The student-faculty group organizing a visit to the Palestinian territories this July hopes to raise at least $100,000 to fund the trip.The group, named the Independent Delegation from Brandeis to Palestine and Israel (IDBPI), was organized in response to a challenge to visit the territories made by former President Jimmy Carter during his speech last month.

It is now seeking funds from major nonprofit organizations and University donors, said one of the organizers, Kevin Montgomery '07 said.

"We have already established contact with the Carter Center and we will definitely be turning to them for advice," Montgomery said. "We haven't talked to them about money yet." He would not comment on whether the committee will do so in the future.

"We are expecting that the people who will go on the trip will not have to pay, because we don't want costs to be a burden for people applying," Montgomery said.

Montgomery said the group has requested funding from one source so far. He declined to comment on the amount of money requested or the identity of the source.

The month-long trip, open to undergraduates, graduate students and alumni, will take place in mid-July and include an approximately two-week long training session, Montgomery said. He added that up to 10 participants and two or three faculty members can attend.

Montgomery said the trip may include a visit to Israel if there is enough time and money.

"To go to Israel would be a great bonus, and if we can allocate the time, we will go," he said.

Applications, due Feb. 21, are posted on the Committee's Web site.

Applicants will be interviewed by a panel of three faculty members not from the Committee, and three students from the Committee including himself, Montgomery said.

Montgomery said the group will film the trip for a documentary.

"We are planning on making a full-length report on a human level and a conflict-resolution level in both the Palestinian territories and the Israeli settlements," he said.

"Security is still one of our biggest concerns, but I don't expect it to cripple the trip," Montgomery said.

Montgomery said he is open to working with the Union on planning the delegation trip, but he said the Committee is independent from any campus political group and will maintain full control over the trip.

"This is not a Brandeis University-commissioned trip," he said.

Student Union President Alison Schwartzbaum '08 said the Union and administrators from the Center on Ethics, Justice and Public Life are discussing sending a group of Brandeis students and students from Al Quds University, a Palestinian institution in Jerusalem with which Brandeis has partnered, on a joint trip to Turkey this summer. Between eight and 10 students from each school can attend, Schwartzbaum said.

The Union is also considering organizing Brandeis students in Israel to visit Al Quds, Schwartzbaum said.

Applications for the IDBPI trip are available at www.idbpi.com.