March 2007 Delegation

Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegation Arrives in Israel/Palestine

March 19, 2007

Interfaith Peace-Builders is pleased to announce that their eight member delegation to Israel/Palestine entered Israel at the Ben-Gurion airport Monday morning and is now safely on its way to Jerusalem.

The purpose of this delegation, the 21st Interfaith Peace-Builders delegation since 2001, is to educate North American citizens about the region and deepen their understanding of its conflicts.

The delegation begins days after the formation of a new Palestinian unity government -- and declarations by the US and Israel that the new government still does not meet US and Israeli conditions. The delegates will have the unique opportunity to meet with Israelis and Palestinians and learn firsthand what they think about the current situation and the prospects for the future.

The delegates are scheduled to meet with an array of Palestinians and Israelis who will share their observations on the current situation, the effects of United States foreign policy in the region, and the possibilities for a just and sustainable peace.

Individual meetings will be held with Jeff Halper, who was nominated for a Noble Peace Prize last year, and with members of the popular committee in Bil'in who are leading a popular nonviolent struggle against land confiscation. Delegates also will meet Israeli and Palestinian college students, inhabitants of a Palestinian refugee camp, Israelis who refuse to serve in the military, and Palestinian farmers. They plan to travel to the south of Israel and speak with both Israeli Jews and Israeli Palestinians about environmental conditions and the fate of the Bedouins of the Negev desert.