A one-time journey in the Amazon River of Israel

As a reserve officer in the Jordan Valley Regional Brigade, I experienced dozens if not hundreds of long commanders' gatherings. At the content level, it is often a collection of topics that are not necessarily related to each other; Assessment of the situation of the eastern front, review of operational activity, examination of personnel status, logistics, procurement, schedules and much more. In any case, everything is aimed at one goal, and that is to protect the eastern border of the State of Israel and the settlements in the division sector.

About five months after that difficult Shabbat of the Seventh in October, with hundreds of reserve days behind me and after my brigade had actually been released, I imagined that this was my last gathering for this war. While I was sitting and waiting for the order of speakers to begin, an officer of the 6th Brigade Intelligence Division entered, sat down next to me and with a wink said to me - "I have a very interesting project for you". I thought what project could be so interesting?

Since 2008 I have been an officer in the brigade, I commanded the brigade engineering unit and today I am a second lieutenant and a heritage officer, I managed to visit almost every point in the sector, including the villages of the Pentagram and Jericho, I went around countless times in the enclaves (the area between the fence and the Jordan River - the border. I participated In dozens of operations, exercises and events in the sector and I even lifted a minefield. What could be so interesting that would make me continue to serve another month in the reserves in the brigade, after such a long period in the 8th order?

A project the likes of which I have never heard of before

I arrived at the office of the officer of the lake, as usual with my notebook (as I was taught in my days as a regular in the paratroopers, what was recorded - remembered). In the office sat Guy Salii, director of the Nature Defense Army. He began by telling and describing a project the likes of which I had never heard before. I listened very attentively to his words and the purpose of the project - and summarized the words in my notebook; "Operational mapping", "Depth testing", "Sailing", "Boats", "Ecology", and more. Slowly the words began to form an exciting and wonderful plan and the tension and anticipation began to soar. Suddenly the question was thrown in the air - "Ilan, will you be able to command this special operation? It is important to the brigade and there is no one who can lift the operation apart from you."

I was surprised. Usually I ask to think before I make a commitment - to sleep on it at night, but this time, I immediately said - "with pleasure, whatever is necessary". I smiled, nodded, and tried - not very successfully - to hide my excitement.

I immediately started studying the subject and found out that the last person to make a documented research cruise in Jordan was an American general named William Francis Lynch, about 150 years ago. I immediately borrowed his book "A Research Trip to the Jordan and the Dead Sea" and dived with bated breath into the pulsating descriptions that Lintsch wrote about the places he visited.

Understanding that we are in the "time of desire", we immediately got together to execute. With the full cooperation of the units of the division and especially of the divisional intelligence department, we decided on the sections of the voyage that we would undertake. We began listing the operation order, mission objective and method, mission forces, all equipment and logistics for the operation. After that, with the help of Training Department Head R., we made preparations for the sailing sections, analyzed the entry and exit points from the creek that are suitable for putting boats in and out, and located inspection and rescue points. At the same time, we connected the battalions and companies to the mission, and set off. We convened all the heads of the units for a special study day in the project and an explanation of the execution procedure.

Working with R. was fascinating. While I am a seasoned reserve officer who is used to working with combat officers, I was revealed to me in all its glory as an officer who had completed a position as a company commander, imbued with motivation, combative, a warrior who wishes to carry out meaningful missions. When the sailing days began, R. enjoyed every moment and was a great help.

And in general, during the mission I met wonderful people, regulars and reservists, who want to help as much as possible in our operational control of the eastern border, and also combine their great affection for field work, even if it is very difficult and requires a lot of physical and mental ability.

Section A

That week we already left for the first segment. Motivated, we all lined up, civilians and soldiers, at 04:30 in the morning, near the Al-Hama bridge, leading to the entry point to the first section. To our surprise, the lock of the gate that was checked in preparation two weeks before was replaced and the key we had did not match the lock, after several false attempts of several different keys and realizing that there was no possibility of delaying any longer, the lock was broken and we started the first section.

The banks of the Yarmouk River accompanied us along the cruise as a strong current spurred the boat to sail, in the sections where the stream split the need to immediately decide which is the right channel and whether to turn right or left. We are talking about fateful decisions, since one mistake can cost us a lot of wasted energy investing in moving back to the right channel, which can cause the boats to leave the water late, the exhaustion of the forces and other problems that may arise and arise such as dehydration and more.

In this section, the boatmen carefully checked the continuation of the channel according to the devices they had and decided to continue on the correct channel. The stopping point established at the end of the second channel had to be moved to the real stopping point, where the boats decided to continue sailing.

The first day of the cruise passed without any further problems and ended relatively quickly, in a beautiful reservoir called Yarmuchim Reservoir, the reservoir has a fascinating story, which only became clear to me when I was there, the reservoir provides water for drinking as well as for agriculture, and currently they are also promoting the possibility of supplying solar electricity by building solar systems floating on the reservoir itself . These systems began to emerge with great success in many fish ponds and today they are changing the Israeli and global energy economy.

