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Palestine and the Palestinians: A Guidebook
 
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Palestine and the Palestinians: A Guidebook [Paperback]

Giroud Sabri , Carol Scheller-Doyle , Walid Shomali
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 450 pages
  • Publisher: Alternative Tourism Group, ATG (30 April 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 9950319013
  • ISBN-13: 978-9950319011
  • Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 14.4 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 995,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Book Description

Publishing this Guidebook marks an important turning-point in presenting Palestine to visitors. Tourism to our country still relies mainly on Israeli guides and guidebooks. Besides distorting basic information about our history and culture, and introducing hostile views to our people, the domination that foreign tour operators have wielded over Palestinian tourism has meant that our own tour operators and vendors have seen little revenue from what is a major industry in the Palestinian economy. When foreign tourists, carefully shepherded by Israeli guides, venture into Palestinian areas – today limited to Bethlehem and Jerusalem — they zip in and out without spending a night in Palestinian accommodation, without eating a meal in a Palestinian restaurant and without patronizing Palestinian stores or cultural venues. Visitors receive a biased and superficial picture of the political situation, and seldom visit Palestinians or their many interesting sites. If they relate to Palestinians at all, most guidebooks accord them only a scant reference, an abbreviated chapter at the end. Worst of all, but most common, Palestine is presented as merely a part of Israel itself.

As this, one of the first Palestinian-oriented guidebooks, illustrates, Palestine possesses an ancient history, a rich society, exceptional tourist sites and a vital contemporary culture - all of which deserve to be promoted. This is a vital aim of the Alternative Tourism Group. Besides offering educational and tourist materials and programmes, the ATG strives to help develop the Palestinian tourism industry as a whole, notably by diffusing information on tours covering all aspects of Palestinian life. The idea of a tourist guidebook was born from the feeling that travelers to Palestine lacked essential information and a "Palestinian Voice". Our objective is to produce a professional, comprehensive and attractive guide to Palestinian life and sites. The guidebook is based on the contemporary approach of cultural tourism, which shifts the emphasis from merely visiting sites with a purely historical and impersonal narrative to creating opportunities for establishing contact between visitors and the local population. Palestine’s history and its cultural patrimony go well beyond the religious sites (though an integral part of the visit, too). Cultural tourism facilitates meetings between individuals, specifically among visitors and their hosts, and it explores their hosts’ history, as well as their social, political, cultural and environmental realities.

In this guidebook, as in all our activities, we endeavour to present Palestine from "the inside." The guidebook therefore covers such key topics as the Land, its geography and resources; Palestinian history from prehistoric times until the present day; Palestinian society in all its diversity; the holy and historical sites, sites of contemporary importance (neighbourhoods, villages, the destroyed villages of 1948, refugee camps and Israeli settlements); and contemporary culture. It contains information to facilitate encounters with the local population (including addresses of organisations, institutions and resource people), as well as practical information on internal travel, food, personal safety and the like. Not satisfying itself with simply providing long lists of sites, restaurants, hotels, taxis, and museums, the expertise of the ATG is harnessed to promote encounters of high quality, all carefully designed to connect with their particular agendas.

We at the ATG, together with all the people who contributed to this guidebook and who eagerly await your visit, would like you to consider the book you are holding as a personal invitation to come and visit Palestine. We realise that the tragic political conflict that has engulfed us hardly encourages tourism, but it is precisely at this time that your visit will be most appreciated and welcomed. In the midst of the conflict you will discover a truly warm and hospitable people inhabiting a fascinating and significant country, ingeniously finding ways to live in the midst of conflict.

We would like to thank the organisations who have supported this important project, in particular "CCFD" Catholic Committee Against Hunger and for Development in France and Firedoll Foundation in USA. We are also grateful to all the people who have helped and invested a lot of time in preparing the first edition of the English guidebook, especially Angela Godfrey, Carol Scheller-Doyle, Dr. Walid Shomali, and Bailasan, as well as the ATG staff (Ayman Abu Zulof, Samer Kokaly, Jawad Musleh), and others who must excuse us for not mentioning their names, who have all helped in bringing this book to fruition by translation, collation and updating of information, editing, designing, providing its photos, maps and all other forms of information.

