County councillor heads for the front line
Warwickshire lay-preacher and county councillor, Peter Balaam (below), is planning to leave his peaceful county to spend three months close to the front line in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Peter, who worships at St Andrew’s Parish Church in Stratford-on-Avon, will be going as a
volunteer with EAPPI (The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel), a World Council of Churches project, run in the UK by the Quakers. The programme monitors human rights abuses on both sides and also campaigns for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
“This is a brilliant opportunity to help people at the sharp end of one of the world’s most bitter conflicts,” says Peter, who confesses he is “pretty scared about the whole thing”.
The work includes observing the treatment of Palestinian people at Israeli army checkpoints on the West Bank. It also involves accompanying Palestinian children to school in the face of opposition from Israeli settlers.
“I’m getting more and more nervous as the departure date gets nearer,” says Peter. “But I’m really excited as well. On the TV you only hear about the bad things. But actually there’s lots of good stuff happening out there.
“Israeli and Palestinian peace groups regularly hold demonstrations against the occupation. No-one here gets to hear about them, but I hope to change that.”
Peter will be in Palestine from 2 January to 1 April 2010 and will be sending regular e-mail reports. After he returns he’ll be available to speak about his experiences. To receive reports or to book a meeting, contact Peter at peter@balaam.plus.com
