I will answer to the point - The answer is "YES". All Israeli Arabs, as well as Palestinians in East Jerusalem may visit the conference without a problem. There are no borders inside Israel.
Palestinians who live in the West Bank need a permit to cross the border. These need be asked for in advance but it is easier to receive such a permit than to receive a visa into Israel. Thousands of Palestianians cross the border every day to work inside Isreal. We contacted the foreign ministry and were told that such permits will be given to active wikipedians known to the foundation, if the permit is requested by them enough time in advance (now is a good time to register and request a permit). Deror
________________________________ From: "wikimania-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org" wikimania-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org To: wikimania-l@lists.wikimedia.org Sent: Thu, March 31, 2011 6:03:41 PM Subject: Wikimania-l Digest, Vol 60, Issue 2
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Israel = apartheid (Tomer Shalev) 2. Re: Israel = apartheid (matthew satchwell) 3. Re: Israel = apartheid (Nathan) 4. Re: Israel = apartheid (Gerald A) 5. Re: Israel = apartheid (Federico Leva (Nemo)) 6. Re: Israel = apartheid (matthew satchwell) 7. Re: Israel = apartheid (Austin Hair)
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Message: 1 Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:27:40 +0200 From: Tomer Shalev shalev.tomer@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Wikimania-l] Israel = apartheid To: "Wikimania general list (open subscription)" wikimania-l@lists.wikimedia.org Message-ID: AANLkTinhhm8z9H5es+AqBzRCDk0Dm1k54jZ5Pnsmt9L1@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Hello Matthew,
You are most welcome to come to Haifahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haifa#Demographicsand experience a city which is one of the last places in the middle-east where Jews, Christians, Muslims, Bah?'?s, Druze and people from other religious live in peace and harmony together. I would like to suggest that you accommodate in Haifa University dormitorieshttp://wikimania2011.wikimedia.org/wiki/Accommodation/Dorms#Haifa_University_dorms,
and conduct your own unbiased demographic survey to challenge your axioms of apartheid.
I advise you to extend your stay in Israel, and visit Nazareth and other Arab cities in Israel, and also cities in the west bank: Jericho, Nablus, Bethlehem and east Jerusalem. I encourage you to be impressed by the level of freedom, education and economics of people living there, and to compare it to the level of those living in other counties in the Middle-East and Africa.
I don't want to flame this discussion further, but as a Haifa citizen I couldn't leave this unanswered.
Regards, Tomer Shalev
On Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 1:50 PM, matthew satchwell mattsatchwell@gmail.comwrote:
Please dont hold you conference in Haifa If so I will be obliged to boycott you I was brought up in South Africa
-- Matthew Satchwell Box 217 Riebeek Kasteel 7307 083 6610220
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