PROJECTS • PALESTINE SOLIDARITY • INTERFAITH PEACE PILGRIMAGE TO PALESTINE

INTERFAITH PEACE PILGRIMAGE AND SOLIDARITY VISIT TO PALESTINE-ISRAEL

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2007 November 4-13 | Jordan and Palestine-Israel

 

Concept Paper

2007 June 12

 

RATIONALE AND FRAMEWORK

Thriving global resistance against Israeli apartheid

Ecumenical, civil-society and social movements worldwide have stepped up their advocacy on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to mark the 40th anniversary of Israel’s conquest and occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories over which the Palestinians have historically claimed sovereignty. Several major activities are due to take place, many of them in support of an international campaign promoted under the banner “The World Says No to Israeli Occupation” which will culminate on a Global Day of Action on 9-10 June 2007. It includes a call to accelerate campaigns of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS), a course of action many organisations especially in the North, including religious institutions, have pursued vigorously in their attempt to help isolate what is now widely regarded as “Apartheid Israel”.

Several major ecumenical activities are also lined up for this year, among them the WCC-initiated ICAPPI (International Church Action for Peace in Palestine/Israel) and an international peace conference in Jordan to launch the Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum both slated for June; Sabeel centre’s conference in July designed to equip youth for advocacy to end the occupation; an international conference of the International Center of Bethlehem on religion and politics in October; and the Middle East Council of Churches general assembly towards the end of November.

The challenge of Palestine for Peace for Life

Peace for Life (PfL) recognises the centrality of the Middle East question in its agenda to mobilise faith-based resistance to the US Empire and its allies and instrumentalities. As a microcosm of the larger problem of hegemonic power and control over the Middle East region and the whole world, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is both a watershed and a critical locus of genuine people’s resistance to Empire.

With Israel being increasingly perceived—and indeed functioning—as an apartheid regime, it is also becoming clearer that occupation also means the purposive deprivation of the most fundamental human rights of people of an entire nation by another, of actions that weaken the social fabric of the occupied. Thus, the liberation of Palestine is inextricably linked with the struggle of peoples worldwide for a more dignified existence, equality, and against global capitalism, the very system from whence the occupation stands.

Furthermore, the religious dimension of the Arab-Israeli conflict brings to fore the necessity of forging solidarity among faith communities in a common struggle against all forces of injustice and exploitation, one of the most essential of PfL’s objectives.

Organisational context

The unique urgency of the Palestinian challenge has made the PfL to aspire that its second assembly, People’s Forum on Peace for Life (PFPL), in 2008 situate the core issues of PfL—religion, Empire, and resistance—from the context of the Palestine-Israeli conflict, informed by local struggles and seen from the perspective of interfaith solidarity.

The assembly, being more of a process of study, reflection, assessment than a singular event, starts its journey with the current activity: the PfL Interfaith Peace Pilgrimage and Solidarity Visit to Palestine-Israel. It would play very specific organisational functions for PfL:

• Catalyst for the development of a project for PfL’s more long-term engagement in Middle East advocacy
• Basis for developing the thematic/contextual framework of the Second People’s Forum on Peace for Life
• Opportunity for alliance-building and expanding the PfL network in the Middle East

OBJECTIVES

General objectives

• To express solidarity with the Palestinian people and contribute to increased south-south and faith-based solidarity and response to the Palestinian struggle for liberation
• To gain a deeper understanding of the broader geopolitical context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and draw lessons and inspiration from the people’s struggles
• To help draw out ways of integrating the issues of women’s struggle in the Middle East within the overall Palestinian struggle for liberation

Particular objectives (tasks during the visit)

• Document and analyse the condition of occupied Palestine and how it relates to the broader Middle East geopolitics and the overall empire project;
• Reflect on the potential of popular movements, faith-based groups and South-South platforms in effecting just change in Palestine and the Middle East as whole;
• Explore solidarity initiatives and contribute in drawing up an action agenda for South-South solidarity to integrate PfL efforts with WCC and other ecumenical initiatives;
• Give an interreligious testimony to justice and peace in Palestine and Israel; help develop the methodology on interfaith solidarity;
• Begin a theological process that reframes Middle East peace beyond a criticism of Christian Zionism, giving emphasis on the dimension of justice and human rights;
• Probe the Palestinian-Israeli “peace process” in the context of global power relations; gleam its relevance to other conflict situations;
• Deliberate on how to focus the overall Peace for Life programme to address its central issues (religion, Empire, and resistance) as they are experienced in the Middle East.

