West Bank tourist

Nov 4, 2009 1:31:11 AM

Amelia Thomas
Lonely Planet Author

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Travel in the Palestinian West Bank rarely makes any tourist’s itinerary, and it’s not hard to see why. With all the talk of roadblocks, soldiers, suicide bombers and militant regimes, it’s unlikely to vie with Jerusalem’s Old City or Tel Aviv’s nightlife as a major Middle Eastern drawcard. But, by keeping a close eye on the security situation, there’s no reason why a political hotspot can’t also be a tourist hotspot. Despite the media hype, the West Bank is very much open for holiday business.

last-shop-in-Hebron-market

While travelling the length of the West Bank, I faced what locals consider the usual sorts of travel obstacles. Ominous, looming checkpoints; first-hand accounts of terrible hardships and cruelty; a violent incident that left two Israeli policemen dead, presumed killed by Palestinian gunmen. On roads linking the South Hebron Hills to Ramallah and beyond, I saw illegal Jewish settlements and Palestinian villages deadlocked under Israeli military curfew. But travellers are adaptable creatures, and I pressed on to meet the people behind the conflict.

It was worth it. In the deeply troubled city of Hebron, I found humility, hospitality and an overwhelming sense of humanity. Palestinians emerged from their homes to murmur ‘Welcome to Hebron.’ Lunch at a local restaurant in Bethlehem was comfort food served with a smile. Locals in Jericho helpfully eased me onto the correct bus to Ramallah.

But Palestinians weren’t the only West Bank inhabitants who greeted me with warmth. Cave-dwelling Bedouin, routed from their homeland by Israeli development, brewed thyme tea and offered a soft divan. Israeli settlers celebrating the Jewish festival of Purim invited me into their synagogue and their homes, to share the feast where, they explained, ‘everything normal is turned on its head.’

Banksy

‘Up is down on Purim,’ smiled a man dressed as a buxom blonde, ‘Wrong is right.’ And this is the essence of travelling in the West Bank. Arrive expecting terror and you’ll find friendliness. Think things are getting better, and they’re inevitably worse. Be convinced someone’s views are nonsensical, and they’ll provide a rational explanation. But as upside-down destinations go, you won’t find a more confounding, confusing or compelling road less travelled.

Love-in-Hebron

Suggested West Bank itinerary:

Begin your travels in Hebron, then head south – with a good guide – to visit the Bedouins and cave dwellers of the southern West Bank hills. After this, go north to fascinating, lively Bethlehem, then on to ancient Jericho to wander tourist spots in utter solitude. Take a taxi to cultural hub Ramallah for a strong coffee or two (don’t miss Stars and Bucks), and on to Qalqilya to have a peek at its zoo, before heading further to Nablus. To return to Israel, exit via the Qalqilya checkpoint.

Amelia Thomas travelled to Israel and the West Bank on assignment for Lonely Planet. You can follow her adventures on Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled, screening internationally on National Geographic.

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Comments

24 February 2010 11:14AM bartelaviv Report this comment
Happy Purim everybody!! If you want to know a little more about Israel and about purim as well as meet and hear more foriegners that live in and in Israel, you shall click on. as well there are so many people moving to Israel especially danish and europian,people fall in love in and it is hard to blame. myself I am a german Israeli living with my austrian roomate and the multi culti is on. Come visit us!!kisses from <a href="http://www.internationalisrael.com">TEL AVIV</a>
24 February 2010 11:16AM bartelaviv Report this comment
<a href="www.internationalisrael.com ">TEL AVIV!</a>
14 April 2011 3:09AM worldlytraveler Report this comment
The author, Amelia Thomas, seems to have difficulty controlling her biases.
"Illegal Jewish settlements and Palestinian villages"
If she visited Los Angeles would she call the illegal Mexican immigrants as such also?
What about the 500,000 illegal Arab immigrants to Israel which Robert F. Kennedy so eloquently wrote about?
Bedouin, routed from their homeland by Israeli development"
14 April 2011 3:09AM worldlytraveler Report this comment
The author, Amelia Thomas, seems to have difficulty controlling her biases.
"Illegal Jewish settlements and Palestinian villages"
If she visited Los Angeles would she call the illegal Mexican immigrants as such also?
What about the 500,000 illegal Arab immigrants to Israel which Robert F. Kennedy so eloquently wrote about?
Bedouin, routed from their homeland by Israeli development"
14 April 2011 3:14AM worldlytraveler Report this comment
"Bedouin, routed from their homeland by Israeli development"
Interesting that the author mentions nothing about the hundreds of Jews routed from their homeland in Heborn when Arabs massacred them in 1929. Also there is no mention of the hundreds of Israelis routed from their homes in Jerusalem by Jordanian illegal occupation. (Lonely Planet ignores illegal activity when it is perpetrated by Arabs)
Lonely Planets obvious bias is enough for me to NEVER buy one of their books.