Salam aleekom/hello.

This is our blog from Palestine. We're travelling from the UK in this the summer of 2006 to the West Bank for 5 weeks. We are travelling to hook up with the International Solidarity Movement (www.palsolidarity.org), which non-violently facilitates Palestinian resistance of the rigours of the Israeli Occupation. Part of the concept is that we will report back what we see of the occupation to "the world" our friends and family, the media... whoever'll listen to be frank (Kofi, Tony, George, Ehud)- so that's what the blog is for. Not to say that everything herein will be in anyway profound.

Also, international do-gooders that we are, we are also going to donate 5,600 Shekels (800 quid- thankyou people of Aberystwyth, and everyone who sponsored us) to the catchily named Society of Social Works Committees. They are a wee charity based in the town of Tulkarem. They work in the community to facilitate healthcare, hygiene and education.

I [Elliot] have been to Tulkarm before, and the society really impressed me with the energy with which they worked. They operate on simple basis- if someone can speak French, for example, then they have a French class. When we asked them what they would use the money for, they told us orphans who lost their parents to the conflict.

Anyway, that's quite a lengthy intro... so watch this space I guess:

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