São Paulo – A tourist route that reaches beyond religion to explore cultural and scientific aspects of Palestine. This is the goal of the director superintendent of the Jerusalem Institute in Brazil, the sociologist Ali El Khatib. He will arrive in the Arab country in a few weeks to visit cities, universities, libraries and museums, among other places, in order to outline an alternative travel plan for Brazilians who wish to experience aspects of Palestine other than religion.
“Jericho is the oldest inhabited city in the world, dating back to over 10,000 years. There’s lots of history in Palestine, lots of beautiful landscapes, and we wish to develop scientific-cultural tourism there, for people who are not exclusively interested in religious routes,” El Khatib told ANBA.
As an example he mentions Battir, a village of some 5,000 residents between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. For its water collection system to irrigate its terraced plantations – much like the one employed by the Incas in Peru’s historical city of Machu Picchu –, the town was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Nonetheless, it’s not well known to Brazilians.
“Last year, Battir welcomed roughly 100,000 people,” says El Khatib, who plans on spending two or three nights in the town to “get a feel for the weather, the people.” It will surely be added to the route the sociologist plans to develop: “I also hope to help the city’s economy by increasing tourism: to bring more work and income for the residents, to create opportunities for hotels and bars. Raising international awareness helps protect this historical heritage.”
Also in El Khatib’s plans is to make Battir a sister city with Jaguariúna, located about 100 km off São Paulo. Both are home to historical railways. This, he explains, would help make Battir known in Brazil. “The mayor of Battir should travel to Brazil in late April,” he said.
The new route will also include Palestinian universities. He named three of them, in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Birzeit.
El Khatib plans on returning to Brazil on April 4 to work hard on the new route. There’s no completion date yet. He leaves Brazil on March 15th. Before going to Palestine, he will spend a few days in Dubai, UAE, and in Jordan.
In the UAE, he will make a visit to Masdar, where he will study the concept of smart cities, which he hopes to propagate in Brazil. “There’s a project underway in Croatá, Ceará, but further studies could be conducted in Campinas, São Paulo, which is home to a high-technology hub,” he said.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
