Guidance Notes on Travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Download the Guidance Notes in word format.

Before deciding to visit

Getting there

What to take

What to expect on your tour

Specific Information

Before deciding to visit

Olive Co-operative recommends that you read these guidance notes, seek other opinions from people with knowledge of the area and consult the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Country Advice (www.fco.gov.uk) The decision to travel is yours alone.

While we have tried to take every care in preparing this guidance and ensuring that it is up to date at the time of writing, to the best of our knowledge, neither Olive Co-operative Ltd nor its employees or partners can accept liability for injury, loss or damage arising in any respect of any statement contained herein. This information is intended only for the use of clients of Olive Co-operative Ltd.

If you would like to talk with previous tour customers, require any clarification of any of these guidance notes or further advice, please contact xen(AT)olivecoop.com.
Before you go it is worth thinking carefully about why you are going. What do you want to gain? This is helpful if you are fundraising or campaigning before your tour. It can also be useful in approaching some of your preparations - think about the kind of reports back, writing, speaking etc you might want to do. It may be helpful to take a camera and keep a diary. Do you have links with groups or places you will want to visit? or would you like to establish particular links?

Olive Co-op recommend you read ‘Palestine & Palestinians’ an up to date, comprehensive guidebook published by our partners, the Alternative Tourism Group. Olive Co-op tour customers can buy this guidebook at a discount price of £20, including post and packaging within the UK.

Other guidebooks can be useful in giving an idea of the geography and customs of Israel though information on the West Bank can be patchy and out of date.

The security situation and increasing your safety

Olive Co-operative places customer safety and satisfaction as its primary goal. Your Olive Co-op tour guide will be up to date with local situations and will guide you through the safest, most reasonable journeys.

In a dire emergency you could contact your embassy. East Jerusalem and the OPT, the British Consulate is located at 19 Rehov Nashashibi, Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem 97200. Tel: 02 671 7724. 24 hour phone line 02 5414100.

In Israel:

Although a lot of Israelis can appear rather blasé about it, targets for terrorist attacks have in the past predominantly been buses, bus stations, bus or hitching stops, popular bars, clubs or eateries and markets. Travellers should be aware of the greater risks in these and other public areas. While no cease-fire exists, the stated policy of some Islamist groups continues to be the targeting of civilians within Israel.

In Israel, there is virtually no personal risk from the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), providing you don’t take part in demonstrations, act suspiciously while wearing Arab markers such as keffias, or hang around militarily or politically sensitive areas such as army bases or power stations.

Olive Co-operative does not take visitors to any border areas, as there is considerable risk from all sides. These areas include the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon, the borders with Syria at the Golan Heights, with Jordan, between Israel and the Sinai, and the area surrounding the Gaza Strip.

In the Occupied Palestinian Territories:

Here, the IDF and settlers continue to be the main concern. Your Olive Co-op tour guide will pass on information about any army or settler activity in the area and advise you on the safest course of action. It is always advisable to be aware of any curfews or restrictions in place - in practice, it’s hard not to notice them! We advise that you avoid wherever possible any settlers you don’t know, as they are an unknown quantity, usually heavily armed, often feel persecuted and are not bound by any theoretical rules of engagement.

While most personal security issues arise from the IDF, certain areas should be avoided at night, as they are patrolled by edgy Palestinian security forces. These include areas of Jenin and the Old City in Nablus amongst others. Local advice should always be taken about the relative safety of walking (or driving) around after dark and we would not advise people to break curfews. Olive Co-op tours also avoid taking advantage of settler roads as they have also been the targets of Palestinian sniping and attacks.

Getting there

Buying Flights and Insurance

Most Olive Co-operative customers book their own flights to suit their own travel needs, and flights are not included in the tour price. Flights are relatively easy to book on-line. Easy websites to use include www.britishairways.co.uk, www.opodo.co.uk and www.expedia.com.

Olive Co-operative recommends that travellers purchase travel insurance before departure and be clear that the level of cover is sufficient for your needs. We have not found any insurance that covers the direct effects of violent conflict, however some providers of worldwide travel insurance will cover the usual travel eventualities such as cancellation, delayed baggage or medical treatment, including if this should happen in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

These insurance providers include:

  • Key Travel - tel 0161 819 8900 or 020 7843 9600, www.keytravel.co.uk;
  • Co-operative Insurance Society so long as you are already a customer - tel 08457 464646, www.cis.co.uk.

