Click here to view the Web Version . Click here to forward to a friend. Spring 2011 Dear friend, This year is shaping up to be a pivotal period for all of us here. The Palestinian Authority is gearing up to declare a state in September while the Israeli government is doing its best to thwart such a unilateral move. This morning's news brought details of an Egyptian-brokered reconcilliation deal between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Stay tuned for more excitement in the months to come. In the meanwhile come back and visit us again. More great tours await you and your friends. Forward this newsletter widely. Thanks. All the best, Fred Schlomka, Director What's New on the Green Olive Blog? Check out Green Olive Tours competitors - settler organizations doing tours in the West Bank . See the video. There's also a new Settler Tour by Green Olive Tours - see below. This guest blog post by Gaye Paterson details her experiences and reflections about a tour she took to Bethlehem Read more. Fred Schomka's recent article published in CounterPunch, 'Is the Occupation Over', provides up to the minute analysis of events on the ground and encourages readers to think 'out of the box' when considering the future of the region. Read the article. Mark Thomas's new book is out, 'Extreme Rambling'. Read his Guardian article with details about his hiking adventures with Fred & colleagues from Green Olive Tours. We are always looking for guest blog posts. If you have been to Israel/Palestine and have an interesting story to tell then send it on to us. It can be published with your name attached, or anonymously. The best blog posts are usually only 3 or 4 paragraphs. Photographs welcome. Send your blog posts to us here. New Settler TourThis new half-day tour is hosted by Bruce Brill, a resident of Kfar Eldad, a tiny settlement next to Nokdi-im, where Israel's foreign Minister, Avigdor Liberman lives. Visitors can take a tour with Bruce and learn about his philosophy and rationale for living in the West Bank. Most visitors come to Israel/Palestine and either spend most of their time in the Israeli/Jewish milieu or with Palestinians in the West Bank. Green Olive Tours now offers an opportunity to go deep into the world of the settlers and see first hand how they live and why they are there. See the details here. New Hebron Tour Due to popular Demand we have added a Hebron day-trip every Saturday departing from Jerusalem. Our Hebron/Bethlehem tour on Thursdays has consistently been the most popular tour so we wanted to offer the opportunity to visit Hebron for an entire day. The tour includes visiting Abraham's Tomb and the Old City of Hebron. Walking the Old City brings home the bizarre nature of the area with Israeli settlers living on top of Palestinian residents who are restricted in their movements. The tour also visits a glass-blowing workshop and a keffiyeh factory. Lunch is with a local Palestinian family. . . . . Read more about the tour. Partner Profile - Old City Net Green Olive Tours has developed relationships with many fine enterprises in Jerusalem. Old City Net provides high speed internet services and is convenient for visitors and tourists. Old City Net is in the heart of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, an easy walk from Jaffa Gate or New Gate, and close to many hostels and hotels. Open daily from early morning till midnight. Please click here for more information. Multi-Day Tours • 3 Days in a Village - Be embedded in a Palestinian village. Meet farmers, learn about the issues. • 4 Days - Stay with a family in Bethlehem. visit 4 cities in the West Bank. • 7 Days - Combination of village and family home-stay with touring to cities. • 10 days - Village experience, plus touring 4 cities, plus 3 days volunteer work in village. Scheduled Day-Tours Every Day Jerusalem Old City Every Sunday Jaffa/Tel Aviv Jericho,Qumran,Dead Sea Every Monday: Greater Jerusalem Every Tuesday: Bethlehem Taybeh Village Jerusalem Seam Line Every Wednesday: Nablus Jerusalem-Silwan Jerusalem-East & West Every Thursday: Hebron & Bethlehem Every Friday: Central West Bank Masada/Dead Sea Meet the Settlers Every Saturday: Bethlehem & Ramallah Hebron Bedouin Reality Tour Special Day-Tours Jerusalem Black Panthers Jenin & Nablus Private tours for any of the published itineraries, or a custom tour, can be scheduled at any time with airport pick-up, flexible itineraries, hotel bookings, and personal service. Custom itineraries can include visits with Palestinian NGOs, villagers, settlers, and activists. Private tour inquiries |