Florence International Program students embarked on a field trip to Israel during the first week of February. This unique opportunity proved a transformative educational experience for participants.
For many the trip was the highlight of the year. “I could not imagine a better place for an EFT [Educational Field Trip] program student Amelia Huckins said. It was an eye-opening experience providing religious and political context to my studies.”
The first official day of the trip began at the Dheisheh Refugee Camp where nearly 10000 Palestinians still live despite Israeli occupation. “It was a real reminder of how entrenched the country is in conflict because even though [the camp] is not used how it was during the wars [of 1947-1948] it is a symbol that there is no resolution student Graham Picard said.
The students stopped at Bethlehem University next, where they witnessed the strict travel regulations placed on Palestinians that make getting to school an arduous task for Israeli students. Students living outside of Bethlehem spend hours riding buses and crossing through checkpoints just to attend class.
It was enlightening… [and] heartbreaking to see the restrictions and lack of rights Pepperdine student Julia Capper said.
The Israeli government regulates travel by issuing different identification cards confining Palestinians to specific territories. Many Palestinians, for example, can only be granted permission to visit Jerusalem once or twice a year.
The checkpoints are a humiliating force of control with long and tedious procedures student Allie Carrera said, making it impossible for the Palestinians to make what would be only a 20-minute travel to a day’s-long affair.”
Florence program director Elizabeth Whatley explained that students’ identification of these injustices made for a valuable learning experience.
“This sort of trip is important to expose students to the conflicts existing in the world and to different cultures Whatley said.
Capper agreed, emphasizing the uniqueness of the trip.
In Israel we had the privilege of seeing things the rest of the world is shielded from seeing she said. We went to many different areas that opened our eyes to the reality of what is actually happening.”
Students found the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian difficult to fully comprehend however. They struggled for example with distinguishing Israel from Palestine.
Israel currently occupies the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and Israelis are purportedly building a wall around and in some cases within those areas to protect themselves. They have also been accused of building this wall in an attempt to control the Palestinians.
Despite spatial confusion students left the Middle East with a better understanding of the problems plaguing the region.
“We were able to see the walls of alienation that were actually intended to be the walls of security and peace between both sides Carrera said. The Palestinians are trapped into poverty which only worsens by the inability to move from one place to another swiftly to find adequate jobs health care et cetera.”
The group also met with the Bereaved Parents Association a group for those on both sides of the conflict who have experienced a loss or suffered at the hands of the other side. The Bereaved Parents Association holds that “no conflict is solved by force and violence; only by talking and negotiation.”
This meeting offered students a look at a potential avenue for reconciliation.
One man from the organization talked about how he lost his daughter and how at first he wanted to take revenge on innocent Palestinians. When he was first invited to the group he said “I don’t know any Palestinians and I don’t want to know any Palestinians.” He later realized however that this mindset would just perpetuate the chain of blood.
“Talking with the bereaved families group really moved me student Aubrey Williams said.
Carrera echoed the sentiment: Being able to see the Palestinian and Israeli conflict first-hand was both inspirational and impacting. For what had been once something that I heard on the news with no clear understanding of … became a tangible conflict that I could based off my own experiences form my own opinions and tell others [about].”
Reflections from students such as Williams and Carrera illustrate why the Florence program views the trip as a success.
“I looked around and saw the students struggling overwhelmed and cherishing the whole experience too Florence visiting instructor Dr. Ron Cox said. I thought ‘This is what education is about.’ I knew it was a successful trip because when people came home they didn’t stop asking questions; they wanted to know more.”
