I was nervous to go traveling in Israel and the West Bank by myself. I’d heard so much about how it was dangerous, especially because I am not religious. I was told that Iraelis were terrorists and Palestine was under occupation. I was told that Palestinians were terrorists and Israelis threw good parties. Instead of believing all the hype, I decided to go see it for myself.
My conclusion after 1.5 weeks in Israel and Palestine: I learned so much that I left the region with more questions than answers.
*This content was updated in June of 2020
Related Reading:
Why I Decided to go Traveling in Israel & the West Bank
When I moved to Cyprus to study, many of my first friends were from Palestine or other ‘scary’ places such as Syria or Lebanon. Some of my other friends were Jewish and from all over as well. All of these people are students just like me.
Therefore, before you continue reading, I’m asking you to wipe your brain clean of any stereotype or anything you’ve seen in the media recently. Because that’s what I did before I decided to visit the ‘homes’ of many of my friends.
My Palestinian friends were the ones that implored me to visit. To get there, you have to go through either Israel or Jordan. I booked my tickets to Tel Aviv because I not only wanted to experience where my friends are from but to see the other side of their stories. I need to form my own opinions on both Israel and Palestine.
How I Divided My Time in Israel and the West Bank
I spent…
2 days in Israel (Tel Aviv, Jaffa)
5 days in Palestine (Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Dead Sea area)
3 days in Israel (Jerusalem, Haifa, Akko)
Overall, my time spent in the holy lands was anything but holy. I spent a lot of time during my time there and after wondering how people that define their divides by religion couldn’t seem to act like God.
Then again, that’s totally my privilege shining through. It was my first time really living in the idea of understanding a political issue. Not only that, but it’s not one that is easily understood.
What you should know about traveling in Israel and the West Bank
I was so lost for words as I left.
Sure, you could go to Tel Aviv and party for a weekend. You could go to Haifa and see the sights. You could go to Petah Tikva and visit family. But you’d have to be blind to not see what’s really happening in Israel.
Therefore, I asked people questions about what they wanted to know. Here are the questions they asked, and my best attempt at answering them:
I want to see the architecture. We see pictures of all the religious symbols etc., but what are the surroundings? The houses, and the areas not shown to the tourists.
The wall that Israel erected to control the Palestinians has some incredible graffiti. It tells the story of each side. On the Israeli side, it’s clean. As one Israeli soldier put it to me, “The military isn’t allowed to have an opinion. The people are not taught what to believe because at the end of the day, they must act how the government tells them to.”
On the Palestinian side, the side with a story that nobody hears, it looks like this:
The golden rule knows no walls, but all races and religions. 
When the sun rises, it rises for everyone. No more wars. 
We all bleed the same colour 
“This wall may not take care of the present but it has no future” 
Love Wins in Bethlehem 
I wonder where they are now?
Even the famous street artist, Banksy, has art on the wall! What was most political about it wasn’t how, by whom, or technique with which it was done. It was it’s physical location- a wall (click here for more information) that separates what Israel recognizes as the West Bank, an occupied territory of Palestine, and the rest of Israel.
In both Israel and Palestine, the vast majority of the houses are light in color because of the climate. The houses that I stayed in had very thick walls that keeps it warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. The areas inside were generally very open. The family homes had beautiful rugs, old family photos, and in one an absolutely adorable set of grandparents living in it (link to story about them is coming!)!
Everywhere I went in Palestine I was offered tea- including the tourist shops!
What was the architecture like in each place?
Architecture in Palestine and Israel is prettymuch the same. However.
There is one type of architecture that really grinds my gears in the region. It has a strong political tie-in – Settlements.
A background on settlements from my understanding:
- God promised this region to the Jews a while back.
- The Jewish people were granted Israel in international politics following WWII.
- The Jewish people continue to expand into the land (whether people are living there or not), with full faith that it belongs to them.
The Israeli flag (click here for image) is white with a blue Star of David and two horizontal blue lines ‘framing’ the star. The lines are to represent (this has been debated) the Nile to the Euphrates rivers. This is the area of the land the Jewish people believe was given to them by God.
Before I get all political here, you might be wondering:
What does this have to do with architecture, and the landscape?
Think back to the bible story. Mary and Joseph traversed across the land, stopped in a field (Shepherd’s Field = Beit Sahor = where I stayed for four days) to talk to the wise men, and moved on to Bethlehem. The rolling hills of this area are magnificently gorgeous and green. The hills facing Bethlehem have remained relatively untouched for hundreds of years. Millions of people on their pilgrimages have enjoyed looking over them, imagining the path of the holy couple’s footsteps. Until 1997 or so.
According to CEPR Settlements are one of the major barriers to the creation of two peaceful, sovereign states for Palestinians and Israelis. The existence and continuing growth settlements are on land long recognized by the United Nations as part of Palestine. The population of these settlements, which are now in the hundreds, has grown by an average of 5% since 2001. That compares to average growth of just 1.8% for the population of Israel proper.
