Visit by German development workers

On Friday 20th September, a group of Ramallah-based German development workers visited Wahat al-Salam - Neve Shalom to learn more about the concept and practical life of the village.

The team is employed by the German Organization for International Cooperation, GIZ, for which they perform technical project support and monitoring. GIZ runs a range of projects in the West Bank and Gaza from developing renewable energy to caring for the psychological needs of children. In the framework of their work, the team members are currently completing a 30-day orientation trip through Israel and Palestine in order to better understand the region, its culture and the conflict.

The day’s program included a visit led by WAS-NS member Umar Ighbariyyeh to the sites of three nearby Palestinian villages that were destroyed during the 1967 war. The residents of Emmaus, Yalo and Beit Nuba were forcefully evacuated and deported before their houses were dynamited. The whole area has since been transformed by the Jewish National Fund into the Ayalon-Canada-Park.

Following this moving tour, the German aid workers came to Wahat al-Salam Neve Shalom, where Palestinians and Jews are attempting to live together on equal terms. They were met by WASNS member Michal Zak who gave them a short introduction to the historical context in which the village functions. The group paid a visit to the village’s art gallery, where they were able to admire the current exhibition of works by Palestinian artists. The program concluded with a meal at Café Ahlan before the group returned to Ramallah.