Birthright Unplugged offers opportunities for people to gain knowledge through first-hand experiences and to use that knowledge to make positive change in the world.

We reject the notion of a “birthright,” as embodied in Jewish-only fully-funded trips to Israel.  Israel has ignored the internationally recognized right of return for refugees, but has created a “Law of Return” which extends citizenship benefits to any person of Jewish heritage, excluding millions of Palestinians born in the land that has become Israel.

Our programs attempt to address this injustice by facilitating access typically denied to the communities with whom we work. Jewish people often face obstacles of fear and lack of knowledge which can deter them from pursuing this kind of experience on their own. Palestinian people face movement restrictions and other human rights violations which limit their ability to visit places we travel to during our trip. As international people with a knowledge of Palestine/Israel, we are able to work with both communities to contribute to understanding and addressing these obstacles and restrictions.

http://www.birthrightunplugged.org/

Because so much of the Occupation consists of "facts on the ground," an ICAHD "alternative" tour presenting settlement activity, the emergence of a "Greater" Jerusalem and the "Matrix of Control" contributes measurably to an understanding of the situation. ICAHD, together with the Alternative Tourism Group of Beit Sahour, also offers critical, issue-based tours of Israel and Palestine covering a wide range of social, cultural and historical issues.

http://www.icahd.org/eng/projects.asp?menu=3&submenu=4

As the Israeli military continues to place Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps under siege, Palestinians continue to resist the 39 year Occupation of their land. Global Exchange's delegations to Palestine/Israel strive to further the US public's understanding of the region's history and realities by giving participants first-hand exposure to the aspirations and frustrations of Palestinians living under Occupation, the dimensions of the human rights crisis under Israeli rule, as well as the perspectives of Palestinians and Israelis who are working for a just peace and an end to the occupation.

http://www.globalexchange.org/tours/803.html

Every year, Zaytoun coordinates a team of volunteers to go out and help Palestinian farmers bring their valuable olive harvest home.

WE coordinate the placement of teams with the International Women’s Peace Service, who have had a base in the West Bank village of Hares for several years. They speak to farmers’ representatives in the most threatened villages in the Salfit and Nablus districts and organise accommodation for the international teams.

This work offers solidarity with the farming communities who are most at risk from settler and army violence in the West Bank. Both settler harassment and the military closure of their olive groves and routes to and from the fields makes it impossible for some farming families to bring their crop home. The role of international volunteers in these cases is to observe, note what’s happening and where invited by the Palestinians, to negotiate safe passage for the farmers and their crops.

Participation in the harvest is often life-changing. The opportunity to witness at first-hand the conditions for farming communities in the occupied West Bank enables better campaigning against the injustices and an understanding of the place of olive oil in the fragile Palestinian economy. Just as importantly, however, are the personal friendships struck up by our visit.

http://www.zaytoun.org/harvest.php

The Sabeel Fall Witness Visit offers a window into the daily lives of Palestinians living under the Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza as well as into the experiences of second-class citizenship of Palestinians who are citizens of Israel.

•  Meet with Palestinian Christian and Muslim leaders of civic and religious organizations as well as with Israeli Jewish advocates for justice.
•  Learn the stories of Palestinian Christians, share the worship that sustains their faith, and engage with Sabeel in promoting justice via liberation theology.