Visiting Palestine – A Big Statement - Report on the Nov 2025 Study Tour to Palestine/Israel

Fencing in Hebron’s Old City – one of the70  restrictions to movement in Hebron

Visiting the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the state of Israel offer crucial political and material support for the besieged Palestinians. Indeed, our study tours represent direct responses to Palestinian pleas for solidarity visits.

In this, the third such tour since 7th October 2023, our group completed its eleven-day itinerary with over 30 encounters. Our hotels in Bethlehem and Nazareth opened just for our group as we were the only delegations staying in each of them and everywhere we went, we were welcomed with open arms.

While at Bethlehem’s Municipality, it’s mayor, Mr Maher N. Canawati, spoke about how Bethlehem continues to be safe and, in fact, has the lowest crime rate of any city in the Middle East. Despite Bethlehem being caged in by the Apartheid Wall and Israeli checkpoints, internationals can pass.

Bethlehem relies on the tourism industry but now without tourists since Israel’s war on Gaza began in 2023, lack of tourists and the inability of Palestinians to get work permits for Israel, the unemployment rate has spiralled from 14% to 65%. Mr Canawati has addressed this challenge with the decision to once again reignite the spirit of Christmas in the “little town” by celebrating it this year to demonstrate their resilience and to proclaim that the message of peace and hope that radiates from this town. Despite the darkness, its light must shine.

As a token of appreciate for visiting Bethlehem at a time when so few do so, the Mayor presented ICAHD UK’s Director, Linda Ramsden, with a commemorative gift.

Photo: Mr Canawati and ICAHD UK’s director – Bethlehem Municipality – November 2025

Climbing another earth mound

When going to visit Atta and Rudina Jaber in the Baka Valley, across from Kiryat Arba in Hebron, we had to climb a new earth mound to reach their home at the top of the hill. Settlers continue to harass the family, and we heard about how Israeli police invaded and trashed their home this autumn, just one of the latest incidents they have faced.

Manoeuvring the path to the Jaber home

Meeting Samour, Atta’s donkey

Introducing Samour

Our tour participant from New Zealand said that as we drove away from Atta’s house following our visit, she saw his donkey on the pathway. The scene stimulated a great sense of sadness for that family but also hope for their future as she remembered Atta’s determination not to hate even as he confronts Israelis who threaten him and his family.

Reaching Tent of Nations

Israeli authorities prevent anyone from reaching Tent of Nations the easy, direct way just off Highway 60. This Palestinian farm owned by the Nassar family is located between Bethlehem and Hebron. The family has been in a legal struggle with Israeli authorities since 1991 to prove its ownership despite having documents from Ottoman times. Nowadays one must cross three checkpoints and there is the possibility of encountering “flying” checkpoints that can be erected anywhere and at any time. The journey goes via Al-Khader southwest of Bethlehem, on through Husan and then to Nahalin where there are no street signs. The roads are narrow and steep, and a challenge for any driver.

We arrived late when it was already getting dark. Lights from the five settlements surrounding Tent of Nations shone brightly and we could see the new settler outpost established directly next to its fence. In the last two months, settlers have opened two roads through Tent of Nations but with no consequences from the Israeli authorities. The Nassers will again be in court on 18th March 2026 as they struggle to retain their land despite settler incursions and being offered a blank check for their property.

The outpost’s white containers next to Tent of Nations and with an Israeli settlement on the hilltop.

Seeing violent settlers in a shepherding community

The ICAHD study tours engage with both Palestinians and critical Israeli Jews because it is vital to recognize the reality of two people groups, of roughly equal numbers, residing in historic Palestine. We spent time with Rabbi Arik Ascherman of Torat Tzedek, Torah of Justice, in the shepherding community outside of Mukhmas, northeast of Jerusalem which Torat Tzedek seeks to protect. It had suffered from a pogrom on 25th October, less than a month before our visit. While we were there, we witnessed settlers appear over the hill with their flocks invading Palestinian land to intimidate the Palestinian shepherds.

Study tour participants photograph the settlers who appeared with their sheep on Palestinian land

We heard from two men from the community who spoke at the pogrom when settlers arrived with chain saws to cut down olive trees, set two cars on fire and damaged another, demolished homes, killed sheep and injured five volunteers providing protective presence.

“The settlers are winning – big time,” said Rabbi Arik. Torat Tzedek is trying to raise 250,000 NIS (approximately $77,263 or £57,904) to rebuild demolished homes and sheep.

Shepherds sit amongst the ruins from the pogrom in October.

