Israel Tour 07 Coastal Plain with Jaffa port

If you’re looking for the money in Israel, head for the coast. Today, half of Israel’s population  lives in the Greater Tel Aviv area. But this is not a new phenomenon. Setting up shop in such a high-traffic area has always been good business. In the ancient world, travelers, traders and  armies traversed Israel as they made their way between Africa, Europe, and Asia. Roads naturally  formed on the flat coastal plain rather than in the hills or mountains. Anyone controlling these intercontinental highways in Israel (marked by a red line in this video) would become powerful  and wealthy. The Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans  all coveted control of the coastal plain during the biblical era. Only David, Solomon, and some of  the northern kings took the coastal plain for Israel. The picturesque port in this video is on the  Jaffa (Joppa in the Bible) waterfront, just south of Tel Aviv. For centuries, this was the main port  of Israel. Cedars from Lebanon floated down the coast of the Mediterranean until they reached Joppa. Jonah departed on a ship from Joppa, only to be waylaid by a large fish. Simon Peter was at the home of Simon the tanner in Joppa when a Roman centurion sent for him from another coastal city 37 miles (60 km) to the north. It was in Joppa where Simon also prayed over a woman who had died. She returned to life, causing an understandable stir in the city. This video is one of several that can provide an overview of Israel and the Bible stories that happened in a particular region. For more videos like this one, search for “Israel Tour.”