Visa Upon Entry to Israel

British nationals with a passport valid for at least six months from the date of travel usually receive a three-month visa at Ben Gurion airport by filling in a visa form on the plane or at the arrivals lounge. At land or sea borders, this is usually a 30-day visa. If your passport has visa stamps for countries with a poor relationship with Israel, such as Syria, you may help to obtain a new passport in the UK.

Israeli visa forms ask for your father’s name, your religion, your home address and your temporary address in Israel or East Jerusalem. This address will normally be your hotel.

Upon entry into Israel, your visa form is stamped and split in two parts - one part for passport control, one part for you. You will be asked for your visa slip upon leaving Israel and may be asked for it alongside your passport, for example at checkpoints.

Your Olive Co-op tour guide will accompany you throughout your tour. An Israeli visa without specific restrictions entitles the holder to travel anywhere in Israel or the OPT except “closed military zones” .

Citizens with dual nationality:

British and Israeli dual nationals are required by Israeli law to enter and leave on their Israeli passports and should bear in mind that they are subject to other Israeli laws such as those requiring them to do national service and those prohibiting them from Zone A areas and the Gaza Strip.

Entering and Leaving Israel Through Tel Aviv Airport

Questions about you:

When entering and leaving Israel it is not uncommon to be questioned at length about the purpose of your visit, your travel plans, local knowledge and acquaintances. Questions you can expect to be asked include: what is the purpose of your visit? Where are you staying? Who are you travelling with? If you present yourself with other people you may be asked separately how you know each other. Sometimes the questions can appear blasé, accusing, irrelevant or off the wall.

It’s best to keep answers very brief and to the point. Offering additional information seldom speeds things up and can create a whole new line of enquiry. Words that are likely to extend your time at passport control for several hours include: ‘Palestine’, ‘Palestinian friends’ and ‘human rights’.

Being refused entry (especially at Ben Gurion airport) can lead to a costly and short visit. It’s a good idea to remain courteous and polite, take your time and stand your ground.

It is best to be honest about the key reasons for your visit. For example you are on holiday, on a sight seeing or study tour, to visit or to see friends and family (though they often ask for names and addresses). Feigning complete ignorance of any conflict at all would seem a little implausible, and if asked about concerns over terrorism, a response along the lines of, “It’s everywhere these days and we shouldn’t let it rule our life” doesn’t seem to do any harm. It is best to relax, though, as the majority of people enter Israeli with little delay. Once you have prepared sensibly there is little else you can do until you are there. Preparation increases confidence. Remember to stay calm, relaxed and take your time.

The special treatment!

This is generally reserved for politically high profile individuals and Western travellers of Arab, Islamic, South Asian, African or Caribbean origin. Such people seeking to enter or leave Israel/Palestine, by the land borders or, more commonly, through Ben Gurion airport, are often subjected to long questioning about why they are coming and what their plans are. This can be true of any non-Israelis entering or leaving the country, but is often more detailed for those with names of Arabic or Islamic origin. Young Muslim men travelling alone, in pairs or small groups are more likely to be denied entry to Israel, given the involvement of two British Muslim men in a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in 2003.

The kind of questions asked on entry and exit have included who you are travelling with; the origin of a family name; how many times you have been to Israel before; if you intend to travel to the West Bank; whether you have had contacts with radical Islamic groups, the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the International Solidarity Movement (ISM); and whether an individual with a name of Persian origin had any contacts with Iran.

Special treatment security checks include the contents of luggage being x-rayed, opened up and examined and a body search ie an officer of the same gender will scan and feel the clothes you are wearing. Often you are expected to drop trousers to the knees whilst scanned with a hand-held metal detector - so be sure to wear your best underwear!

With waiting around time, this may take between two to seven hours upon arrival. When leaving Israel, the security services seem to time their searches so that travellers can catch their booked flight just in time - whether you arrive one hour or three hours before your flight is due to leave. If you are lucky enough to have the special treatment (see above) you can expect a security officer to check you into your flight and later, to escort you to the departure gate.

