Ecumenical Accompaniment in Palestine and Israel, Tuesday 18 July, 7.30 pm, St Andrew’s Centre (11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN) with Joan Neary.
Joan Neary is one of London’s Irish diaspora. Now a pensioner, she volunteers with organisations, which support migrants, asylum seekers and homeless people in London. She recently returned from Palestine where she worked for three months as a peace monitor with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme (EAPPI) in the South Hebron Hills in the Occupied West Bank.
Joan was employed as a community development worker in the public and voluntary sectors in London. She worked from equalities and social justice perspectives with different margnialised communities. Joan likes to read, dance, walk and she really enjoys meeting and getting to know people from across the globe.
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme
Inaugurated in August 2002, WCC’s Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel accompanies Palestinians and Israelis in their non-violent actions and concerted advocacy efforts to end the 50-years-long Israeli occupation of Palestine.
How EAPPI began
After the second Palestinian uprising (Intifada) in September 2000 Amnesty International and Human rights Watch called for international human rights observers to be sent to Israel and Palestine. The UN Security Council (UNSC) considered and turned down three draft resolutions, which sought to provide protection to Palestinian civilians in 2000/20001.
In 20001 the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem called on the World Council of churches and the international community in general to send an international presence “for the protection of all our people and to offer solidarity for a just peace.” The Quakers in Palestine supported it. In 2001 the WC responded and in 2002 sent its first volunteers, called Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) to Occupied Palestine. The programme is called Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). Quaker Peace and Social Witness QPSW is the implementing partner of EAPPI in UK and Ireland and sent its firsts volunteers in January 2003. Since then, more than 1,500 volunteers from 22 different countries have participated in the programme.
What Ecumenical Accompaniers do
Provide Protection by presence: A major part of the work is offering protective presence to vulnerable Palestinian communities.
Monitor, document and report violations of human rights and international humanitarian in conjunction with UN OCHA) United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and local international organisations.
Cooperate with Israeli and Palestinian Peace Activists, by for example attending events like demonstrations, vigils, house demolitions.
Advocacy on returning from Palestine: EAs advocate for a just peace based on international law. We call for an end to the occupation believing that the occupation is harmful in different ways to both Israelis and Palestinians., meet with community and faith leaders, MPS etc. to seek to influence policy and to raise awareness about the situation.
https://www.quaker.org.uk/our-work/eappi
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