Palestine aka: Palestinian Territories

You’ll understand the conflict after visiting Palestine. Despite hearing some gunfire at night I felt very safe everywhere I went. Customs in Tel Aviv was a bitch. If you venture into Gaza or the West Bank, tell the agent you’re there only to tour, nothing else. I was in Beit Jala to help repair a Palestinian elementary school. The customs agent didn’t appreciate the fact that I was doing that and that I called the town I was in “Beit Jala” (Arabic name) instead of “Har Gilo” (Hebrew name).

Palestine, my family’s roots. It’s gorgeous! What we see on tv is nothing of its real beauty. TV doesn’t show us the beautiful homes, the hilltops, the churches (one of them my grandpa was a priest of) ask about the Khouri family is you go. They are very popular. Palestine is amazing, its fun..the beach front is amazing to look at. The music, the culture and the people surrounding it is fun. Don’t forget to smoke a hookah! Enjoy your trip! I did when I went and yes I plan on going back! Anybody want to join me?

This summer I’m going to be travelling in Israel. To quell my dad’s fears about his only child travelling alone in the Middle East, I’m not going across the border to Ramallah while I’m in Jerusalem.
One day though, I would like to go over and volunteer for a while… in a school or an orphanage maybe, or work for an International Aid Agency.

One day.

If you ask nicely a sweet franciscan friar at the church of the nativity may let you see the bambino that they lay in the manger scene in the square at christmas. it’s an innocent, lovely image in a place so wounded by years of violence.

Palestinians are people with family origins mainly in Palestine. Their religion is primarily Islam, with Christianity, Judaism, Druze, and other minorities. Today, they are mainly Arabic-speaking.

Under the British mandate period from 1918 to 1948, the term “Palestinian” referred to anyone native to Palestine, regardless of their religion; Muslim, Christian, Jew, or Druze. [1] Since the creation of Israel, the application of “Palestinian” to native Palestinian Jews has lessened, and they are now simply identified as “Israelis” and are not distinguished from the majority of Israeli Jews resultant from the modern Zionist migrations. While some also exclude Israeli Arabs from today’s definition of “Palestinians,” others do not.