This conference was organised jointly by the Commission and the Leeds Pax Christi group.

We are grateful to the Christian Peace Education Fund which provided some financial support to the event. It was organised as part of the World Council of Churches\’ World Week for Peace in Israel and Palestine.

It followed the format of our conference earlier in the year about food poverty where there were a series of shortish presentations with liturgical elements integrated across the timespan of the conference. It was a great opportunity to find out more about the situation there and reflect on it. Whilst the situation will only improve materially through political actions, the conference also included time to think about the practical things that each of us can do to help the situation and put pressure on politicians across the world to implement a just solution.

Mary Lucas, from CAFOD, provided some historical background and spoke about CAFOD\’s work in the Occupied Territories (the West Bank) today.

Tricia Griffin from Leeds spoke about her time in Bethlehem as an \’Ecumenical Accompanier\’.

Deacon David Arblaster, from Harrogate, gave some food for thought about the theological context of the current situation with a wide-ranging review that included thoughts from a prominent Islamic scholar.

50 people attended the conference – and they must have enjoyed it as they nearly all stayed on to share some lunch in the cafe at the Oxford Place centre.

Attendees at the start of the Conference

Attendees at the start of the Conference

The conference started with an opening liturgy.
photo of conference liturgy
Shelagh Pickles, from John Henry Newman parish in Cross Gates, reads a scripture passage as part of the opening liturgy
photo of mary lucas
Mary Lucas from CAFOD describing the work that CAFOD undertakes today to support Palestinians both in the West Bank and in Gaza. One of the organisations that CAFOD supports is the Ecumenical Accompaniment programme of the World Council of Churches.
photo of tricia griffin
Tricia Griffin tells the conference about her experiences as an \’ecumenical accompanier\’. She spent 3 months in Behtlehem and part of her role was spent accompanying people as they queued to get through checkpoint 300 early in the morning in order to get to work on the Israeli side of the Separation Barrier. Accompaniment by international observers such as Tricia is an important way both of showing solidarity with the plight of the Palestinians and of moderating the actions of the Israeli military.
photo of david arblaster
David Arblaster spoke passionately and authoritatively about why Christians should be concerned by what is happening to Palestinians today – and particularly people in the UK, because of our historical involvement
small group discussion photo
Carol Burns, Conference chair, leads a small discussion group enabling people to respond to what they have heard and to think about they can do.
small group discussion
Margaret Scally, of the Leeds Pax Christi group, leads a small discussion group.
small group discussion
Deacon David Arblaster leads a small discussion group
photo of olive tree with leaf actions
This wonderful Olive Tree was made by Ginia Harington, another member of the Leeds Pax Christi group. In the small group discussions people were encouraged to think of one action they could commit to and to write that down on a paper \’olive leaf\’. Then, as part of the final liturgy, everyone came up and hung their actions on the Olive Tree.
good on sale at the zaytoun products stall
Some of the products available on the Zaytoun products stall at the back of the conference hall.

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