It is no secret that, in general, the Western world has a negative impression of Palestine. Of course, this varies from country to country. In Ireland, for instance, where the Irish senate recently approved a bill to boycott Israeli settlement goods, and in Sweden, which officially recognizes the State of Palestine, public opinion about Palestine is certainly more positive. Changing current perceptions, particularly of a country such as Palestine, is a complex and tedious task that requires unyielding and conscientious effort and a lot of patience. It should also be one of the main purposes of what today is called public diplomacy. Unfortunately, one incident could mar the reputation of a whole country. Dare we say that one person (such as a president) could cause a shift in international public opinion and in the reputation of that country within the world community. It seems that today we have a classic example of this in the Western world!
With our limited resources at This Week in Palestine, we offer this August 2018 issue as an attempt to change current perceptions about Palestine and actually show that we are more than an unfortunate sob story; rather, we are a nation that loves life and, despite everything, we go on hikes, ride our bicycles, our motorbikes, and our jeeps, and we spend time out in nature to enjoy Palestine’s beauty and pleasant climate. Palestine is rightly known as a pilgrimage destination, but its riches go far beyond the confines of traditional pilgrimage. Experiential or alternative tourism is most definitely on the rise in Palestine.
We would like to sincerely thank GGC, George Garabedian Co. Ltd., for sponsoring this issue of This Week in Palestine. In addition, we would like to thank every person and institution that has contributed an article or a photo to this wonderful, upbeat, summery issue of This Week in Palestine.

Enjoy the last month of summer!
Warmly, TWIP Collective