Premier mail de propagande reçu
Dear Charles,
If you intend visiting Jerusalem to cover the opening weekend of the Giro d'Italia in Israel please read the following.
As various respected journalists have promised they intend to "do our job... to cover the race and what we see. We’re going to report on a bike race and if the atmosphere is tense, if security feels oppressive, or if it feels like some airbrushing is going on" (Lionel Birnie).
The Israeli Palestinian conflict, particularly in Jerusalem, can't be understood unless you see it with your own eyes.
Though not a BDS supporter - only a concerned Israeli citizen - I've offered 'Ir Amim' (Israeli NGO), and they have agreed to take advantage of your visit (if indeed coming) to Israel and organize an out of scheduled tour in the city.
For the purpose they have attached the following:
Join Ir Amim Study tours to East Jerusalem!
Ir Amim’s study tours provide ground-level exposure to East Jerusalem, creating a platform for critically assessing the idea of Jerusalem as the “eternal, undivided capital of Israel” and understanding the city’s fundamental role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The tour route runs through East Jerusalem neighborhoods and utilizes key observation points to provide context for understanding how developing facts on the ground impact the future of a secure, democratic Israeli state. Participants learn about the formation of the city’s borders, the impacts of building and construction and other policies influencing both daily life in the city and its political future: socio-economic disparities between east and west Jerusalem; security, political and humanitarian consequences of the Separation Barrier; and the geo-political ramifications of settlement building, road construction, national parks and touristic settlement.