Volunteering in the Middle-East over Christmas is indeed as different as volunteering elsewhere as the region is unique. Several attractive elements are combined; it offers a special experience for travellers, volunteers, students and journalists who take part in it. Those elements can be summarised by the following. The first element is the continuation of the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine and being the last occupation as such in modern history, makes the voluntary work here very interesting and mind opening; by simply living here for a few weeks volunteers have the oppurtunity to feel and understand this one of a kind atmosphere. The work-camps usually include serious cultural and political programs that tackle all aspects of the conflct, diminishing the biased images provided by the media.
The second element is simply the religious factor. Being in the Middle East (the Holy Lands), and Palestine in particular, where the three religions meet, makes it an interesting experience for internationals to gauge the spiritual richness and visible diversity. To visit the different religious (and their specific historical) sites with locals is undoubtedly a massively thought-provoking and interesting experience.
The third element is that since the Middle East is the oldest inhabited area in history, it provides volunteers with an amazing picture of the mixture of civilizations and the unique combination of cultures in modern and ancient times.
The fourth element to be mentioned however, is the real need for this type of work in the region. Helping communities to realize work capacities that they cannot afford for one reason or another supports the locals in their hopes for a better, more peaceful future, and develops the concept of voluntarism and benevolent work in the Middle East. It is a dream that we have been working on since our inception over twelve years ago. Volunteers can simply feel the significance and influence of their contribution on local communities and people.
Despite the hardships we face organizing those camps we still get our energy, enthusiasm and stamina from the international volunteers and the continuous request from our international partners to arrange for more camps in the region.
In sum, we would like to see as many international volunte
ers as possible enjoying the natural beauty of the Middle East and the richness of our culture and history…and finally to enjoy the delicious cuisine of our region.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to join our adventures in the Middle East during this season, and we promise you will love it!
Arrival Information to Palestine
Christmas in Bethlehem : Different Taste
IPYL060
14-27/12/2010- Bethlehem City- Palestine
How to get to Palestine:
There are no borders controlled by the Palestinians, since Palestine is occupied by the Israelis and they control all our borders, lands, air and water. So, for you to come to Palestine you should see and deal with the Israeli army and police.
This is why we can not pick you up from airport. So the visa will be an Israeli one, as we are not yet a recognized country with sovereignty. If you are arriving not through Ben Gurion (Tel Aviv) airport (for example, Eilat airport, land crossing points: Jordan or Egypt), please let us know, since the directions listed below are just for those arriving at Tel Aviv Airport.
From the airport in Tel-Aviv, the easiest way to get to the meeting point (in occupied East Jerusalem) will be to take a shared taxi (Sherout in Hebrew) from the airport to Jerusalem. These taxies are standing directly outside the main door of the airport. They work 24 hours and cost around 45 New Israeli Shekel –NIS– (about 9 €). A Sherout is a white van or mini-bus, which normally takes 9 people. If the taxi is not full, you will have to wait. It takes about fifty minutes to get from Ben Gurion’s airport to Jerusalem. This is the most convenient and the safest way to travel from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. We advise you not to take the public bus.
The Israeli Sherouts will drop you where you want (some drivers, though, might not agree to drive you to East Jerusalem: Damascus Gate or Herod’s Gate). You can ask the driver to drop you at Damascus Gate (by the ancient wall of the Old City of Jerusalem), or at the closest point possible (New Gate). Once you are there, do not enter the wall. Outside, in the street perpendicular to Damascus Gate, you will find the sign for the Faisal hostel. Go upstairs, this is our meeting point.
Meeting Point: Place: Faisal Hostel: In front of Damascus Gate – Outside the Old City of Jerusalem Date: December 14th, Hour: 15:30 (those who arrive later please notify us and we will arrange a pick up for you)
Inside the Faisal Hostel (there will be a list with your names on the board with IPYL logo, please make a sign near your name when you arrive).
The IPYL contacts who will be there to meet you are Robert and Matthew; if there is a problem or you need to inform us of a delay you can try one of the following numbers:
Rob: 0569336604 Matt: 0569336605
They will both be very wiling to help.
Visas and Arrival:
Citizens from most western countries can obtain visas instantly at any Israeli border point. But, please, check it before-hand with the Israeli Embassy in your country.
When you arrive to the Israeli border, the Border officials could question you why you are here, where do you want to go? Do you know any Palestinians? Are you planning to visit the West Bank? Did you meet any Palestinian in your country? and could search your luggage and sometimes yourself in an exhaustive way.
This is a normal procedure, since the Israeli occupation forces don’t like internationals to come since this embarrasses Israel for its illegal actions in the occupied Palestinian Territories, and this is why they sometime deny entry to some solidarity groups on its way to Palestine. You may also know that any indication of travel to/from Israel in your passport will mean that you cannot enter Syria, Lebanon and most other Middle Eastern countries (except Jordan and Egypt). We advise you to ask to the Passport Control Officer at the border NOT to stamp your passport if your intention is to travel later on around the Middle East. In this case, the officer will stamp just the separate piece of paper (which will then be the visa) and which you should keep with your passport throughout your stay in the country.
