“Come and See; Go and Tell!”
Authentic Holy Land Experiences
Experience Palestine
With Friends of Sabeel North America & Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation theology Centre
Sabeel Witness Visits provide participants with the unique opportunity to experience the reality of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. This includes, but is not limited to, visiting: the separation wall, illegal settlements, checkpoints, confiscated and demolished homes, and refugee camps. Participants will be able to learn firsthand about the loss of civil and property rights of Arab Israeli citizens, as well as see for themselves both the past and present violations of international and humanitarian law.
Participants will have the ability to worship, meet, and reflect with local individuals and families living in the Holy Land. This includes Palestinian Christians and Muslims, Jewish Israelis, and also internationals who partner with Sabeel to non-violently resist the illegal occupation.
Each Witness Visit is unique: themed delegations will have lectures and experiences pertaining to a specific theme, which will amount to about 20% of the overall trip. The primary emphasis of each trip is to explore the social and political realities in the region, which are dynamic and evolve on a daily basis. Delegates will also discuss how the conflict affects Israeli society, and will hear from local Israelis on this subject.
All of this experiential learning is intended to motivate participants to become agents of change when they return home. Therefore, Sabeel also provides materials, support, and mentoring to help returning delegates make connections to their local communities and to share what they have learned while here.
Witness & Solidarity Tours
Come and See; Go and Tell
FOSNA and Sabeel regularly host a witness and solidarity trips in the Holy Land. Experience the resilience and struggle for liberation of the Palestinian people. If you are curious and interested in joining please fill out the form below and share it with anyone who may be interested in being part of an upcoming journey. We will contact you very soon!
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center invites you to join us to experience the reality of life in today’s Holy Land:
Worship with Palestinian Christians
Meet and reflect with Palestinian Christians and Muslims as well as with Jewish Israelis and internationals who partner with Sabeel in non-violent resistance against the violation of international and humanitarian law
Experience the realities of the Palestinian community living under Israeli Occupation: the Wall, settlements, checkpoints, confiscated land and demolished homes, refugee camps, and environmental degradation
Learn about the loss of civil and property rights of Arab Israeli citizens
WHEN:
A number of options are available:
FOSNA hosts regularly scheduled trips.
In addition, Sabeel is also happy to help accommodate the unique needs and timing of your specific group, as available.
Finally, Sabeel is happy to host visiting delegations for an afternoon as part of your trip itinerary.
WHERE
Nights in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Nazareth with side visits to other sites including West Bank and Galilee holy sites. In addition, Jerusalem specific tours are also available.
COST
Estimate: $2,250* + flights
This cost includes a non-refundable registration fee of $300, all accommodations and meals for 9 nights, all transportation and honoraria during the visit. It does NOT include airfare, transportation to and from the airport, personal expenses and souvenirs, or travel insurance.
*Price subject to increase as the need arises. (Our goal is to facilitate travel to the Holy Land, so we do what we can to keep prices down.)
**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A RIGOROUS TRIP THAT INCLUDES CLIMBING OF STAIRS AND MUCH WALKING, SOMETIMES OVER ROUGH TERRAIN.
In honor of Episcopal Bishop Edmond L. Browning, an ardent anti-apartheid activist and champion of justice for Palestine, FOSNA launched the Edmond L. Browning Memorial Fund in 2017 to foster informed, nonviolent action for liberation, justice, and peace in the Holy Land. By sponsoring clergy, seminarians, and seminary professors, the Browning Fund provides eligible Christian workers with the opportunity to bear witness to the lives of indigenous Palestinian Christians and their Muslim and Jewish neighbors. We aim to train current and future church leaders by connecting them with the Palestinian community on the ground and with Sabeel in Jerusalem, honoring the path of truth and justice seeking in the Holy Land.
