Traveling to Palestine

While it is a common thought for people to want to travel the world, it has become very accessible to do so. Although traveling to a country that is a high conflict area can be more difficult than traveling somewhere else, you can gain much more by going to the high conflict country. Palestine is included in MENA which stands for Middle East and North Africa, which is considered the most high conflict countries in the world. Since Palestine is not considered its own country and is located inside of Israel it can be difficult for travelers to enter the territories.

This map shows the Palestinian Territories that are inside and around Israel. The three Palestinian Territories are Gaza Strip, West Bank and Golan Heights. Knowing where the territories are located can give insight to travelers on the types of conflicts that are represented within each territory.

When traveling to the Palestinian Territories firstly, you need to buy a plane ticket to Israel but it is not adviced to enter from the Ben Guiron International Airport as Palestinian government does not allow americans to enter using that airport. It is usually encouraged to enter through the Allenby-King Huessin border crossing. When inside of Israel, the government has made it clear that american citizens should avoid Gaza Strip because many Americans have not been allowed to leave once they have entered. The most fequently visited territories are the West Bank and Golan Heights.

When people travel as a political act understanding government standings and border crossing guidelines is crucial. Otherwise it is quite likely you will run into issues traveling either to or from your destination.

Palestine Becoming A Country

When traveling anywhere, whether it is as a political act or not , you should understand the history and the present standing of that country. The Palestinian Territories have a long and complicated history with its neighboring countries which plays the major role in how the territories are viewed now. Beginning in 1920 after World War 1 the Ottoman Empire is divided into territories called mandates, one of which became the Palestinian Mandate.

 By 1947 the mandate had been dissolved and Israel had gained over half of the territory from the mandate while the Arab nation recieved what remained. On May 14, 1948 many countries went to war with Israel which created around 700,000 palestinian refugees. In 1949 Israel had control of around 78% of the Palestinian Mandate.

In 1964 the Palestinian Liberation Organization was created, which had the goal to reclaim all the land originally given to the Palestinians. The Six Day War began in 1967 which ended with Israel gaining control of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusulam, the Sinai and the Golan Heights, this created another flood of Palestinian refugees. Violent acts began occuring between Palestinian citizens and Israeli officers.

 In 2003 the United States, the UN, the European Union and Russia introduce the Road Map To Peace as an attempt to have guidelines to establish a peaceful state between Israel and Palestine. Later Israel builds a barrier along the West Bank to divide Palestinian and Israeli territories. This is later voted as an illegal act by the UN but Israel reported they would not remove the barrier although they did alter the route it was built along.

This map shows the amount of land the Palestinians have lost to Israel within the course of only 54 years. While this map does not show the most current land boundries for Palestinians, it shows how devastating and frustrating the recent past has been for Palestine. Understanding why there are conflicts between Palestine and Israel like the conflict of land agreement or the issues with oil, can help you truly travel as a political act.

 Understanding that Palestinian culture and their way of life has had to change drastically because of the conflicts with the surrounding countries in the recent past is crucial. Traveling as a politcal act requires knowledge of the history of the destination, as it can always give information to why the culture is the way it is presently.

Palestine's History of Culture

Israel as a country is fairly religion based and has a very deep religious history that is important today. In the Palestinian Territories, the historical and famous places to see are usually religion based. While you do not have to be a religious person, or follow the same religion as those in Palestine, imersing yourself in their culture can be quite powerful.

A Biblical Guide To The West Bank

While in Palestine, visting the Old City of Bethlehem can show you and teach you about how important religion is to palestinians, while giving a fresh point of veiw on what is important to other cultures.

The West Bank is a major portion of Palestinian Territory which is why it would take all day to see the major sights. A highly recomended tour to take is the West Bank Tour from Jerusalem. This tour takes you through multiple cities in the West Bank, while highlighting all of the most famous landmarks and sightings in the major cities. The tour can provide you with an all day activity while learning what some of the most famous and important to the people of Palestine.

Palestinian Cuisine

When experiencing a new culture there are many ways to go about it, one of the most appealing is finding new cuisine. Food plays a large part in everyone's day to day life, which is why it would make sense to have it create a opening to a different culture.When traveling as a politcal act it is important to imerse yourself in the day to day life of the people in the country you are visiting, as to gain a new perspective.

 Palestinian cuisine is not a widely seen type of food, but it can be very delicious. When in Palestine, the time to go and try new foods is during lunch, the mid day meal is the most important. People will spend between a hour to two hours enjoying lunch, while breakfast and dinner are not usually large meals. Palestinian dishes are fequently made with rice as it is an important staple along with bread.

A very common and popular dish that is made for celebrations is called Mansaf, which contains bread, rice, yogurt, pine nuts and lamb. Dishes like these are usually served on a large serving plate for everyone to take from. It is also common to not use silver ware at meals like this. As it is seen as a time to be social while enjoying all the food, people will sit around the plate and eat together.

While trying the foods of the culture you are in, it can also be beneficial to go to the resturants that are popular in the region. As it can show you what people there enjoy, which can either give you a new experience and try new foods or you can see that people all around the world enjoy the same things. Both of which are important to learn when you travel as a politcal act. In Palestine, Roots is widely known resturant in the Gaza Strip. This shows people the upper class part of the Gaza Strip and serves middle eastern cuisine that is popular in Palestine. On the other side of the classes, a well known resturant in Jerusalum is called HaMit Bahon and serves true local Palestinian cuisine.

Whether you are going out to eat in a new place to try new foods or you find a chain resturant that's nationally known, you can learn more about the culture. Traveling as a political act, gives you the chance to understand the differences and similarities you share with people all around the world. Food can be a wonderful way to travel as a political act even if you aren't aware of it.

Palestinian Night Life

While it is always interesting and important to learn about the distict cultural factors of a country, it can be equally important to understand all the similarities that are shown in different countries and cultures. The night life in Palestine can be very similar to the night life in any country, which can help to make you feel like part of the community.

Al-Masrah Centre for Palestine Culture and Art, along with the El-Kasaba Theater are two venues popularly known in Jerusalem. Plays, folk dancing and musicals are performed here, which are widely enjoyed in Jerusalem.

Ramallah Night Life (video)

Ramallah is also a leading city in night life in Palestine, which is allowing a larger variety of people to feel comfortable being present. The night life in Ramallah is largely with younger people but it shows how people from very different cultures and parts of the world can go out dancing or to a party and see similarities.

Being able to not only appreciate and notice differences in other cultures, but also noticing similarities and connecting with others is what it means to really travel as a political act. To be able to thrive in our fast pace and frequently changing world we as a society need to understand that not everyone lives the same way but can still see our similarities. Traveling as a political act, is how we can make that possible in the near future.