PALESTINE - ISRAEL - JORDAN - SINAI

Off the beaten track tours • Visit sites • Meet locals • Discuss Human Rights & Politics

Internal Strife – The Case of the Mizrahi Communities in Israel

By Miri –  In recent weeks, with the riots sparked by the anti-Islam video “The Innocence of Muslims”, proponents of the discourse of a “Clash of Civilizations”, who have been warning against the “Jihad” that the “Muslim World” is launching against “Western Civilisation”, saw themselves once again confirmed.  The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is […]

Read More

Celebrating Life – The Taybeh Oktoberfest

By Miri –  Every year at the end of September, millions of people visit Munich, the capital of Bavaria in Germany, to attend the famous Oktoberfest. The world’s largest fair was first held in October 1810 to celebrate Germany? Nope. Oktoberfest in Blumenau, Brasil. the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese and was […]

Read More

Safety and Risk: Some Recommendations for Women Solo Travellers in Palestine and Israel

By Miri –  We have already addressed the topic of general safety and risk when travelling in Palestine and Israel in a number of posts on this blog. What we have not written about yet, are the specific concerns of women solo travellers, a lacunae that we want to fill now. We will mainly be […]

Read More

The Dom Community or the Gypsies of Jerusalem

–> By Miri –  All across Europe Antiziganism or Roma-phobia1is on the rise again. According to human rights organisations Roma communities suffer from systematic discrimination in many areas, and frequently fall victim to serious racist assaults of both verbal and physical nature. The rhetoric used against the communities, including by European government officials and parties, […]

Read More

Ramallah, the “New Paris of the Middle East”?

By Miri – In terms of ancient history, Ramallah does quite poorly compared to other cities in Palestine, such as Bethlehem, Nablus, Hebron and of course, Jerusalem. As opposed to many other places in the Holy Land, the relatively young city, whose history (only) dates back to the mid 16th century, is also not mentioned […]

Read More


A Brief Modern History of the Palestine / Israel Conflict

 – 
by Yahav Zohar & the Green Olive TeamOttoman Period Israel and Palestine are two names for the same place, claimed by both the Zionist and Palestinian national movements. Despite often heard claims, this is not an ancient problem. For hundreds of years of Ottoman rule, the ethnic and religious groups here lived together in […]

Read More

Not All Black and White: Football in Palestine

By Miri – “The thing about football – the important thing about football – is that it is not just about football.” Terry Pratchett A few years back many Palestinians would have asked me, the obvious foreigner, about my political opinion, be it on the Occupation as a whole, or on international or internal Palestinian […]

Read More

Persia and the Jews

By Miri –  –> During these days of increasing tensions between Israel and Iran it is worthwhile to revisit the ancient interconnectedness between the Jewish people and what used to be and is still referred to by many as Persia. Cyrus the Great Jews have been settling in the territories of today’s Iran for over […]

Read More

The Politics of Hummus

By Miri –  Many times I am being asked why the hell I decided to move to such a crazy and often times depressing place such as Palestine and Israel and to be honest I asked myself the same question numerous times. Obviously there are quite a few factors determining the answer, one of which […]

Read More

LGBTQs in Palestine and Israel

By Miri –  Last week was very much associated with the LGBTQ1community, both for the good and for the sad. Last Thursday, Jerusalem held its 10th Gay Pride Parade, while on Saturday, the Tel Aviv community commemorated the third anniversary of the shooting at an LGBTQ centre that left two dead and fifteen wounded on […]

Read More

Two Cities, One Story – Jaffa and Tel Aviv

By Miri – Today’s Jaffa forms part of the joint Tel Aviv – Jaffa municipality, which often gives the impression of Jaffa being just another neighbourhood, or even a suburb of Tel Aviv. This widespread perception signifies quite an affront to the Bride of the Sea, Jaffa’s proud nickname. The city ranks as the second […]

Read More

Review of Sahar Khalifeh’s book, “The End of Spring”

by Yahav Zohar – “The End of Spring” is the only book I’ve read by prolific novelist Sahar Khalifeh. I’ve heard and read that it is not her best, and I am inclined to agree that as a novel it is far from perfect. Characters tend to be roughly sketched and bordering on stereotype, the […]

Read More
Fill out my online form.