A new group of 18 radical Christians trained in nonviolent resistance have arrived in Palestine and Israel as part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme. The new arrivals bring the total number of ecumenical accompaniers, whose work was recently praised by former US president Jimmy Carter, to 22. The eleven women and seven men in the new group range in age from 25 to 68. Five come from Norway, five from South Africa, three from Britain, three from Sweden and one each from France and Switzerland.
A new group of 18 radical Christians trained in nonviolent resistance have arrived in Palestine and Israel as part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme.
The new arrivals bring the total number of ecumenical accompaniers, whose work was recently praised by former US president Jimmy Carter, to 22.
The eleven women and seven men in the new group range in age from 25 to 68. Five come from Norway, five from South Africa, three from Britain, three from Sweden and one each from France and Switzerland.
Three of the South African accompaniers are pastors – two from the Anglican Church and one from the Salvation Army. One of the Swedish accompaniers is a pastor in the Baptist Church. The French accompanier is an Italian citizen and a member of the Waldensian Church of Italy, while one of the accompaniers from Britain is a native of Ireland.
Ecumenical accompaniers serve a minimum of three months and work in various capacities with local churches, Palestinian and Israeli NGOs, as well as Palestinian communities to try to reduce the brutality of the occupation and improve the daily lives of both peoples. Accompaniers will continue to be placed in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jayyous, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Tulkarem, and Yanoun.
Four Danish accompaniers from the previous group will continue their service to the programme. One accompanier with journalism skills will continue his work with the Alternative Information Center (AIC), a joint Palestinian-Israeli initiative. The other three Danes are medical students, and will continue their work with the Ramallah-based Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC). Part of their job is to accompany mobile health clinics bringing medical attention to people who can.t get to hospitals or health care facilities due to the restrictions on freedom of movement.
Since the programme was launched in August 2002, 198 ecumenical accompaniers have participated from more than 30 churches and ecumenical partners in 12 countries: Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) was launched in August 2002. Ecumenical accompaniers monitor and report violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, support acts of non-violent resistance alongside local Christian and Muslim Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, offer protection through non-violent presence, engage in public policy advocacy, and stand in solidarity with the churches and all those struggling against the occupation. The programme is co-ordinated by the World Council of Churches.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Ekklesia
