PALESTINE - ISRAEL - JORDAN - SINAI

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

Leila Mourad – A Jewish Egyptian Diva

By Miri – The singer and actress Leila Mourad appeared in 27 films and sang over 1,000 songs, many of which became classics and reserved her a space among the greatest Arab vocalists of the golden age of the 20th century. Until today she is considered to be one of the greatest Egyptian singers, second […]

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The Palestinian Costume – Embroidered HerStories

By Miri – One thing that keeps on impressing me about Palestine is its endless local variety, its heterogeneity. You can be in one village in the West Bank and hear people making jokes about the particular accent of the neighbouring village, which is not even a kilometre away. As someone whose Arabic is far […]

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Dance the Dabke!

By Miri – It is always a challenge to write about music or sound in general. Are there words at all to describe what you perceive through your ears, what vibrates through your body and frequently triggers strong emotional responses?In failing to truly put into words what we hear when talking about a sound event […]

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On the State of the State of Palestine

By Miri –  According to Benedict Anderson, one of the most influential scholars on nationalism, all nations are socially constructed communities, imagined by those who perceive themselves as part of that particular group. Following Anderson there are certain elements and dynamics which commonly aid the creation of this mental image of affinity among its members, […]

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The Significance of the Olive Tree

By Miri –  Notwithstanding massive uprooting to enable settlement expansion and the concomitant building of infrastructure through the Israeli government, the olive tree is still one of the most prominent features in the landscapes of Palestine.To some, the olive tree may seem like an ordinary tree, maybe not even a particularly beautiful one, yet to […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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, […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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