(click here for the full study booklet)
Dear friends and co-workers for justice in Palestine and Israel,
Thank you for participating in World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel (WWPPI) 2014,
a yearly event that encourages congregations, community groups, and people of faith to
worship, educate, and advocate for an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
This year, the theme of WWPPI is “Let my people go” (Exodus 9:1). In response to the
request of church leaders and laity in Palestine, the WWPPI international working group
has chosen to focus attention in 2014 on the critical issue of political prisoners incarcerated
in Israeli jails: Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and
annexed East Jerusalem;administrative detainees; child prisoners;prisoners suffering harsh
conditions; and Israeli conscientious objectors. In preparing this resource, intended to
serve as a guide to observing the week, the international working group seeks to reiterate
the 2013 Christmas address by His Beatitude Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem,
who called upon the world to remember those in prison. Through this year’s theme, we state our conviction that God stands with those in Palestine and around the world who are oppressed, and seeks liberation for those unjustly detained.
The plight of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is one of the major human rights violations against Palestinians under the occupation. As of May 1, 2014, there were 5,271 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers. Of these, 196 are minors, 17 are women and 192 are administrative detainees. According to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, since 1967 about 750,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces. Many are arrested and held without charge under a draconian measure referred to as “administrative detention” rather than by judicial decree. Their detentions are not for civil crimes but because they chose political resistance to the illegal occupation. Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, has characterized Israeli’s detention regime as one “designed to disrupt Palestinian society, producing an atmosphere of arbitrariness, instability, and powerlessness.”
To assist our partners worldwide to observe the week, the following resource has been created by the WWPPI international working group in cooperation with partner human rights and Christian organizations in Palestine. Theological reflections, background materials, links to additional resources, and suggested acts of advocacy have been compiled for each day. Additionally, each day focuses attention on one particular aspect of the crisis of imprisonment in Palestine.
Sunday 21 September: We worship in spirit with our Palestinian sisters and brothers
Tuesday 23 September: Administrative detention
Wednesday 24 September: Child prisoners
Thursday 25 September: Harsh prison conditions
Friday 26 September: Conscientious objectors
Saturday 27 September: A day of action and advocacy
There are a number of ways in which this resource might be used during the observance of World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel 2014:
- Read and meditate on each day’s reflection, as part of one’s individual spiritual study or a small group gathering.
- Copy and forward each day’s resource to fellow church members or other community groups.
- Include part of this resource in the congregation’s Sunday or mid-week worship service, prayer vigil, or advocacy event.
- Post a link to this resource on a church home page, and forward the link to other communities of faith.
The theme of WWPPI 2014, “Let my people go,” is more than just a slogan. It is also a prayer. We pray for the release of those unjustly imprisoned. We pray for the freedom of all who are oppressed by forces of occupation. And we pray for our own liberation from the evils of prejudice, hatred, and violence. During WWPPI 2014, from 21 to 27 September, let us continue the struggle against oppression and occupation through inspired worship, insightful education, and engaged advocacy.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL BOOKLET AND STUDY GUIDE
The International Working Group of World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel 2014,
An Initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum of the World Council of
Churches
June 2014