The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has for some time been discussing with the Christian Council of Sweden and World Council of Churches the possibility of participating in the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).

The EAPPI is an initiative of the World Council of Churches (WCC) within the Ecumenical Campaign to End the Illegal Occupation of Palestine: Support a Just Peace in the Middle East. Its mission is to accompany Palestinians and Israelis in their non-violent actions and concerted advocacy efforts to end the occupation and, in particular, to:

• Expose the violence of the occupation;
• End the brutality, humiliation and violence against civilians;
• Construct a stronger global advocacy network;
• Ensure the respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law;
• Influence public opinion in home country and affect foreign policy on Middle East in order to end the occupation and create a viable Palestinian State;
• Express solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli peace activists and empower local Palestinian communities/churches;
• Be an active witness that an alternative, non-violent struggle for justice and peace is possible to end the illegal occupation of Palestine.

The Christian Council of Sweden invited the Revd Canon Luke Pato to Jerusalem to take part in the meeting of EAPPI co-ordinators and to be exposed to the situation in Palestine and Israel. This visit took place on 8-14 March 2004. During the visit, Luke met with Dr Naim Ateek, the Director of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem. Sabeel was due to host a conference from 14-18 April 2004 on the theme "Challenging Christian Zionism: Theology, Politics and the Palestine-Israel Conflict". The SACC was invited to participate in the conference but was sadly prevented from doing so owing to the general elections on 14 April 2004. Luke also attended the WCC EAPPI National Co-ordinators' Biannual Round Table meeting in Mount of Olives with the Jerusalem Co-ordinator and the WCC EAPPI staff from Geneva. As part of his exposure, Luke visited places such as Hebron, Sawahreh, Bethlehem, Jordan and Jericho where some of the Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) are placed.

Since the programme was launched in August 2002, more than 30 churches and ecumenical partners in 9 countries (Canada, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States) have supplied more than 80 EAs. Regrettably, no country or church with direct experience of conflict and non-violent resistance is yet part of the programme. EAs have been accompanying the work of a variety of local churches and Palestinian and Israeli organisations in an area including the Gaza Strip, several towns and villages in the West Bank (Jayyous, Tulkarem, Bethlehem, Zababdeh, Jenin, Hebron, Sawahreh and Ramallah) and East and West Jerusalem. Their tasks have included: accompanying health teams crossing military checkpoints; assisting human rights, peace, information and ecumenical organisations with fieldwork, research, documentation and reporting on issues; working with the Christian congregations in Jerusalem, visiting church schools and homes, and accompanying church leaders on local travels and meetings; accompanying humanitarian workers delivering relief aid; and delivering vocational training and sessions on non-violence to women's groups.

The current team of EAs comes from 6 countries (Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and, for the first time, New Zealand). The 14 women and 7 men range in age from 24 to 72 years. The minimum term of service is three months.

On Wednesday, 28 April 2004, Luke Pato met with Rev Dr Molefe Tsele, the SACC General Secretary, and Rev Dr Gustaf Odquist of the Christian Council of Sweden at Khotso House in Johannesburg. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss an undertaking in which there would be an agreement for the Christian Council of Sweden to support the South African Council's participation in the project. We reached agreement that:

1. The project will be managed by the Department of Healing and Reconciliation which is co-ordinated by Canon Luke Pato.
2. SACC will send 4 Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) to Israel and Palestine in June 2004 for 3 months and 6 others in September for the same duration.
3. A meeting of representatives from SACC member churches and people with reasonable understanding of and interest in the issues in Israel and Palestine would be held on Friday 04 June 2004. Participants at the meeting will eventually constitute the support group for the programme.
4. On Saturday 5-6 June interviews and training of the nominated EAs would be conducted.
5. The first batch of South African EAs would leave for Jerusalem on 23 June 2004.

The SACC is therefore looking for volunteer Accompaniers who can stand the rigours of living in a foreign culture and country where there is violence and suffering. Nominees could be peace activists from our own struggle or others who can be active witnesses to the potential for non-violent forms of struggle to bring justice and peace to the region and end the illegal occupation of Palestine. Also central to the programme is standing in solidarity with the churches, lawyers for human rights and peace activists in Palestine and Israel and all those struggling against the occupation. On their return, participants will engage in public policy advocacy in South Africa.

Interested persons should contact Rev Luke Pato at (011) 241 7805 or via e_mail.