Jaffa sunset

Graduate OMT Travel Grant Report – Kirstie Bosman, MPhil International Relations

16-27 March, 2019

Destinations: Israel (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Dead Sea), Palestine (Ramallah, Rawabi), Jordan (Amman, Jerash, Petra). Note: I travelled to Israel/Palestine as part of the 2019 Oxford iTrek Policy group, with about 50 other Oxford postgraduates.

Day 1 (16 March): London to Tel Aviv (travel day)

Day 2 (17 March): Tel Aviv
• Jaffa
• Museum of the Jewish People – tour about synagogues and Jewish humour
• Lunch: Conversation about Israeli military service (with Israelis)
• Lecture: Israeli history and politics (Professor Jonathan Rynhold, Tel Aviv University)
• Dinner: Talk about investment in Israel (Eyal Eliezer, head of Israel’s foreign investment strategy, Ministry of Economy)

Jerusalem Old City market

Day 3 (18 March): Jerusalem
• Lecture: East Jerusalem Policy (Ben Avrahami, advisor to current and previous Mayor of Jerusalem on East Jerusalem affairs)
• Lecture: Israel’s image (Ilanit Melchior, director of tourism at Jerusalem Development Authority)
• Supreme Court – lecture: the Supreme Court and Israeli legal system (Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs – lecture: Israeli security policy (representative of Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Dinner: Talk on Israeli politics (Gad Reich, Department of National Statistics; Lavi Melman, civil servant; Oded Gilutz, Yashar party; Gal Raj, Young Labour Party)

Day 4 (19 March): Jerusalem
• The Old City – four quarters, Temple Mount, Western Wall, al-Aqsa mosque, Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• Yad Vashem (Holocaust Memorial Museum) and Children’s Memorial
• Debriefing session and discussion

Rawabi Visitor Center

Day 5 (20 March): Palestine
• Lecture: The territorial aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Shaul Arieli, formerly Gaza brigade commander, Deputy Military Secretary to the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense (1997-99), Head of Administration for Interim Agreement in West Bank, Head of Administration for Permanent Status Agreement)
• Bus to Ramallah, Palestine
• Talk: Israel-Palestine conflict (Jibril M. Rajoub, ex-security advisor to Yasir Arafat, current head of Palestinian Football Association and Palestine Olympic Committee)
• Ramallah – bus tour
• Rawabi – tour and talk about Rawabi (Bashar al-Masri, founder and leader of project to build the first Palestinian planned city)
• Dinner in Ramallah – traditional Palestinian food
• Drive to the Dead Sea (Israel)

Sunrise over the Dead Sea from Masada

Day 6 (21 March): Dead Sea
• Sunrise hike up Masada
• Dead Sea
• Drive to Jerusalem
• Synagogue – Purim service
• Mahane Yehuda market

Day 7 (22 March): Jerusalem & Tel Aviv
• Jerusalem – morning stroll
• Tel Aviv – indoor food market
• A-WA concert on the beach

Day 8 (23 March): Tel Aviv to Amman
• Political workshop (Gal Raij, Young Labour Party)
• Shakshuka
• Fly to Amman

The Treasury in Petra

Day 9 (24 March): Jerash
• Tour around Roman ruins

Day 10 (25 March): Amman to Petra
• Drive from Amman to Petra along the King’s Highway via Kerak

Day 11 (26 March): Petra
• Walk around Petra
• Drive back to Amman

Day 12 (27 March): Amman to London

Find out more about the range of travel grants and scholarships available to assist Univ students on our Travel Grants page or read further travel reports.

Published: 6 August 2019

Explore Univ on social media