LISTENING, ACTION, LEARNING, VIOLENCE REDUCTION

As we prepare for the 2010 Middle East Peace Delegation (January 5-18, 2010), our governments talk about a "Middle East Peace Process," and Israelis and Palestinians continue to suffer losses from violent incidents. Expanding Israeli settlements threaten Palestinian land and homes. Israeli military imposed road closures, checkpoints, and home invasions affect the daily lives of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation. Israel's separation barrier (much of it built on confiscated Palestinian land) not only separates Palestinian communities from each other but also acts as a barrier between ordinary Israelis and Palestinians seeking to come together for peace.  In the photo above, Neal Musselman and Rachel Peterson replant olive trees near the village of At-Tuwani, south of Hebron. Photo: Bob Gross

Delegation members will gain a perspective on how these issues affect daily life. Delegates will meet with Palestinian and Israeli human rights representatives and peace workers in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. They will visit Palestinian families whose home and livelihoods are threatened by expanding Israeli settlements. They will travel to the city of Hebron and the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills and experience firsthand the work of Christian Peacemaker Teams alongside Israeli and Palestinian partners. They will challenge the structural violence of the Occupation through nonviolent public witness.  In the photo above, the peace delegation gathers near the small house used by CPT volunteers living in At-Tuwani. Photo: Bob Gross