Academic Exchange Mission to Israel

Sample Itinerary

Sunday

Tel Aviv

Arrival at Ben-Gurion Airport

Transfer and check-in at the David Intercontinental Hotel, Tel Aviv

7:00pm Opening dinner at the hotel

Introductory Remarks: Judy Goldstein

A Historic Overview of the State of Israel

Dinner and discussion with Dan Meridor – Former MP in Likud party

 9:30pm Dinner concludes/Return to hotel


Overnight at the David Intercontinental Tel Aviv

Monday

Tel Aviv 

8:00am Depart for the Yitzhak Rabin Center
9:00am Guided tour of The Israeli Museum
11:15-12:45pm The New Landscape of the Middle East

Brig. Gen Assaf Orion – Head of the strategic division in the IDF

1:00pm Depart for Kafr Bara – Lunch en route
2:00-3:30pm The Israeli Arab Perspective

Machmud Assi – Mayor of Kafr Bara

3:30pm Depart for Gush Etzion Winery
6:00-8:00pm The Settlers’ Perspective

Dinner and discussion with Mr. Oded Ravivi – Head of Efrat Regional Council

8:00pm Depart for the hotel

Overnight at the David Intercontinental Tel Aviv

Tuesday

Israeli-Egyptian-Gaza border

8:00am Depart for the South
10:00am-12:00pm            Tour of Kerem Shalom crossing point
12:30pm Lunch en route
1:00-2:30pm Tour along the Israeli communities in the South

Meeting with NGO: The Movement for the Future of the Western Negev

2:30pm Depart for Tel Aviv
4:30-6:00pm Where Does the Third Uprising Lead Israel and the Palestinians?

Avi Issacharoff – Palestinian and Arab Affairs Correspondent for Walla Web

Mr.Amos Harel – Defense Correspondent

7:45pm Israel, Politics and the International Community

Dinner and discussion with Aluf Benn, Editor-in-Chief of Haaretz Newspaper at Lumina Restaurant

10:00pm Dinner concludes/Return to hotel


Overnight at the David Intercontinental Tel Aviv

Wednesday

Tel Aviv – Jerusalem

8:30-10:00am Israel’s Economy

David Brodet – Chairman of Bank Leumi

10:30am Depart for Herzliya airport
11:00am Helicopter tour
12:00pm Land in Kiryat Shmona– Tour at the Golan Heights

Brig. Gen (res) Nitzan Nuriel

12:20-1:20pm Metula and Dado Lookout

The Security Challenges on the Lebanese Border, Hezbollah Military Deployment in South Lebanon, Life on the Borderline

1:20-2:20pm Drive to the Golan through the Druze Villages

The Druze Dilemma, Shaba’a Farms and Ghajar

2:20-2:40pm Quneitra

Briefing on the History of the Borders and Conflicts between Israel and Syria

2:40-3:40pm Mount Bental

The civil war in Syria and Security Situation in the Golan

3:40pm Take off from Marom Golan
3:40-5:00pm Travel west along Lebanese border to Golan Heights

South over the Sea of Galilee – Southwest over the West Bank

5:00pm Land in the vicinity of Jerusalem
5:30pm Check-in at the David Citadel Hotel
7:30pm Depart to dinner at 1868 Restaurant
10:00pm Dinner concludes/Return to hotel

Overnight at the David Citadel Hotel

Thursday

Ramallah

8:00-11:00am Depart for the Palestinian city of Rawabi

Meeting and discussion with Mr. Bashar Masri – founder of Rawabi

11:00am

Depart for Ramallah and meeting with Palestinian Officials

4:00pm Return to the Hotel/Break
6:00-7:30pm Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations: Now & Then

Brig. Gen. (res.) Michael Herzog – former military secretary to the Minister of Defense, in the Olive Roomat the hotel

8:00pm Depart for Dinner at Jacko Street Restaurant
10:00pm Dinner concludes/Return to hotel

Overnight at the David Citadel Hotel

Friday

Jerusalem

8:30am Depart for Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum
9:00-12:00pm Guided tour of Yad Vashem
12:00-1:15pm Light lunch at the Hotel
1:30-3:00pm Israeli Democracy
Moshe Halbertal – Professor of Jewish Thought and Philosophy at Hebrew University at the hotel
3:15-4:30pm The Role of the Media: Coverage vs Incitement

Mohammed Daraghmeh, Freelance Palestinian Journalist

Itamar Marcus– Director of Palestinian Media Watch

6:30pm Meet in lobby to walk to the Old City
7:00pm Welcoming of the Sabbath at the Western Wall
8:00pm Shabbat Dinner in the Old City
10:00pm Dinner concludes/Return to the hotel

Overnight at the David Citadel Hotel

Saturday

Shabbat in Jerusalem

10:00am-2:00pm Guided walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem led by archaeologist Dr. Ian Stern
2:00-6:30pm Lunch and Sabbath nap
6:30-8:00pm Torah (optional) and Wine on the Terrace
8:00pm Shabbat ends
8:45pm Dinner at the Rooftop restaurant – Mamilla
10:30pm Optional – Night tour of the Western Wall Tunnels

Overnight at the David Citadel Hotel

Sunday

Jerusalem

8:30-9:45am Israeli-PA Security Coordination

Neil Kritz – Senior Scholar in Residence United States Institute for Peace

10:00-11:30am Israel Policy Toward the UN

Col. (Res).Adv. Daniel Reisner- Former head of the IDF International Law Division

11:45am-1:00pm Religion, Identity and Justice: A Deeper Look at the Israeli-Palestinian Dynamic

Dr. Tal Becker, Legal Advisor at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1:00pm Break/ Light Lunch
1:45-3:00pm Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State: Case Study and Simulation Exercise

Dr. Tal  Becker

4:45-5:50pm Break/Check-out
6:00pm Dinner & closing discussion by Judy Goldstein at Touro Restaurant
8:00pm Depart for Ben-Gurion Airport
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