TODAY'S REALITIES & TOMORROW'S LEADERS

Interfaith Peace-Builders and American Friends Service Committee Delegation Arrives in Israel/Palestine

Reports and Photos from IFPB's 47th Delegation (August 2013):

Delegation 47 Announcement
Report 1: Our Long Arrival
Report 2: Multiple Faces of Jerusalem
Report 3: Against These Odds
Report 4: "Out Of The Same Place"
Report 5: “Isn’t That Enough?” 
Report 6: “Such Big Meaning to Us” 

August 12, 2013 - Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB), in partnership with American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), is pleased to announce that our 26 member delegation to Israel/Palestine arrived at Ben-Gurion airport Monday morning and is now safely in Jerusalem.

The purpose of this delegation, the 9th co-sponsored by the two organizations and the 47th organized by Interfaith Peace-Builders since 2001, is to educate North Americans about the region and deepen their understanding of its conflicts.

The delegation begins the trip the same week as US envoy Martin Indyk arrives in the region to formally begin a renewed round of peace talks with Israeli and Palestinian representatives. 

Despite high hopes from the US administration, the negotiations have faced an uphill battle.  On August 8, only days before the first meetings, Israel’s Ministry of Defense approved 1,000 new housing units in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. The move raised concerns among human rights organizations that Israel is not negotiating in good faith. 

The United States has not acted to stop the expansion of Israeli settlements and US military aid to the region continues to flow unabated.  In fact, the Administration’s 2014 budget includes $3.1 billion in military aid to Israel and an additional $316 million for joint US-Israeli anti-missile systems.

Participants on this delegation have the unique opportunity to hear directly from Palestinians and Israelis regarding their hopes for renewed negotiations led by US Secretary of State John Kerry and the role of the United States in the pursuit of a just peace. 

A photo of the delegates at orientation in Washington, DC

The delegation includes the following people:

Nina Allen - Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jim Anderson - Chico, California
Kristian Davis Bailey - Westbury, New York (not pictured)
Lauren Ballester - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jeff Cohen - Woodstock, New York
Micah Danney - Glen Cove, New York
Miriam Davis-Rosenbaum - Lexington, Kentucky (not pictured)
Ihsan Ghadieh - Northville Michigan
Naomi Goldenson - Seattle, Washington
JA Hull - Malvern, Pennsylvania
Megan Iorio - New Haven, Connecticut
Amanda J. - Short Hills, New Jersey
Sydney Levy - San Francisco, California
Molly McQueen - Chicago, Illinois
Gretchen Merryman-Lotze - Glenside, Pennsylvania
Jacob Minter - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Shamika Norman - Avondale Estates, Georgia
Bob Osborne - Hamden Connecticut
Bo Outland - Santa Cruz, California
Judith Stevenson - Long Beach, California
Alice Su - Princeton, New Jersey
Nadya Tannous - Santa Cruz, California
Sandy Turner - New York, New York
Barby and Vic Ulmer - Saratoga, California
Joel Wool - Dorchester, Massachusetts

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 415.240.4607.