Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel

Life has been difficult for the Palestinian population under Israeli occupation. The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) seeks to support local and international efforts to end the occupation. Götz Schindler, a German EAPPI volunteer, reports about his experiences in Jayyous, Palestine. Together with other foreign volunteers, he observed the situation at the "gates" through which Palestinian farmers can access their fields on the other sides of the electric fence.

When the farmers at the gates are prone to harassment, the presence of foreigners can help to mitigate the situation. In other cases, there was little that the volunteers could do, e.g. when Israeli soldiers searched houses in Jayyous and arrested some of the men. However, as Götz Schindler points out, even the little that foreigners can do is of great value to the local people. This also applies to tourists who visit the Holy Land and take time to get to know Palestine and the Palestinians.

(Translation by Christina Kamp)