Olive Tree Initiative 2010 Itinerary-and George Rishmawi

Below is the itinerary for the September 2010 Olive Tree Initiative. Note that George Rishmawi is highlighted in bold. (Why is one Rishmawi listed with initial "S" and the other with no initial and they are listed under different organizations? This is also true of the 2008 trip. Are they different individuals or the same? Or is there an intentional effort to confuse?

UC Irvine- Olive Tree Initiative 3


September 2010 Itinerary

Thursday - September 2nd: Flight

• Leave LAX at 1 pm

Friday - September 3rd: Jerusalem/Bethlehem

• 5 pm Arrival in Ben-Gurion Airport

• 6 pm Driving to Jerusalem

• 7 pm SHABBAT DINNER at Old City home of Patrick Amar (Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, Old City

Jerusalem) ---

• 9 pm TRAVEL to Bethlehem and check into Holy Family Hotel

Saturday - September 4th: Ramallah/Bethlehem

• 8 am (Palestinian time - PT) TRAVEL to Ramallah (early)

• 9 am TALK with Sam Bahour (entrepeneur and business man) and Antonio Galli (USAID

representative)

• 11 am TOUR of Mukata – Palestinian Governmental Complex (including Arafat’s burial site)

• 12 noon LUNCH at Birzeit University with Professors and Students

• 2:30 pm TALK with Issa J. Kassissieh (Director General and Deputy Head/ PLO

• Negotiations Affairs Department)

• 4 pm TALK with Al Haq (Palestinian Human Rights Organization)

• 5 pm Meeting with Dr. Husam Zomlut (Deputy, Central Committee Fatah, PLO representative to the UK

(2003-2008)

• 6 pm Leave for Bethlehem (OTI REFLECTION in Bus)

• 7 pm DINNER with Dabka Band Dancers in Tent restaurant with students (Birzeit University and high

schools) and community members

Sunday - September 5th: Jerusalem/East-Jerusalem

• 8 am (7 am PT) Leave hotel for Jerusalem

• 9:15 am Check in Knesset

• 10 am TALK with Ibrahim Sarsur (most senior Arab politician in Knesset, party leader United Arab

List)

• 11:30 pm LUNCH in Bus (sandwiches)

• 12 noon STRATEGIC TOUR with Danny Tirza (architect of the separation barrier) – including Gilo

Settlement

• 2 -5 pm TALK and TOUR of East-Jerusalem with Ir Amim meetings with residents who lost their

homes (e.g. Sheik Jarah and Siluan)

• 5:30 pm Meeting with Bill Van Esveld (Analyst for Human Rights Watch)

• 7:00 pm IFTAR DINNER with Khaled Zighari (photojournalist and television producer, worked for Al-

Jazeera and BBC)

o Optional Friday night-prayer for Muslim students at Al-Aqusa mosque

• 9 pm OTI REFLECTION

Monday - September 6th: Qalqilyah/Haifa

• 8:30 am (7 am PT) leave from Bethlehem

• 10 am TALK and TOUR with Avihu Cohen (overview point)

• 11 am TOUR of Qalqilyah and the wall surrounding the city (plus Zoo) with city officials

• 1 pm Leave Qalqilyah

• 2 pm LUNCH at Maxim Restaurant in Haifa, a joint Arab-Israeli owned restaurant attacked by a

suicide bomber, TALK with Tony Mattar (co-owner)

• 4 pm TOUR of terror victim burial site (near Haifa) with Yossi Zur and Ron Kehrmann, whose

children died in a suicide attack on a Bus in Haifa

• 6 pm Check into accommodation in Colony Hotel

• FREE Evening in Haifa

Tuesday - September 7th: Haifa, Sea of Galilee, Golan Heights

(Tour guide for the day Guy Leibovitz)

• 9 am TALK at Beit HaGefen Coexistence Center

• 10-11 am TOUR of Bahai’i Gardens

• 12 am Leave for Sea of Galilea

• 1 am tour of Christian sites (Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes)

• 2 pm LUNCH at Druze Village plus TALK

• 3 pm TOUR of Golan Heights with General Alik Ron

• 6 pm Return to Haifa

• 8 pm Dinner in Haifa with OTI Reflection afterwards

Wednesday - September 8th: Jenin and Nablus

• 8am TRAVEL to Jenin

• 10 am (9 am PT) MEET with Musa Qadora (Governor of Jenin)