Entering and leaving Israel are the points at which the Israeli authorities are trying to get intelligence about opposition to the Occupation and dissent in general. All travellers must take great care not to divulge the full names of Palestinian people they have met.

If you are questioned at length, it can be reassuring to have posted home all objects which show that you have been in the Occupied Palestinian Territories before you go to the airport. Likewise, contact details of Palestinian people including names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, should be erased from any mobile phones, computers, palmtops etc.

Computers, cameras and other technical equipment can be closely examined and very occasionally taken apart. In the rare instance that equipment is retained for further examination, it often comes back damaged.

The experience is often intimidating but has not yet been reported to include strip searches or physical violence. The job of the security officers is to go through these checking procedures.

Charm is the best policy:

Politeness, friendly conversation, charm and a sense of humour (though not sarcasm) can go a long way to ease your journey as well as brighten up their day. Bringing your own reading material, food and drink as well as texting your friends can also make delays more fun.

Some Muslim specific issues:

Muslims with knowledge of the Qu’ran are permitted to enter the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. The Haram Al-Sharif (Temple Mound) precinct is open to all tourists, though at unpredictable times, so its best to go around 7.30-8.30am.

It may be important for Muslim travellers to ensure that their passports are not stamped with ‘entry into Israel,’ as this will prevent them from entering other Arab countries including Saudi Arabia (the hajj destination) and Syria. Travellers can request the entry stamp to go on a separate piece of paper, rather than their passport. Travellers can also buy a replacement passport upon their return to the UK.

Questions about your baggage:

When entering and more so upon leaving, it is not uncommon to have your bags thoroughly searched. We therefore we recommend that you do not carry any information with you that might give Israeli security officials reason to believe you are travelling for any unwelcome reason. Electronic equipment such as cameras, videos and lap-tops are frequently checked to confirm that they are in working order.

Please do not carry these guidance notes, the tour itinerary, any Palestinian addresses, books or pamphlets that could be construed as being “pro-Palestinian” on your person or in your luggage on arrival or departure. Any information that you will need while there would best be stored in the form of an e-mail to yourself, which you can access later at an Internet café. Any record of meetings that you may have attended would be better posted home. Any reference to your stay in the OPT should be discarded or posted before your arrival at the airport. All of these will cause delays and could jeopardize group travel arrangements.

You will be asked if you packed your bags yourself and we would advise that you do so, being careful to remove any items that may lengthen the security process. If you are asked to take anything back home with you on behalf of anyone else we would advise that you check it first and then post it. Airport security is understandably tight.

Unfortunately, beyond giving all the advice and experience we can think of, Olive Co-operative cannot guarantee your entry into Israel, and it is ultimately the traveller’s responsibility.

Entering and Leaving Israel Through Land Crossings

We are assuming that most Olive Co-operative travellers will be entering and leaving via Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv. However, it is also possible to use the land borders with Jordan. The crossings are at King Hussein (Allenby) and Sheikh Hussein bridges. These entry points can sometimes be easier to enter by and involve less interrogation, but this is not always the case and the officials here sometimes seem more inclined to issue short-term visas if they are a bit suspicious, which can be inconvenient if you are planning to stay on. You may also be asked why you have come this way and why, if you are travelling in the region, you have come straight to Israel from Amman.

Allenby Bridge (it is still generally known by this British Mandate era name) is about an hour’s drive from Amman and crosses into the West Bank near to Jericho. It is largely intended for Palestinian use, but does have an international section, which non-Palestinians must use. A few taxis are generally available on the OPT side and go only to Jerusalem. Because this crossing is not really intended for international use it has short opening hours, is closed on Shabbat (the day of rest from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon) and is often closed at times of tension in the West Bank. Use it with care if you have a plane to catch. The exit visas issued at Allenby are not valid for re-entry to Jordan and it cannot issue entry visas to Jordan for internationals, so you need to get a multiple entry visa in the UK or go to the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv to get a visa back to Jordan.

At both bridges a bus service takes you between the Jordanian and Israeli immigration points, and you will need about 2.5 JD per person to cover this. You will be charged a departure tax on crossing from Jordan into Israel, or around 5JD. You will also be charged a departure tax going the other way - around 140NIS. This can also be paid in dollars or sterling.

