By Daphna Berman - Haaretz - 22/09/2006

After six weeks, 2,500 kilometers and a grueling bike ride that spanned two continents, 25 members of the London-based Peace Cycle arrived in Jerusalem, completing a tour undertaken to raise awareness about Palestinian life under occupation.

The group set out from the U.K. in early August, crossing the English Channel and passing through most of Western Europe before reaching Rome. From there, they packed their bicycles in cartons and flew to Damascus, picking up again and riding through Syria, Jordan and then finally crossing into the West Bank. The bike ride finished rather anticlimactically last week, as the group rode the short distance from the city`s Notre Dame Church to Damascus Gate, signaling the journey`s end.

Mordechai Vanunu, who was imprisoned for 18 years after being convicted of revealing classified information about Israel`s nuclear program to the foreign press in 1986, was waiting to greet them. Though he had no official connection to the group, the nuclear whistleblower was something of a hero among the participants - and, it turns out, one of the few Israelis they would be meeting during their time here.

"It`s an honor for us to have him here," said Laura Abraham, founder of the Peace Cycle. "He`s somebody who speaks about truth, justice and peace."

This was the second bike ride since the biennial event was founded in 2004. Most of the riders are activists in some way and made the journey to publicize their call for an end to the Israeli occupation and to protest their own government`s policy in the Middle East.

Throughout Europe, the bicyclists distributed flyers, met fellow activists and tried to raise awareness about the situation here. They were met with support or indifference by most people, they said, though in Zurich one driver swerved between them, honked, yelled and called them terrorists.

The journey was challenging at points and getting through the Alps was "difficult," as one participant, Ben Homfray, said in what seemed to be an obvious understatement. There were days when the group were on their bikes for up to 13 hours and during a single day in Europe, they crossed several borders and made their way through three different countries. Last Friday, they arrived in Jerusalem after what they considered to be a particularly short ride from Bethlehem. "Fifteen kilometers is nothing compared to what we`ve been doing," said a tired Naveed Malik. "I just can`t believe I am finally here."

The goal of the trip, participants said, was twofold: in Europe, they worked to raise awareness among the general population, while the Middle East segment of the trip was designed to raise their own awareness.

In Damascus, the group met with Palestinians in Yarmouk, Syria`s largest refugee camp. They also toured the border with the Golan Heights, near the area known as the "shouting hill," where Syrians communicate with their family members across the border in Israel through loudspeakers.

From Syria, they continued to Jordan and were detained for several hours while trying to cross into the West Bank at the Allenby Bridge. They were denied entry two more times and rerouted their trip to Nazareth. The group finally entered Tul Karm and continued to Qalqiliya, where they saw the separation wall. In Nabalus` Balata refugee camp, the participants were greeted with a children`s parade.

"As a Muslim, I have always felt connected to my brothers and sisters in Palestine," said Irshad Patel, a student from London. "Being here, though, changes my understanding completely. I have read about what goes on here in textbooks and discussed it in seminars [in university], but coming here is a different experience. At the refugee camps, I was amazed at the spirit. When I was at the checkpoints for just two days, I was depressed, upset and angry. But these people live through the occupation every day and they still have a smile and are strong, so I should be too."

The group will not be touring Israel, which they say was a result of last-minute scheduling changes during the war in Lebanon.

"People think we`re anti-Semitic or that we have a problem with Israelis, but that`s not true," said Cathy Lloyd, another British participant. "Our goal is to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and learn more about what`s going on here."