Palestine Immersion -10 Day/10 Night Tour

You will be picked 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. You will visit to the Samaritan village on Mount Grizim, and learn about tis ancient people who have survived despite the odds against them. 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.

From Bethlehem you'll drive around the east of Jerusalem through the Judean Desert to Ramallah. You'll see many Jewish settlements en-route and enter the city through a checkpoint into the neighborhood of Kufr Akab. 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.

You'll travel from Bethlehem south to the village. On arrival at Beit Ummar you'll meet your hosts Mousa & Bekka, and settle in to your room.  You'll stay in dormitory accommodations in their family home with comfortable lounge areas, a balcony and outdoor space. There is wireless internet throughout - so you can sit under an olive tree while getting your email, or use the computer in the lounge. You'll spend the day walking the village with Mousa, meeting local families to learn about their life and issues with land confiscation and settlers. 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.

In the morning you'll visit farmers in their fields and homes around the village and see firsthand the situation with the settlements which have been built on confiscated land. You'll also be learning about the Palestine Solidarity Project. The villagers have developed a strategy of non-violent resistance to the Occupation and organize a variety of activities. 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.

You'll take a field trip with Mousa to the South Hebron Hills and visit villagers in areas under threat by settlers who have lost much of their land and are constantly harassed when they attempt to cultivate their land close to a settlement. 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.

During your final 3 days you'll work in the village, teaching English, working in the fields, or participating in a youth or womens project. On the registration form you can detail your skills and preferences. 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.