Sheikh Hussein bridge is in the North of Israel/Jordan, near the Israeli town of Beit She’an and the Jordanian city of Irbid. It is intended for tourists, although is infrequently used by them, so has longer opening hours and there is a bus service there from Jerusalem’s main bus station, which takes about 3 hours. Getting there from Amman costs about US$25-30 by taxi. There is also a bus service that runs from a station in the distant Seventh Circle of Amman and theoretically ends in Nazareth, but is often truncated at the border, and while cheaper only runs once a day and is not recommended for those with delicate stomachs. On the other hand, it can be the source of fascinating and moving encounters with Palestinians living in Israel. The Jordanian officials at Sheikh Hussein can issue entry visas into Jordan so you do not need to arrange this in advance.

What to Take

Money and Cashpoints

Olive Co-op tours include almost all your tour group expenditure including accommodation, transport and most meals. However you’ll be paying for some meals (around £5 to £10 per person) and for any alcohol with meals. Its normal to leave a 10% tip in restaurants or cafes with table service. If you want to tip hotel workers, you can leave money in your room upon departure. Donations for organisations and tips for guides are welcome but not expected. Within the Olive Co-op tour, there will be opportunity to buy gifts from Palestinian co-operatives, and free time to be tempted into the gift shops in the Old City of Jerusalem.

In Israel, many foreign credit and debit cards can be used for cash withdrawals (in shekels and/or US dollars) from most bank ATM/cashpoints for a £3 transaction charge. ATMs/cashpoints are nearly as common as they are in Britain. Israeli banks do not generally allow over-the-counter cash advances on credit cards. If possible, it can be useful to try and obtain small denominations of shekels before you travel. It is convenient to use the cashpoints in the arrivals lounge of Ben Gurion airport.

In the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), cashpoints/ATMs are very hard to come by, though bigger branches of the Cairo Amman Bank can manually authorise credit or debit card advances. Local advice should be sought, but short-stay and first-time visitors are advised to withdraw enough money from an Israeli cashpoint before entering the OPT.

Travellers’ cheques are not recommended as they are subject to a double tax (about 10/12%) and commission of up to £3 per cheque. If you wish to take them (out of some sense of nostalgia perhaps!), then it’s advisable to change them with money changers - for instance at the Damascus or Jaffa Gates in Jerusalem (or for better rates on Salah Eddin street) - or at an AmEx office. Cash can also be exchanged at AmEx offices at better rates than the banks. For money transfers, the Israeli Post Office or Western Union are the best. Israeli banks do not appear to recognise or accept bankers’ drafts.

The New Israeli Shekel (NIS) is not really a hard currency, so the exchange rate fluctuates a fair bit. Through most of 2004 and 2005 cashpoints gave between 7.5 to 7.8 shekels to £1 sterling. It is best to change your money once you arrive in Israel, as the UK banks tend to give an appalling rate of exchange.

With cash, both in Israel and the OPT, it’s easier to stick to shekels. Though some Israeli businesses will accept dollars and euros, don’t rely on it. At a pinch, Palestinians can be found who’ll accept any hard currency, but it might involve a trek and you’ll need to know the exchange rate beforehand. Changing cash is a better deal with grey market changers, while use of the money changing ATMs involves hefty commission.

Warmer Weather and Dress Code

Most Olive Co-op tours are in the Central region - from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. As a general rule, the climate there is one season warmer than in England. Five day forecasts for Jerusalem can be found on www.bbc.co.uk/weather.

Israel and the OPT has a very varied climate, but in general the following rules apply:

Everything south of Beer Sheva is warm all year round and dangerously hot in summer, but has cold desert conditions at night. As you move north from here the winters get colder and wetter until at the Golan Heights and Lebanese border snow in winter is not uncommon. The Gaza Strip and the area around the Dead Sea and Jericho also have a similar climate to the Beer Sheva area.

The West Bank has a small range of hills running north-south on which Jerusalem is located and because of its height this makes the area colder and wetter than the coastal plain, with snow occurring sometimes; clothes suitable for British weather should be taken. The summers, however, can be very hot and varied, with daytime temperatures around 40+ degrees and night time temperatures dropping thirty degrees below that.
In the more conservative areas of the Palestinian territories, in orthodox areas of Israel, and at mosques, funerals, parades and so on, travellers are advised to adhere to a conservative dress code. This might include wearing long-sleeved shirts, long trousers and, for women, a headscarf with as little hair on show as possible.

