A group of six South African members of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) completed a series of three presentations last week dealing with the lessons that can be learned from the struggle against apartheid as Palestinians continue their own struggle to liberate themselves from the Israeli Occupation.

The South Africans, who represented a variety of different racial classifications when living under the apartheid regime, spoke on a variety of topics and offered their own impressions of the situation on the ground in Israel and Palestine after having spent some time living and working here. They stressed that they are not experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; however they did have some ideas to contribute to the discourse in light of their own experiences in seeing how apartheid was brought to an end in South Africa 10 years ago. The group entertained questions from the attendees and a lively discussion ensued after all three evenings.

Jeremy Routledge, a white South African, spoke of the fear many from his racial classification had about how they would fare if apartheid was ever brought to an end. "I am proud of the new South Africa," Routledge said. "I am more free and I am proud of the new Constitution we have in South Africa."

Hermina Damons was classified as "coloured" under the apartheid regime due to her mixed-race background. She explained how she had more freedom of movement in that classification than would someone classified as "black". This situation caused some to alienate themselves from their own families in an attempt to get a "higher" racial classification and the "Pass" which would allow a more free existence. Damons compared the divisions caused by the "Pass System" with the I.D. and permit systems used by Israel. Those with West Bank I.D.s have less freedom of movement than those with Jerusalemite I.D.s who in turn have fewer rights than those with Israeli I.D.s or passports.

"What you have here is a form of harassment, a form of control," Damons said. "In apartheid, they wanted to try to get the African people to leave. I think that is what they are doing here."

Motlatsi Xhalabile, who as a 27-year-old only experienced apartheid as a young boy, said that in coming to Israel and Palestine he "experienced apartheid for the first time." Xhalabile demonstrated by showing his worn South African passport, the emblem almost completely faded due to the fact that he had to carry it everywhere he went in order to pass through the many checkpoints set up throughout the area by the Israeli military.

Trevor Sibande, a Lutheran minister, talked about the political context of apartheid, particularly the leadership in the liberation struggle. "Our leadership had integrity," Sibande said. "They maintained contact with the people on the ground, even when they were imprisoned or in exile. When the decision was made to take up the armed struggle, the violence was controlled and it had a purpose: to bring the white government to the negotiating table. The leadership was always in control and they were ready to take over immediately should the apartheid system collapse. They spoke with one voice."

Lunga ka Siboto, a bishop in the Ethiopian Episcopal Church, talked about the tough decisions that Palestinians must make in order to reach a solution with the Israelis. Siboto explained that the leadership in the African National Congress (ANC) understood that the only way to peace was through white participation in the struggle: "There was a choice to be made between those who wanted to push the whites into the sea and those who felt we needed each other. That same choice must be made here."

The point that the South African struggle enjoyed wide international support, something that the Palestinians do not have, was acknowledged. "The United Nations followed the lead of the ANC and apartheid was judged to be a crime against humanity, something that hasn't happened here," said Wandile Kuse, an Anglican priest. "Our plight was recognized by the world."

Siboto pointed out that the solidarity experienced during the South African struggle did not come automatically. "There was a time when Reagan and Thatcher called us terrorists," Siboto said. "The goodwill did not just come; we had to work for it with our international partners. We will not forget that our liberation struggle received help from the Palestinian movement. I think that there is enough goodwill throughout the world that can be harnessed."

With three clerics as members of the panel, it was only fitting that part of the discussion involved theology. Sibande discussed the way the apartheid government used religion and the Bible to support its practices. "The Church played a big role," Sibande said. "The white Churches had the same idea that exists here with the ultra right wing: that they were a chosen people. Our Churches came out with a different interpretation and theology of the same Bible. They were at the frontline of the struggle."

Siboto commented that Palestinian Christians should not turn their backs on the Old Testament but must rescue it from misinterpretation. "The Bible has been oppressed and it needs to be liberated," Siboto said. "The text needs to be liberated and then it will liberate us. God cannot be captured by man in ideology."

Xhalabile stressed that giving young people hope in a seemingly hopeless situation is a critical component in the survival of a people, reflecting back on his own experiences as a young boy during the apartheid age.

"My grandfather told me stories," Xhalabile said. "He never told me how strong apartheid was. He told me stories of our ancestors and about heroes and I believed him. Some of the stories he told me were not true. But in his mind, he did not tell me lies; he wanted to sustain me and make me live. As parents you have a responsibility to tell your children stories of the great Arabs to sustain them."

Siboto closed the presentations with a discussion of where South Africa is today. "Apartheid has been legally pushed out of the way but the structures are still in place," Siboto said. "Most of the land and the wealth are still in the hands of the white minority. Therefore, we say, the struggle continues."

The evenings were hosted by the Orthodox Club in Dariet el Barid on the northern outskirts of Jerusalem, the YWCA in Ramallah and the YMCA in Beit Sahour outside Bethlehem. The Swedish Christian Study Centre in Jerusalem co-hosted the events. Rifat Kassis, Abla Nasir, Hania Qassisyeh, and Rima Tarazi, all members of the EAPPI's Local Reference Group, helped in the organization of the events. Over 100 people attended the three presentations, including a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

All three evenings ending with rousing renditions of "Nkosi Sikelel'i", the South African national anthem which was banned during the time of apartheid. The word Palestine was substituted for Africa during the chorus as a reminder of the solidarity South Africans received from Palestinians during the struggle against apartheid.

The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) was launched in August 2002. Ecumenical Accompaniers monitor and report violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, support acts of non-violent resistance alongside local Christian and Muslim Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, offer protection through non-violent presence, engage in public policy advocacy and stand in solidarity with the churches and all those struggling against the occupation. The programme is coordinated by the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The WCC is a fellowship of 342 churches, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions. Its office is in Geneva, Switzerland.