wfn.org | WCC NEWS: Tourism to Palestine/Israel: Holy Land pilgrims can work for peace

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>World Council of Churches - News

>CALL ON HOLY LAND PILGRIMS TO WORK FOR PEACE

>For immediate release: 25 May 2010

Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land need to go beyond a mere
homage to ancient sites and instead show concern for the Palestinian
people living there, whose lives are severely constricted by the  Israeli
occupation of their land.

This was the message sent by a group of 27 theologians, Palestinian
Christian activists, tourism organizers as well as representatives  of
advocacy organizations from 14 countries, who gathered at
Chavannes-de-Bogis, near Geneva (Switzerland), from 18-21 May.

“Justice tourism concentrates on political realities. Only  by living what
Palestinians experience all the time can a visitor recognize the
injustices that are their daily bread. With this understanding comes  a
desire to help end the accumulated injustices in Palestine,”  said Rami
Kassis, executive director of the Alternative Tourism Group.

Participants at the meeting in Chavannes-de-Bogis asked pilgrims  to
demonstrate solidarity with Palestinian Christians. After 2,000  years of
continuous presence in the land, their numbers have been steadily
diminishing over the last decades as the hardships they face due  to
occupation have lead many to emigrate.

Pilgrims coming to the Holy Land on Israeli-organized mainstream  tours
often ignore the Palestinian people and their situation. That they  only
hear and then reinforce the Israeli narrative can contribute to  the
problem, the group concluded.

“They think they are bringing hope, but they are actually  taking away
hope from the whole region,” said Rifat Kassis, representing  Kairos
Palestine. Modelled on the South African Kairos document, Kairos  Palestine
is a Christian initiative that gives theological grounding to recommended
actions for a just peace.

>Code of conduct for tourists

Tourism to Palestine was identified as an opportunity for a “pilg rimage
of transformation” representing a deeper Christian experience  that
invites pilgrims to a genuine encounter with the Body of Christ  by
connecting with Palestinian sisters and brothers in faith.

The meeting strongly recommended that pilgrims follow the Code of  Conduct
for Tourism in the Holy Land, a document drawn up by a Palestinian  network
that gives guidance about trip preparation, behaviour, and follow-up
actions.

Participants expressed grave concern about the monopoly that Israel
exercizes over Holy Land tourism and the crippling restrictions  it imposes
on Palestinian tour operators, hotels, and guides that limit development
of this key sector of the Palestinian economy.

The Israeli occupation impacts Palestinian life drastically. About  400
Israeli military checkpoints dot the West Bank, hindering Palestinian
travel for work, school, family visits, and health care. The separation
wall that slices through vast swathes of their land further cuts  off
Palestinians from each other and from East Jerusalem, the traditional
centre of Palestinian religious, cultural, and commercial life.  Israeli
authorities also block West Bank Palestinian Christians, whose families
would normally celebrate Easter and other Christian feasts by worshipping
in Jerusalem, from entering the city.

However, reports on the Palestinian tourism sector show that despite
restrictions it is both vibrant and growing, offering authentic  and unique
experiences and an array of tours and opportunities to meet specific
interests. On the Nativity Trail, for example, tourists travel from
Nazareth to Bethlehem, interacting with local Palestinians, including
Christians, Bedouins, and other communities along the way.

The meeting in Chavannes-de-Bogis was organized by the Alternative  Tourism
Group (Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=c14169e24092ec7f36 e5 ) in 
cooperation with the
World Council of Churches’ Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=1f63f7cfc71d00551a0a  ) (PIEF), 
the Ecumenical
Coalition on Tourism (Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=69f 
1bdbce55fa0f78a50 ) (ECOT)
and Kairos Palestine (Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=d17 
2f43fd54ab96230df ).

WCC member churches in Israel and Palestine (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=e546a226b0877186d275 )

Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum (Link:

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=f1e6a75ac6c37209df1b )

Code of Conduct for Tourism in the Holy Land (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=c81d6e1b4489c75a97da )

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.