Taking Good Care of your Health and Fitness

Olive Co-op tours can be mentally, emotionally and physically demanding. In general, it is advisable to pay extra attention to your own health, wellbeing and stress levels while travelling, including getting sufficient sleep and avoiding excessive alcohol.

It could be a good idea to talk through any worries, anxiety or concerns with other people in the group and/or your Olive Co-op tour guide. Upon request, Olive Co-op tour groups can have a structured de-brief at the end of each day.

To give you an idea of fitness levels expected and to emphasise the importance of travelling light, at some checkpoints, you will need to be able to carry all your luggage for up to a mile along a bumpy road. The West Bank, including Jerusalem and Bethlehem, is very hilly, so you’ll need to be able to walk up and down steps for 20 minutes twice a day. At Qalundia checkpoint leaving Ramallah towards Jerusalem, you’ll need to be able to walk for 15 minutes and stand in a queue for 20 to 40 minutes.

The Department of Health website has no entry for Palestine. For Israel it recommends that protection be taken for Hepatitis A and typhoid, though “immunisation for typhoid may be less important for short stays in first-class conditions.”

Israel and the OPT is not a malarial zone. However, some areas do have some very large and unbelievably hardy mosquitoes, which seem impervious to repellent. If you are really prone to mosquito bites, then we would recommend precautions such as yeast tablets, incense coils or electric repellents.

If you need medical attention during your Olive Co-op tour, your tour guide will help you. Any prescription or regular medication that you require should definitely be acquired before you travel. It may also be easier to take any basic medication (remedies, painkillers, lemsip etc) and/or first aid kit with you.

Within the OPTs, hospitals are horribly under-resourced but if you have to use them the staff are extremely professional and welcoming and will often go above and beyond the call of duty to help, especially once they know why you are there. However, they may be short of drugs and equipment, so if there is any way in which you help them out either at the time or later it is very much appreciated.

Packing Checklist

Travel light, but do bring:

  • Photocopies of your passport, insurance documents and tickets
  • Long-sleeved t-shirt, shirt or blouse
  • A headscarf (for women)
  • No more than one or two pairs of shoes
  • Travel soap rather than lots of clothes
  • Your preferred medication or remedies
  • Daily water bottle
  • Small gifts for host families eg books, toys, sweets
  • Notebook and pens
  • Cashpoint card
  • Glasses in addition to any contact lenses you might usually wear.

Don’t carry:

  • These guidance notes in your bag
  • Palestinian names and addresses nor printed material that might be seen as ‘propaganda’
  • More than one book as you won’t have time to read them.

What to Expect on your Tour

Your are Welcome!

Despite the hostility at border crossings, violence of the region, and the sufferings they have endured, many Palestinian and Israeli people are incredibly welcoming, especially to people who travel there to learn about the situation and to do solidarity work when they go home. However, this hospitality must not be abused and it is important to act as guests, with politeness and sensitivity to local culture, for example in dress code, eating and drinking.

It is also important to remember that there have been many deeply unhelpful interventions from Western colonial powers in this region, and that we are here to learn. Comment, judgement and criticism should be thought about very deeply; is this really the time and place for expressing your opinions on a situation you are lucky enough not to have to live in? Some visitors have had a regrettable tendency to want to be evangelists for their political views to Palestinian and Israeli people - please try to remember that you are not the expert in this situation. Consider asking and listening instead of talking. Listening is not the same as agreeing and you can always make decisions later about which groups you would like to work with in the future.
When you arrive at the hotel at the beginning of your tour there will be an information and orientation meeting, followed by individual registration. This is a good time to ask on-site questions, raise issues and ensure that your tour guide knows everything they need to about your plans and specific needs. You will also meet your local tour guide and be supplied with an up-to-date copy of your itinerary.

Delicious Food

Palestinian and Israeli food is generally delicious (tasty but not too spicy), but there are a few points to watch out for.

