AN ENVIRONMENT UNDER SIEGE:
OCCUPATION'S EFFECT ON PEOPLE AND NATURE

May 19 - June 1, 2012

Delegation Leaders: Anna Baltzer & Philip Farah

This delegation will explore current realities of life for Israelis and Palestinians, including settlements, the occupation, and the peace process—by learning directly from those living there. We will also explore issues pertaining to the intersection of environmental justice and human rights*, delving into the ways in which the occupation has affected the environment and therefore the livelihood of Palestinians and Israelis.  Topics may include freedom of access to land and water, sanitation and pollution, and deforestation.  The itinerary will feature meetings with leaders of civil society groups, grassroots organizers, religious leaders, organizations with projects focused on the environment and more. 

*As with all IFPB themed delegations, meetings pertaining to the specific theme amount to an average of about 20% of all meetings and the overall emphasis remains with exploring the social and political realities in the region in general.

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DEADLINE TO APPLY: Please apply by February 10, 2012 to ensure we’ll have space and be able to arrange your flight.  Our last several delegations have filled up several months before departure, so please apply as soon as possible to reserve your space.  If you’ve missed the deadline, we might still be able to add you, but please contact us ASAP to see if this is a possibility.

Download Application for the Delegation Here

Leaders

Anna Baltzer is an award-winning speaker, writer, and organizer for Palestinian rights. Since she began volunteering with the International Women's Peace Service, documenting human rights abuses and supporting Palestinian-led nonviolent resistance. Anna has appeared on television more than 100 times and lectured at more than 400 universities, schools, churches, mosques, and synagogues around the world. She is the author of Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories. Currently, she is also the National Organizer with US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Anna previously co-led two IFPB delegations in 2010 & 2011.

Philip Farah is a Palestinian born in Jerusalem, four years after his family lost their home in the 1948 War—the Nakba. Upon graduating from the American University of Beirut in 1968, he returned to occupied East Jerusalem and taught at several schools as well as Birzeit University in the West Bank. Before emigrating to the US in 1978, he was active in the first Palestinian-Israeli dialogue group opposed to the occupation. He is currently Vice President of the Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace. He lives with his wife and three children in the Washington Metro area where he works as an economist.

Logistics

The cost of the delegation will be around $2100. This includes 13 days of the delegation, hotel and home stay accommodations, breakfasts and dinners, local transportation, guides, speaker/event fees, basic tips and gratuities. Partial scholarships may be available for those with demonstrable need.

The cost does not include domestic and international airfare. Interfaith Peace-Builders works with a local travel agent in Jerusalem to secure the best group rates for the delegation to travel together on the same flight from Washington, DC to Israel/Palestine. Therefore, delegates do not need to book their own international airfare.

Delegates will be expected make arrangements to be in Washington DC by 2pm on May 19, 2012.

Click here to learn much more about delegation specifics,
including who we meet, cost, application information

Photos from Past IFPB Delegations