WORLD WEEK FOR PEACE IN PALESTINE/ISRAEL

"PRAY, EDUCATE & ADVOCATE FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE"
World Week for Peace in Palestine/Israel
28 May - 3 June 2012
THEME: Displacement
Visit and share: www.worldweekforpeace.org.

In just a few days the WORLD WEEK FOR PEACE IN PALESTINE/ISRAEL will get underway.  Are there ways that you can bring the message to your communities in a special effort next week? Social networking is crucial. There is a Facebook page dedicated to the World Week for Peace; it needs more focused participation, I think. You can be part of it.
There are a number of pages linked from the World Week for Peace home page. I think the most helpful is this one devoted to What you can do: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/programmes/public-witness-addressing-power-affirming-peace/churches-in-the-middle-east/pief/world-week/what-you-can-do.html

Here is information provided by the World Council of Churches.

The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches invites member churches, faith-based communities, and civil society organizations to join together in 2012 for a week of advocacy and action in support of an end to the illegal occupation of Palestine and a just peace for all in Palestine and Israel.

Congregations and individuals around the globe who share the hope of justice shall unite during the week to take peaceful actions, together, to create a common international public witness. 

GET INVOLVED:
During World Week for Peace 2012, from 28 May to 3 June, participants are encouraged to plan their activities around the following three principles: 
1. Praying with churches living under occupation, using a special prayer from Jerusalem and other worship resources prepared for the week. 
2. Educating about actions that make for peace, and about facts on the ground that do not create peace, especially issues related to displacement. 
3. Advocating with political leaders using ecumenical policies that promote peace with justice.  

WHY:
This annual observance of a week of prayer, education, and advocacy calls participants to work for an end to the illegal occupation of Palestine, so that Palestinians and Israelis can finally live in peace. It has been more than 63 years since the partition of Palestine hardened into a permanent nightmare for Palestinians. It is now more than 44 years since the occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza overwhelmed the peaceful vision of one land, two peoples. 

Yet the dream of one nation cannot be fulfilled at the expense of another. 

The message for this week of action is NOW: 
- It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace. 
- It's time for freedom from occupation.
- It's time for equal rights. 
- It's time for the healing of wounded souls. 

For further information, or to share details about your plans for World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel 2012, please contact Rev. John Calhoun, the convenor of World Week for Peace 2012, by email at calhoun.wwppi@gmail.com, or visit www.worldweekforpeace.org

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