When eating out, vegetarians are likely to be well catered for, although much of the vegetarian food will be cold - hummus, fuul (beans), labneh (a kind of yoghurt), cheese, salad, flat bread etc. There are also usually falafel stands in most towns, and the oil used is generally olive or corn oil. There are often markets or shops which sell a glorious array of fresh fruit and vegetables.

When eating with families it is a point of honour to offer meat to guests so refusing it can be difficult. Unfortunately, in some areas (especially rural ones) the concept of vegetarianism is pretty alien and even if dishes are made of non-meat ingredients they may show signs of having been cooked in meat stock. Please indicate your dietary requirements on your booking form so that Olive Co-operative can convey your wishes to hosts. Olive Co-operative will endeavour to deal with dietary requirements, but under such circumstances cannot make firm guarantees.

Some guidebooks advise travellers to the OPTs to stick to bottled water and avoid tap water. Experiences vary with some visitors catching stomach upsets and others not. These are usually mild and for short periods can be treated symptomatically with Imodium or similar medication or by drinking plenty of water and/or using rehydration salts.

If possible, try to avoid using the left hand for touching food, as it is traditionally used for cleaning oneself after using the toilet.

Private and Public Transport

Olive Co-operative normally books a friendly taxi to pick you up at Tel Aviv airport. Detailed taxi rendezvous information and phone numbers will be supplied to tour customers one week before your tour starts.

However, if you want to get a shared taxi, come out of the arrivals lounge, go straight ahead and ask at the information booth - it will cost about 45 to 50 NIS to get to Jerusalem in a shared sheroot - remember that these often wait to fill up so you may be sitting around for 30 to 60 minutes if there aren’t many takers from your flight.

With private taxis taken by the tour group, your Olive tour guide will ensure a price is agreed at the outset or ensure the meter is running. Sheroot (people-carrier mini-buses) prices are fixed, as are the routes. Fares tend to be paid, like a bus, in advance. This is the safest and cheapest way to get around. Some roads in the OPT are only for vehicles with yellow Israeli number plates.

Taking the bus carries some risk as the main civilian bus company (Egged) has been specifically targeted by suicide bombers for many years. However, statistically you are extremely unlikely to become a victim of a suicide attack. Trains are cheap, clean and quick. Services run usually hourly between Beer Sheva, Tel Aviv and Naharriya, and from Tel Aviv to South Jerusalem and to Ben Gurion airport.

Remember that public transport - and many shops and other services - pretty much shut down on Shabbat (the day of rest from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon) and Jewish religious holidays. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, similar closedowns apply for Muslim holidays.

Israel is a small country, about the size of Wales, so travel times are quite low - Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is about an hour. The same should apply to the OPTs, eg Jerusalem to Ramallah should also be an hour and Jerusalem to Bethlehem about half an hour, but obviously this depends on the military situation and circumstances at the checkpoints.

Accessible Tele-communications

Internet cafes are fairly common all over Israel, though prices vary a lot. In the OPT, it is also possible to find internet cafes or connections, even sometimes in refugee camps and certainly in all cities.

A mobile phone is indispensable if you plan any independent travel. Most UK mobile phones will work in Israel but calls are very expensive - around £1.50 per minute and 50p per text message. (Remember to bring an adapter plug for all electrical equipment brought from the outside Israel.) Olive Co-op tour customers can hire a mobile phone at a daily rate from Olive Co-op, if booked in advance.

You can hire mobile phones or buy pay-as-you-go SIM cards for 300 NIS from shops around the Damascus Gate (Jerusalem) or in the Dizengoff Centre (Tel Aviv). But check before you pay that the SIM card is compatible with your handset! It is also possible to get some phones ‘unlocked,’ either in the UK or at mobile phone shops on Salah Eddin street near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. It should cost around £15 in the UK and about 70 NIS in Jerusalem, and should make your phone open to use with any SIM card.

The country code for Israel/Palestine is +972. The region is two hours ahead of Britain, though the change from summer to winter time and vice versa may not happen on the same weekend.

Easy and cheap phone calls to Israel / Palestine cost 7p per minute with TeleDiscount. Simply dial 0870 7720720 from any UK land line.