• 11 am (10 am PT) MEET with Ismael Khatib (donated organs of dead son to Israelis)

• 12 am (11 am PT) TOUR of Jenin refugee camp with the Jenin popular committee

• 1 pm (12 noon PT) LUNCH in Jenin

• 2 pm (1 pm PT) TRAVEL to Nablus

• 3 pm (2 pm PT) COFFEE BREAK/MEET with Munib R. Masri

• 4 pm (3 pm PT) TOUR of Nablus (e.g. inner city, historic sites, refugee camp…)

• 5 pm (4 pm PT) Leave Nablus

• 6:30 pm Check into Astoria Hotel in Tiberias

• 7:30 pm DINNER at Sea of Galilea or in Safed with ROSH HASHANA CELEBRATION

Thursday - September 9th: Jordan

• 6 am TRAVEL to Jordan (from Tiberius ) through Sheikh Hussein Crossing (7 am)

• 9 am Meet with HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, and Princess Rim Ali (not confirmed – might be

rescheduled)

• 11 am VISIT with Camp Improvement Committee in Wehat Refugee Camp

• 1 pm Meet with H.E Senator Dr. Marouf Al Bakhit (former Ambassador to Israel and former Prime

minister of Jordan, 2005-2007)

• 2 pm VISIT University and meet students and/or Rotaract/Rotary members in Jordan

• 3 pm TOUR of Amman (Citadel, Amphitheater, …)

• 5 pm Check into Larsa Hotel in Amman (8th Circle)

• 7 pm IFTAR/Eid Meal in Jordan (with Nesma’s family)

• 9 pm OTI Reflection

Friday - September 10th: Jordan

• 5 am Optional Morning prayers for Muslim students

• 6 am Leaving for Petra (breakfast/packages on the bus)

• 10 am Tour of Petra

• 1 pm Short break with snacks

• 2 pm Drive to Karak (Majali Farm)

• 4 pm LUNCH with Majali Family and Bedouin tribe members

• 6 pm return to Amman

• 8 pm Eid Dinner with guests in Amman

Saturday - September 11th: Jordan/Dead Sea

• 8 am Leave Amman for King Hussein Bridge/Allenby or Sheikh Hussein Crossing

• 10 noon Cross border and travel to Dead Sea

• 12 noon – possible En Gedi National Park tour

• 1:30 pm LUNCH at Lot Hotel, Dead Sea

• 2:30 – 5:30 pm Beach/Mud treatment … relaxing

• 5:30 pm TRAVEL to Tel Aviv

• 7:30 pm Check into accommodations – Sea Net Hotel

• Free Evening

Sunday - September 12th: Tel Aviv/Jaffa/Ariel Settlement

• OPTIONAL 9:00 am TOUR (leave hotel at 8:30 am) of Ayalon Institute (secret Jewish arms

manufacturer disguised as a Kibbutz, did laundry for the British Army during Mandate period for cover)

• 10:00 am TRAVEL to Ariel Settlement

• 10:30 am MEET with Ron Nachman (mayor of Ariel) and University Students form Ariel and people

evacuated from Gaza

• 12 noon LUNCH in Ariel

• 1:30 pm return to Tel Aviv

• 2 pm TALK with Gidi Grinstein (President and founder of Reut Institute) at hotel

• 3:30 – 4:00 pm BREAK

• 4 pm TALK with Dr. Yossi Beilin (former MK and justice minister) at hotel

• 5:30 – 6:00 pm BREAK

• 6 pm TALK with Galia Golan (Peace Now) at hotel

• 8 pm OTI Reflection

• 9 pm DINNER at Dr. Shakshuki Old Town Jaffa with students (former soldiers) and professors from

Tel Aviv University and IDC (Maya Zana organizer)

• 11 pm Optional Night Tour

Monday - September 13th: Tel Aviv/Jerusalem

• FREE Morning = time for shopping or going to the beach

• 1 pm check out of hotel

• LUNCH

• 2 pm TALK/PANEL with Amos Harel (Haaretz covered the Gaza conflict and “breaking the silence)

and members from Breaking the Silence and IDF soldiers with a different perspective

• 4 pm Travel to next location

• 4:30 pm TOUR/TALK of Natal

• 6:00 pm TRAVEL to Jerusalem

• 7:30 pm Check into accommodation at Lutheran Guesthouse

• 8:00 pm DINNER and OTI REFLECTION in Jerusalem Old City

Tuesday - September 14th: Hebron/Efrat

• 8:30 am TRAVEL to Hebron

• 9:30 am (8:30 am PT) TALK and TOUR with David Wilder (Spokesperson Jewish Community)

