No. 20 of 47. First published 7 Dec 2007. On Thursday 6 December 2007 we took a bus south from Jerusalem, past Bethlehem to Hebron. One of the many interesting features of life in Israel is that there are different buses for Israelis and Palestinians. Sounds like South Africa under apartheid? Well, no, because there is no …
Meeting with Israeli human rights activists
No. 19 of 47. First published 7 Dec 2007. On the evening of 5 December 2007, our delegation from Australia visited the Swedish Christian Studies Center, located about 200 metres from our hotel, where we listened to three presentations on human rights in Israel and Palestine. What made these talks compelling was that each speaker …
Continue reading "Meeting with Israeli human rights activists"
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
No. 18 of 47. First published 6 Dec 2007. After lunch at the Notre Dame Guesthouse on 5 December 2007, our delegation received a briefing by Angela Godfrey-Goldstein on a little-known aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Angela is an Israeli citizen who is passionate (and I mean passionate) about justice and peace, along with several other …
Continue reading "Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions"
Palestinian humanitarian briefing (UNOCHA)
No. 17 of 47. First published 5 Dec 2007. From the Franciscans we went by bus to that other esteemed humanitarian order, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), situated in West Jerusalem. We were expecting an intensive briefing on the situation on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza, …
Continue reading "Palestinian humanitarian briefing (UNOCHA)"
Meeting Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa
No. 16 of 47. First published 5 Dec 2007. Our second official meeting today (5 December 2007) was with Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land, at his residence in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. Like His Beatitude Theophilos III, Fr Pizzaballa expressed concern for the Holy Places of Jerusalem, and …
iDigress 