Ebook Walking Palestine 25 Journeys into the West Bank Stefan Szepsi foreword by Raja Shehadeh 9781566568609 Books
Download As PDF : Walking Palestine 25 Journeys into the West Bank Stefan Szepsi foreword by Raja Shehadeh 9781566568609 Books
A Passionate and practical guide to exploring the natural beauty of Palestine
With the images of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so dominant in our minds, walking for leisure is the one activity probably least associated with the West Bank region. But Stefan Szepesi s book wanders well off the beaten track of Palestine as only a synonym for occupation and strife, exploring its inspiring natural and cultural landscape, its intriguing past and present, and the hospitality of its people.
The book takes first-time walkers and experienced hikers, as well as armchair explorers, through Palestine s steep desert gorges, along its tiny herders trails, and over its quiet dirt roads running past silver green olive groves. With side stories and anecdotes on heritage, history, culture, and daily life in the West Bank, the book ventures into the traits and character of Palestine today. Walking Palestine also offers a wealth of practical walking tips, including references to local guides, the West Bank s best leisure spots and countryside restaurants, and charming places to spend the night.
Ebook Walking Palestine 25 Journeys into the West Bank Stefan Szepsi foreword by Raja Shehadeh 9781566568609 Books
"The book begins: "The best way to know a place is to walk it. It is no exaggeration to say that Palestine is a walker's paradise." That's probably a new thought to most experienced walkers and hikers, but this book serves as a great invitation.
I was lucky that this book came out just a few days before my departure. I'll have more to say once I actually try to use it in the West Bank, but it appears to be very impressive. It is well written and organized, has many beautiful photographs and maps, and although it's a very substantial book (272 pages), it's not too large or heavy to take on the trip or put in a backpack.
The book includes some introductory information on walking in Palestine and a bit of natural history with helpful web references for further exploration. The walks are then organized geographically, each with full information including not only characteristics of each walk (length, difficulty, map, etc.) but also notes on sights, "places to go, people to meet," and places to eat. The book features 24 day walks labeled easy, moderate, or hard and ranging from 1.5 to 6.5 hours with most in between. (Gaza is not included.)
Throughout the book one gets a sense that the author appreciates the beauty of the land, the culture, and the people. The book conveys the obvious facts about the West Bank under occupation and what that means for checkpoints and other difficulties, but it does not express strong political views or hostility to Israel. My guess is that time spent in the West Bank will speak for itself in that regard, and I'm one who would recommend exploring all sides of the story in both Israel and Palestine. I once thought, naively, that love of nature and the land might unite Jews and Palestinians, but if you know about the conflict, you know that that is probably something we can only hope for in the far future. In the meantime, we can try to share the love of each people for the land that each considers its own. There are many opportunities for hiking in natural areas in Israel (e.g., contact the Society for the Preservation of Nature in Israel), but this is probably the only presently available up-to-date guide to walks in Palestine.
Overall, this book looks like an absolute "must have" for one who wants to learn more about Palestine, both natural and human, by walking in the West Bank. Although I have been to Israel and the West Bank several times before, I have never gone for long walks on the land in any of the occupied areas. I am looking forward to exploring Palestinian life and culture in a new way with the help of this remarkable book.
PS (after trip): I did enjoy this book while traveling in the West Bank. So I just reaffirm my recommendation."
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Walking Palestine 25 Journeys into the West Bank Stefan Szepsi foreword by Raja Shehadeh 9781566568609 Books Reviews :
Walking Palestine 25 Journeys into the West Bank Stefan Szepsi foreword by Raja Shehadeh 9781566568609 Books Reviews
- The book begins "The best way to know a place is to walk it. It is no exaggeration to say that Palestine is a walker's paradise." That's probably a new thought to most experienced walkers and hikers, but this book serves as a great invitation.
I was lucky that this book came out just a few days before my departure. I'll have more to say once I actually try to use it in the West Bank, but it appears to be very impressive. It is well written and organized, has many beautiful photographs and maps, and although it's a very substantial book (272 pages), it's not too large or heavy to take on the trip or put in a backpack.
The book includes some introductory information on walking in Palestine and a bit of natural history with helpful web references for further exploration. The walks are then organized geographically, each with full information including not only characteristics of each walk (length, difficulty, map, etc.) but also notes on sights, "places to go, people to meet," and places to eat. The book features 24 day walks labeled easy, moderate, or hard and ranging from 1.5 to 6.5 hours with most in between. (Gaza is not included.)
Throughout the book one gets a sense that the author appreciates the beauty of the land, the culture, and the people. The book conveys the obvious facts about the West Bank under occupation and what that means for checkpoints and other difficulties, but it does not express strong political views or hostility to Israel. My guess is that time spent in the West Bank will speak for itself in that regard, and I'm one who would recommend exploring all sides of the story in both Israel and Palestine. I once thought, naively, that love of nature and the land might unite Jews and Palestinians, but if you know about the conflict, you know that that is probably something we can only hope for in the far future. In the meantime, we can try to share the love of each people for the land that each considers its own. There are many opportunities for hiking in natural areas in Israel (e.g., contact the Society for the Preservation of Nature in Israel), but this is probably the only presently available up-to-date guide to walks in Palestine.
Overall, this book looks like an absolute "must have" for one who wants to learn more about Palestine, both natural and human, by walking in the West Bank. Although I have been to Israel and the West Bank several times before, I have never gone for long walks on the land in any of the occupied areas. I am looking forward to exploring Palestinian life and culture in a new way with the help of this remarkable book.
