It was a real eye-opener for me | Machsomwatch
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It was a real eye-opener for me

I went along to a Machsom Watch tour in January 2014 and it was a real eye-opener for me. While I thought I had an understanding of what everyday life might be like for people living in the West Bank, I really didn't. This tour showed me aspects I hadn't considered.

Our tour guide Daniela had extraordinary energy providing information and historical facts throughout the day, as well as fielding challenging questions from the group, which was made up of people with varying political views.

Machsom Watch clearly states it is opposed to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories, so as Daniela said at the beginning of the day, do not expect this to be a "balanced tour" (she suggests you also do a settler tour if you are looking for the view from the other side). But you will definitely walk away knowing a lot more about life in the Palestinian Territories than you will learn from watching nightly news bulletins.

 

I highly recommend this tour for anyone who is keen to move beyond the tourist spots on a trip to the Holy Land.

Suzi Butcher