Alternatives to Settler Tours of East Jerusalem
City of David National Park
No trip to Israel is complete without a visit to Jerusalem. One of Jerusalem's most popular tourist attractions is the City of David National Park, managed by the Elad settler organization.
If you are coming to Jerusalem on your own, with your family, your congregation or another group, you may want to consider ways to supplement a tour of the City of David National Park or visit the park within the broader context of its surrounding community of Silwan in East Jerusalem.
Why Consider Alternative Tours?
Alternatives to Settler Tours of East Jerusalem
There are large portions of the City of David National Park that are open to the public for free, while other areas of the park are restricted to people who pay entrance fees to Elad or join Elad-led tours. Some groups or individuals may want to compare and contrast the experience and information provided on an Elad tour with the experience and information found in one of the many alternative tour options for visiting Silwan and/or the broader geopolitical environment of East Jerusalem; others may not be not be interested in supporting Elad's settler agenda altogether.
Our provision of information about alternative tour options here should not be considered an endorsement of any of these groups' tours.
Rabbis for Human Rights
Upon request, Rabbis for Human Rights offers unique group tours of East Jerusalem, and in depth visits to the neighborhoods of Silwan and/or Sheikh Jarrah that combine Jewish sources and human rights issues. Tour provide the opportunity to meet local residents as well as Israeli and Palestinian leaders of non-violent movements for justice.
Emek Shaveh
Emek Shaveh is an organization of archaeologists and community activists focusing on the role of archaeology in Israeli society and in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They view archaeology as a resource for building bridges and strengthening bonds between different peoples and cultures. Emek Shaveh uses the study of archaeology to help shed a new light upon the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and those caught in its midst. You can find self-guided tour books of City of David and other archaeological sites on their website. They provide alternative archaeological tours of the City of David and Silwan in English and Hebrew that are open to the public. Upon request, they can provide additional guided tours of other historical finds in Jerusalem.
Solidarity Movement
The Solidarity Movement, which has grown from weekly protests in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, is a grassroots organization working towards civil equality within Israel and an end to the Israeli occupation in East Jerusalem and beyond. Solidarity activists offer tour of Silwan in English and Hebrew about once a month.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center provides a critical analysis of “The Story Behind the Tourist Site” in a downloadable booklet on their website and offers tours and speakers upon request that promote the historical perspective of the Palestinian residents of Silwan. The Information Center also can tell you more about community programs they initiated.
Ir Amim
Ir Amim (“City of Nations” or “City of Peoples”) focuses on Jerusalem within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The organization offers political tours of Jerusalem to the general public on a regular basis. Their tours provide a thorough introduction to Israeli policy in Jerusalem since 1967 and its socio-economic and political implications. This includes discussion of the municipal boundaries, Israeli development in East Jerusalem, the separation barrier and its effects on the city, political trends, the relationship between the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian population, as well as recent developments.
The Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions (ICAHD)
ICAHD is a non-violent, direct-action organization established in 1997 to resist Israeli demolition of Palestinian houses in the Occupied Territories. ICAHD offers tours in multiple languages in East Jerusalem, in other neighborhood of Jerusalem and in the Jordan Valley. Their East Jerusalem tours explore the history and conflict that arose from Israel’s settlements, show the disparity in quality of life provided for Palestinians and Israelis, and explain the challenges that have arisen due to the inaccessibility of building permits in neighborhoods like Silwan.
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