Expected output

• Statement on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which may be circulated to the PfL network for adoption as official PfL position paper on the issue
• Thematic/contextual framework for the Second People’s Forum on Peace for Life, including key objectives and elements of the pre-assembly phase
• A PfL plan in support of the international campaign to end the occupation of Palestine
• Objectives and basic outline for an advocacy/education programme on the Middle East question and its relation to central PfL advocacies
• Publication (print and electronic) about the solidarity and study mission in the form of a narrative report and/or series of resources

[N.B.: Outlines or working drafts may be prepared beforehand.]

The PfL engagement in the issues of Palestine and the entire Middle East is envisioned to be a long-term project that is tied to a new strategic direction for Peace for Life.

PROGRAMME

The final programme will be produced by PfL jointly with the local hosting partners.

Venue

The mission will commence and end in Amman, Jordan, which will be the venue for most of the meetings during the programme. The delegation will travel by land (an exposure in itself) to the West Bank for five-day programme in occupied Palestine: exposure visits and a public forum. The Israel annexed East-Jerusalem would serve as the base. Shorter periods (one to two nights) may be organised for visit and stay in Gaza, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus, and Hebron. The local hosting partners will determine the final venues.

Tentative dates and schedule

Tentative dates are set on November 4 to 14, covering a period of eight (8) days excluding travel time. The programme is provisionally structured as follows:

• Nov 4 Sun
           Arrival in Amman, Orientation
           Land travel to Palestine
• Nov 5-7 Mon-Wed
           Exposure and solidarity programme
• Nov 8 Thu
           Public Forum
• Nov 9 Fri
           Celebration and olive tree planting
           Visits to the holy places and historical sites
• Nov 10 Sat
           Land travel to Amman
• Nov 11-13 Sun-Tue
           Strategy workshop
           PfL organisational meeting
• Nov 14 Wed
           Departure

Features/components of the programme

Theme – The theme for the entire program will focus on the problem of empire, resistance of victims and forging solidarity in for liberation. The final formulation will be issued later.

The format, theme, program schedule and resource persons will be finalised through consultations between PfL and the local hosting partners.

Exposure and solidarity programme – To ensure that the programme covers more areas and issues (and for facility), participants will break into smaller groups and undertake visits/encounters in various locations simultaneously.

Possible meetings and exposure areas:

• Leaders, intellectuals and activists of all faiths/religions in Palestine/Israel; interactions with representatives of Jews in Israel (whether for or against government policies)
• Palestinians in the occupied territories, including ’touristic’ visits to the holy places
• Israeli peace movement representatives and visits to settlements
• Human rights organisations, popular movements, and grass-roots groups
• Political leaders (both from Fatah and Hamas)
• Representatives from foreign countries with high involvement on the issue
• Home-stay with Palestinian families for at least one night

Public Forum (or other form of public gathering) – This will be the visiting team’s chance at a public interaction/discussion with representatives of the Palestinian peace and justice movement, leaders in the religious sector as well as members of Israeli communities supportive of the Palestinian cause. Local resource persons will be requested to give presentations (in the form of testimonies/story-telling as well as reflections /analyses), and some members of the visiting team may speak on behalf of PfL. (Eminent persons have already expressed interest in joining the mission include First president of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai.)

Celebration and olive-tree planting – This activity is envisioned to be a celebration of justice, hope and resistance. I is hoped that Dr. Maathai, the supreme “tree-planter” of Africa and of the world, could take part.

Strategy session – There will be opportunity for members of the visiting delegation to Palestine-Israel to have a more in-depth analysis, theological reflection and strategy session together with participants from the South who could not join the mission due to visa restrictions in a consultation/workshop to be held in Jordan immediately following the Palestine-Israel visit.

PARTICIPANTS

The members of the PfL Continuation Committee would be invited to participate in the mission. Priority in terms of travel subsidy would be given to those from the global South, particularly countries with strategic interest in the Middle East like Indonesia and Pakistan. Non-Christian participants, especially Muslim and Jewish, will be encouraged to ensure a multi-religious approach. An optimum number of 25 and a maximum of 50 is however envisaged.

IMPLEMENTATION

Coordination and monitoring

The PfL Working Group created a committee—the Subgroup on PfL Middle East plans—to assist the Secretariat in drawing up the concept and plans for the programme.

Hosting and local organising

The local hosting partner can either or both the Sabeel Centre for Palestinian Liberation Theology and East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of Palestine, through their Joint Advocacy Initiative based in Beit Sahour Bethlehem

The local organising committee in Palestine would be tasked to: (1) provide logistical assistance; (2) propose local resource persons and identify local participants; and (3) organise visits to local communities and meetings with political and religious groups.