This week I visited Israel and Palestine on a trip organised by Labour2Palestine. The tweets I sent give a useful flavour of this fascinating journey and are grouped below.
At Ben-Gurion airport, Tel Aviv. Ready for a few days travelling in Israel and Palestine pic.twitter.com/NDDrCxl7
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 1, 2013
Hospitable welcome at hotel in Ramallah. Looking forward to dinner with Nabil Sha'ath, Yasser Arafat's foreign minister pic.twitter.com/ikVptd6g
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 1, 2013
Downbeat but charming lecture from Nabil Sha'ath. Have to admit I didn't know there were 450,000 Palestinians in Chile! pic.twitter.com/SisfGNr8
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 1, 2013
The view from our Ramallah hotel. On to Jerusalem today, with lunch in Arata at a house demolished twice in a year. pic.twitter.com/7doccoxg
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 2, 2013
Depressing visit to Anata, a town of 25,000 people 4km from Jerusalem, to meet Salim, who has had his home demolished six times since 1998
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 2, 2013
14 other homes in Anata, which is next to an Israeli military base & bisected by the Separation Barrier, got demolition notices this week
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 2, 2013
Salim believes the system is unfair: "It cost me $15,000 to apply 3 times to build. I didn't get a permit, but I got a demolition order"
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 2, 2013
Amazing Sabbath in Jerusalem, seeing the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall pic.twitter.com/S8VxjmHL
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 2, 2013
"Get out of your house, you have 15 minutes" Salim explains the process of home demolition on the West Bank pic.twitter.com/J1AR1rEi
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 2, 2013
Visited Ma'ale Adumim, extraordinary illegal settlement for 35,000, with Olympic swimming pools & perfect view of 'E1' http://t.co/gMV7ccLZ
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 2, 2013
The view from Ramallah this morning. Next stop: Bethlehem pic.twitter.com/6bkbcrHM
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 3, 2013
Councillor @Tony_Belton presents Daoud I Zatari, Mayor of Hebron, with the Wandsworth Borough coat of arms pic.twitter.com/Ewdm0JIh
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 3, 2013
Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, this morning. pic.twitter.com/K4KjhrRh
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 3, 2013
The beautiful but deserted old city of Hebron where 400 Israeli settlers & 1,600 soldiers keep out 250,000 Palestinians pic.twitter.com/KzKhVCU6
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 3, 2013
At Jerusalem 'City Hall' to meet Meir Margalit of the Meretz Party: "We are leftist a in a religious right-wing city" pic.twitter.com/DDKXJquW
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 4, 2013
Cllr Margalit says "clear example of discrimination" in Jerusalem spending. Palestinian areas have 39pc of population but get 11pc of budget
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 4, 2013
Councillor Margalit "Palestinians may be in the majority in Jerusalem by 2020. If they vote, there will be a Palestinian Mayor of this City"
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 4, 2013
Etiquette help required! Came across this in Bethlehem – do I boycott or support? #BoycottStar&Bucks #BoycottStarbucks pic.twitter.com/MDNdDFhc
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 4, 2013
Many thanks to British Consul General Sir Vincent Fean for cold drinks & an expert briefing in his East Jerusalem HQ pic.twitter.com/HViB1GSe
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 4, 2013
1949 truce was signed in this UN building with a green pen, hence the 'green line' border between Israel & Palestine pic.twitter.com/NLXXUKWs
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 5, 2013
This Wall has replaced the Green Line. 85pc of it runs on Palestinian land, to connect 400,000 settlers with Israel. pic.twitter.com/szRvlhuC
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 5, 2013
In Bethlehem we heard how the Wall is designed to take land as much as provide security. This section is extraordinary: pic.twitter.com/u6QYZzSJ
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 5, 2013
Visited the Am'ari refugee camp today. Tragic to see 10,000 people in less than a square km http://t.co/KTUBtqOy pic.twitter.com/hQvAMrwq
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 5, 2013
Earlier this week, in a village just outside Jerusalem, I met Salim. His house has been demolished 6 times so far: http://t.co/gsvykMYr
— Simon Hogg (@CllrSimonHogg) February 8, 2013
The trip was not made on behalf of Wandsworth Council or the Labour Party and all costs were met out of my own pocket.
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