Israel/Palestine 06.06.2010 - 21.06.2010
Motivation
For two weeks, we will travel through Israel and Palestine. The goal of our study tour is to convey the to the participants a better understanding of the complexity and multilayered nature of the Middle East conflict:
- the religious significance of the holy city of Jerusalem will be explored through a guided tour in the Old City and a visit to the Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount (Haram al Sharif);
- the issue of military occupation of the West Bank will be addressed by visiting the embattled city of Hebron, and discussions with UN peacekeeping personnel and Israeli military officials;
- the visit of a SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) project and meetings with Palestinian NGOs will provide us with an insight into current developments in the Palestinian civil society.
- discussions with local professors, peace activists, politicians and local representatives in the Swiss Embassy, the SDC country offices and representation in the Palestinian Authority, will allow us to grasp the diversity of views and maybe develop a Swiss perspective on the Middle East conflict.
Apart from all these intense encounters, we will of course still have some time to relax. Thanks to the beach on the Mediterranean sea and the mountains of the Golan heights, it shouldn’t get boring.
Testimonial
«Learning from Israeli and Palestinian youth, representatives of non-governmental organizations and political decision-makers about their personal hopes, fears and visions for their region was an incredibly enriching experience. I am thankful to have been able to spend these two intense weeks in the Middle East with such a fascinating, interested and cooperative group.»Andreas Graf, 05.08.2007