10 Day Palestine Immersion Tour
- Visit 5 cities
- Be embedded in a village
- 3 days of volunteering
- Tour the Southern West Bank
- Learn about life under Occupation
- Palestinian culture
- Meet local people
Hosted by Green Olive Tours Guides and Palestinian families, this tour is the same as our 7-day tour, with the addition of 3 days of volunteer work in the village of Beit Ummar. Your experience will include day tours, interpersonal contact, and discussion of the issues which will enable you to enjoy the country and the people, while deepening your understanding of the critical issues in the Holy Land today.
You'll see five Palestinian cities, meet dozens of Palestinians, be immersed in the life of a village under Occupation, and be provided with a huge amount of information about Palestinian history, culture and the Occupation.
You'll stay with families in Beit Sahour (Bethlehem) and Beit Ummar village, forming relationships with your hosts and learning about their daily lives.
9.00am. You will meet the group at the Jerusalem Hotel cafe. Your trip will start with a briefing with maps and an alternative tour of Jerusalem's old city, taking in the Western Wall, walking some of the Via Dolorosa, 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 neighborhood.
Then off to Beit Sahour to meet your host family after a busy and intense first day.
You'll visit Aida Refugee Camp, meeting locals and hering their stories. Walk along the Separation Barrier up close. You'll also visit Banksy's Walled Off Hotel, and the Church of the Nativity.
The next 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.
The Separation Wall divides the neighborhood from Jerusalem although it is part of the municipality and the residents pay city taxes. You’ll visit Arafat's Tomb and walk the streets of this bustling city, now the de-facto Capital for Palestinians in the West Bank
After lunch you'll drive to Hebron and visit Abraham's Tomb and the Old City where Israeli settlers live in close proximity to the local Palestinians. You'll visit a local a glass blowing workshop that recycles glass from the city, crafting beautiful objects.
There is wireless internet throughout - so you can sit under an olive tree while getting your email, or use the computer in the lounge.
Beit Ummar is a Palestinian Muslim village between Bethlehem and Hebron in the middle of Israel's Gush Etzion settlement bloc.
In addition to the formal program of activities, you are encouraged to wander the village, meet people, and soak up the atmosphere. There are also adjacent country areas where you can stroll through the olive groves.
These include accompanying farmers to their land when there is a danger of settler violence, replanting destroyed trees, and resisting home demolitions. They also have established a women's embroidery cooperative. You will have an opportunity to learn about these activities, and meet activists in the village to learn firsthand about their work.
En-route you'll pass the Kiriyat Arba settlement, a city being built at the edge of Hebron. Some of the South Hebron residents live shacks, tents and caves. You'll have an opportunity to meet them and learn about their lives.
The volunteer work not only helps the villagers in a materiel way, but also helps keep hope alive by for local people in the knowledge that you care enough to come to learn and help out.
You'll depart for Jerusalem after breakfast, either with public transportation or by private car if you prefer.
Please remember that you'll be visiting conservative communities. Both men and women should be fully covered at all times. This includes a high neckline on a shirt and dress, shoulders and upper arms covered, and dresses or skirts below the knees. Trousers (pants) are common for both men and women. No shorts. Respecting the local mores will enable you to blend in and communicate comfortably with local people.
Your host will assist with departure for Jerusalem via public transportation
Private transportation also available. Please contact us for arrangements.
Passports
CASH - for lunch & entrance fees
• 4 nights family accommodations in Beit Sahour, Bethlehem.
• 6 nights dormitory accommodations in Beit Ummar Village
• Breakfast & dinners
• Lunch on days 5-10
• All transportation from pickup point
• Daily program and tours as per itinerary
• One piece luggage per person
• Airfare
• Travel insurance
• Private transportation to the pickup point.
• Private transportation at the end of the tour
• Lunches on days 1-4
• Extra nights in the village after the tour
• Entrance fees, where applicable
• Any personal expenses
Optional extras: (please contact us)
• Extra nights with your host family after the tour
• Private transportation to the pickup point or at the end of your tour
• Hotel upgrade in Bethlehem