PALESTINE - ISRAEL - JORDAN - SINAI

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

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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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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Review of Khalil Nakhleh’s book, ‘Globalized Palestine’

by Yahav Zohar – A recent BBC news report tells of what may turn out to be the world’s largest ghost town- Nova Cidade de Kilamba, 30 kilometers outside the Angolan capital of Luanda, is set to house some Nova Cidade de Kilamba 500,000 people in colorful modern apartment blocks,  but nobody is moving in. […]

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The Tale of Jericho’s Oasis Casino

By Miri Like so many other places in Palestine and Israel, Jericho, supposedly the oldest continuously inhabited city of the world, is full of legends and myths, many of which are biblical and endowed with wonders and sacredness, others, especially the more recent ones, are embedded with a less holy aura. Such is the story […]

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Caught Up in Conflict – Some Notes on the Case of the Samaritan Community in Palestine/Israel

By Miri “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way […]

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Bethlehem’s Church of Nativity – Beyond Holiness…

The Church of Nativity in Bethlehem is unquestionably one of the top tourist sites in the region, and obviously any holy land pilgrimage, any Bethlehem tour, but also other West Bank tours usually include a visit of the supposed birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth.The relevance of the site to pilgrims is obvious, but also architecturally, historically, […]

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Is The Occupation Over? What’s Next?

Fred Schlomka First published in Counterpunch –  March 18th, 2011 The demise of the West Bank construction freeze and the emerging building boom is driving the final nails into the coffin of the Palestinian State, at least as previously conceived. If Israelis and Palestinians truly want to see a future based on democracy, justice, and […]

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Gaza CLOSED ZONE video

Yoni Goodman, director of animation for the Academy Award-nominated film, “Waltz with Bashir”,  Now brings you ‘Closed Zone’. Despite declarations that it has “disengaged” from the Gaza Strip, Israel maintains control of the Strip’s overland border crossings, territorial waters, and air space. This includes substantial, albeit indirect, control of the Rafah Crossing. During the past […]

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Renaissance in Ramallah

Fred SchlomkaRamallah, in contrast to East Jerusalem’s decline, has become the center of Palestinian Arab culture and economic growth. With investments from the Gulf States, and a renewed cash flow in the Palestinian Authority, the city is experiencing a construction boom, and cultural renaissance.The Palestinian Authority has 30,000 new affordable housing units planned during the […]

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Palestinian Tourist Police – New Regulations

Fred SchlomkaI had an interesting phone call from one of my Palestinian Tour Guides in Nablus today. Apparently when he was showing a group of visitors around the city yesterday the local tourist police approached him and said that in future he was to provide them with all of the tourist’s passport details in advance […]

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