Palestine Travel Forum

Hi,

Myself and 2 other male friends (Mid 20's from Australia) are heading to Israel in late July for a couple of weeks and really want to go in the Gaza Strip. I want to know what our chances are of doing this and how to go about this? Also how far is it from Tel Aviv? Is it a bus ride, Cab etc.

i'm hoping to engage in some volunteering oportunities around bethlehem in summer 2009.

i'm British so i dont need to apply for an israeli visa do i?
i was thinking of flying into ben gurion airport
is this the best choice?
and how do i cross over into the west bank from there?

what are the best/cheapest/safest methods of transport
and what would stop me from gaining access firstly to israel and then to the occupied territories?

thankkkkk yoou!!

I want to go to ramallah and be with the one I love so much..i will be married over there..question is..Do i need to have a visa to go there from Canada??

About how far is Manger Square from the checkpoint when coming from Jerusalem? Is it in walk able distance and is it advisable to walk?

marhabban!

I'm a US graduate student who will be traveling to the West Bank this summer to do some interviews for my dissertation research. My Arabic isn't great--and it's MSA, anyway--so I'll likely need an interpreter at least part-time. Can anyone give me a rough estimate as to the daily pay for an interpreter? (or even better, some leads/contact info for interpreters?)

Ideally, I'd be looking for a Palestinian university student who was fluent or near-fluent in English. Now that I think a bit more, an Israeli student might be a good idea, as I worry a bit about travel restrictions within the West Bank.

I'll be staying in Ramallah, but I anticipate that my plans can change.

thanks in advance!

Joseph (aka Yusuf)

Will be touring the Middle East next week, and Bethlehem is in the itinerary, specifically the Nativity church. I'd like to know if the postal service in the West Bank is reliable enough to actually mail some postcards from there instead of from Israel? I will actually mail the postcards to my own home and I just wanted the cards to bear postmarks from the actual places where they were mailed. Thanks.

Hi,
Im planning a trip to Ramallah,and have plans to reside in a palestinian village.What are the requirements to be able to do so. Also, for how long am I allowed to stay if im only a tourist....Please help, if you are from america, what exactly is requested from Israel to obtain a visa, I am told that a return ticket is not a requirement as it states at the website for state.gov .
Your input is greatly appreciated...

sandy
USA

Maybe next year i will visit Israel and West Bank.

I need special visa for enter west bank i want visit Bethelem, Ramallah and another cities?

Is safe going to west bank and return back.

What is the best city to know and talk whit the Palestinian people.

My brother and I would like to visit a friend in Ramallah while we're in the Middle East. We will be in Jordan and are planning on crossing at the King Hussein Bridge.
What is the best (in terms of time and money) way to get to Ramallah?

Thanks!

Hi, I am an American currently living near Haifa, and I'd like to travel to Mt. Gerazim for the Samaritan Passover on Monday. Does anyone know how I can do this via public transport? I know there is a little Jewish settlement called Beracha near there, which Egged might go to, but I can't find anything on their website. Anyway, I'd appreciate any help you could offer. Thanks!

I also wish to enter Gaza but I am a Canadian and not of Palestinian descent but my three year old son has grandparents there. Can some one give me some concrete advice abut crossing Erez? Is it possible to apply for entry in advance or do you have to gamble at the checkpoint and hope they give you permission?

Please advise,

My wife who is Australian, and myself who is travelling on both a Canadian travel document as well as Palestinian passport, would like to go visit family in Palestine this summer. I am not sure as I have not been back for 10 years to Palestine WB, if its ok for me to go to Tel Aviv airport using either Canadian travel document, or Palestinian passport. I have both Canadian residency as well as UK. I know I will be question as expected, however I do not know how much I will risk using this airport Tel Aviv. We will only be in Palestine for 2 weeks and have our return ticket. Is it best to go via Jordan or ok for me to go to Tel Aviv with my Australian wife?


Any advice of people recently visiting WB like Palestinians that hold residency in other countries would be most appreciate.

Is it essential to have a valid Israeli visa (I am from a country that does not have visa exemptions for Israel) in order to travel to Palestine? I am planning on going to the West Bank for summer 2007...is the only way in through Israel?

Thanks,
naseem.a

I'll be backpacking the middle east for the second time in only 10 more weeks!!! yayyy Heres my question: Do you think it would be ok to visit Hebron for 1 or 2 days? Good friends of mine have their roots in this city and also I would like to see the city. (Been to the westbank before just to ramallah and bethlehem though) I dont know yet whether I will go on my own or whether palestinian friends are going to join me. This is what I'd like to find out here as well. I'm 25 and obviously not arab plus I'm female. Any girls visited Hebron on their own for a day or two so far? What were your experiences? Should I catch a bus from east Jerusalem? What about visiting both Jewish settlements and arab parts of Hebron? Please share your experiences and if you have any advice please let me know! Waiting for replies!! Thanks :)

from my country i have 2 options i can get visa from the embassy or i can get at the airport.can you tell me how easy is it to get visa at the airport for canadian passport and how much do they charge at the airport and do they give multiple visa since i may leave turkey for 1 week to syria then back for few more days.what is your reccomendations.is english spoken at the airport so they will be able to undeerstand i need multiple visa.
thank you for your help

Hi,

Can anyone give me some information on how to enter Gaza? I know I have to enter from Israel via Erez. But do I need a special permit? Also, is it better to try to enter alone as a 22 year old female (American Born), or with my mother who was born in Palestine, but is an American citizen (we both have American Passports)? What's the best way to get in? Tell the border control officers that I am visiting family/friends, which is what I want to do...or should I say that I want to meet with a doctor to volunteer because I am premed (I do have connections with a Gazan doctor). Any information or direction would help, thanks =)

Anyone has sent or received a postcard from Gaza or West Bank. What type of postage stamp is used on the postcard. Thanks for any information.

