Friends,

It's great that you will be coming to join us in nonviolent, direct-action resistance to the occupation of Palestine.  Hopefully the following information will be helpful to you in making your travel plans:

There are three ways to come to Palestine -- via the Ben Gurion airport - Tel Aviv, via Amman, Jordan or via Egypt.  Many people are afraid to come via Tel Aviv because Palestinian sympathizers are being denied entry into the country.  We believe that it's less suspicious if you come through Israel but you have to have a really good story about why you are coming, and must not mention anything about ISM or knowing, liking or planning to visit Palestinians.  You must play it as though your visit is for other, Israel-based reasons, like tourism, religion, visiting an Israeli friend, etc.  So do a little bit of research and put together a story that you'll be able to answer questions about.  For example, if you say you are visiting a friend in Jerusalem, you should have the name and phone number of a real Israeli person.  If you are coming for religious purposes, have a book or two on religion and travel in Israel;  have an itinerary, etc.

Once into the country, you can find a shuttle to Jerusalem right outside the airport doors, to the right.  This is a service that waits until it fills up (10 passengers) and then heads to Jerusalem for 40 Israeli Shekels per person ($9) or if you are paying in dollars - $10.  It'll drop each person off where he/she wants to go in Jerusalem.  You should ask for Damascus Gate.  Depending on which order you’re dropped off in, the ride to Jerusalem can take anywhere from 40 minutes to over an hour.  If you arrive in the middle of the night, you might have to wait 1-2 hours for the shuttle to fill up.  The other option is to arrange for a Palestinian taxi driver through our logistics coordinator.  To do this, contact George at pcr@p-ol.com or call +972-2-277-2018. This is a more expensive option.  It will run you approximately $50 for the whole car.  It's a good option if there are a few of you coming together. 

Once you register and George knows what time you are coming in, he can advise on whether you should spend the first night in Jerusalem (if you arrive late) or try to make it right to Bethlehem (if you arrive early enough).  You should be in touch with him regarding your flight schedule and when you arrive into the country.

If you decide to come via Amman, Jordan, you still have to go through the Israelis when you come to the border.  They will then question you on why you are coming to Israel via Jordan.  Especially if you go from the airport to the border on the same day, they will ask you why you just didn't fly to Tel Aviv if you're not spending time in Jordan? Make sure you have your story ready. If you come to Jordan, you will have to take a taxi to one of the borders with Israel.  There are 3:

Aqaba/Eilat: this is the farthest and not really recommended unless you want to visit Aqaba or Eilat (on the Israeli side).  This border crossing is about 3 hours from the Amman airport and then once you are on the Israeli side, another 3 hours to Jerusalem by bus. 

Allenby Bridge:  This one is the closest to the Amman airport and closest to Jerusalem on the other side of the border.  It'll cost you about 20 Jordanian dinars (about $30) for a taxi to the bridge.  This is where Palestinians cross back and forth into Jordan and it's usually crowded.  It makes sense though if you say you are visiting Jerusalem.  ***If you are going to use this bridge, find out about getting a multiple-entry visa at the airport.  This is important because Allenby is not an official border crossing so you CANNOT get a visa at the bridge.  This will be important when you cross back into Jordan to leave.  If you don't have a visa, you can't use this bridge.  The other option would be to arrange to go to the Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv to get a visa to Jordan before you leave Palestine.

Sheikh Hussein Bridge in the north:  (Be careful when asking for a taxi to this bridge in Amman).  Make sure that the taxi driver is clear that you want the SHEIKH Hussein Bridge and not the Malek Hussein Bridge (which is another name for the Allenby Bridge).  This option will cost you about 35 Jordanian dinars ($50) from the airport to the bridge.  When you cross over, the only practical option is to take a bus to Jerusalem (about 2 hour ride).  We don't usually recommend people ride Israeli busses!  This option is good if your story is that you're visiting people in the north of Israel, i.e. Haifa, and it's usually less crowded than the Allenby crossing, but is otherwise more trouble just because it's further away from Jerusalem.  This is an official crossing point so you will not need a visa ahead of time to cross back into Jordan (you can buy one right at the border for about $15 – depending on which country you're from).

Coming through Egypt is certainly the longest way in.  This would require you flying to Cairo and then purchasing a bus ticket to Jerusalem.  The fare is $35 one way, or $45-$50 round-trip.  To do it this way, you have to make sure you have your visa to Israel ahead of time.  This means you either have to spend a few days in Cairo getting a visa either through the Israeli Embassy or the travel office you purchase your bus ticket from, or you arrange for your visa from your own country before arriving in Cairo.  The ride is approximately 9-10 hours. 

All in all, it's much easier to fly right into Tel Aviv.  The main benefit of coming through Jordan or Egypt is that they are a little less stringent at the border.  They're pretty strict and suspicious at the airport, though quite a few people get lucky and most of our activists get in as long as they play it right.  The other thing is that if they're going to deny you entry into Israel, at the airport they just put you in a holding cell until your flight back is arranged.  At the border with Jordan or Egypt, you just go back into Jordan or Egypt, where we have ISM representatives you can contact.

Once you make it to Jerusalem and are in touch with us, the best way to get you to the training site, which is in the occupied and besieged Palestinian territories (and sometimes difficult and tricky) will be worked out/arranged.  More likely than not, you will meet up with others in Jerusalem that you will travel with.  You should call right away and you will be informed of the travel arrangements from Jerusalem to the training site.  Our office number is 02-277-4602 (drop the 02 if you are dialing from Jerusalem).

There you go, you decide what's best for you as far as getting to Jerusalem.  If you have any more questions, please let us know.  For logistics / registration / transportation, please contact George at pcr@p-ol.com.
Hope to see you in Palestine.