wfn.org | WCC NEWS: Justice tourism for pilgrims to Palestine-Israel

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>World Council of Churches - News

CONSULTATIVE MEETING WILL PROMOTE JUSTICE TOURISM FOR PILGRIMS TO
PALESTINE-ISRAEL

>For immediate release: 12 May 2010

While seeing holy sites and ancient structures remains popular for
Christian tourists visiting the Holy Land, there is an emerging  concern
that Christian tourists have an ethical obligation to engage with  the
people living there, to become witnesses to their struggle for freedom,
human dignity, equality, justice and peace.

To promote and bolster this message, theologians, peace advocates  and
justice tourism activists will gather in Chavannes-de-Bogis (Geneva)  18-21
May for a consultative meeting aimed at consolidating a “theology  of
pilgrimage for Palestine-Israel”.

The meeting is being organized by the Alternative Tourism Group
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=1171b17f5552f1b847d3  ) (ATG) in 
cooperation with the the
Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=cbf159ce38854ec0cd50 )  (ECOT), Kairos 
Palestine (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=3034b8ff96afc0cb8617 )  and the 
Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum
(Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=dd41b71220629af98222
) (PIEF) which is an initiative of the World Council of Churches
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=d06fb4fe4246e003aa5c  ) (WCC). 
The ATG is a
Palestinian NGO specializing in tours and pilgrimages that incorporate
critical examinations of the Holy Land’s history, culture  and politics.

The consultation will produce a study guide for Christian tourists  in
Palestine-Israel, encouraging them to “come-see-witness”  the realities
of Palestine-Israel today.

Rami Kassis, ATG Director, says, “Justice tourism in Palestine  can make a
fundamental contribution towards the development of peace in the  Middle
East and beyond. Tourists with a commitment to social justice –  justice
tourists – have the opportunity, not only to make positive  contributions
to the communities they visit, but to become holders of the knowledge  that
will one day lead to equality, democracy and human rights for all.”

A “Code of Conduct” published by the Palestine Initiative  for
Responsible Tourism (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=1eb27d6cb3593908e157 )  offers guidance
to Holy Land pilgrims on trip preparation and cultural considerations,  as
well as suggestions for sharing their experience when they return  home. It
advises them to “choose an inclusive and balanced itinerary  that allows
[them] to visit and stay in different places”, and to “es tablish
contact with Palestinians to get up-to-date information about the  current
situation, safety, local history, culture and customs.”

“Palestinian suffering demands that the world act for justice  without
delay, making every effort in every related sphere,” said  Kassis. “In
light of tourism’s potential to open minds, this consultative  meeting in
Geneva is a contribution to the global struggle to achieve a just  peace
for Palestine and Israel.”

For more information about the consultation, PIEF (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=41f93fe19e8b5f7e8c80 )  and the WCC 
(Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=b20d0ddbf15afb187c03 ),  please 
contact: Ranjan
Solomon, ranjan.solomon@wcc-coe.org (Link:
ranjan.solomon@wcc-coe.org ), (Tel +41-(0)-76-3958250).

Website of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=026f3d0d59cad5bffef8 )

See also: World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=ccb569c5cb7cb069ce4b )   (29 May – 4 
June 2010)

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith,  witness and 
service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship  of churches 
founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant,
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560  million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the  Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse  Tveit, from 
the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

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