Delays at Roadblocks and Checkpoints

These are a regular feature of travel throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In the case of unmanned roadblocks, it is often possible and safe to drive around them, but if this is not the case then your Olive Co-op tour guide will find an alternative route.
Checkpoints are a considerable inconvenience and, as such, are a large source of friction between Palestinians and Israelis. A journey that used to take 30 minutes may now take three hours and involve standing in line for half an hour and walking 300m across each of four checkpoints with all your baggage. You will be glad if you packed light!

At some checkpoints you may need to convince each set of soldiers of the purpose of your visit, for example tourism, study or work. A little advice from your tour guide, such as the name of a church or some sort of viable tourist sight near to where you’re going and carrying a guide book can prove invaluable.

When approaching checkpoints you should always walk reasonably slowly and it’s worth having your passport to hand - though this is not a legal requirement and some people show a photocopy instead.

When crossing checkpoints on foot, the soldiers expect you to wait to be called forward. Palestinians are used to this, though they may ask you to help with the soldiers to get them through.
The Separation Wall has also become a major feature of travel in the Western part of the West Bank. Geographically it must be taken into consideration, as there are long stretches which are impossible to pass through, and where it is possible to pass a checkpoint must be traversed.

Specific Information

Female Travellers

For conservative or religious areas modest dress code is advisable - including long sleeves and head scarf. In less conservative areas or events, jeans and t-shirts will often be fine. There are no hard and fast rules, but instead general cultural sensitivity is advisable - figure hugging or midriff T-shirts are very seldom acceptable and bikini tops would be very ill advised in public.

Any sexual harassment, whether verbal or physical, should be challenged as forcefully as you would at home and promptly reported to your local host or guide.

Palestinian society faces many extreme pressures and it may not necessarily be appropriate at the current time to open up yet another front along the lines of women’s issues - this is an ongoing internal dialogue. That is not to say that it isn’t important to listen to Palestinian women about their experiences and how they wish to see their society change for the better in this regard.

Jewish Travellers

Entry into and departure from Israel can be considerably easier for Jewish visitors. Passport control tends to be more straightforward if, say, you have learnt some Hebrew, have Jewish relatives in Israel, celebrate Jewish festivals or are considering studying/living in Israel (making aliyah). It is very difficult for Israel to decline entry to Jewish visitors, for obvious historical reasons.

Most Palestinians are highly hospitable and considerably more so, in fact, than we are generally used to; this extends to Jewish visitors as much as to anyone else. Furthermore, those Palestinians who Olive Co-operative deal with are aware of our goals and the nature of our tours and will show Jewish visitors much hospitality and friendship.

However, you will meet Palestinian people whose only direct exposure to Jews occurs through exchanges with Israeli soldiers and settlers, which are almost exclusively negative. This does lead to some degree of anti-Jewish sentiment within the OPT. Many Palestinians assume that all Jewish people support the right wing policies of the Israeli government. This can result in Palestinians using the terms Jewish or Jew synonymously with Israeli or Zionist in a way that would, were it said here, be seen as extremely anti-Jewish. There is, however, a current increase in the prevalence of religiously inspired anti-Jewish sentiment through political Islam. This tends to increase as support for Hamas and the jihadi groups periodically rises during times of increased conflict. This form of anti-Jewish sentiment can be extremely difficult to challenge.

The experience of Olive Co-operative is that, while it has always been safe to challenge anti-Jewish sentiment in a broad or a general way, Jewish travellers would be well-advised to remain somewhat reticent at first in affirming themselves as Jewish while in the OPT. While this is obviously an individual decision, we would remind people that their immediate personal security and that of their group is paramount. Therefore, please try to avoid actions that could, in any way, compromise the security of the group. Understandably, Palestinian paranoia is such that you do not have to be Jewish for a Palestinian to suspect that you are, and it is not uncommon for people to ask, occasionally in an aggressive manner. By and large, this is just paranoia talking and, as we have said, Palestinians are very open and friendly to all people who share their hope for peace and justice.

British Muslim, Asian and Black Travellers

This advice has been compiled by speaking and listening to a number of organisations and individuals with experience of travelling to Israel/Palestine. It is aimed to address the specific issues faced by British travellers of African/Caribbean, south Asian, or Arab origin and other people of colour.