Meeting with ISMers in the Jordan Valley

Visiting the Jordan Valley is a vital element to the study tours. These people, like those in Masafer Yatta in the south of the West Bank, live in extremely harsh conditions especially through lack of water and constant settler violence. With Netanyahu’s return to power along with the appointment of Smotrich as finance minister, the government’s agenda is to destroy the Palestinians’ means to live on their land. It has also given sweeping power to the settlement councils to take over the land and water resources.

The settlers have created a climate of fear to intimidate the Palestinians into leaving. Internationals coming to live in the Palestinian communities providing protective presence is proving essential in helping them to remain on their land. During our visit to Bardala, we heard from volunteers who are part of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). One of the men said that he is about to leave following his three months stint however he is feeling more pessimistic having been here and feels like they are only delaying the inevitable: erasure is coming.

Another member of ISM stressed the importance of going to small, more local media with our stories because we have a better chance of being heard there compared to getting coverage on major media platforms. What is needed is to educate the masses everywhere, so this is a way to do it.

The new patio constructed outside the Jordan Valley Solidarity Campaign’s community centre in Bardala, the original construction involved ICAHD and Torat Tzedek.

Hearing Awad Abdulfattah’s story on his recent arrest

Study tour participants had the privilege of visiting the home of Palestinian Israeli Awad Abdulfattah in the north of the Galilee. Awad is the former secretary general of the Balad party and has dedicated his life to working for the equality of all citizens of the state of Israel. He has persevered despite being fired from his teaching jobs for speaking about the Nakba and experiencing numerous arrests.

Awad’s most recent arrest happened on 5th November when six members of the Israeli police broke into his home, searching it for an hour before Awad, who was experiencing much back pain at the time, was taken away with both his hands and feet in shackles. He was held in a cell for three hours and then interrogated for another three hours before being released on house arrest. Israeli authorities target those it suspects of being sympathetic to Hamas; nothing was found to substantiate a claim against Awad however he was fined 10,000 NIS ($3,090 or £2,316) and is subject to further questioning.

Awad went on to say that he expects the current situation to continue for another couple of years, but he’s determined to think positively about the future; he is not looking for revenge but for liberation for both people groups. “We cannot wait for Israel to implode from within and must have anti-colonial Jewish Israelis involved in the struggle.”

Awad shares baklava given to him after his release from arrest

Highlighting Jeff Halper’s analysis

With Jeff Halper in Maale Adumim, the large settlement east of Jerusalem, which overlooks E-1, the area that has been approved for 3000 housing units, hotels and industrial park. It will stretch from Jerusalem and Jericho and will cut the West Bank in two.

The study tours provide unprecedented time with Jeff Halper, ICAHD’s director. He spent an entire morning with us as he took us on a bus tour of East Jerusalem which allowed participants to witness Israel’s ‘Matrix of Control’ and its apartheid policies that it has imposed over the Palestinian people. We saw the difference between the lack of infrastructure provided for Palestinians compared to what is afforded for Jewish settlers within East Jerusalem with their sidewalks, paved roads, streetlights, playgrounds and housing. Palestinians make up 40% of Jerusalem’s population, get 8% of the municipality’s budget while paying 50% of the taxes.

Jeff described how he came to Israel as an immigrant, but he now understands he actually came as a settler. As what he calls a “settler who refuses,” Jeff works with his Palestinian and (few) Israeli Jewish comrades to dismantle the Zionist settler regime and replace it with a democratic state belonging to all its citizens.

A week later, we again met with Jeff when he unpacked more within the wider context of settler colonialism. He explained its four stages: invasion, Judaization, pacification and normalization. He said that the need for “security” is the reason Israel gives for everything it does. In this transactional world, Palestinians are overlooked and they are not even part of the discussions happening about their future. He stressed the importance of international civil society in supporting the Palestinian struggle for liberation because we are the greatest asset the Palestinians have.

Hearing the urgent calls

Repeatedly, the calls we heard during our many visits were for people to be there to demonstrate their solidarity with Palestinians. They said:

We see you on the streets but more importantly, we need you here. Why are people not coming? This is the solidarity we need to help us continue in our long painful struggle. We are tired and for many of us it is a matter of survival as we simply live day to day! We don’t find rest, even when we sleep.
We need internationals here as soon as possible to provide protective presence. Many communities would have already disappeared completely had it not been for internationals providing protective presence. It involves risk, but then all struggles for justice involve discomfort and people making sacrifices as they stand with the oppressed.

Contact us through our website if you would like to be part of the next study tour.

— ICAHD (icahd.org)
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