Settlers use tourism to draw Israelis to West Bank
Perched atop a West Bank hill, the Binyamin region visitors center invites travelers to look past the military jeeps patrolling the surrounding area and enjoy nature, archaeological sites and bucolic vineyards.
Jewish settlers are promoting tourism to draw Israelis who might otherwise never set foot in the West Bank, an occupied area Palestinians want as part of a future state. Proponents hope that drawing visitors will help increase support for retaining the territory, while critics say the tourism campaign, like Jewish settlements, is a foothold that stands in the way of making peace.
The Binyamin region - named for the Hebrew tribe of Benjamin, thought to have lived here in biblical times - is a short drive from population centers in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; its boosters call it "the heart of Israel." Ancient ruins and wine routes line the roads here leading to the Jewish settlements and Palestinian villages that exist, uneasily, side by side.
The visitors center was established last August in response to an increase in visitors to the region and with hopes of drawing more, manager Yaela Briner said. Since then, Briner said some 5,000 tourists have passed through, half of them Israelis...
"We have a moral interest for Judea and Samaria to be toured by Israelis who for various reasons still don't see it as a place to tour," said Dani Dayan, head of a settler umbrella group, referring to the West Bank by its biblical names.
...The area offers a plethora of sites, many of them of biblical significance. The settlement of Shiloh, for instance, was a stopping point for the biblical Tabernacle before it went to Jerusalem. Natural springs and reserves dot the region and boutique wineries are popping up, attracting both religious and secular Jews. While no records are kept as to how many Israelis visit the West Bank, settlers say the numbers are growing, spurred by an aggressive marketing campaign.
...For those Israelis uninspired by the biblical connection, settlers have appealed to adventure-seekers by installing a 400-yard (meter)-long zipline, or to nature-lovers with greater access to springs. The Binyamin visitors center tailors its tours to the interests of the traveler, focusing on history, wine or nature.
...The Israeli government has also taken steps to promote tourism in the West Bank, offering to protect certain historical sites there and pledging to send schoolchildren on field trips to a disputed holy site in Hebron, one of the West Bank's most explosive flashpoints.
...On a recent rainy morning, a handful of Israeli visitors meandered around the Inn of the Good Samaritan, a museum housing dozens of archaeological artifacts from around the West Bank. Shoshi Leibovich, a secular Jew visiting from nearby Jerusalem, said she seldom travels to the West Bank but was drawn by its tourist attractions. "Judea and Samaria is where our forefathers lived. It's interesting. It doesn't need to be political," she said, peering at a mosaic extracted from an ancient synagogue floor.
...Alongside the red-tiled roofs of scattered West Bank settlements are a growing number of inns and restaurants - all which eat into land desired by the Palestinians as part of a future state.
...Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel supports maintaining historical sites in the West Bank because "irrespective of one's political perspective, the fact is these are sites that are of great importance historically and culturally."
Come and visit.
You want another reason?
How about the 10th anniversary of the yishuv Givat Assaf:
Tuesday, starting at 10:45.
^
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment