
West Bank ‘plane chalet' helps aviation dreams scale newer heights
'So many kids want to come,' said 27-year-old Harsha, who built the guest house in the hills of the northern West Bank, within view of the separation barrier between Israel and the Palestinian territory.
'And that's the goal: Since we don't have planes or airports, people come here instead,' he said.
Harsha said he designed the concrete plane himself, with a master bedroom in the cockpit and a children's bedroom in the tail.
The price tag, between 1,000 and 2,000 shekels (about $300-$600) per night, is out of reach for most Palestinians, particularly as unemployment soars due to the war in Gaza.
He has nonetheless been pleased with the reactions to his chalet, having initially faced skepticism.
'I wanted to bring something unique, something new to the area and to Palestine,' Harsha said of the unit, which opened a month ago.
Since its launch, his red and white concrete plane has become a local landmark, featuring in local media and on social networks.
Harsha said he originally wanted to place a Palestinian flag on his chalet and call it the 'Palestinian Queen,' but avoided such signs out of caution.
The guest house is located in the West Bank's Area C, which covers more than 60 percent of the territory and is under full Israeli control.
'I just made it look like a plane. I avoided politics entirely because of the hardships our people are going through,' he said.
'We're a people who are constantly losing things — our land, our rights, our lives.'
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and frequently demolishes homes it says are built without permission in the mostly rural Area C.
Though no airport currently services the Palestinian territories, both the West Bank and Gaza once had their own terminals, in East Jerusalem and the southern Gaza city of Rafah, respectively.
Both were closed during the Second Intifada, the Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s, and what remains of East Jerusalem's airport is now isolated from the rest of the West Bank by Israel's separation barrier.
Despite difficulties and threats of demolition, Harsha believes that Palestinians can find freedom and fulfilment in projects like his.
'I encourage everyone who has land to work on it and invest in it — with creativity and ambition,' he said, flanked by his two brothers who helped him build the unit.
Harsha himself has more plans for his land.
'After this airplane, we'll build a ship next year,' he said.
'It will be something unique and beautiful,' he said, pointing out that while many West Bank Palestinians have seen planes flying overhead, a large number of people from the landlocked territory have never seen a real ship at all.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
17 hours ago
- Arab News
Is it a bird, is it a plane? No — it's a Saudi aviation athlete
RIYADH: Most people live their lives on the ground, but Faisal Al-Olayan chose the sky. The Saudi aviation athlete, this week's guest on The Mayman Show, is an aerospace engineer, pilot, skydiver and a member of the Kingdom's national paragliding team. Most of us travel, but he chases storms, soars above mountains and dives into clouds in ways most of us only dream about. From experiencing rain that 'almost stops the heart' mid-flight to emotional moments when he completed his wingsuit training in Russia, Al-Olayan lives life one adrenaline rush at a time. His story is not so much about escaping gravity, as about finding freedom within it. 'I started having fun in flying because my mom, when I was young, she was telling me (I was) half bird. And when I started with this mentality, I started to do all of my activities in the sky. I started from graduating with sports until I am here with the national team,' said Al-Olayan. He began paramotoring in 2019, a form of ultralight aviation using a paraglider wing and a motor worn as a backpack. 'I started to train (in) paramotoring here in Riyadh,' he recalled. 'A paramotor is basically a parachute, but you have an engine (on) your back and you can foot-launch from anywhere.' He then planned to do his pilot training in the US, but the global pandemic and resulting lockdowns put paid to that. Al-Olayan loves to travel and has visited 67 countries to date. 'I started to take my paraglider with me to fly from mountains, I was getting more experience with this sport as a paraglider. And this is what makes me continue in all of those aerial sports,' he said. His role as an aerospace engineer also plays a big part in his experiences in the air. 'If you want to start to fly, you have to know aerodynamics … you have to know how the wind (is) flying and all of those things,' he explained. It also helped him become a fast learner and understand what was happening when he flew. 'There are two kinds of pilots. There is an experienced one and there is (an) experience and no physics one … it's like driving … you know how to drive the car, but you don't know anything about the car, you don't know about the engine,' he said. Al-Olayan added that was what made him fall in love with paramotoring and other sports. 'I even built my own paramotor. I was designing it, everything with my specifications and things like that,' he said. 'And all of that happened when I studied at KFUPM (King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals) in Dhahran.' For five years, he did nothing but study until he obtained his degree in aerospace engineering. After that, he started taking part in competitions, doing well enough to earn his place in Saudi Arabia's national paragliding team, run by the Saudi Paragliding Federation. 'Shaheen (is) the name of the paragliding organization. And that was like … a new chapter for me because to compete is something — you're holding your name — but now you compete with the Saudi name … bringing your flag and your clothes, and everyone is seeing you as a Saudi athlete,' he explained. 'It's not like Faisal, the old one, is coming to compete. In the competitions that I was in, (I) was less nervous and less pressured. But when I was going with the national team, it was much, much more pressure. But for me, I enjoyed it a lot because it was more exciting.'


Arab News
17 hours ago
- Arab News
Sands Sports Park playing key role in improving quality of life in Riyadh
RIYADH: The capital's Sands Sports Park is one of the flagship components of the Sports Boulevard project, combining the natural beauty of the desert with a range of sporting facilities. Located southeast of King Khalid International Airport, the park is designed to enhance residents' quality of life, inspiring them to exercise and enjoy nature, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently. The facility opened earlier this year and is a significant addition to the Kingdom's growing network of sporting and entertainment offerings. The park stretches across a vast expanse of sand dunes and features more than 45 km of multi-use trails, making it the longest open-air project dedicated to outdoor activities in the Kingdom. Sands Sports Park was designed with local heritage in mind, and features sculptures of the Najdi rose at the convergence of several trails. Several specialized trails offer different activities including cycling, mountain biking, running, walking, hiking and horseback riding. In its construction, more than 350,000 sq. meters of sand dunes were rehabilitated with facilities integrated into the terrain to preserve the natural ecosystem, demonstrating dedication to sustainability and mindful urban development. The park is also equipped to host major cycling competitions and endurance races, reinforcing Saudi Arabia's presence on the global map of sports and eco-tourism, aligning with the rising international interest in outdoor and sustainable experiences. As a symbol of Riyadh's dynamic transformation, the park merges modern vision with cultural authenticity, aligning with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, the SPA reported. By expanding access to safe, inclusive, and sustainable recreation, the park plays a key role in shaping a more vibrant, livable capital and encouraging a deeper connection between people and nature.


Arab News
21 hours ago
- Arab News
Sakura adorn Japan Pavilion at Esports World Cup in Riyadh
RIYADH: The Japan Pavilion at the Esports World Cup at Riyadh City Boulevard is now filled with Sakura trees as part of the cultural experiences accompanying the global event. According to the Saudi Press Agency, Japanese company Crunchyroll is also showing an artistic sculpture celebrating the deep symbolism of these trees in Japanese culture. Sakura, or cherry blossom trees, are generally used as a national symbol in Japan, featured mostly during spring, in food and beverages. The sculpture provides visitors with an opportunity to connect with one of Japan's cultural icons.