It seems surreal, I know, but most Israelis have never been to the areas of East Jerusalem where the new settler housing is being built. They don't see the construction, the heavy police presence, or the impact on day-to-day Palestinian life.

That's why Peace Now is taking Israelis to see these places. Our reality tours show the tension between the long-time Palestinian residents and the settlers who are moving in. We pull out maps and explain that if these structures are allowed to stand then a two-state solution becomes all but impossible.

Peace Now arms Israelis with the facts they need to dismiss the empty slogans that Netanyahu tosses around like: "building in Jerusalem is the same as building in Tel Aviv." At the end of the tours, everybody understands that the expansion of settlements in East Jerusalem is a deadly provocation, and they are able to explain this reality to their friends, families, and colleagues.

Tomorrow I will lead another tour of the settlements in East Jerusalem. And I want your help to make more tours like this possible. Each tour costs $850. And the number of people who want to join these tours is stretching our Jerusalem education budget.

We need your help to continue these tours. Click here to make a donation.

Peace Now's reality tours are strategic. Some are open to the Israeli public. Others are geared for a targeted audience. Last month we had a bus full of bloggers. Just before that we did a tour with the leadership from one of Israel's political parties.

The tours are just one element of Peace Now's battle against the settlements. We track what takes place in the settlements and make information about their expansion available to the Israeli public. We hold seminars in universities. We use demonstrations to draw media attention to dangerous developments.

And we reach out to the Israeli media: In the last week, Peace Now staff and activists conducted no less than 7 prime-time interviews with Israeli television and radio stations.

This media attention whets the appetite of Israelis who are increasingly hungry to understand what the fuss is about.

Our goal is to raise $8,500 before Passover begins on Monday to cover the costs of 10 tours. I know that with your help we will reach this goal. 

I am both a soldier and a political activist. In the military I command a combat unit. The expansion of settlements deepens the occupation. I know from experience what this occupation does to Israeli soldiers and - even more so - to the Palestinians whose daily lives are affected.

As a civilian, I am an organizer with Peace Now. I know that political change comes from the ground up. Peace Now is the only group in Israel educating and mobilizing everyday Israelis to push for peace.

Thanks to your ongoing support, our efforts break past the slogans and the stale debate on the headlines of the newspapers. Together, we are helping Israelis realize that expanding settlements in East Jerusalem endangers their security and threatens Israel's viability as a Jewish and democratic state.

Etai Mizrav
Jerusalem Activities Coordinator
Peace Now

Click here to see photos from the last East Jerusalem reality tour.