I am considering going on a trip organized by Global Exchange/Reality Tours to Palestine, in which participants meet with peace activists both in Israel and the West Bank. Locations to be visited are Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus or Jenin. My husband and many of my friends think I'm nuts because it would not be safe. However, Global Exchange says they have organized these trips four times a year for a while and have never had an incident. They say they are very careful, and change the itinerary as needed on a daily basis. Can those of you who have travelled to this region recently give me your perspective? How risky is this itinerary, given the fact that I would be "associating with activists"?

Pam

Hi, salaam, shalo,peace everybody,

I planned this trip to birzeit university summner camp for two weeks which had been cancelled today for security reasons. i asked the organizator if they could find me spot to sleep so i would go anyway, they told me that they would arrabge a bed at the dorm on campus. so i am going anyway..

Tomorrow evening i am heading to Amman, after sepnding 6 days i wll go to palestine on the 26th. what is the best option to cross the border how to get from amman to ramallah, preferably without a stamp on the passport? where do you suggest to see in the region in 5 days?

on august 2nd i am planning to move forward to jerusalem, am i going to cross the border or what is going to happen? i made my reservations for jerusalem


and finally on the 7th i will go to ben gurion to fly back to turkey. my flight is 10.40 in the morning considering that i will be having been to palestine and jordan plus travelling alone plus different departure and arrival destinations like amman and tel aviv i will be subjected to a lot of questions. in this respect what time should i show up at the airport to catch my flight and what is the cheapest way to do so?

i am also open to any suggestions in general

thanks a lot

What is the actual situation at Rafah border crossing? What do palestinians need to leave from Gaya to Egypt and the buy a plan ticket there?

how do Jericho people can travel from their city to another palestinian city?

is it allowed to them??

Hi- i am a indian girl married to a palestiean. I wish to travel to gaza from egypt. I have already procurred documets for the egypt travel. my inlaws are curretly in cairo. they want me to travel to gaza with them. can anyone advice me about the required documets ad the travel safety for a indian.

Hi- i am a indian girl married to a palestiean. I wish to travel to gaza from egypt. I have already procurred documets for the egypt travel. my inlaws are curretly in cairo. they want me to travel to gaza with them. can anyone advice me about the required documets ad the travel safety for a indian.

Hi - has anyone any viewpoints on safety in palestine at the moment? I am booked on a flight to Israel in the next few weeks and am concerned that whilst in Palestine (around Bethlehem) I will encounter hostility for being a white westerner. Although I am in a group - other members seem unconcerned about the situation - Am I overly concerned? Or right to be anxious over what seems to be a particularly intense time in the area?

I am a student in Jerusalem studying Islam and Middle Eastern studies and I am thinking about moving to Bethlehem in August. I have lived in Israel for a year and would like to move to Palestine because I feel that it would help me have a better understanding of the situation here. I must admit I get a very one-sided view of history and politics here. My problem is that I don’t know how to go about finding an apartment. There are not any Internet sites available at least that I have found. I am coming into Bethlehem on the 17th and I was wondering if anyone had an idea of where I should look or whom I should talk to. I would appreciate any advice I could get on the matter.
Thank you
Rachel

stuyding arabic in the WB, concerned about protocal at the Ben G. Airport. Travelled to one ME country before for arabic study but wil be arriving on a new passport this time. Does telling airport security my plans guarantee me a quick flight out of the country or at least a few hours of questioning? How naieve is it to prefer being straitforward with airport security?

The news of local buses being blown up in Israel and West Bank worries me, but I'm thinking that there may be a lull in this excitement with Fatah-Hamas rivalries occupying the political agenda. Can I skip the tour bus or rental car and simply climb aboard the local bus without too much worry? What complexities are there in finding a bus, particularly one that goes through check points in the West Bank area. Also, are there alternative versions of public transport--bus, minivan (non-tourist), or metro trolley? I've heard that diplomatic employees aren't recommended to use the local bus, but maybe I as a spontaneous tourist may be safer. I'm black haired, tanned, and don't talk a lot.

Hi,

I am travelling to Ramallah soon and know very little about the dos and don'ts, aside from the usual respect one has to have for some one else's culture. I'm going for a meeting there with a theatre company I made contact with. I've read a few of the postings in this forum but there are still a few greyy areas for me. Can anyone answer the following questions?

1. What are the main changes and how freely can you roam around once in Ramallah under the new government?
2. What is the general attitude towards westerners?
3. How easy is it to enter the city with filming equipment? (very specific question this one...)
4. Where is the best check point to enter from Israel?
5. I'm travelling to Tel Aviv and then to Jerusalem. Is this the best way to enter?

Many thanks for your help.

All the best,

Antonio Rui

ive graduated from university in Australia and would like to teach in Palestine. I dont mind what town or city.
any help would be great, as many websites for teaching never ever reply back!

thanks to all,

mat

My 19 year old daughter wants to travel to Palestine this summer with her friend who has family there. Is this a good idea?