A program for Civil International Solidarity with Palestinians
The Alternative Tourism Group
and the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of Palestine
For the past 12 years, the Alternative Tourism Group (ATG) and the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of Palestine (JAI) have been organizing an annual olive picking program in Palestine; a special event where support for Palestinian farmers is provided as well as granting an opportunity to people from around the world to experience Palestine under the Israeli military occupation.
Since the year 2000, the olive harvest has been overshadowed by the Israeli policies of repression, closure, blockage of streets, confiscation of agricultural lands, as well as repeated attacks against Palestinian farmers by Israeli settlers and military. Now with the construction the Apartheid Wall and the continuous expansion of Israeli settlements at the expense of agricultural land in the occupied Palestine, many farmers are separated from their trees, and help is most needed.
Buildings on experience from previous years, the JAI and the ATG have planned a program for civil international solidarity with Palestinian people and farmers. The objective of this program is to mobilize as many people as possible for olive picking, especially in areas that are situated in proximity to Israeli settlements and bypass roads, in order to help Palestinian farmers harvest their olive trees which they might be unable to do without international support. Also, the event has brought up awareness to hundreds of people from many countries around the world about real life under the Israeli Military Occupation, and the experience itself was referred to by several participants as a life changing one.
Besides picking olives, the program will feature introductory presentations about the organizing institutions, the current situation in Palestine and the effect of the Apartheid Wall, tours in the old city of Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, a tour of Hebron, cultural evenings and social gatherings.
Olive Picking 2015 - Proposed schedule
10-19 October 2015
Day 1 - Saturday, 10 October: Arrival. Meeting representatives from the organizing institutions for an overview and discussion of the program.
Dinner and overnight at Sahara Hotel in Beit Sahour (near Bethlehem)
Day 2 - Sunday, 11 October: Half day picking olives at a selected field.
After lunch, political tour and sightseeing in Bethlehem, including a visit to a refugee camp.
Dinner and overnight at Sahara Hotel in Beit Sahour
Day 3 - Monday, 12 October: A tour in the city of Hebron. Visiting the Ibrahimi Mosque, the old city, Ashuhada Street. Lunch. Visiting a glass factory. Free time.
Dinner and overnight at Sahara Hotel
Day 4 - Tuesday, 13 October: Half day picking olives at a selected field, followed by lunch in the field. A presentation on the refugee questions with BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugees' Rights.
Dinner and overnight at Sahara Hotel
Day 5 - Wednesday, 14 October: free day.
Dinner and overnight at Sahara Hotel
Day 6 - Thursday, 15 October: Half day picking olives at a selected field, followed by lunch. Meeting at The Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) for a presentation on the Apartheid Wall and land confiscation. Visiting an olive press.
Dinner and overnight at Sahara Hotel
Day 7 - Friday, 16 October: a full day of picking olives at a selected field, lunch included.
Dinner and overnight at Sahara Hotel
Day 8 - Saturday, 17 October: Tour in the Old City of Jerusalem. Lunch, followed by a settlement tour around Jerusalem: colonies, segregation Wall, house demolitions, expropriation of lands.
Dinner and overnight at Sahara Hotel
Day 9 - Sunday, 18 October: Half day picking olives at a field. Lunch. Evaluation meeting with institutions' representatives, followed by a musical evening.
Dinner and overnight at Sahara Hotel
Day 10 - Monday, 19 October: Departure.
More Information:
- The cost of the program including accommodation in a double room, meals, guides, transportation and other relevant expenses is US$700.
- Accommodation can be arranged at a hotel or with a local family.
- A guide will be present with the group at all times for facilitation purposes.
- Travel from and to the airport is not included in the cost but can be arranged for groups.
For any other information, questions, concerns, or to request a registration form, please contact:
Jawad Musleh, Alternative Tourism Group, program coordinator, via email at: jawad@atg.ps or by phone at (+970) 2 2772151
We hope to have you with us!
http://atg.ps/programs/olive-campaigns
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