Section B

On the second day of the cruise, we continued sailing in Yarmouk, amidst a very impressive basalt landscape. The Yarmouk River turned out to be a very winding river with many splits. We found out that the road in the field is longer than it looks on the map, and we had to shorten the route again. Near Ya'akov Falls we ascended from the water, after a full and crowded sailing section.

At this stage the method of operation was formulated. The boat crews and ecological surveyors of the river swim in a fixed formation with a "power boat" leading and "opening the stream". Sometimes the boat came across waste filters, obstructions of mosses and reeds and it became necessary to cut the mosses and reeds in order to continue sailing. And in the last boat there are ecological surveyors who survey the ecological texture of the river, the botanical and aquatic diversity and even the water quality.

Section C

On the third day of the cruise, G, an officer who served with me, joined us in order to help with the logistics work during the river cruise. When I told him about the project, he was enthusiastic and signed up without hesitation. I have known C for many years and I was sure that the chemistry between us would make work much more fun and experiential, I was not wrong. The very addition of G to the operation proved to be particularly correct and useful.

The third section started near the settlement of Gesher. On the same day, we positioned ourselves to watch passing boats under the Gesher site, a fascinating tourist site, the only one located outside the fence near the Jordan border on the river with beautiful views, a 'Mamluk' road station, an old Egged station that in the distant past transported passengers to Jordan, remnants of Passim and a locomotive of The ancient valley train. While walking around the site and after waving goodbye to the boats, I saw a spectacular musical performance by Siksak on the roof of an old bus at the station. There are also ancient sarcophagi in the place, and when I came to closely inspect one sarcophagus, a huge common hornet emerged from it and startled me.

Gesher's cafe is one of the places I have already marked in my heart to return and visit, this cafe is located near the perimeter fence and overlooks Jordan, a magical place that combines a heritage tour with the possibility to sit and eat on a reasonable budget.

Section D

We started the fourth section early and in good weather. We quickly dropped our boats into the water and we didn't know what was expected of us that day. It was a ten-kilometer section that started relatively quickly, but very quickly became tangled and difficult. We arrived at Pashfesh and had to decide at noon whether to continue in the river or ascend from the water, when it is unknown what lies ahead. A lot of vegetation and debris that followed us fairly. We actually left the stream at six in the evening, and not from the exit point that we worked hard to arrange in advance in order to get the boats out of the makeshift place, I drove near the fence on the bank, not a road. From there I was required to load the boats on the roof of the vehicle one by one and take them out to the perimeter path. We washed the boats late in the evening at the Shulamit outpost located near the settlement of Jordana. Despite the difficulty and the late departure, we left this day with a big smile of a one-time adventure we went through.

Section E

On this day, important reinforcement players joined us for the ride - North District Director of the Nature and Parks Authority Guy Cohen, who was also my district director when I managed the Gerizim site, after which I moved to the position of director of Nahal Perat Reserve.

The entrance to the river was very convenient on this day, since we unloaded the boats through a facility of Mekorot. Only the inflating of the boats required the difficult skill of inflating a boat in a very small space cabin. The cruise started relatively quickly and without problems, and so it progressed. At the end point I saw a nutria eating a hearty fish meal, until the boats came and spoiled her appetite. The day ended without incident and we ended it by watching a spectacular sight of a striped hyena running through the wheat fields of the valley.

Section F

On the sixth day we met early in the morning in the parking lot of the sausage factory of Kibbutz Tirat Zvi, after at the end of the previous day we left the boats under the peace bridge ("Gesher Shaar Jordan"). This bridge was supposed to symbolize the cooperation and brotherhood of nations after the signing of the peace agreement with Jordan and lead to a joint industrial zone complex. In any case, it turns out that the industrial area that started to be built on the Jordanian side has been stuck for decades, and the bridge is blocked and inactive. This bleak picture certainly reflects the peace relations between Israel and Jordan which mainly amount to military cooperation based on clear interests.

We arrived at the bridge, the boats were quickly put into the river and the boats swallowed up the first few kilometers quite quickly. The soldiers who were late to the entry point were quickly put in at checkpoint 510 and I was glad that I didn't give them up on the tardiness problem. When we got to the squirrel outpost we already saw the boats passing us by. From then on we lost Contact with the boats. With the exception of a few phone calls and reports on the walkie-talkie, we have not been able to contact the boats.

After a few hours of tension and endless attempts to establish contact, we received information that the boats were stuck about two kilometers towards the end of the route. We realized that there was a detour at the place that would take us about an hour and a half to get to the boats by land and that the boats could only be rescued to an axis full of very tall grass that is between the river and the field Mines. A very unsympathetic location. I looked at the minefields (a map file showing the locations of NT minefields) and it was written that there was a minefield for sure, not nearly, I warned you For the sailors to enter the field, I waited for the tracker E., I activated the position answering device and according to the devices, the tracker E. and I went to rescue the boats.

On a rough road, between the river rocks and a minefield which luckily was fenced off, we arrived at the boats. We loaded the boats onto the vehicles and most of the people walked behind us until the exit from the road. We found a great place to wash the boats, and for a closing and closing dinner. We all stood up and everyone spoke.

