Introduction to Israel & Palestine • 8 Day Tour 

Day 1 - Monday - Greater Jerusalem and The Old City

09.00am. A representative of Green Olive will meet you at the Jerusalem Hotel Cafe. There will be a briefing with maps and an intensive 3-hour walking tour of Jerusalem's Old city, taking a look at the Western Wall, passing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and seeing the Israeli settler homes that have been sprouting in the Muslim  Quarter.

After lunch you will go on the road for a tour of some of the suburban Jerusalem settlements, Palestinian neighborhoods, the Separation Barrier, and segregated roads. These may include Jabal Mukaber, Har Homa, Nof Zion, or Anata.

You'll also see Ma'ale Adumim, one of the largest settlements in the West bank (pop. 35,000).

Then off to Beit Sahour (a Bethlehem suburb) to meet your host family after a busy and intense first day.

Dinner & overnight with a Palestinian family in Beit Sahour (Bethlehem)

Day 2 - Tuesday - Bethlehem

Today you'll be with a Palestinian guide for an overview of Bethlehem. You'll see the settlement of Har Homa that you saw from the Jerusalem side of the Barrier yesterday. Today the view will be from the Palestinian side.

You'll usually begin out in the Judean Desert, where the impresive Mar Saba monastery has been clinging to the cliffside since the 4th century. Then you will visit the Aida Refugee Camp, and have a discussion with a representative of an organisation there. You'll see the Separation Barrier up close, and the famous Bansky graffiti around his Walled Off Hotel. You'll also meet Palestinians, and visit the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square.

Dinner & overnight with a Palestinian family in Beit Sahour (Bethlehem)

Day 3 - Wednesday -  Nablus

You'll be picked up early in the morning and travel up the spine of the West Bank on route 60 seeing many small radical settlements and Palestinian villages.

The first 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.

A highlight of the day is the Samaritans' hilltop village on Mount Grizim to see the site of their ancient temple and their modern-day village. Sometimes a local Samaritan priest is available to have a discussion at the museum.

Dinner & overnight with a Palestinian family in Beit Sahour (Bethlehem)

Day 4 - Thursday - Hebron and Ramallah

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 family and a glass blowing workshop that recycles glass from the city, crafting beautiful objects.

Dinner & overnight with a Palestinian family in Beit Sahour (Bethlehem)

Day 5 - Friday - Settlement Analysis 

For the past few days you have been immersed in the Palestinian Ethos. Today you'll 'Cross the Veil' and meet the other side. Who are these people with full Israeli citizenship rights who live next to disenfranchised Palestinian communities? Why have they chosen to live in Occupied Territory outside the internationally recognized borders of the State of Israel? Today you'll hear answers to these questions with critical analysis.

Tour a settlement in the Gush Etzion bloc, just a few kilometres from where you are staying. Your guide will discuss the settlements and meet some settlers too.

In the afternoon you'll return to West Jerusalem and meet your host family and in the evening you'll enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner and learn a little about Jewish ritual and practice.

Dinner and overnight at a West Jerusalem home.

Day 6 - Saturday - Shabbat in Jerusalem

This day of walking and talking will vary from week to week. You’ll learn how Jewish Jerusalem spends the day of rest and visit some of the places that local families go on the Sabbath.

These could include the partially destroyed Palestinian village of Lifta, or the ancient community of En Karem with its many churches and Monasteries. Another option is to take a walk in the hills of Jerusalem.

In wet weather the Israel Museum or an art gallery are possibilities.

Dinner and overnight at a West Jerusalem home.

Day 7 - Sunday - Walking West Jerusalem

You’ll begin the day at Mea Sharim, bastion of many ultra orthodox Jewish sects. By walking the alleyways and narrow streets of this nineteenth century neighbourhood you’ll gain an understanding of this very religious yet rapidly growing aspect of Israeli society.

Then off to Mahane Yehuda market with the hustle and bustle of fruit and vegetable vendors, and a wide variety of other stalls and small shops. You’ll have lunch in one of it’s many bistros or restaurants.

You’ll take Jerusalem’s new tram to the south of the city and visit the Holocaust Museum, learning about the genocide and subsequent trauma that fast tracked the establishment of the state of Israel.

At the end of the day you’ll transfer to Jaffa at the southern edge of Tel Aviv and meet your second host.

Dinner and overnight at a Jaffa home.

Day 8 - Monday - Walking Tel Aviv/Jaffa

9.00am - Jerusalem Hotel Cafe. (map)

Passport

Cash

• 8 nights in a family homes in Beit Sahour, Jerusalem & Jaffa
• Private Bathroom, Breakfast & Dinner
• All transportation from pickup point
• Daily guiding per itinerary
• One piece luggage per person

• Airfare
• Travel insurance
• Private transportation to the pickup point.

• Private transportation at the end of the tour.
• lunches