Not sure exactly where those spots are, I no longer live in Vancouver. But I have swam in the ocean in countless spots along the coast there and yes it’s almost always freezing cold. However I’m used to swimming in glacier water where I grew up in the Rocky Mountains.
That was my point: you can certainly swim and ski in places ~1 hour drive apart from each other in PNW, but the expertise is quite different from Cyprus.
You can do grouse or cypress in the morning and then hit English Bay or Kitsilano Beach in the afternoon in the spring and it can go above 25C sometimes
Edit: I got confused because there’s a ski hill in Vancouver called Cypress 🤦♂️
Hezbollah (not Lebanon, and not Syria) claim that the hill with Shabaa Farms is Lebanese. Not MT Hermon. The entire Golan heights is claimed by Syria, including Mt Hermon, who lost it when they attacked Israel in 1967. Israel then annexed it in 1980.
lol it's objectively Israeli-occupied Syrian territory and is not recognized as Israeli by the entire world. Illegal occupation. All you have to do is look it up instead of performing gymnastics:
It being illegal occupied is based on which country you ask. Some countries recognize it as a legal occupation on self defense grounds and the us recognizes it as part of Israel
I mean, apart from the general unsafety of driving in Syria, IIRC the highest peak of the Hermon is still on the Syrian side. I've only ever cycled to the ski resort, but I recall that the army position at the Israeli peak is still lower than the Syrian one.
Mt Hermon was annexed by Israel in 1980, 13 years after being captured in a war after Syria attacked. The Syrians might want it back, but we could say that about a lot of lands lost in lots in wars.
Syria gained its independence in 1947.
Its borders were set by the British and French, who conquered the region in 1918.
Israel conquered the Golan Heights/Mt. Hermon in 1967 following the six days war.
So Syria “received” this land from an entity that ruled for 29 years, obtained in conquer.
Syria held the area for 20 years, during which it used to fire mortars on civilian villages in Israel.
Israel holds the land for 57 years.
So it is far more Israeli than Syrian.
And if conquering a land doesn’t mean it ever stops belonging to the conquered, then it was never France/Britain’s to give to Syria in the first place.
"Did you believe in the international rules that FORBID the unilateral annexation of territory?"
Ahh yes, the international rules that were formed by... the world's government? I guess there's an uber-police that's locks up lesser-governments if they don't follow these rules? yeah, I don't think you understand what an "international law" even is.
"Telling you because I do not believe Syria has agreed to or signed any document giving the land to others." - doh! and there I was thinking that conquering land is done based on a mutual agreement and understanding. Silly me.
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u/dotancohen Oct 29 '24
Not uncommon. Mt Hermon in Israel and Anzali in Iran feature similar contrasts - skiing and swimming in the sea just an hour's drive away.