• 11:30 am (10:30 am PT) TALK and TOUR of Hebron City Center with Hebron Rehabilitation

Committee

• 1 pm (12 noon PT) LUNCH at in Hebron (time to shop and meet locals)

• 3:00 pm Leave for Efrat

• 3:30 pm PANEL with Efrat residents (A. Friedman) and visit of nearby settlement outpost (Karmei Zur)

• 6:00 pm RETURN to Jerusalem with some REFLECTION on bus

• 7:00 pm DINNER with Parents Circle

• FREE Evening

Wednesday - September 15th: West-Jerusalem

• 9 am MEET with Holocaust Survivor (at their home or at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial)

• 10:30 am Tour of Yad Vashem

• 1 pm LUNCH

• 2 pm TALK with Pini Meidan (former officer, national intelligence agency of Israeli (Mossad) and

Foreign Policy adviser. He was a member of the permanent status negotiating team under PM Barak in

1999-2001 - Taba talks in January 2001)

• 4 pm TALK with Mark Regev (spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister)

• 6 pm MEETING with Benjamin Pogrund (former South Africa peace activist, friend of Mandela)

• 7:30 pm DINNER in Jerusalem with Dr. Gideon Rahat (Senior Lecturer, Department of Political

Science) and some Hebrew University students

• 9:30 pm OTI REFLECTION

Thursday - September 16th: Gaza/Sderot/Jerusalem

• 7 am TRAVEL to Kerem Shalom (Gaza Crossing)

• 9 am TOUR at Kerem Shalom, presentation by COGAT Commander

• 10:30 am Gaza OVERVIEW – Avihu Cohen

• 11:30 am TRAVEL to Sderot

• 12:15 am TOUR of Sderot (police station (old rockets), media center), meet residents

• 1:30 pm LUNCH at Kibbutz Kefar Aza with John Ging

• 3 pm Return to Jerusalem with OTI REFLECTION in bus

• 4:30 pm PROJECT/MEETING with One Voice at YMCA

• 6:30 pm DINNER (optional) in Jerusalem with One Voice activists

• FREE Evening

Friday - September 17th: Bethlehem/Jerusalem

• 7 - 8 am Optional – visit Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque

• 9:00 am (8:00 am PT) TALK with George Rishmawi (cofounder, The International Solidarity


Movement (ISM), current director of Palestinian Center for Rapprochement)

• 10:00 am (9 am PT) TALK and TOUR with George S. Rishmawi (coordinator/cofounder Siraj Center

for Holy Land Studies: Old Town Bethlehem, Church of Nativity, Mosque of Omar

• 11:30 am (10:30 am PT) TALK with Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh, TOUR of Bethlehem University

• 12:30 am (11:30 am PT) TOUR of Aida Refugee Camp with Ayed Al Azzeh (Al-Rowad Center)

• 1:30 pm (12:30 am PT) LUNCH and TOUR of Carmen Nasser’s house, followed by TALK

• 3:00 pm (2 pm PT) TALK with Zoughbi Zoughbi (director of Wi’am – Palestinian Conflict Resolution

Center) maybe also Yusef Thalgieh (father of a Palestinian boy who got killed by the Israeli Defense

Forces at sons grave site) – dedication of playground!!!

• 4:30 pm (3:30 pm PT) return to Jerusalem

• 5 pm (4:00 pm PT) DINNER in Jerusalem before sundown because of Yom Kippur

• FREE EVENING (optional services for Jewish Students)

Saturday - September 18th: Jerusalem - Reflection

• FREE DAY - Yom Kippur (Jewish students and others may fast)

• 7 pm BIG Celebration Dinner

Sunday – September 19th: Flight Home

• 9 am TOUR Old City Jerusalem – Quarters, City of David, Western Wall, Kotel tunnel with guide Guy

Leibovitz

• 12 noon LUNCH

• 1 pm Final Reflections!!!

• 3 pm FREE AFTERNOON for shopping and/or relaxing –

Optional visit of talk by Raja Shehadeh (Al-Haq)

• 7 pm Final Dinner

• 8 pm Drive to Tel Aviv Airport

Flight leaves at 11:35 pm –DL 269 (arrival in Santa Ana/OC at 11:44 am on September 20th