Adam Horowitz writes:
While the rest of the world sees the Israeli colonization of the West Bank as one of the core issues to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, more and more Israelis are seeing it a great chance to get away. The punchline from Ha'aretz – Settlers latch on to tourism as key to holding West Bank:
Today, . . .
increasing numbers of Israelis are visiting Judea and Samaria for
reasons that are not political. Instead they are going for the
experience and the fun.
Sounds like a great time. Bentzi Lieberman, a former chairman of the Yesha
Council, is looking for tourist attractions "that blur boundaries,
roadblocks and the Green Line, projects that cross borders and span
across opinions, that are beyond all the little fears and connect the
broad Israeli public to [the occupied territories]." So far some of the projects that have been developed are "bed-and-breakfasts in the Binyamin Region, boutique
wineries in Samaria, archaeological sites in the southern Hebron hills
and guided tours of scenic sites alongside tours in the footsteps of
the Bible, Jewish tradition and history. These efforts have culminated
in the latest campaign of the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements in
Judea, Samaria and Gaza: 'Judea and Samaria, the story of every Jew.'"
Granted this is not the first time tourism was used to consolidate a nationalist project, still how much of an audience can there be for B&Bs that advertise a beautiful view of the separation wall?
