A new group of 25 ecumenical accompaniers have commenced three months of working with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).
The group includes the first Hindu and the second Muslim to participate in the programme, the former from South Africa and the latter from the UK.
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) was launched in August 2002. Ecumenical accompaniers monitor and report violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, support acts of non-violent resistance alongside local Christian and Muslim Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, offer protection through non-violent presence, engage in public policy advocacy, and stand in solidarity with the churches and all those struggling against the occupation. The programme is co-ordinated by the World Council of Churches (WCC).
The latest group to be sent comprises 15 women and 10 men from eight countries (Germany, Finland, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA).
The new arrivals bring the total number of accompaniers to have participated in the programme to 329.
The accompaniers will be based in six areas: Bethlehem, Hebron, Jayyous, Tulkarem, Yanoun and Jerusalem; the Jayyous position has just been re-opened.
Ecumenical accompaniers, who serve a minimum of three months, work in various capacities with local churches, Palestinian and Israeli NGOs, as well as Palestinian communities to try to reduce the brutality of the Israeli occupation and improve the daily lives of both peoples.
-
Edinburgh University ends divinity programmes as theology faces a changing future
-
Why the Archbishop of Canterbury’s award controversy matters
-
More than one in four US Protestant churchgoers believe some biblical truths become outdated
-
Catholicism in France has 'collapsed'
-
Christian leaders issue ‘sober and urgent call’ for Western Church to prepare for disruption
-
Australia's anti-therapy laws harm the most vulnerable - Britain should not copy them
Most Popular
related articles
World Ecumenical Church Head Leads Congratulations as Tutu turns 75
World Ecumenical Church Head Leads Congratulations as Tutu turns 75
Interview: WCC President Rev Dr Bernice Powell Jackson
Interview: WCC President Rev Dr Bernice Powell Jackson
Bishop of Jerusalem, Christians Rally in Support of Palestine
Bishop of Jerusalem, Christians Rally in Support of Palestine
Bishop of Jerusalem Speaks on Crisis in West Bank and Gaza
Bishop of Jerusalem Speaks on Crisis in West Bank and Gaza
News
Active faith linked to happier marriages and lower divorce rates, study finds
People who regularly attend church are more likely to report happy marriages, according to a new report examining the relationship between faith and family life.
Indian churches fearing anti-conversion laws tell non-Christians: enter at your own risk
Churches in Dhamtari, a town in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, have put up notices warning non-Christians that they enter at their own risk, weeks after a law against religious conversion came into force in the state.
£1k bursaries to help churches develop youth and community mentoring programmes
Churches across the UK are being offered bursaries to help them establish mentoring programmes aimed at supporting young people and others in their communities.
World Evangelical Alliance celebrates 180th anniversary
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has held an online celebration to mark its 180th anniversary. Hundreds of people from more than 22 countries attended, and the event was rebroadcast to accommodate different time zones.
