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8-Day Break
- Day 1 – Fly from London Luton or Manchester to Tel Aviv where you will be met and transferred to your overnight hotel. D
- Please note: due to flight timings, dinner may not be included on the first evening
- Day 2 – We depart after breakfast and drive south to the Israeli Air Force Museum in Hazerim. We will have time to meet a pilot who participated in the Six-Day War in 1967. Later we continue to a museum in Kibbutz Revivim which exhibits the settling of the Negev area by Jewish pioneers and the War of Independence of 1948, the beginning of the Arab – Israeli conflict. We dedicate our time this afternoon to the First World War battle of Beersheba, where General Allenby’s plan of deception at the end of October 1917 culminated in one of the last major cavalry actions in modern history and the taking of Beersheba. This was to be the beginning of the end for the Turkish Eighth Army as the New Zealanders, some two weeks later, rode into Jaffa cutting links between Jerusalem and the coast. We stay tonight in a Kibbutz in the Northern Negev and will be joined by a guest from the area who will speak about the 1948 war. B,D
- Day 3 – This morning we travel to the Dead Sea and firstly visit Massada, the last stronghold of the Jewish zealots against the Romans. We ascend by cable car imagining how the siege unfolded. Once on Massada you can visit the ancient synagogue and bathhouses. We descend back down to the Dead Sea and have time to enjoy a swim in the therapeutic waters. Continue north to the Galilee area for dinner and a two-night stay in a Kibbutz. B,D
- Day 4 – This morning we travel on to the Golan Heights where after their victory at Megiddo in 1918 the allied forces crossed on their way to taking Damascus. An army expert who participated in the 1967 war will tell you about the Israeli Armoured Corps who fought on the Golan in the 1967 war. He will also describe how the Syrian forces were pushed back having advanced to the Tiberias area in the Yom Kippur war of 1973. In the afternoon we drive down to the coast to visit Acre - an ancient city fought over for centuries and captured in turn by Saracens and Crusaders, including Richard the Lionheart. B,D
- Day 5 – After breakfast we will take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee admiring the scenery and looking back to the Golan Heights. We then travel the short distance to Megiddo (Armageddon) where archaeological digs have unearthed twenty layers of civilisation. The whole valley is steeped in history and battles have raged here throughout the centuries. The first battle in recorded history took place here in 1460BC. It was here in Sept 1918 that the climatic battle of the British campaign in Palestine took place. Two entire Turkish armies were defeated in what was to be the culminating victory in Allenby’s conquest of Palestine. We continue to Latrun and return to the Arab/Israeli conflict as we visit the Armoured Corps museum and meet a member of the Hagana (Israeli underground military organisation during the time of the British Mandate) who participated in the battle that freed Jerusalem from the blockade by the Jordanian army in 1948. We then head to Jerusalem for dinner and a two night stay. B,D
- Day 6 – We will spend the day in the city of Jerusalem. We begin with an overview of the city from the Mount of Olives. Then start our tour in the West of the city where Allenby attacked the Turkish defence forces on Dec 8th. Then via the Jaffa Gate where he entered the city with Lawrence of Arabia on Dec 11th 1917. We will enter the Old City and hear an account of the battle for the city by the Israeli Paratroopers in 1967 that fought street by street against the `Legion` the Jordanian elite forces. Later we view the Temple Mount, one of Islam’s holiest sites and the Western Wall, Judaism’s most sacred site. We follow in the footsteps of Jesus along the Via Dolorosa with the Stations of the Cross until we arrive at the Holy Sepulchre built on the site of the Crucifixion. B,D
- Day 7 – Another opportunity to see some of the sights of Jerusalem this morning as we head to Mount Herzl and the military cemetery via the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) and the Supreme Court. We then visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the Holocaust victims. This afternoon we leave Jerusalem and travel to the ancient port town of Jaffa. Overnight in Tel Aviv. B,D
- Day 8 – We transfer to the airport for our return flight home. B
Included Meals: B=Breakfast D=Dinner
Entrance fees to museums and places of interest are at extra cost.
What's Included?
- Specialist Historical Guide
- Return Flights to Tel Aviv from Luton or Manchester
- Travel by air-conditioned coach
- Visits to battlefields and places of interest described in the itinerary
- 7 nights accommodation with breakfast and 7 evening meals
Flights
Flights are by Jet2 from Manchester and El Al or Easyjet from Luton.
All prices are subject to availability. Flight supplements may apply. Call for more details of flight prices and times.
Notes
Prices are per person, based on two sharing
Extras:
- Optional excursions;
- Single room supplement £225
- Travel insurance from £40.95
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