SABEEL
Second International Young Adult Conference
"40 Years in the Wilderness…40 Years of
Occupation"
19th – 29th July 2007
CONFERENCE STATEMENT
These things I will think over in my heart,
and therefore I will hope: the mercies of the Lord never come to an
end, his compassions never fail; they are new every morning; great
is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion’ said my soul,
‘therefore I will wait for him.’
Lamentations 3:21-23
Conference Summary
The 2007 Sabeel Young Adult Conference drew
together over forty young adult participants: internationals, local
Palestinian Christians, and young adult staff from Sabeel.
Participants were Canadian, Colombian, Dutch, Norwegian,
Palestinian, Swedish, British, Arab-Israeli, and the largest group
was American. The Conference was truly ecumenical with
representation by a wide range of Christian denominations. In
addition to regional and religious diversity, the conference was
made up of doctors, musicians, lawyers, students, accountants,
artists, seminarians, ministers, and NGO workers. The participants
each brought their unique perspectives to the Conference community.
In the midst of diversity, unity was derived within the group from
similarity of age and a common call for awareness, justice, and
strength of hope for the future.
Conference activities were varied,
combining fact-finding, interaction with the local community,
observation of the situation on the ground, receiving lectures,
engaging in solidarity actions with both Palestinian and Israeli
organizations, experiencing Palestinian culture, and joining in
Christian fellowship.
A number of important speakers
representing organizations including the UN, the Ecumenical
Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), Christian
Peacemaker Teams (CPT), The Bethlehem International Centre, and the
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), to name a few,
addressed the Conference. They focused on important issues including
the history of the conflict, the humanitarian situation, violations
of International Law, refugees and the work of groups currently
active in the area.
The main purpose of the Conference
was to gain a real and personal insight into
Palestinian life, during this fortieth year of Occupation. It is our
emotional and spiritual response to these experiences that will form
the basis of our future advocacy work and calls for justice, peace,
and reconciliation.
The internationals and most staff
were afforded freedom of movement through the possession of foreign
passports, though on several occasions Conference participants chose
to stand in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters,
whose movement is restricted, by passing with them through the
checkpoints leaving Ramallah and Bethlehem. The negative
psychological impact of these places cannot be underestimated and
the daily reality of such an experience was shocking to all of us.
A very powerful and emotionally
dense day was spent in Hebron during which many components of the
Occupation were witnessed by all. We observed the scale of ‘the
Wall,’ we saw unequal segregation of roads divided by barriers, and
crossed a checkpoint manned by young soldiers who were given the
power to decide which worshipers could access their holy site that
day for prayer. During this experience, many in our group witnessed
a young Palestinian boy being beaten at the checkpoint and we were
constantly aware of the ways in which the Palestinians among us were
pulled out for ID checks and verbally abused by soldiers.
An encounter with one Israeli
settler woman during a CPT tour proved to be an awakening
experience. After seeing our Conference group, accompanied by EAPPI,
legally walking down Shuhada street, an area of Hebron appropriated
as a settlement, she drove very slowly through the middle of the
group, trying to intimidate us. Parking, she got out, produced a
camera, and proceeded to take photographs of the group all the while
yelling insults in Hebrew. Soldiers, whose mandate in Hebron is to
protect the settlers, then approached our group and began to check
IDs during which time one Palestinian participant was arrested. A
military police jeep was then present for the rest of our time in
the settlement area. This hostile and disturbing action took place
in front of the settler’s children and we were conscious of the fact
that in the settler’s effort to dehumanize others she also
dehumanized herself. For all of us, this was a moving and upsetting
experience.
Our experiences reflect the
reality of life in Israel and the West Bank today (we were unable to
visit Gaza). Though many were indeed negative, some revealed a great
nonviolent resistance to the Occupation and an inspirational
continuation of Palestinian life and culture in the face of
oppression. For many Conference participants, the cultural evening
in Ramallah with sport, food, conversation, and Dabka was refreshing
and an expression of hope. Similarly, we have been warmly received
by all the Palestinians we have met, and the level of hospitality
has been overwhelming. Few of us could imagine being invited to
share coffee with refugees in their homes at Aida Refugee Camp or
being given food by people whose employment is unpredictable and are
prevented from travelling the few miles from Ramallah to Jerusalem
without a permit.
In the face of occupation and
oppression, resistance is to be found in those who seek education
for their own people. We encountered so many for whom learning is
seen as the key to a better future. Our experiences of those who
provide economic (rather than financial) support for the
Palestinians were positive and speak of the real possibility of a
viable future. We have seen that dealing with the humanitarian
crisis must be a top priority alongside resolving the political
difficulties and ending segregation.
Outcome and Call to Action
·
We, the 2007 conference participants, support the
work of Sabeel and will seek to further the message of ecumenical
liberation theology which promotes justice, peace, and
reconciliation in Palestine and Israel.
· Based on our experiences,
we commit ourselves to bringing about a truer representation of the
conflict and real human situation in this land. As witnesses to the
injustice, it is our duty to break the intentional silence imposed
by much of the mainstream media. We call for the end of the
Occupation and the segregation and discrimination which it entails,
to make the people of our homelands and of the world more aware of
the realities we have experienced firsthand.
·
In the spirit of the Palestinian people, we will
share our experiences when we return home. As young adults who are
in touch with technology, we have at our disposal a great many
communication tools including websites, blogs, and podcasts to get
our message out beyond our immediate personal contacts. We embrace
these opportunities as especially relevant to our ever-changing
world, and endeavour to use them to reach out.
·
We affirm the Human Rights due to all people of the
world, and especially to our Palestinian brothers and sisters, and
condemn the actions of the government of Israel which contravene
International Law. We will continue to campaign for these violations
to end and for real justice, peace, and reconciliation. As
participants in this Conference delegation, we will petition our
representatives on a local, national, and international level to the
best of our abilities.
·
It is our sincere hope that many more pilgrims will
come to this land not only to bear witness to their Faith, but to
stand in solidarity and be united with the Palestinian people. We
pray that their hearts may be moved to action for justice which will
bring about peace and reconciliation.
·
We will engage with active non-violent resistance to
the Occupation. At all times we will bear witness to the God of
peace and follow the example of Jesus Christ, which is one of active
non-violence.
· We affirm our faith in
the risen Christ and stand alongside our Muslim and Jewish brothers
and sisters who join us in praying for justice, peace, and
reconciliation in the Holy Land.
This Statement was agreed and signed by the
participants of the Second Sabeel International Young Adult
Conference 2007 in Jerusalem at the close of the Conference.
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