As U.S. taxpayers, we play a big role in perpetuating the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. The United States gives over $3 billion annually to Israel in military aid, which is primarily used to continue its 40 year old Occupation of Palestinian Territories. The Bush Administration's alliance with the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has resulted in unprecedented violence. The US and Israel's role in dictating internal Palestinian politics and fueling a growing rift between Fatah and Hamas has brought about the near-total collapse of any viable peace process.
At Global Exchange, we believe the root of violence in the region is caused by the Occupation and the complete disregard of international law and UN resolutions. We believe if U.S. citizens truly understood the reality of what is happening in the region, and were exposed to the amount of dialogue that even the Israeli public is exposed to, we would be able to begin to pressure our government to change its one-sided policies toward Israel.
Our fact-finding delegations to Palestine & Israel strive to further the U.S. public's understanding of the conflict and the region's realities by giving people first-hand exposure to the human rights abuses occurring in the Occupied Territories. Participants have the opportunity to hear a diverse spectrum of Palestinian and Israeli voices and learn about their understanding of the conflict and hopes for a solution.
We ask participants to ask tough questions: Should the U.S. government be giving $3 billion in annual aid to Israel, which already has the world's 17th largest economy and one of its most powerful militaries? What can the U.S. be doing to pressure Israel to end the Occupation and comply with International Law? And, most importantly, what can we be doing as U.S. citizens to help educate and activate our communities about this conflict given the amount of misinformation and bias in the media? Read articles and blogs by past participants [2].
Click here to view the sample itinerary [3]
- Visit cities, villages and refugee camps under siege in the West Bank. Learn from Palestinians about their lives under Israeli occupation and their hopes for liberation
- Meet with Palestinian and Israeli human rights and peace organizations such as: the Palestine Center for Rapprochement, B'tselem, Alternative Information Center, Addameer, and Gush Shalom
- Tour around Jerusalem with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions to learn about settlement expansion plans, bypass roads and house demolitions
- Meet an Israeli who lost his child due to the conflict and is now working with an organization of Israeli and Palestinian Bereaved Families to end the occupation
- Visit with Palestinian medical relief workers and learn about the human toll of the occupation and the continuing military actions in the West Bank and Gaza
- Visit Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites and learn about the role these places play in the present conflict
- Meet with a member of Yesh Gvul, part of the growing "refusenik" movement of Israeli reservist soldiers who refuse to fight in the '67 Occupied Territories
- Meet with an Israeli settler in the West Bank to hear their reasoning and justification for Israel's continued settlement expansion in the face of worldwide condemnations
- Stay overnight with Palestinian families in Beit Sahour
- Learn about Palestinian non-violent resistance to the Occupation and the evolution of this movement from the first Intifada to the current, Al-Aqsa Intifada
- Visit various segments of the wall and learn about how it has impacted communities, livelihoods, and people's dreams of living in a viable Palestinian state
- Visit with both Palestinian and Israeli youth working to end the occupation and towards a just solution
- Double room accommodations
- 2 meals/day (lunch excluded)
- On-ground transportation
- All program activities; honoraria to all host speakers, organizations and communities
- Trip leader(s), guide and translator
- Reading materials
- Personal meetings to suit your particular interest (as available)
- GX membership for one year
- International airfare, tips and personal expenses are not included
To register, please send in your application form and a deposit of $400. Payments by Mastercard, Visa and Discover are welcome. Deposits are non-refundable unless the trip is canceled by Global Exchange as explained below.
Please note: We must meet a minimum number of trip participants on every trip, so please register early!
To ensure that all participants can plan accordingly, the minimum number of participants must be reached within 30 days before departure, or the trip will be canceled. If canceled,registered participants can choose to receive a full refund or transfer to a future group. Once a trip is confirmed (reaches the minimum # of participants) registrations may be accepted up to 1 week before departure.
This trip will be as diverse as possible in terms of race, age and life experiences. In some cases, a limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income applicants.