In other words, Israelis and immigrants are systematically overtaking Palestinian land at a rate faster than what the population is growing. It’s suffocating the Palestinians, as shown in this diagram:
What this means, is that Israel is continuing to build communities outside of its cities. These cities are much bigger than the number of people living in them and are being built on land that Israel has taken by force. The people living in them tend to be Jews from the same areas. For example, a few thousand Americans who have all moved to Israel would all move into the same settlement.
Can you tell me about the politics in Israel and Palestine before I go?
Honestly, no.
You could live there for 50 years and not understand the corruption seeping out of the cracked ground. You could do a dissertation and still not have scratched the surfacte.
However, that does not mean that you shouldn’t visit Palestine. If anything, it means you should even more.
The Palestinians have struggled to find a voice. When they have, they’ve struggled to find a listening ear. Visit Palestine.
How were the people in Israel and the West Bank?
en you watch TV and Israel or Palestine comes up, you rarely hear about the people. Let me tell you.
There are amazing people on both sides of the conflict. Among them are children, extremists, holy people, racists, women, martyrs… and entrepreneurs, doctors, vegans, volunteers, athletes, grandparents, and soldiers.
Can you explain to me how life is for Muslims and Jews?
I mean.. sure. But here’s another thing to keep in mind: there are a lot of Christians in Palestine and Israel as well.
There are also athiests.
But it does ‘pay’ to affiliate with one or the other as your political beliefs are often largely contingent on your moral ground. This is amplified in the holy lands.
Here’s what I observed:
Jerusalem was a wild place for me, especailly when I arrived. I admit- I was trying to put everyone in to a box. I was young and had no idea about so many of the different religions and customs.
Jerusalem is right on the ‘green line’, or the boundary between occupied Palestine and Israel. It was so interesting to see people in their religious garb. There were so many different robes, headwear, and haircuts.
To me, it felt as if the people were just dressing to show how religious they were. It was the only city in which I saw Muslim women fully covered including their eyes, and was probably the first time I’d ever seen that. It was more common to see men in a hat, kippah (yamaka), a full beard, or with the orthodox haircut, than without anything interesting happening on his head.
I saw monks, holy men, women in tank tops and shorts, and women covering completely. I saw women who looked like nuns and men who looked like priests. It was a lot to take in.
As I walked across town, I could pinpoint the moment when I walked into the ‘Arab side’.
While Jerusalem was super religious and everyone seemed to be dressing to prove it, Haifa was a college town. I saw plenty of kippahs, but I also so people dressing like they would in ‘my world’.
Not only that, but I saw so much less police presence. It was as if when religion was removed, peace was restored.
Other snap judgements on traveling in Israel
I found that politics overshadowed religion. Yes, even in the holy lands.
Remember, Judaism isn’t just a religion, it is a race as well. This means that whether the people from the West Bank, Gaza or Golan Heights are Christian or Muslim, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that they are Arab, not Jewish, and on the land that the Jews have been promised. According to religion.
I saw more racial bias happen in a week than I had in a lifetime of living in the U.S.
Ok that sounds biased. From the Jewish/Israeli perspective:
Since the end of the 19th century, Jews have been immigrating to Israel. An ethnocracy has been formed, and…
Actually, I don’t really know how to write this. I can’t say I’m anti-Israel, because that would be ignorant and a lie. However, I cannot bring myself to find a fault on the Palestinian side. I am pro Peace, and it must come with a cost. Ultimately, people are letting religion get in the way of their faith.
Other important points about traveling in Israel & Palestine:
- Traveling in Israel when not religious: One thing that bothered me until I stopped letting it is how people perceived my hair. I was in the markets in Israel and people would ask me, “So, you’re Jewish?” and I’d say something like, “No.. I’m American?”. They’d ask my name, then immediately ask if I was Jewish. Then, they’d touch my hair (so frizzy from the humidity!) and insist that I was Jewish. They’d point at my nose as if to assure themselves that I am Jewish.
- Traveling as a woman: The attention, catcalling, and staring really bothered me, in Israel. It didn’t happen as much in Palestine. Then, one afternoon I was sitting and reading in the Nativity Square and some kids walked by me. They were standing behind me, and one ran up, pulled my hair a little bit, and ran back to her friends. It must’ve been a dare, but at that moment I realized that people don’t know what to make of someone that is different from them. I think that’s a universal truth.
- Traveling as a photo op: Later that week, in Akko (Northern Israel), I was walking alone and two fully covered girls approached me for a photo. I thought they wanted me to take a photo for them, but really they wanted photos with me. Things like this happened every day. My point isn’t that it’s fun to be different; it’s humbling to know that the people who I came here to learn about by observing were sometimes just as mystified by me.
- Traveling in Israel and Palestine on a diet: This might be the easiest place in the world to try a vegan diet. Hummus, falafel, fresh fruits and vegetables all the time, fresh-squeezed juice… SO good.
- Traveling for knowledge: The countries are geographically small given their global political reach. I highly recommend a visit.
People were nervous because I was traveling ‘alone’, or because I was going to a volatile area. I’m nervous that more people will never go.
Further Reading:
Trust your gut: staying safe while traveling solo
Nervous about traveling alone?
Learn to solo travel
People are strange when you’re a stranger. -Jim Morrison