The profiles of 12 people involved in working for peace for all people in Israel and Palestine have gone online as part of a new World Council of Churches campaign, Seek #JusticeAndPeace in the Holy Land.
The 12 people include both Israelis and Palestinians of various faiths. Among them are Jean Zaru, a Quaker and Palestinian Christian peace and non-violence activist, Catholic Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah, Rabbi Noa Mazorm, Tarak Al-Zoughbi, youth and intern volunteer coordinator at Wi’am Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center, and Yehuda Stolov, executive director of the Interfaith Encounter Association.
In their profiles, each of the 12 people reflects on their hopes for peace and justice in comments which the WCC says “provide inspiring examples of courage, conviction and faith that ‘in the end, love and peace will prevail’.”
The launch of the campaign coincides with a international peace conference being held in Bethlehem this week and comes 10 years after WCC international peace conference held in Amman, Jordan on ‘Churches together for peace and justice in the Middle East’ and 50 years since Israel began its occupation of the West Bank and other territories and 100 years since the Balfour Declaration.
As well as the profiles, the campaign will also see the publication of ‘50 moments for justice and peace‘ will trace global Christian solidarity with the peoples of the Holy Land from 1967 to the present. These will be rolled out in the months from now until the World Week of Peace in Palestine and Israel during the third week of September.
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, said the 12 “voices of hope speak of love and dreams of life together with others in peace”. “This is the power that can move hearts and change history. Let us listen carefully to them. Let us be moved by their hope.”