If you wish to discuss these issues further, please feel free to call the Olive Co-operative office on 0161 273 1970. We can also put you in touch with other black and ethnic minority travellers who have experience of the area if you would find it useful to speak to them.

Israeli racism:

Like any mainly white society, Israel has its own variety of racism. Darker skinned travellers have a higher chance of search, targeting or arrest by the Israeli authorities and of having their entry into or exit from Israel delayed - see special treatment earlier. However, anyone interested in going to Palestine/Israel, whether for religious or political reasons or for general interest, has the right to do so. One British Muslim woman regarded East Jerusalem as being one of the safest places in Palestine.

Solidarity:

Many people may be wary of benefiting the Israeli economy, they can also help the Palestinian economy by going there. In particular, staying with Palestinian families, as offered by Olive Co-operative, is of great benefit to the host family and the visitor.

Western identity:

There are various means by which Westerners in the West Bank can make their non-Palestinian identity obvious, for example, if you want to pass more quickly through checkpoints or are feeling threatened. The most obvious way is through your dress, which (whether or not you intend it) is likely to mark you out as not from the area. Blatant ways of doing this can include (for women) bright colours in their clothing and accessories such as headscarves and sunglasses and (for men) t-shirts, jeans and baseball caps rather than the more formal shirt often worn by Palestinian men.

Western hairstyles, especially things like coloured hair, shaved heads etc, will also make it obvious that you are not Palestinian. For women, not wearing a headscarf or hijab is not a guarantee of being obviously non-Palestinian, as many Palestinian women also do not wear this, but if you do wear hijab you are more likely to be at least temporarily mistaken for Palestinian.

Women of all nationalities, especially those with olive skin, should avoid small headscarves, hippy-ish clothing and long skirts with trainers. These styles are strongly associated with fundamentalist or settler Israeli women and may attract hostility.

Speaking audibly in English is the quickest way to demonstrate that you are not local.

Gay and Lesbian Travellers

Homosexuality is not actually illegal in the OPT, but as in all other Middle Eastern societies, culturally-speaking, they take a very dim view of it indeed. There is no gay ’scene’ and discretion is definitely the better part of valour.

Israel is a highly militarised and macho society. Even in cities with a fairly vibrant gay ’scene’, public displays of affection are not generally acceptable. Tel Aviv is most liberal, though Jerusalem, Haifa and Eilat also have gay-oriented venues.

Children and Parents

Olive Co-operative does not recommend that children who are unable to give informed consent participate in the tours. A number of activities on Olive Tours may be unsuitable for children. These activities include passing through checkpoints, waiting in queues or in vehicles at checkpoints for an hour or more, meetings orientated to adult concerns with no child-friendly activities provided, observing a high military presence including soldiers with guns, checkpoints and armed police, travelling on communal/public transport, and being in an unfamiliar environment - with unfamiliar food, accommodation, language, climate etc.

However, Olive Co-op will accept children on tours under certain circumstances. These include: each child is accompanied 24 hours a day by one parent or someone able to act with parental responsibility (referred to as parent); parents do not request the tour guide to supervise their child during the trip; and their children have been given as much information as possible about the situation in Palestine generally and each place that is visited. The tour guide is responsible for passing information and instructions to the adults in the group. Parents are responsible for making sure their children receive appropriate information and instructions.

Parent’s attention is drawn to clause 8 of the booking form: “I accept that Olive Co-operative Ltd and its agents reserve the right to exclude individuals whose behaviour, in the sole opinion of Olive Co-operative Ltd or its agent, puts themselves or the group in danger.” The tour guide reserves this right for specific activities on the tour or for the remainder of the tour. Tour guides will help to identify inappropriate activities or destinations for children. Parents and children will be requested not to participate in such activities. The tour guide will suggest alternative arrangements.

The following should be added to booking forms for parents and children. “I accept full responsibility for (insert name of one child and date of birth) for the duration of the Olive Co-operative tour. I will ensure that they are adequately supervised at all times and receive appropriate information and instructions.

By prior arrangement, there may be reduction in the tour price of £30 per week for children under 12. In addition, Olive Co-op may reimburse £10 for each day and £5 for each half day that the child does not participate in the itinerary of the rest of the group. The same reduction will apply for their responsible adult.

© Olive Co-operative Ltd May 2006

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