QASR EL-YAHUD, West Bank (AP) — Pilgrims seeking serenity during a visit to Jesus' traditional baptism site may be rattled to discover they are surrounded by thousands of land mines left over from dormant Mideast conflicts. But a project now underway plans to rid the West Bank site of the explosive devices, clearing away the relics of war that have blemished the sacred place for nearly five decades. Land mines still speckle many parts of Israeli war-won territory.
Area around Jesus' baptism site being cleared of land mines