wfn.org | Newsline: On Earth Peace delegation continues in Israel and Palestine despite deportation of leaders

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service,

>News Director Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford,

>800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

ON EARTH PEACE DELEGATION CONTINUES IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

>DESPITE DEPORTATION OF LEADERS

(Jan. 7, 2010) Elgin, IL -- "What's the purpose of your trip to Israel?" wa s the question

asked by six different Israeli security officials of Sarah* and On Earth Pe ace executive

director Bob Gross this past weekend, in the course of more than 12 hours i n the custody

>of Israeli airport security.

Eventually, Bob and Sarah were denied entry, jailed, and then deported from  Israel.

They have been barred from re-entry for 10 years. On Tuesday, they arrived  back in

the United States instead of meeting with the 13 people who were arriving  in Israel

to take part in a peacemaking delegation co-sponsored by On Earth Peace and  Christian

>Peacemaker Teams (CPT).

The two were supposed to lead the delegation in its travels in Israel and P alestine from

>Jan. 6-18.

On Earth Peace is a Church of the Brethren agency providing skills, support , and a

spiritual foundation to face violence with active nonviolence, through mini stries of

education, reconciliation, and community organizing (go to www.onearthpeace .org<http://www.onearthpeace.org>).

This is the fifth annual Middle East delegation co-sponsored by On Earth Pe ace and

CPT, providing an immersion in the realities of the current moment in the I sraeli-

>Palestinian conflict.

What are those realities? On Earth Peace sees evidence that a nonviolent mo vement

is on the rise, again, citing the following developments: This week, over a  thousand

international activists attempted to enter into Gaza from Egypt, bearing hu manitarian

and medical aid. Some Israelis and Palestinians who are weary of decades of  bloody

conflict are creating nonviolent pathways to resolving the situation.

On Earth Peace also expresses concern about the situation in Israel and Pal estine:

A separation wall continues to be built by Israel, dividing Palestinian fam ilies and

communities and taking Palestinian land. Israelis live in fear of suicide b ombers.

Many Palestinians who live under blockade and military occupation continue  eking

out daily life without access to safe water, medical care, or basic foods.

The remaining 13 members of the delegation entered Israel without incident.  The

delegation includes seven members of the Church of the Brethren. The group  will

visit with Israeli and Palestinian peace, social justice, and human rights  groups, and

will be hosted by families and community leaders. From these visits and mee tings,

delegation members will gain an understanding of Palestinian and Israeli pe rspectives

and concerns. Upon returning to their home communities, delegates will be p repared

to speak of what they have learned and experienced first-hand.

"I am anxious to see how nonviolent action works in real-life circumstances , rather

than just reading about it!" said delegate Shannon Richmond of Seattle, Was h., a recent

college graduate with a degree in criminal justice and violence studies, wh o also has

spent time traveling in South Africa and Mexico.

Back home in North Manchester, Ind., Gross reflected on the interrogation a nd

deportation experience. "During our time being held with Israeli security,  we saw

many other people coming under additional questioning as well," he said. "A lmost

all those pulled aside were people of color. Most were of Arab and African  descent.

We're clear that Sarah's Egyptian heritage as well as her photographic docu mentation

of Palestine via the Internet were motivating factors in their decision to  deport us. In

addition to this racism, there is also the Israeli government's fear of any thing that

seems to value Palestinian equality or human rights, which means that those  of us who

are committed to nonviolent peacemaking are considered a threat."

Supporting the struggle for Palestinian rights as well as Israeli rights, a nd for safety,

equality, and security for all people in the Middle East is the purpose of  the On Earth

Peace delegation, and of Bob and Sarah's aborted entry into Israel. A blog  has been set

up for delegates to report on their experiences in the field, and readers m ay email

questions, blessings, and comments to the delegation. Go to

>www.mideastdelegation.blogspot.com.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continu ing the

work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in communi ty. The

denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is  one of the

three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2008.  It counts

some 125,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has miss ions

and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and  India.

(Matt Guynn, program director for On Earth Peace, contributed this report.  Contact

>him at 503-775-1636.)

*Sarah's last name is being kept confidential to protect her from further s crutiny on

>subsequent trips to the Middle East.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

>Director of News Services

>Church of the Brethren

>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120

>800-323-8039 ext. 260

>cobnews@brethren.org