Palestinian bloggers see local tourism as defiance

ARTAS, West Bank: Two Palestinian travel bloggers are promoting local Palestinian tourism in the West Bank as an act of defiance against Israeli occupation.

The West Bank is scattered with sites holy to Christians, Muslims and Jews, and its mountainous landscape offers breathtaking views from the hills of Hebron and Nablus down to the hypersaline Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth.

But since its capture by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, the West Bank has also been home to Israeli military bases and checkpoints that restrict Palestinian movement, as well nearly 430,000 Israeli settlers who live among 3 million Palestinians.

Israel cites security concerns for the checkpoints in a volatile area it calls by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria.

Hoping to allay the fears of Palestinians who avoid visiting remote sites, Malak Hasan and Bisan Alhajhasan founded Ahlan Falasteen, meaning ‘‘Hello Palestine’’, a blog and Instagram page offering travel destinations and advice.

‘‘The idea of two young female Palestinians who visit places that people feel are too far, or that might be closed, or are scared because of settlers or Israeli soldiers, we go there to show them that we should not abandon those places,’’ Alhajhasan (32) said.

‘‘This is part of our struggle as Palestinians,’’ she said, taking Instagram videos at a 19thcentury monastery in Artas village, south of Bethlehem.

Driving to Artas from the Palestinian hub city Ramallah involves crossing at least one Israeli checkpoint and bypassing several others, an about 50km route that without restric

of tions would be about half the distance.

The bloggers’ Instagram page features dozens of sites, including several hillside springs popular with Palestinians and Israelis alike.

They have gained more than 5600 followers since launching their page in May. They say it aims in part to show Palestinians new local destinations while international travel is restricted.

‘‘We hear from shop owners that lots of people are visiting them after hearing about us,’’ Hasan (31) said.

‘‘We feel like we filled a gap.’’ — Reuters

❛ The idea of two young female Palestinians who visit places that people feel are too far, or that might be closed, or are scared because of settlers or Israeli soldiers, we go there to show them that we should

not abandon those places

PHOTO: REUTERS Sense of place . . . Palestinian travel bloggers Malak Hasan and Bisan Alhajhasan arrive at the Convent of the Hortus Conclusus in Artas village near Bethlehem in the Israelioccupied West Bank early this month.