Contacts: for the time being, for any questions and comments, you may contact either Rob or Matt on these e-mail addresses:
rob@ipyl.org and matt@ipyl.org
Although volunteers should be aware that Israeli checkpoints exist between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, preventing the passage for several who would work in Jerusalem, this currently consists of a not-too-strenuous check similar to airport so-called ‘security’ measures.
Additional and requisite information will be sent directly to volunteers as soon as available. The information that will be sent out will include:
- The detailed and confirmed daily program of the workcamp. - Names and contact numbers of the leader/s of the camp.
It is more or less a social activity highly comparable to being a laborer or person with a certain relation of responsibility towards his or her own community. As an activity that a person engages in for non-economic reasons, but rather for a particular, IPYL believes that being a volunteer is the one of the most important and useful ways a person can give back to his or her own local and larger world community. After many years of hosting and providing volunteers, IPYL maintains through its actions how vital it is for all of us, from different parts of the world, to get together and discuss issues that directly influence our lives. Human rights, sustainable development are two issues that represent an international or global quest for social and economic equality between all people.
It is essential that we discuss these issues and volunteer in many different ways. As you know the youth is the future of a nation, a region, and the world in general.
Voluntarism in Palestine:
Palestine has a traditional society. This implies that an individual is part of a larger unit that can expand to be as big as a few thousand people. The social structure of Palestine is a tribal one and every individual has a level of responsibility to his or her own tribe. In addition to this, tribes need good relations with one another for social interaction to run smoothly. People help each other in so many different ways, for example, we have a concept called al-3ouneh, which roughly means collective help, so in the harvest season if one member of the community owns a field and the crops need to be picked, hundreds of his community would help in the collection of the crops for no money, but as a favor to him. This in turn, has strengthened social ties and relations within Palestinian society.
After the occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967 by Israel, the various political organizations had their own voluntary committee that helped the local community in different ways. When the occupation forces demolished a home, political factions would use these committees to help in its rebuilding.
Since 1967, the Israeli occupation of the territories did not provide the Palestinians with the services that a normal state or government would provide. In reaction to this, Palestinian decided to establish their own civil society organizations that would fill in the gap between the needs of society and the role of a normal state. Today, there are hundreds of voluntary non-governmental organizations that work in Palestine to provide basic social and economic services covering almost all the needs of the Palestinian society. IPYL, for example, is the first organization in Palestine that exclusively works to improve the sense of voluntarism among the youth sector.
What is right in human rights?
The word ‘right’ as referred to in the phrase ‘human rights’ refers to international law’s expression of inalienable entitlements for each and all, regardless of creed, class or gender. It is a standard of privilege we believe all are entitled to, and which we participate in trying to engender within the context of a struggle against occupation. The concept of human rights is the privilege of having certain standards that any human is universally entitled to like education, freedom of religion, health, and shelter, necessary for pursuit of a peaceful life. Many world-wide still face challenges to these rights, even if they are not totally denied them.
I will conclude with the saying of Omar Ibn al-Khattab, the 2nd Caliph (and successor to Prophet Muhammad), who once offered the question: how do you enslave people when their mothers gave birth to them as free people?
What is volunteering for human rights?
To believe that Human Rights are universally applicable as a form of natural privilege that all peoples should and must enjoy, regardless of contingent cultural denominators. On this premise, we work with and within our own communities to eliminate racism and discrimination of all kinds, demand equality between men and women, the haves and the have-nots. Through a network of volunteers who share the practicable virtues expressed as Human Rights at the core of their principles we help and hope to further the cause of equal peoples everywhere.
Volunteering: a further elaboration
Among many definitions of voluntarism the contribution of money, energy, work, physical, mental or educational or time without expecting financial returns, but for the best of marginalized groups, individuals, or communities (refugees, women, children, youth, immigrants, minorities.. etc).With an overall aim to achieve peace, justice, stability, self determination, secure pluralism and cultural diversity, environmental protection and global peace.
Volunteering helps the individual develop in following ways:
- Orientation for work; volunteering develops the working capabilities of the individual, and may help the volunteer in deciding a future area of work. Through internships (where a student does work for the community as part of his or her educational life) we also help volunteers to explore career possibilities. New job skills will almost certainly be acquired by doing certain voluntary work.
- Personal development; volunteering is a new life orientation and direction. It helps the person to develop humanitarian values, providing empirical bases for the concepts and principles in action through the work. It also assists the person to be more active and more often than not leads to strong friendships.
- Global solidarity; volunteering open new horizons for solidarity across nations between peoples in need. It is also an expression of solidarity between cultures and nations towards building a new and peaceful world. Wars and conflicts erupt out of ignorance and stereotypes, and through volunteering in a different country, the reality of a situation will be experienced and provide substantial knowledge about the culture. Through intercultural learning (through direct interaction between volunteers from different countries and backgrounds) the volunteer will be exposed to new cultures and habits of different peoples. This will foment a tolerance and understanding of others’ needs and concerns. Volunteering spreads international matters and subjects of concern on a global scale.
- Civic engagement; volunteering develops and increases the participation of the individuals in civic and public life. It helps the person to think responsibly on behalf of a group and increases one’s participation in political and public life. Volunteers are fighting for better world for their very country and others through working on the social inclusion of people with special needs and the marginalized groups.
