May 8, 2013
A delegation of 25 German educators and journalists toured Ariel to round out their picture of Israel and particularly of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) as part of a tour entitled “Center and Periphery – Two Faces of Israel.” The delegation was part of a mission partially funded by the German government to give German educators and journalists a firsthand look into Israel.
Some of the participants expressed that this was their first visit to a Jewish “settlement” in the West Bank, with the bulk of their tour in Judea & Samaria focusing on Palestinian areas. Stereotypes of “settlements” and “settlers” were challenged through a visit to the Ariel Regional Center for Performing Arts, a tour of the Barkan Industrial Park, and a drive through Ariel University. Through a lively Q &A, Executive Director Avi Zimmerman dispelled myths about Ariel and discussed the legality and centrality of Ariel in Israeli society and beyond.
Of particular interest to the delegation was the stop at a factory in the Barkan Industrial Park which produces bathroom amenities sold all over the world, including in Germany. CEO Yehuda Cohen expressed his commitment to ensuring a feeling of camaraderie and equality between his Israeli and Palestinian Arab employees, adding how boycotts of businesses in the region hurt Arab and Jewish workers alike.
An employee from the neighboring Arab town of Salfit, which once enjoyed positive relations with Ariel prior to the Second Intifada, related how the factory enables him to support his family with dignity and pride, with a salary that more than triples any he could make at a similar factory in the Palestinian Authority.
The group asked tough questions to address much of the misinformation and propaganda they encounter through the media and anti-Israel activists. We thank them for their visit and look forward to their return.