10-day program in Palestine for 18 Norwegian students and teachers
A 10-day program in Palestine, from the 7th to the 16th of November 2019, was arranged by the JAI for 16 students + 2 teachers from a partner Norwegian YMCA-YWCA related Rønningen FolkHighSchool.
Introductions were made for them on the JAI work and the Keep Hope Alive - Olive Tree Campaign, the Boycott-Divestment-Sanction (BDS) Campaign, ongoing displacement of Palestinians and the right of return by Badil Center, the YWCA of Palestine, the work of theNorwegian Representative Office work in Palestine.
Their program included guided tours in various cities including Bethlehem, Hebron, Jerusalem, Ramallah, where they witnessed the Israeli apartheid wall, colonies (settlements), settlers' bypass roads, checkpoints and road blocks, streets closed for Palestinians, and inside Palestinian refugee camps.
Various meetings and chatting in groups were arranged for the Norwegian students with Palestinian youth in Bethlehem University, YMCA Youth Hub Beit Sahour, Lajee Center in Aida Refugee camp, and in Nabi Saleh victims of the Israeli oppression and ex-prisoners.
They had two olive planting activities in two days at the threatened fields of Al-Khader village, south-west fo the Bethlehem area, where they planted 280 olive trees on both days.
Guided tours were arranged for the with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition (ICAHD), at the Bethlehem-Jerusalem Israeli checkpoint with the Eccumencial Accompainement Program in Palestine and Israeli (EAPPI) Bethlehem team, and they spent an overnight with hike trip the Bediouns.