We are proud of this guidebook, which we see as another step towards an independent Palestine that will find its rightful place among the peoples of the world. We hope you appreciate its significance as much as you learn from it. We look forward to seeing you in our country, to hosting you, and to hearing your comments on both our tours and this guidebook.

Salaam, In Peace.

From the Publisher

The Alternative Tourism Group (ATG) of Beit Sahour, Bethlehem, Palestine proudly announces its publication of more than just another ordinary tourist guidebook: "Palestine & Palestinians" provides an in-depth, updated journey through the entire range of Palestinian culture: ancient and modern history, archaeology, religion, architecture and politics, including the daily realities of Israeli Occupation. It describes places rooted in Palestinian memory: sites which bear witness to a history and identity created from contact with civilisations of the Middle East, Mediterranean, Europe and Arab Peninsula. It also presents the contemporary tragedy and struggle of a people seeking recognition of their rights and details of their ongoing search for an end to injustice through a viable peace and statehood.
A great variety of documentary material, biographies of culturally significant personalities, poems, popular songs and recommended reading list provide readers with opportunities to broaden their horizons, while many contacts provide a range of possibilities for talks or tours with specialists, or meetings with local people in their homes. The book offers practical information (transport, hotels, cafes, restaurants, museums, hiking routes, cultural centres, etc.) so you may plan your own multifaceted visit, or join one of ATG’s organised group activities such as the annual Olive Harvest. As a guidebook, "Palestine & Palestinians" is a comprehensive guide to Palestine, including those parts of Israel where Palestinian culture and traditional hospitality still thrive.
"Palestine & Palestinians" presents a version of justice tourism to enhance the world’s increasing interest in the cause of the Palestinian people while providing tools to go beyond misleading stereotypes. The book sets out to facilitate visits to Palestine for tourists who wish to increase their understanding and even work with Palestinians and Israelis towards a just, viable peace. At the same time, it provides enough material for those readers who prefer to travel far and wide in the comfort of their own armchairs. Or it can simply be used as a reliable guidebook for regular visitors.
ATG invites you to discover Palestine and having once discovered it, to return again and again with ever-increasing commitment, dedication and love for our people. Ahlan waSahlan! Welcome!

Tel: +9722 2772151
Fax: +9722 2772211
Email: info@atg.ps


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Customer Reviews

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Best Guidebook ever 11 Nov 2007
By SA
This is the best guidebook I have ever used. It provides an excellent account of all the cities and villages of Palestine and their sights. It also gives a great account of the histories of those cities and the history of Palestine in general. The only thing which this book lacks is a bigger map and some more pictures.

However, this is only a minor shortcoming. Overall, this book is more than a travel guide. I recommend it for anyone who is interested to learn more about Palestine, the occupation and the conflict. Palestine and Palestinian provides a refreshing break from the otherwise very one-sided and apolitical travel literature on Palestine.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
If you have considered visiting Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza or that land which was either partitioned or taken by Israel now known as the unholy "Holy Land" this brilliant and enriching book is a MUST have. Careful historical background will make any journey to the region a far more in-depth travel experience in which hundreds of brief descriptions and numerous photos in b/w and color discuss obscured or lost histories of razed villages and expulsed people of Palestine. More than an ordinary travel guide, this book will enrich the journey of any newcomer and support the histories of the millions of stateless refugees in diaspora. Amidst the histories and elusive and hard to find information are the usual essential highlights of towns and cities essential for visitors. One of the best guidebooks ever written on and about Palestine by a dedicated organization committed to informed tourism (Alternative Tourism near Bethlehem). A MUST buy!
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