Tomorrow's Leaders Delegation >>

Interfaith Peace-Builders and American Friends Service Committee (Great Lakes Region) Delegation Arrives in Israel/Palestine

Reports and Photos from IFPB's 34th Delegation (July-August 2010):

Report 1: I Am Here
Report 2: Witnessing -- And Being Seen
Report 3: Invisibility and Resistance
Report 4: Sderot, Nablus, and Hebron.
Report 5: Seeing, Imagining -- And Building a Sense of Hope
Report 6: Concluding Reflections
Summer Delegates in Action

USE MENU AT RIGHT TO READ REPORTS FROM THE FIELD AND VIEW PHOTOS AS AVAILABLE

July 26, 2010 - Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) and the American Friends Service Committee (Great Lakes Region) are pleased to announce that our 21 member delegation to Israel/Palestine arrived at Ben-Gurion airport Monday morning and is now safely in Jerusalem.

The purpose of this delegation, the 34th to make the trip since 2001, is to educate North Americans about the region and deepen their understanding of its conflicts.

This delegation will explore issues relevant to young people in Palestine/Israel, including efforts to educate and empower future generations working towards a just resolution to the conflict.  Our itinerary will feature meetings with Palestinian and Israeli youth and youth workers as well as leaders of civil society groups, grassroots organizers, religious leaders and more.

Two thirds of the Palestinian population and one third of the Israeli population are under the age of 25.  More than just numbers, youth in Israel/Palestine play important roles in community development, lead nonviolent struggles for justice, and work together across national lines towards reconciliation.  They are also among the conflict’s most tragic victims. 

Participants on this delegation have the unique opportunity to hear directly from Palestinian and Israeli youth and adults regarding their hopes for peace and the role of the US government in promoting a resolution to the conflict.

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

The delegation includes the following people:

Maimuna Ahmad - Arlington, Virginia
Danielle Back - Chandler, Arizona
Judy Buettner - Haiku, Hawai'i
Laura Currie - Bethesda, Maryland
Megan Driscoll - San Francisco, California
Laura Durkay - Baltimore, Maryland
Mariolina Eliantonio (not pictured) - Mastricht, Netherlands
Susan Elias - Madison, Wisconsin
Sarah Fry - Walla Walla, Washington
Pablo Hernandez-Romero - Arlington, Texas
Myra Johnson (not pictured) - Chicago, Illinois
Malachi Leopold - Chicago, Illinois
Art Lyons (not pictured) - Chicago, Illinois
Jacob Pace - San Francisco, California
Michael Rabb - Boulder, Colorado
Miryam Rashid - Chicago, Illinois
Dan Ream - Catonsville, Maryland
Ian Smith - Westminster, Maryland
Kate Spina - Telluride, Colorado
Meghan Walsh - Clovis, California

Interfaith Peace-Builders believes 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, 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 at or 202.244.0821.