Ecumenical Ecumenical Accompaniment Accompaniment

Program in Program in Palestine and Palestine and

IsraelIsrael

A program of the A program of the World Council of ChurchesWorld Council of Churches

OGHS Live!OGHS Live! Presents…

Rev. Eric Fistler

Conference Schedule

Gathering & Connecting to call

OGHS Live! Begins

Welcome & Introduction 

Opening Prayer & Scripture

Reflection by Speaker

Interaction with Speaker – Q & A

Partnership Prayer

Commissioning & Benediction

OGHS Live! Ends

AccompanimenAccompanimentt

Even though I walk through the

valley of the shadow of death,

   I fear no evil;for you are with me;   your rod and your

staff—   they comfort me.

~Psalm 23:4

An Introduction

Responding to the 2001 Responding to the 2001 call from call from

the Heads of Churches in the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, EAPPI was Jerusalem, EAPPI was launched in 2002 as an launched in 2002 as an initiative of the World initiative of the World Council of Churches under Council of Churches under thethe Ecumenical Campaign Ecumenical Campaign to End the Illegal to End the Illegal Occupation of Palestine: Occupation of Palestine: Support a Just Peace in Support a Just Peace in the Middle Eastthe Middle East. .

An IntroductionAn Introduction

EAPPI has functioned fully and EAPPI has functioned fully and continuously since thencontinuously since then

Over 14 countries participate in EAPPIOver 14 countries participate in EAPPI Over 500 EAs have been sent for three Over 500 EAs have been sent for three

months to stand in solidarity with the months to stand in solidarity with the churches and people in Palestinechurches and people in Palestine

EAPPI’s VisionEAPPI’s Vision

EAPPI seeks to support local EAPPI seeks to support local and international efforts to and international efforts to end the Israeli occupation end the Israeli occupation and bring a resolution to the and bring a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a just peace, based on with a just peace, based on international law and international law and relevant United Nations relevant United Nations resolutions. resolutions.

Tasks of Ecumenical Tasks of Ecumenical AccompaniersAccompaniers

Being present in Being present in local communitieslocal communities

Ensure that Ensure that children safely children safely travel to and from travel to and from schoolschool

Provide a Provide a protective protective presence by presence by monitoring monitoring checkpointscheckpoints

Assist Palestinian Assist Palestinian and Israeli human and Israeli human rights, peace, rights, peace, information and information and ecumenical non-ecumenical non-governmental governmental organizationsorganizations

Tasks of Ecumenical Tasks of Ecumenical AccompaniersAccompaniers

Accompany farmers cut off from Accompany farmers cut off from regular access to their fieldsregular access to their fields

Accompany health teams crossing Accompany health teams crossing military checkpoints as well as military checkpoints as well as ambulances on their emergency ambulances on their emergency rounds to West Bank clinicsrounds to West Bank clinics

Engage in advocacy efforts to end Engage in advocacy efforts to end the occupation and support a just the occupation and support a just peacepeace

Share their experience and Share their experience and knowledge of the situation back knowledge of the situation back homehome

Areas A and B(Oslo Accords)

149 Israeli settlements,96 outposts

Israeli military closed areas and 27 military bases

Nature Reserves

West Bank Barrier and Areas between the Barrier and the Green Line

Roads used by the settlers

Closures

The effect of the closures

Fragmentation of the West Bank

PermanentCheckpoints

PartialCheckpoints

Tunnels(As of March 2007)

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Note:

Green Line (1949 Armistice)

Note:Interim agreement of 1994 Oslo process

Areas A and B (40% of area) under Palestinian authority

Area C under Israeli authority

Note:Israeli Settlements growing at 5.5% a year

Illegal under international law

Note:Nature reserves mostly off-limits to Palestinian entry

No grazing or development

Note:Permits are required to access areas behind Barrier

Permit difficult to obtain (except Gush Etzion)

Note:Roads primarily for Settler use

Palestinian access banned or restricted on majority of roads

Note:Roadblocks and checkpoints physically prevent Palestinian vehicles accessing settler roads

Note:Roads, settlements, other infrastructure fragment West Bank

Note:

Checkpoints straddle settler roads

Palestinian movement from one enclave to another via checkpoints or tunnelsunder settler roads

Note:Areas A and B (Palestinian control) mirror fragmentation.

