to answer your inquiry.  I have been in the country of Guatemala, and just returned.  In reference to the monument on Mt. Hittin:

This is a replacement monument.  Fifty-two years ago the Israeli government gave our church permission to place a monument on Mt. Hittin. If you have been on Mt. Hittin in the past you probably saw a much larger monument, which was the one we  placed there 52 years ago.  The monument was in decay and disrepair due to the many years of weather on the mountain.  The government gave us permission to replace the larger monument with this smaller one.

We hope the monument is a blessing to those who pass by, and that all will remember the words, “Love thy neighbor as thyself” which are engraved on the marker in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.  In this day of strive and war, people need to learn to love one another as God has commanded.  May the Lord God be with you as you seek to do His will.

Stephen Smith

Yaakov Yaari’s Reply to Stephen Smith

———— הודעה שהועברה ———-
מאת: Yaakov Yaari
תאריך: יום רביעי, 12 בנובמבר 2014
נושא: Mt. Hittin Monument
אל: Stephen Smith <ssmith@thechurchofgod.org>

Dear Mr. Stephan Smith,

I understand your motives. They are just with good intentions. Of course, once it is approved by our government it is also a legitimate project.

I am this kind of person who likes to walk the paths of my small country. I am 67 and I have been traveling around in Israel since the age of 12, almost every month, year by year.  There are many here like me who knows the country by foot – this is a very common recreation activity in Israel.

So when we see a monument erected by a foreign organization on your land your first reaction is “who gave permission to do that?”  It is like you walk in the Appalachian and you see something built by a foreign country, with well intended motives as they maybe. I hope you understand my viewpoint.

Thank you,

Yaakov Yaari

 

View from Karnei Hittin to Sea of Galilee