Indian tourists can now return from Holy Land tours with much more than pictures of churches in Palestine and Israel. Discussions were held between various Christian groups in the Capital on Monday, which was attended by Arab Christian scholars from West Asia.
Speaking to The Hindu , Munther Isaac of the Bethlehem Bible College in Palestine said that Indian pilgrims will soon be participating in programmes that allows them to stay with Palestinian families and experience the way they live.
“Tours to the Holy Land are usually catered to by Israeli agencies that employ their own guides and vehicles. Ninety per cent of Christian pilgrims spend only two to three hours in Palestine, although many important sites are within Palestine. Not only does this not support the Palestinian economy, but pilgrims also return without a clue about how life actually is in the Holy Land,” he said.
As part of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, promoted by the World Council of Churches, participants will live in conflict zones and even assist in recording human rights violations.
“The stand of Christian communities on the conflict has been non-violent, popular, peaceful and creative resistance. The war and the blockade of Gaza affects all residents, irrespective of religion. While there are religious motivations for the Hamas and Israeli settlers, the core of the conflict is political and is based on land,” he added.
Mr. Isaac explained that current pilgrimages strengthen the stereotypes people have of Arabs. “While visiting Bethlehem, guides ask tourists to keep their wallets safe. There is no exposure to Palestinians and visits include just the churches and souvenir shops. There are other groups in Palestine and Israel who promote ethical tourism.”
“Many people are actually surprised when I introduce myself as a Palestinian Christian. The invisibility of Christians in the discourse on West Asia is used as a political tool to encourage Western support for the occupation,” he claimed.
Roughly four per cent of the collective population of Israel and Palestine identify themselves as Christian. Last year, 40,000 Indian tourists visited Israel — the highest from any Asian country. In 2013, a record 3.5 million tourists visited Israel, of which 53 per cent were Christian. There are approximately one lakh Israelis of Indian origin, including the Bene Israelis from Maharashtra, Cochini Jews from Kerala, Baghdadi Jews from Bengal and Bnei Menashe from Mizoram.
