Day 1 - Monday - Arrival

After arrival at Ben Gurion airport you'll take transport to Jerusalem to meet the group. Details will be emailed to you after booking.

Orientation and evening reception at the Jerusalem Hotel, close to the Old City

Dinner and Overnight at Jerusalem Hotel

Day 2 - Tuesday - Jerusalem

Geopolitical orientation of Jerusalem's complex modern history and current status.

A walking tour of the Old City will visit the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and discuss the complex mosaic of culture and nationalities within this densely populated heart of the conflict.

Lunch will be with a lawyer from the Human Rights Defenders Fund for a presentation and discussion.

Then you'll visit Palestinian neighbourhoods, suburban Jewish settlements, the Separation Barrier, and segregated roads and checkpoints.

Your guide will provide descriptions and analysis of the impact of the Jewish settlements on the nearby Palestinian neighborhoods, and discuss the increase in violence since October 7th in a broader historical context.

Dinner & Overnight Jerusalem Hotel
Evening meeting with a representative from Jerusalem City Council

Day 3 - Wednesday - Bethlehem - South Hebron Hills

After breakfast you'll be off to the South Hebron Hills village of Umm Il-Kheir. There are twelve villages currently facing eviction in this area, surrounded by ever-growing Israeli settlements. If successful, this will be one of the largest single forced expulsions by Israel in recent decades. We will join with community residents to learn about why Israel is intent on displacing these agricultural communities and explore local culture and the history of nonviolent resistance in the region. 

You will also learn about Israeli and Jewish international solidarity efforts and protective presence initiatives in the South Hebron Hills, and have lunch in the village.

Then off to explore the religious and political significance of Bethlehem, a Palestinian city in the central West Bank, approximately 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem, with a population of 30,000 people. You'll visit Manger Square, see the Church of Nativity and take a walk through the old city to Aida Refugee Camp, to meet the Director of the Aida Youth Center.

The camp was established in 1950 on an area of 15 acres between the towns of Bethlehem and Beit Jala and today houses 5,000 refugees whose families were displaced in 1948. 

From Aida Camp you will walk along the Separation Barrier and view the graffiti of many local and international artists including the internationally renowned Banksy.

Dinner & overnight with host family in Bethlehem (hotel option available)

Day 4 - Thursday -
Judean Desert - Ramallah

The Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim in the Judean Desert. The high mountains visible in the background are located in Jordan.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Today’s trip takes you around the West Bank perimeter of Jerusalem visiting one of the largest Israeli settlements in the Judean Desert, Ma’ale Adumim, an ultra-modern suburban town and home to over 30,000 Jewish Israelis. 

Then to Ramallah, through checkpoints to visit the economic and cultural hub of Palestine. You'll visit Arafat's Tomb and take a walk through the bustling centre of the city.

Lunch will be with Sam Bahour, a Palestinian businessman, political and economic analyst, who will lend his expertise and contribute to your understanding of the dynamics of the de facto capital of Palestine.

 Return to homestay or hotel for dinner & overnight

Day 5 - Friday -
Gaza Border Region

This day will focus on the communities in the Gaza Strip and the Gaza Border most directly impacted by the hostilities between Hamas and Israel. The group will travel from Bethlehem to the Gaza Border and stop at a lookout point not far from Erez Checkpoint, one of the few points of entry and exit from the Gaza Strip since military closure was instituted in 2007. With your guide you will discuss the history of the Gaza Strip, the removal of the settlements in 2005, the closure in 200, the brutal attack of October 7th 2023, and the devastating implications of the subsequent Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.

Lunch in Sderot with invited guest

Then you will visit Israeli communities on the border of Gaza, over a dozen of whom were attacked by Hamas on October 7th endured months of rocket fire. Both residents of Israeli Jewish communities like Sderot and Bedouin villages in the Negev, or Naqab as it’s called in Arabic, were among the hostages taken on October 7th. You will see the ongoing material and emotional effects of the recent violence on these communities and learn about their implications for the future.

Meetings will be arranged with leaders in a Kibbutz and Sderot. 

Shabbat dinner and overnight in Jaffa with invited guests.

Day 6 - Saturday
Jaffa & Tel Aviv

Explore the Old City and market of Jaffa while learning about the aftermath of 1948. You'll walk the Old City with its restored Ottoman buildings, a renaissance neighborhood full of boutiques and upscale Jewish homes, once occupied by Palestinian Arabs who were expelled in 1948. Then on to the market, the heart of Jaffa during the British Mandate era.

Lunch on your own in the market. Lots of great choices from street food to upscale restaurants.

After lunch you have the option of a free afternoon to shop, visit the beach and relax. Or you can opt to join the afternoon Tel Aviv walking tour.

This will take you through the old American Colony area, also known as the German Colony, seeing the New England-style homes and learning about the attempt by an American group to create a community in the late nineteenth century. Then into today’s Tel Aviv, and the Neve Zedek neighborhood, Jaffa's first Jewish neighborhood, and the former Palestinian Arab neighborhood of Manshie which was completely destroyed after 1948 in order to ensure that Tel Aviv would develop as an essentially all-Jewish city.

Dinner on your own in Tel Aviv or Jaffa.
Overnight in Jaffa

Day 7 - Sunday
Galilee - Golan - Syrian Border

Israel-occupied Golan Heights showing the recent buffer zone added inside Syria. Photo Credit: BBC

Druze elders.

This will be a long day, travelling north from Jaffa north central Israel and the Galilee to the Golan with several stops en-route.

After viewing the Sea of Galilee you'll visit the point where three countries meet, Israel, Jordan and Syria, at the southern edge of the Golan Heights, and learn about the wars of '48 and '67 when the borders were fluid and armies were on the move.

Lunch will be at the Druze village of Mas'ade for lunch and a discussion with elders. You'll see the border where Israel has occupied even more of Syria since the change of regime there.

You'll also visit a Syrian village that was evacuated in 1948 and the residents refused permission to return. There will be a stop at Kal'at Namrood, an impressive castle from the middle ages that was built by the Ayyubids and greatly enlarged by the Mamluks, situated on the southern slopes of Mount Hermon.

Dinner will be enroute back to Jaffa, then a well-deserved nap on the bus.

Overnight in Jaffa

Day 8 - Monday
Burin - Nablus area Jordan Valley

Today’s excursion brings you to the heart of the West Bank, passing the walled town of Qalqiliya at you enter the occupied territories directly east of Tel Aviv.

After passing several Israeli settlements the first stop will be at the Burin Agricultural cooperative where you’ll tour the greenhouse and have discussions with the leaders of the group. Then a short drive to the Samaritan village on Mount Grizim where the sect has a temple and still practices biblical rites and worship in an ancient form of Hebrew. They are the only residents of the West Bank who hold both Palestinian ID cards and Israeli citizenship, and speak fluent Arabic and Hebrew.

After lunch you'll drive to the Jordan Valley and speak with residents of rural farming communities who live in this beautiful region. Israel has slated the Jordan Valley for annexation, as specified in the Trump peace plan of 2020, and wants to consolidate its military control over the area. You will see how the attempts of the army to make life unbearable in the Jordan Valley affects the daily reality of Palestinians.

Return to Jaffa Hotel or dinner & overnight

Day 9 - Tuesday
Departure

Today many of you will depart for home. It is a 30-minute taxi ride from the hotel to the airport. Some of you may opt to stay an extra day or two and explore Tel Aviv or other areas on your own, or book private day trips. Others may choose to volunteer in a village, a tour extension to the Kingdom Jordan or the Sinai, both readily accessible from Israel. The registration form lists the options.