On this day we finished the sailing segments at the border of the northern sector of the division and left for a break and a period of preparation for the southern segments of the sailing.

Although we got a week off, but most of the week it was necessary to make sure that we had vehicles, equipment, keys to the gates and everything was closed and well planned for the next sailing segments. In addition, we celebrated Memorial Day and Independence Day, days that due to the events of the year we did not celebrate like every year when the cloud of war hovers above us, the fallen and the many wounded and kidnapped who are still there.

Section G

The day before the cruise and in order to be precise, R. and I went to verify the point. An interesting coincidence occurred when I parked my car before the meeting with R. next to the car of a regular military security coordinator Naran and we met immediately as we got out of the vehicles together, without knowing that he and I were going to sit next to each other at the brigade honors ceremony held that evening.

We met in Naran settlement at four o'clock in the morning, the early hour was set in order to make it and reach the entry point together, since the road from the meeting point to the entry point is not short and the entry point is difficult to locate and navigate. After getting organized, a dignified and rich layout and a briefing, the boats entered the river and silence descended on the banks of the Jordan. After that, we went up to the outpost to look at the boat expedition and we heard it from above.

We drove on the road parallel to the river and arrived at the lake that, since blocking the road two months ago while we were preparing, has evaporated and turned into a shallow puddle of water with lots of tracks of wild boars and foxes that probably enjoy drinking from this water reservoir.

Along the drive on the axis parallel to the river, we saw two jackals, two cycads, white herons and a heron.We continued to the Karmit outpost, so named on purpose because it is parallel to the town of Karma, the same town where on March 17, 1969, an operation was carried out against the nerve center of the terrorist gangs of Fatah.

Suddenly we received a call to rescue one of the participants in the cruise due to a personal problem. We drove back to the TL (an unnamed axis) parallel to the river, until we located the participant and his companion. I sent C to get them out of the enclave and immediately after to go out to refuel and bring food, but a moment's inattention worsened the situation. While driving on the dirt road In order to get out of the place, I got stuck in a groove that even a skilled driver like me couldn't escape from. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the left wheels out of the crack. There was no reception, and C went to pull food from the battalion.

I'm sorry I left the car and went up to a higher place to catch reception. I called G so that he could bring towing cables for the vehicle from the "Mol Nevo" camp. C, of course, entered into a war of attrition with the battalion's opponents in order to perform a simple operation to get a tow cable for the command room, the fact that it is apparently stuck harms the mission of being able to rescue the people from the river in case of danger. C, who knows the job, managed to get the towing cables and after two pulls we got out of the crack.

We went to take out the sailing group who were unable to make much progress and did not even finish half of the planning of the original sailing segment. The location of the exit was not easy at all and it was very difficult to get the boats out in the thickets of ash and salt bushes. At the end of the day we succeeded in the mission, but there is no doubt that this day was the most difficult day of the sailing operation. Both physically and mentally, the sailors went through a great challenge, and this was clearly seen on their faces. After a hot meal and words of encouragement, we dispersed the people to our cozy quarters in the brigade.

Section VIII

We started the last day at the baptism site. It is exciting to start sailing in the place where the Israelites crossed the Jordan. We inflated the boats very quickly and just before going down to the water, the strong current carried the boats relatively fast. At the same time we visited the "Land of the Monasteries" and climbed to the observation deck above the Romanian monastery hostel.

It was very interesting to see the eastern end of Wadi Kelt which still flows into Jordan. We arrived at a resting point near the river in order to see the convoy of boats passing us in the fast current.

We made the stop as planned near the Abdullah Bridge. The current near the bridge was very strong, we weren't sure if it was possible to stop the boats in order to get them out of the river, we looked for several points where the current was weak but in vain, finally thanks to the good skill of our boat guides the boats were stopped and pulled out of the river despite the strong current and General J arranged the The layout under the bridge.

We skipped the boats a kilometer and three hundred meters to a more convenient point in the river. Although it was a section of cliffs that required sliding boats into the river, it was a very convenient point for entering the water.

We entered the Dead Sea as planned, and a sailor named Jackie with a motorized boat was waiting on standby in the Dead Sea to pull us to the wonderful end point we found, Kalia Beach with a hose for washing boats and a place for a final dinner near the SUVs.

Thus came the end of a unique and successful sailing operation in southern Jordan, after 150 years since General Francis Lynch carried it out. During the operation we mapped about 70 km of river, monitored and surveyed the flora and fauna and also cleaned huge amounts of waste and vegetation barriers, in order to allow a normal and full flow in the river.

It was a huge experience to wander in an unknown land and be a link in the chain of explorers such as William Francis Lynch, John McGregor and other early explorers and adventurers.

Together with the people of the Nature and Parks Authority, the Society for the Protection of Nature, ecological researchers, commanders and military personnel and under the auspices of the Bekaa Brigade, led by Brigadier General Aviv Amir and Major V. I had the privilege of leading this exciting and historic experience, and for that I am grateful.

Ilan Cohen is the deputy commander of the 2nd Brigade and the heritage officer of the Bekaa and Emekim Brigade