By Amelie Phillipson -
In Israel, tourism is
usually orientated towards visiting the Holy Sites by religious
pilgrims, or to the image of long sandy beaches in Tel Aviv, Eilat
and by the Dead Sea. Yet it also happens that travelers are curious
to find out how people live and how a country works, to figure out
what makes Israel and Palestine so different from other places in the
world. For these kind of visitors, facilities accommodating a form of
mass tourism are inadequate. In Israel, where freedom of expression
and of information are valued like in any other democracy, Green
Olive Tours has had the opportunity to develop an alternative form of
tourism that is closely related to politics. Viewing the issues on
the ground and discussing them freely are a big part of advancing
democracy.
Green Olive Tour's Director Fred Schlomka during a tour |
Green Olive Tours was created in 2007 by Fred Schlomka to
achieve this goal, and began by showing tourists around Jerusalem
with a different vision of the city, spreading different information,
bringing the visitors to the heart of social and political issues.
Green Olive Tours has now expanded and become a collective offering
tours ranging from three hours to several days, including many
excursions to the Palestinian territories, and the possibility for
visitors to schedule specific private tours.
An alternative vision on very
traditional tourist landmarks
It is hard to believe
that a tour company offers a three hour tour of the Old City without
going down the Via Dolorosa, or into the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre. A Green Olive Tour guide will prefer to insist on
discussing the history and social situation of the Old City. Apart
from pointing out some of the traditional landmarks, he will show and
explain a specific graffiti and will point out why there are Israeli
flags in the middle of the Muslim Quarter. All the information is as
clear as possible, making sure it is full of historical, geographical
and social facts.
Senior Guide Yahav Zohar |
Discussion is encouraged as the groups are usually
small, as opposed to many other groups you will see in the Old City,
and arguments are made so as to help to relate what is being shown to
historical or political knowledge. For example a visit to the Jewish
Quarter puts into perspective the relationship between politics and
archeology: archeology is used to determine what belongs to whom.
Green Olive Tours gives its clients insights into the history of the
people as well as political and social challenges that the population
faces. Explanations are given through a social and historical point
of view, not the religious or biblical perspectives.
The originality
of Green Olive Tours lies within the idea of always presenting
counter perspectives, as well as the facts on the ground, enabling
each visitor to make up their own mind about what they see. The
important thing is that the visitors come and see everything for
themselves and are always free to have their own opinion.
A complete program on Palestinian
life
Green Olive Tours runs
trips to cities and villages in the West Bank and in Israel. Every
moment of the tour is carefully utilized, whether it is for the
discovery of a local culture, a local custom, or whether it is a
discussion about the political situation whilst being on the road.
Tours in the West Bank give visitors an insight into difficulties
faced daily by Palestinians, but also into the culture and history of
the people, without omitting stops at some famous must-see locations
such as the Dead Sea. Some tours also include visiting settlements
and meeting settlers, which contributes to the necessity of diving
into several perspectives. Visitors are introduced to all the
negative and positive aspects of how people live there, and are shown
the dynamics that bind people together within the context of an
ongoing conflict.
Cultural experience is emphasized for visitors who
decide to try out the home stays and multi-day tours. This provides
the enlightening opportunity to learn about the daily lives of the
locals in Palestinian or in Bedouin homes. If Green Olive Tours
stands out as an alternative tour company, it doesn’t forget about
those who can be considered regular tourists in the country, the
pilgrims. Once again, these tours specially designed for pilgrims, as
well as covering all the important religious sites, also include a
close take on Christianity in the region, introducing the pilgrims to
local Christians, and always relating this to a social and political
analysis.
Green Olive Tours is a
unique enterprise in Israel, offering the opportunity to get a deeper
sense of the culture of the people met along the way. The opportunity
of learning from one another goes both ways, so this is as important
for the locals as it is for the visitors. Local people learn a lot
from visitors, who then go on to become ambassadors to their
countries as much as they learn about the way people truly live in
the area.
The original article was published in the Palestine-Israel Journey of Politics, Economics and Culture
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Above blog is really helpful in finding the appropriate tours and travels for visiting Israel. I will definitely hire Israel tour guides for spending a vacation in Israel.
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