VISIT TO PALESTINE & ISRAEL

28 April – 7 May 2008

Led by Victoria Ashdown

Monday 28 April

Depart Heathrow and Arrive Jerusalem.
Settle into St. George’s Guesthouse for 3 nights

Tuesday 29 April

Start the day at the summit of the Mount of Olives. Walk down the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane. We enter the Old City through the Lion Gate, visiting the Church of St. Anne & the Pools of Bethesda. Next door, we visit the Convent of the Sisters of Zion where we see the Lithostratos (the pavement where Jesus was condemned) and the Herodian Struthian pools. We continue through the Old City along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We have a leisurely late lunch at the Nafoura Restaurant by the Jaffa Gate. Afterwards, we shall go to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu and finish the afternoon by the Western Wall. A leisurely evening at a local restaurant.

Wednesday 30 April.

Early morning go to the Dome of the Rock. From there we proceed to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum, and afterwards have lunch at the village of En Kerem (birthplace of John the Baptist). For lunch, we shall be joined by a member of the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions, who will then take us on a tour of the settlements surrounding Jerusalem. During the tour, we shall hope to meet with some settlers. We shall finish the day with a meeting of Palestinian and Israeli NGO’s at the Peace Centre, in Anata, built on the site of a demolished home, where we shall also have a meal provided by the Schawamreh family, whose home it was.

Thursday 1 May

This morning we shall go to Ramallah, where we meet with a Women’s Affairs organisation. We shall also visit the Government HQ in Ramallah, and hope to meet with a senior member of the Palestinian Authority. We also hope to visit The Quaker Christian School. From there we proceed to Bethany to visit both sides of the wall. We meet with a leading local Palestinian woman whose family properties have been separated by the wall, and then proceed to Bethlehem to the Star Hotel for 4 nights.

Friday 2 May

We start the day with a briefing at ATG in Beit Sahour and then visit the Church of the Nativity. We continue to the Deheisha Refugee Camp for a walking tour and meeting at the IBDA Cultural Centre in the Refugee camp. Afterwards we proceed to Bethlehem University where we shall have lunch and meet with staff and students. Later in the afternoon we shall visit the Arab Centre for Rehabilitation in Beit Jala, and in the evening have a meal at a Bedouin Tent Restaurant in Beit Sahour.

Saturday 3 May

First we shall visit the village of Wadi Fouqin, whose lands have been taken by a huge new settlement, and whose village is being surrounded by the Wall. We shall meet with leading villagers, and have a walking tour of the village. From there we shall proceed to Hebron, where we spend the rest of the day with the Christian Peacemaker Team, visiting the occupied Old City and the Tombs of the Patriarchs.

Sunday 4 May

We shall worship with a local congregation in Bethlehem. The rest of the day will be free to explore Bethlehem or Jerusalem and for shopping!

Monday 5 May

We leave Bethlehem, and travel by the desert road to Jericho, visiting the monastery at Wadi Qelt on the way. In Jericho we hope to meet with local community leaders, and continue our journey to Nazareth. We may possibly visit the Mount of Transfiguration on the way. In Nazareth we visit the Nazareth Christian Hospital, and check into St. Margaret’s Guesthouse for 2 nights.

Tuesday 6 May

Early morning, we travel to the Palestinian village of Tamra in Galilee to meet with Susan Nathan, author of “The Other side of Israel” – an Israeli Jew living amongst Palestinians. Afterwards, we hope to meet with Archbishop Elias Chacour (author of ‘Blood Brothers’) in the nearby village of Ibillin. After lunch, we shall continue to the Sea of Galilee, for a mid-afternoon Communion at the Mount of Beatitudes. We shall walk down the Mount of Beatitudes to the lakeside Church of Mensa Christi, and visit Capernaum. Afterwards we shall take an Evening Cruise on the lake and finish the day with fish supper by the lakeside before returning to Nazareth.

Wednesday 7 May

Return to London

Total Cost: £ 985
Inclusive of Flights, all internal travel and entrance fees, guide and half-board accommodation.
Single Supplement: £100