Interfaith Peace-Builders - Delegation Based Education & Advocacy on Israel/Palestine

Interfaith Peace-Builders and National Peace Foundation
Voices of the Peacebuilders Delegation Arrives in Israel/Palestine

April 1, 2008

Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) and the National Peace Foundation (NPF) are pleased to announce that their 13-member delegation to Israel/Palestine entered Israel at the Ben-Gurion airport Tuesday morning and is now safely in Jerusalem.

The purpose of this delegation, the 26th to make the trip since 2001, is to educate North American citizens about the region and deepen their understanding of its conflicts. This is the first delegation that IFPB and NPF have co-sponsored.

The delegation goes to the Middle East at a critical time. Last November?s peace conference hosted by the US administration in Annapolis set the end of 2008 as the timeline for a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians. However, the situation on the ground continues to worsen. As a result, a greater responsibility has fallen to everyday people in Israel and Palestine. Interfaith Peace-Builders and National Peace Foundation delegates have the unique opportunity to learn about the Middle East through the eyes of these everyday people who live and breathe the conflict.

The group will tour the Israeli town of Sderot which has been targeted by Palestinian militants from within the impoverished Gaza Strip and will visit Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Museum. Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian whose daughter was killed by an Israeli soldier, will also address the delegation. Mr. Aramin works with Combatants for Peace, a joint Palestinian and Israeli organization which has rejected violence and promotes reconciliation between the two peoples.

In addition, the delegation will hear from the nonviolent peace movement in Israel and Palestine. The group will visit the Palestinian village of Bil?in, which organizes weekly nonviolent demonstrations and recently won a high-profile case in the Israeli High Court challenging the route of Israel?s Separation Wall and the confiscation of their village lands. Delegates will also participate in a weekly vigil by the Israeli organization, Women in Black, which takes place every Friday in West Jerusalem.

A photo of the delegates at orientation in Washington, DC.

The delegation includes the following people:

- Rachel Baker, from Waltham, Massachusetts
- Rachel Buxbaum, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (not pictured)
- Dr. Thomas Chisholm, from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
- Mike Daly, from Washington, DC
- Valerie Kockelman, from Palo Alto, California
- Jason Hicks, from Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- Robert Rosenbaum, from San Francisco, California
- Rob Sangster, from Memphis, Tennessee
- Gene Smith, from Pekin, Illinois
- Ingrid Smith, from Pekin, Illinois
- Cathy Sultan, from Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- Bev Williams, from Bear Creek Township, Pennsylvania
- Frank Williams, from Santa Barbara, California

Interfaith Peace-Builders and the National Peace Foundation believe in the power of eye-witness experience and transformation. Given the opportunity to speak directly with Israelis and Palestinians, delegates return to the United States better informed, more energized, and with a deeper understanding of the possibilities for true justice in the Middle East.

Upon their return to the United States in April, delegates will share their experiences with the public, the media, and their political representatives. Media interested in interviewing the participants when they return, and groups wanting information about speaking engagements, should contact Interfaith Peace-Builders ( or 202.244.0821).

Reports and photos will also be posted on the website of the National Peace Foundation:

www.nationalpeace.org

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