Before you go to Palestine, many thoughts, advice or even warnings might show up especially from those who care about you and about your life. Parents, friends, and relatives might ask you either not to go or warn you about the risks of your step. It is totally normal and no blame to anyone but the media which is the only source that people take their information from which does not reflect the whole image.
Some people have this idea that Palestine is a place of conflict, clashes, and mutual violence. They have an image of the ongoing fights, killings, and terror all over their minds and they prefer to stay safe, enjoying their life with their beloved people instead of putting their life at stake.
Sara who comes from Spain and volunteered for almost three months at the Palestinian center – Go Palestine in Hebron described the safety situation in Palestine by saying the following “ Safety is something very subjective, and each person experiences it in a different way. In my case, I can say that I haven’t experienced any situation in which I felt unsafe; maybe it is because I know where to go and when. You can always be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that is something that can happen all over the world. Sadly, if you are international (in Palestine) you can do many more things than Palestinians and I believe that is why we are so protected here”.
When thinking to come to Palestine you probably face those who want to prevent you to come there because they care but they don’t really know how the daily life there looks like and how safe Palestine is. Not so many people know that the situation in West Bank is different than the one in the Gaza strip. We would agree with many commentators that the situation in Gaza is not suitable for travelers due to a number of wars over the past 8 years. Palestinians who live in the West Bank have a much more stable life than Palestinians in Gaza. In the West Bank, there is no “Military resistance” like the situation in Gaza, which makes it safer for Internationals and generally much less tense and stressful.
As a matter of the fact, there are many people who came to Palestine and enjoyed being here without any safety concerns add to this that there are many of them who already work in international and local organizations and live regularly.
Li Yon is one of the visitors who came to Palestine and found out the truth, he answered the question; is it safe to travel to Palestine? by saying the following “ Well, the short answer is Yes. As of 2016, Palestine is perfectly safe to visit, as long as you know the taboos before you step into their territory. Of course, here I meant the West Bank region only, not including the Gaza strip. In general, Palestinian people are quite hospitable and welcoming”. You can read the whole article at the following link: https://gopalestine.org/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-palestine/
As you see that all who came to Palestine didn’t face any safety problems but on the contrary, some of them might feel safer than his/her own country. As it is been saying, no place on earth is 100% safe!