Join us in our work to liberate religion from those who would use it to justify oppression and dispossession. Contribute to the Bishop Edmond L. Browning Memorial Fund at the link below:
The Bishop Edmond L. Browning Memorial Fund
Witness Testimonies
I have been to many colonized places in the world. From Caribbean islands like Aruba that are still formally owned as such, to places like Kenya, where the fractures of society continue to fall along the fault lines of British occupation, despite its official end in 1963. It was clear to me that while the contusions of colonialism appear in different shades of black and blue, they are all equally destructive. And yet, I was unprepared for the brutality of what active settler-colonialism would feel like when I arrived in Palestine. The oppression of the Palestinian people has been devastating, yet necessary, to witness. Every act of their existence is resistance, reminding the settlers they cannot be erased. I’m forever grateful to FOSNA and those who made this trip possible for me so that I could not only better understand why Palestinian liberation is so urgent, but build relationships with those who are actively working towards it. Despite the overwhelming realities of persecution and attempts at their extinction, the Palestinian people remain hungry for the reclamation of their land, but not their humanity- for they’ve clung to that as desperately as their oppressors have tried to deny it. Just like their land - they have found ways to produce in the face of restriction and sustain their love for each other amidst a seemingly insurmountable enemy. As the lungs of the land struggle for their collective exhale on the day of liberation, we inhale knowing God’s breath smells of rosemary and jasmine on the hills of Palestine.
–Olivia B.
I’m so thankful for the financial support that allowed me to go with this delegation to Palestine. Trying to learn about what’s happening here in the United States was a necessary struggle, but a struggle none the less. Coming to Palestine has allowed me to feel so much closer to the situation and has given me information that is more accurate and holistic than most of the information I can find in the United States. I have also learned so much from my fellow delegates and have been encouraged by our conversations about strategic solidarity and resistance. I feel like I’m coming back to the States with a deeper understanding of Palestine and it’s lovely people, as well as a stronger passion to join with the people I’ve met in raising my voice against the illegal settler colonialism going on here. This delegation has encouraged a deep spirit of perseverance, joy, and solidarity amongst its members; for that I am deeply grateful.
–Anna B.
Organizing a Witness Trip
A visit to Palestine can be a life-changing experience.
If you’re interested in witnessing the occupation firsthand, FOSNA can help you plan a trip. Our panel of witness trip leaders have been traveling to Palestine and Israel for years and know how to navigate the roadblocks, both physical and bureaucratic.
We’ll make sure you see the real story. You can meet with Palestinians and Jewish Israelis engaged in nonviolent resistance, visit refugee camps, experience life under occupation, and view environmental degradation. You can also tour Hebron and other communities suffering from encroaching Israeli settlements.
Your trip can include historical and religious sites such as Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea.
Whether you’re traveling alone or want to organize a witness trip for a group, we can help you design a visit that caters to your interests and needs. We may also be able to provide scholarships.
Our witness trip advisors
Kathy Bergen
In Jerusalem for nearly 25 years, Bergen has directed various international committees and has coordinated AFSC's National Middle East Peacebuilding in Pennsylvania and Friends International Center in Ramallah. She is on the board of Canadian Friends of Sabeel.
Dr. Hassan Fouda
From 2002 to 2013, Fouda co-organized and co-led 10 fact-finding delegations to Palestine and Israel. He has also visited all the neighboring countries, meeting and interviewing many government officials, opposition leaders, and opinion makers.
Dr. Linda Kateeb
Kateeb has made eight trips to Palestine and Israel—her first in 1975—and helped organize and lead five of them, incorporating pre-and post-trip learning surveys.
Dr. Joy Lapp
Lapp serves on the steering committee of the Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) and has been leading witness trips to Palestine and Israel since 2007.
Dr. L. Michael Spath
Spath has led 13 two-week trips to Palestine and Israel in the last 15 years, meeting with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders of organizations involved in justice advocacy and/or peacemaking.
The Rev. Robert Tobin and Maurine Tobin
The Tobins have led 24 witness trips to show participants the facts on the ground in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and the restrictions placed on Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Rev. Canon Richard Toll
A retired Episcopal priest, Toll took his first trip to Palestine and Israel in 1983, when there were no walls and Palestinians had freedom of movement. Since then he has led a number of groups.
Rev. Dr. Don Wagner
Wagner, a consultant on theology with FOSNA, has organized and led trips to Palestine and Israel annually since 1979, using reflective readings and experiential learning to deepen connections with grassroots leaders engaged in popular resistance.