Note:Israeli military bases-off-limits for Palestinians

Note:Effect is a series of corridors for settler traffic, but obstacles for Palestinian movement

!!‚

Effectiveness of Effectiveness of EAPPIEAPPI

Evaluation Report Evaluation Report conducted May 2008 by conducted May 2008 by Palestinian Counseling Palestinian Counseling Centre, Beit HaninaCentre, Beit Hanina

De-escalate, reduce and prevent De-escalate, reduce and prevent threats, incidents of violence threats, incidents of violence and human rights violation in and human rights violation in areas of tensions (checkpoints areas of tensions (checkpoints

and agricultural gates)and agricultural gates)Chart 2 - Main problem faced at checkpoints and gates

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Delays Psychologicalharassment

Physicalharassment

Chages inpassing

regulations

problems

num

ber o

f peo

ple

Series1

76.8%64.8% 34.7%

76.1%

When EAs are presentWhen EAs are present

73.2% - report decreased 73.2% - report decreased incidents of Israeli solder’s incidents of Israeli solder’s harassment of Palestiniansharassment of Palestinians

70.5% report that they 70.5% report that they pass more quicklypass more quickly

Reduce Fear Among Reduce Fear Among Palestinian Palestinian

Communities Communities

73.8% fear being delayed73.8% fear being delayed 68.3% feel reluctant to go 68.3% feel reluctant to go

to their destinationto their destination 71% feel afraid and unsafe 71% feel afraid and unsafe

to crossto cross 72.8% fear not 72.8% fear not

being able to being able to

return home return home

When EAs are When EAs are PresentPresent

77.4% feel 77.4% feel safersafer

77.7 % of 77.7 % of

those those crossing crossing checkpoints checkpoints feel feel empowered empowered and more and more confident in confident in facing the facing the soldierssoldiers

83.5%83.5%

state that the EA’s state that the EA’s presence reduces presence reduces their suffering at their suffering at checkpoints and checkpoints and agricultural gatesagricultural gates

“…“…with our friends around with our friends around us, we don’t feel alone us, we don’t feel alone anymore.”anymore.”

~villager from Yanoun~villager from Yanoun

““Had the EAs not been Had the EAs not been here the situation would here the situation would have been much worse”have been much worse”

~villager from Sousya~villager from Sousya

EAPPI-USEAPPI-US

EAPPI-US, The United States EAPPI-US, The United States coordination, is administrated coordination, is administrated through Church World Servicethrough Church World Service

EAPPI-US falls under the EAPPI-US falls under the management of the Mission management of the Mission Relationships and Witness Relationships and Witness Program of Church World ServiceProgram of Church World Service

Primary Reasons for a Primary Reasons for a Lack of US Lack of US

ParticipationParticipation

Financial support for EAsFinancial support for EAs EAs from the US must raise EAs from the US must raise

their own fundstheir own funds

$6800 + $6800 + airfare airfare

(to Washington DC for (to Washington DC for orientation orientation

and to Israel-Palestine for the and to Israel-Palestine for the program)program)

One Great Hour of One Great Hour of SharingSharing

Thank you, thank you , thank Thank you, thank you , thank you!you!

Almost half of EAPPI-US budget Almost half of EAPPI-US budget is provided by OGHSis provided by OGHS

Thank you for the opportunity Thank you for the opportunity toto Work for peace with our Work for peace with our

ecumenical partnersecumenical partners Work to repair the broken Work to repair the broken

relationships which we are at relationships which we are at least partly responsible forleast partly responsible for

Walk with Palestinian and Israeli Walk with Palestinian and Israeli brothers and sistersbrothers and sisters

EAPPI-USEAPPI-US

With the Rev. Eric C With the Rev. Eric C FistlerFistler

ecfistler@gmail.comecfistler@gmail.com

Ann Hafften, National Ann Hafften, National CoordinatorCoordinatorEAPPI-USEAPPI-US

204 S. Lamar St.204 S. Lamar St.Weatherford, TX  76086Weatherford, TX  76086

info@eappi-us.orginfo@eappi-us.orgwww.eappi-us.orgwww.eappi-us.org

Thank you forThank you forparticipating with…participating with…

Partnership Prayer

One: God of mercy and compassion, of

grace and reconciliation, pour yourpower upon all your children in theMiddle East.

People: Let hatred be turned intolove, fear to trust, despair to hope,oppression to freedom, occupation toliberation,

All: That violent encounters may bereplaced by loving embraces, Andpeace and justice could be

experiencedby all. Amen

Said Ailabouni, “Imagine Peace” Imagine Peace: Bible Meditations andWorship Resources for Advent - World Council of Churches October2008, p. 21. WCC http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/2008pdfs/imagine_peace.pdf

Thank youThank you for your support of for your support of One Great Hour of One Great Hour of

SharingSharing Three ways to give:Three ways to give:

Receive the offering at your Receive the offering at your local UCC church, forwarding local UCC church, forwarding them on to your UCC them on to your UCC Conference Office.Conference Office.

Make a secure online donation Make a secure online donation at at www.ucc.org/oghswww.ucc.org/oghs

Send gifts made payable toSend gifts made payable toOne Great Hour of Sharing to One Great Hour of Sharing to the national setting of the UCC the national setting of the UCC at:at:

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Commissioning Commissioning and Benedictionand Benediction

The EndThe End