Palestine

This region has of course tragically been much in the news since the Israeli invasion of Gaza and now depradations in the West Bank. But in recent years around a million tourists have visited the West Bank to explore the rich history and culture in places like Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Jericho, as well as the Dead Sea coast (in Gaza there are also things to see/do, but even before the war access was restricted/difficult, and now for the foreseeable future it´s totally off limits).

We like millions around the world are appalled at the destruction and genocide being inflicted on Gaza by Israel, and for those who would like to contribute to humanitarian efforts to aid victims, this article lists several organizations to which to donate.

cover photo: Chloekwak

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The Top 7 Musts in the West Bank of Palestine - Plus One More

Kyle Taylor Palestine´s West Bank - a territory of just under 2,200 square miles with a population of 4.2 million, wedged betwen Israel and Jordan - has long been a trove of history and culture enjoyed by millions of visitors in recent decades, especially those attracted to biblical history (mostly but far from exclusively Christians from around the world). But beginning in the fall of 2023, Israel responded to the brutal murders and kidnappings of more than a thousand of its citizens by…

Started by Max Pesling

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Will tourism in Gaza ever exist? If so, here are 8 spots worth visiting

Ramez Habboub This narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean coast between Israel and Egypt is tiny – just 141 square miles/365 sq. kilometers (about the size of Las Vegas or the British city of Sheffield) – and with a population of nearly 2.1 million, making it one of the world´s most densely packed territories. And Gaza has of course massively been in the news since October 7 because of the tragic and horrific reasons with which by now we´re all too familiar. And when it comes to…

Started by David Paul Appell

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A look at contemporary Palestine

I just came across this interesting 13-minute video in English from Italian vloggers Guglielmo and Valentia Biason, which combines visits to interesting sites such as the Church of the Nativity, with a good dose of historical and sociological context. Very much worth a watch.

Started by David Paul Appell

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'conflict tourism' in Palestine and elsewhere

These days we hear about a few Westerners (mostly young men) who have been going to Syria to get a closer look at the war, and it reminds me of several years when I was working as a guide in Palestine. My clients were, for the main part, politically engaged people of diverse backgrounds, mainly from Europe and the USA, who had been involved with Palestinian solidarity campaigning back home and wanted to see the situation for themselves... keep reading

Started by Tripatini

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David Paul Appell September 17, 2025 at 11:48am

Nearly two years ago I wrote a post here on Tripatini about the historical and cultural treasures of Gaza that even then were being systematically erased by Israel in addition to all the massive human misery that country was inflicting, and here on this forum last year I highlighted a report about the destruction of Gaza´s archaeological sites. Now here´s the outrageous latest: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-e26c7357-09f8-42af-81ae-42...

The frantic race to protect historic treasures from Israeli bombs - BBC News

As Israel continues its bombardment, Palestinians are trying to protect what remains of Gaza’s ancient artefacts
Ahmed Abbas September 15, 2025 at 11:52pm

Here´s an eye-opening side-by-side video comparison of Palestinian East Jerusalem and Israeli West Jerusalem. The differences are quite obvious https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2018/east-west-jerusalem/inde...

Divided Jerusalem

Al Jazeera takes you through a brief tour of East Jerusalem - with a mostly Palestinian population - and West Jerusalem, which is entirely Jewish, to…
Riccardo R September 13, 2025 at 1:18pm

For such a small territory, Palestine punches above its weight in terms of both UNESCO World Heritage Sites and "intangible" heritage - five and eight, respectively. Check them out here: https://www.unesco.org/en/countries/ps

State of Palestine
Maria de los Angeles September 12, 2025 at 12:55pm

Here in Spain, a fellow name Joan Torres runs a blog called AgainsttheCompass.com which specializes in "roads less traveled," including destinations which are difficult to visit or perceived to be (just three examples: Eritrea, Haiti, Ukraine). And a few months ago he published a fairly wide-ranging guide to visiting Palestine´s West Bank, including not just sights but places to stay and eat as well as valuable logistical and other background information. Worth a read! https://againstthecompass.com/en/visit-palestine-travel-west-bank/
Dave Acton December 5, 2024 at 2:29pm

Several months ago, the brave (meaning not supine) Israeli newspaper Haaretz profiled Bethlehem and how the recent Israeli army and settler violence has destroyed tourism in a city that used to get a million and a half visitors a year. Truly heartbreaking https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/2024-08-28/ty...

'Life has been hell': Inside Bethlehem, the West Bank's tourism capital turned ghost town

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David Paul Appell April 25, 2024 at 2:20pm

As I and many others feared, in addition to genocide and other crimes against humanity, Israel has been destroying many of the Gaza historic and cultural landmarks I wrote about last fall: https://menafn.com/1108130946/Feature-Palestinians-Mourn-History-As...

Feature: Palestinians Mourn History As Israel Destroys Archaeological Sites In Gaza

GAZA, Apr 24 (NNN-WAFA) – In a state of astonishment, Samiha al-Aqqad, 86-year-old mother of eight, gazed in disbelief, at the mound-like piles of ru
José Balido October 11, 2023 at 5:14pm

Tragically, the situation in Gaza is horrific and likely to get even worse. But strangely, it got me curious about tourism. When it comes to Palestine, we hear about the great stuff in the West Bank but virtually nothing about Gaza - partly because the situation has been so difficult there for so long, and few tourists have been able venture there even if they wanted to. But I went to my favorite "off the beaten track" expert, Joan Torres, from Barcelona, and sure enough, on his fascinating site AgainsttheCompass.com he has a whole section on Gaza - what to see as well as some very important info about logistics and planning. He even updated it on October 2 - perhaps poorly timed, a mere several days before this whole Hamas mess (although he does have a caveat that "the major risk a foreigner can face there is military escalation" and "If the situation “erupts” while you are there, try to leave the Strip as soon as possible. If the borders are closed, the best option would be to stay at your hotel/accommodation and ask the staff for safety instructions." Certainly prescient. Anyway, check this out and I think you´ll find it quite interesting: https://againstthecompass.com/en/travel-gaza/
María José September 6, 2023 at 12:03pm

Nazareth is Palestine´s biggest city, and earlier this year LaidbackTrip.com, a site run by a Czech couple, did a pretty good overview of what to visit here: https://www.laidbacktrip.com/posts/things-to-do-nazareth-israel
Ahmed Abbas August 29, 2023 at 12:13am

Bethlehem is one of Palestine´s most popular destinations, and CultureTrip.com has a great rundown of its top attractions for visitors: https://theculturetrip.com/middle-east/palestinian-territories/arti...
Wissam Al Khoury December 24, 2022 at 10:52am

Just today, the UK Guardian reported on the West Bank receives hundreds of thousands of Christmas visitors for the first time after two years of pandemic restrictions: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/24/no-room-in-bethlehems...

No room in Bethlehem’s inns as tourists return for Christmas season | Palestinian territories | The…

West Bank city gears up for festive season after two years of pandemic restrictions