GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A group of Palestinians and foreign tourists departed April 19 on a 21-day hiking expedition to explore the history and sites of the West Bank. The trail they'll follow is called Masar Ibrahim al-Khalil (MIAK), which is Arabic for Abraham’s Path. The expedition aims to highlight the suffering of the Palestinian people on the one hand, and introduce foreign tourists to the Palestinian culture, heritage and history on the other.

MIAK kicked off in 2009 as a nonprofit community-based tourism initiative. The 321-kilometer (200-mile) walking trail begins in the village of Rummaneh, northwest of Jenin in the northern West Bank, and ends in Beit Marsam to the south of Hebron in the southern West Bank. The trail runs through 53 Palestinian villages and Bedouin communities.

Three nongovernmental organizations — Palestine Wildlife Society, Rozana Association and Siraj Center for Research and Studies — work on developing tourism in Palestine and protecting and preserving traditions and heritage, and are part of the MIAK initiative.

George Rishmawi, the executive director of MIAK, told Al-Monitor, “The purpose of this trip is to introduce local and foreign participants — with the help of 15 local tourist guides — to the historical presence of the Palestinians, and give them the opportunity to live with the villagers and experience different lifestyles and share food, discover agricultural fields and learn about the various types of plants and wild animals.”