PS (after trip) I did enjoy this book while traveling in the West Bank. So I just reaffirm my recommendation. - Walking Palestine presents all the practical tools needed for 25 day hikes in Palestine, ranging from a scant 4 kilometers up to 16 kilometers in length, with easy family-friendly jaunts and more challenging adventures. With detailed maps and trail descriptions, recommendations for transport, accommodations, meals and guides, these walks are made accessible and simple to plan.
Aside from thorough practical information, the book presents interesting, heartwarming and whimsical insights into everyday life in Palestine. From the only beer brewery in Palestine, to ancient holy sites, to local lettuce festivals, Walking Palestine illuminates a joyful and resilient side of Palestinian life. I especially enjoy the portraits of local community members, whose inviting faces make me excited to head out on to the trail.
This book is groundbreaking because of how it is has opened up the world of walking in Palestine for visitors. Tourism in Palestine is largely constrained to bus tours making quick visits to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which is such a pity considering the wealth of culture, hospitality and landscapes "off the beaten path" in the West Bank.
Highly recommended for anyone visiting the Middle East who enjoys a brisk walk in the countryside. - During a visit to the Westbank one is frequently reminded of the Israeli occupation with its military checkpoints, ugly separation wall/fence and the illegal Jewish colonies, which have been carved into this ancient land. It is not easy to escape this harsh reality.
There is however a different Palestine, one of beautiful, lovely landscapes, changing from season to season, filled with wadis, springs, rolling hills, arid landscapes with deserts. A Palestine, where one can see hillsides covered with beautiful flowers and lush green grass in Spring, contrasted by the starkness of the dry, arid landscape in Summer. An integral part of the landscape are the Palestinian villages and towns, connected to each other by ancient roads and dirt trails, leading along equally ancient agricultural terraces with olive and almond trees. And frequently one comes across beautiful ancient monuments.
I have walked in this landscape, these villages and towns and one of the reasons why it always was such a pleasant experience, was the welcome and generous hospitality given by families picking olives, farmers working in their fields, shepherds herding their sheep and goats, and by the people in the villages and towns, I walked through.
It is said, that the best way to know a place, is to walk it. This certainly applies to the landscape of Palestine. One of the pioneer ramblers and instructors in this respect is Raja Shehadeh, a Palestinian lawyer, well known as the founder of the human rights organization al-Haq. He also has a great love of walking in the countryside of the Westbank. His book "Palestinian Walks Forays into a Vanishing Landscape" (2007), in which he goes on 6 different walks in the Westbank describes in a powerful way the beauty of the landscape, the people who live in it, the quirky, strange and unusual things he meets, and the impact Israel's occupation has on all of this. It was a trailblazer, which awakened people's interest in the culture, flora and fauna of Palestine.
Now comes Stefan Szepesi's "Walking Palestine. 25 Journeys into the Westbank".
Szepesi is a Dutch economist, who between 2006 and 2010 lived in Jerusalem and worked as economic advisor in the occupied Palestinian territories. He devoted his free time to exploring the outdoors of the Westbank on foot. With his friends Stefan undertook countless test walks across the Westbank. The result is this fantastic book, which takes first-time walkers and experienced hikers, as well as armchair explorers, through Palestine, through steep desert gorges, tiny herder's trails and over quiet dirt roads past ancient gnarled olive trees. With the 25 walks come stories and ancedotes on heritage, history, culture and daily life in the Westbank. The book ventures into the traits and character of Palestine as it is today.
250 km of walking trails are described and mapped in detail throughout the book. There is a wealth of practical walking tips, like Greet anybody along the trail (ways of greeting in Arabic are provided). There are useful references to local guides, the Westbank's best leisure spots and countryside restaurants, and the most charming places to spend the night. The book fits easily in your rucksack.
One of the features that makes this such an attractive book, are the photographs in colour, which illustrate the beauty of the Palestinian landscape, its flora and fauna, and its people. So if you are interested in walking the Palestinian countryside, but don't know exactly how to go about it, this is the book for you.
The only question mark I have, and which the book does not answer, is should one on arrival at Ben Gurion airport or at the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge over the Jordan river, tell the Israeli border officials about your plans or final destination? Should you even have this book with its revealing title in your luggage?
Israeli official "What is the purpose of your visit?" Traveller "I am a keen walker and I have come to explore the countryside of Palestine."
Stating your final destination as "Palestine" honestly and truthfully is problematic in this day and age, as the participants of the recent "Welcome to Palestine 2012" event experienced. You run the risk of being considered a potential security risk and denied entry, as I experienced myself in 2002.
This book will surely be available in the bookshops of East Jerusalem and Ramallah.
At present I would advise travellers not to state their final destination as Palestine, because it can ruin your holiday. Just tell the border officials you will be visiting friends in Israel (have names ready), visit all the important tourist sights and you intend to go and hike in areas within Israel with your friends. Stating that you intend to visit East-Jerusalem and Bethlehem is OK because so many Christian pilgrims go there.
Stefan Szepesi states in the foreword to his book "Simply put, there is another Palestine filling our television screens. Mark Twain made clear that travel books cannot erase the fixed images in our minds; they tend to make it worse. Only a personal journey, a visit, an encounter, a walk, can start breaking them down."
Good advice to any foreigner, the dedicated activist, the Christian pilgrim, the tourist who wants to take in the sites of the "Holy Land", but also to the Jewish Israeli who wonders who and what is behind that wall?
Stefan's book is the start of that personal journey. It is greatly recommended.
