$795 per person (2 or more people)
single supplement $100
includes accommodations, daily tours, breakfast & dinner
Begins every Monday
single supplement $100
includes accommodations, daily tours, breakfast & dinner
Begins every Monday
Hosted by ToursinEnglish.com Director Fred Schlomka and Palestinian families, this tour is designed to provide an overview of the West Bank, Palestinian culture, and life under Occupation. It is an excellent way to begin your visit, and sets the stage for further independent travel.Fred and select Palestinian guides will give you an intense and rich experience packed into four days. You'll see five Palestinian cities, meet dozens of Palestinians, and be provided with a huge amount of information about Palestinian history, culture and the Occupation.
Your overnight stays will be at a family home in Beit Sahour, a suburb of Bethlehem. Unless you come with a friend you will share a room with another person who is taking the tour. If it is a small tour then single rooms may be an option.
Day 1 - Monday - Greater Jerusalem and The Old City
10.00am. You will meet your host, Fred Schlomka at the Gate Cafe, Damascus Gate, at the entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. Your trip will start with an alternative tour of Jerusalem's Old city, taking in the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Selpuchre in addition to seeing the Israeli settler homes that have been sprouting in the Muslim Quarter. You'll learn about the implications of Israeli encroachment into Muslim areas of the Old City and surrounding neighbourhoods.
After lunch you will go on the road for a tour of some of the suburban Jerusalem settlements, Palestinian neighborhoods, the Separation Barrier, and segregated roads. These will include Pizgat Ze'ev, Har Homa, Beit Hanina, and Anata.
You'll drive through Ma'ale Adumim, one of the largest settlements in the West bank (pop. 35,000). There will be a coffee break during the afternoon when Fred will conduct a briefing on the history and current status of the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank, illustrated with maps.Then off to Beit Sahour to meet your host family after a busy and intense first day.
Day 2 - Tuesday - Bethlehem
Today you'll be with a Palestinian guide for an overview of Bethlehem. You'll see the settlement of Har Homa that you saw from the Jerusalem side of the Barrier yesterday. Today the view will be from the Palestinian side.You'll visit the Aida Refugee Camp, the Palestine Heritage Center, visit a Palestinian NGO, and see the Separation Barrier up close. You'll also visit Solomon's Pools, and the Church of the Nativity.
In the evening you'll visit the Alternative Information Center (AIC) for their weekly discussion session about aspects of Palestinian life and the Occupation. There is a featured speaker from an Israeli or Palestinian organization then lots of round table discussion. The AIC promotes the rights of the Palestinian people, and is the only peace and justice organization that has a mixed staff and board of Palestinians and Israelis.
Day 3 - Wednesday - Nablus
Fred will pick you up early in the morning. You'll travel up the spine of the West Bank on route 60 seeing many small radical settlements and Palestinian villages. After arriving at the Huwara Checkpoint you'll transfer from Fred to a Palestinian guide for the tour through Nablus.The first stop will be the Balata Refugee Camp where you'll see the crowded conditions and hear some stories about life there. You'll also visit one of the camp organizations that helps make life a little better for the residents.
The tour will include the Old City with its beautiful labyrinth of buildings dating back to the Ottoman period. You'll visit the ancient Turkish baths and an olive oil soap factory. You will also visit sites of historical and religious interest such as Jacob’s Well; a deep well dug by Jacob and where Jesus once asked a Samaritan woman for a drink. If the Israeli army permits, the tour will pass the checkpoint to the Samaritan's hilltop village on Mount Grizim as see the site of their ancient temple.
Day 4 - Thursday - Hebron
From Bethlehem you'll drive south through an area of Jewish settlements and Palestinian villages and farmland, some of the most lush areas in the West Bank.In Hebron you'll visit Abraham's Tomb and the Old City where Israeli settlers live in close proximity to the local Palestinians. You'll visit a local family and a glass blowing workshop that recycles glass from the city, crafting beautiful objects.
Later in the afternoon you'll return to Bethlehem and see some of the other areas of the city.
Day 5 - Friday - Departure
Morning - Depart by bus to Jerusalem. Taking a Palestinian bus to Jerusalem is an interesting experience and will give you a chance to see what local people experience at the checkpoints.
Your host family will see you on to the bus which will bring you to the bus station at Damascus Gate in Central Jerusalem. Private transportation can also be available if you prefer.
Itinerary subject to change
Your Host
Fred Schlomka
Fred Schlomka Has been involved professionally with Israeli/Palestinian issues for ten years. He is Director of ToursInEnglish.com, active in the Israeli peace movement and a partner in North Bridge Investments, a unique Israeli/Palestinian company. In 2003 Fred was awarded a Social Entrepreneur Fellowship from the Echoing Green Foundation in New York for his work in advancing relationships between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. He has lectured on Israeli/Palestinian issues in Europe and the USA, and his articles have been published widely. more
