CPT’s Palestine team will stay in Hebron, a microcosm of the Israeli military occupation of Palestine, and make human rights promotion a focus of its work, but plans to expand its work into new peacebuilding enterprises over the next three years.
Most full-time Palestine CPTers (Israeli authorities had denied Jonathan Brenneman entry into the country three times on September 17, 24 and October 9) and several reservists gathered for a five-day working retreat in Bethlehem from 9-15 October 2016. Under the guidance of professional facilitator Gerry O’Sullivan, they produced a three-year strategic plan, in effect through the year 2016.
New goals will include
- making plans for Palestinian national delegations, with a long-term objective of increasing the number of Palestinians on the team
- becoming more deeply connected with Palestinian and Israeli partners and campaigns that are addressing the broader oppressive context under which Palestinians live
- encouraging the creation of a “City of Nonviolence” in the H-2 area of Hebron that will be a model for other Palestinian areas supporting nonviolence
- Working towards the organization of a civil society based on nonviolent principles to prepare for a time when nonviolent actions increase in strength and frequency
- providing a forum for Hebronites to discuss common challenges of the occupation
- Providing nonviolence trainings for parents of schoolchildren who pass through checkpoints that CPT monitors, university students, and teachers
- Developing an introductory programme based on Hebron’s context to transform how people look at conflict and to provide tools for addressing conflict
- Providing nonviolence training for trainers
- Researching and publicizing Israeli denial of entry for Palestinians and internationals
Tarek Abuata, Palestine Project Support Coordinator notes, “CPT Hebron continues to be committed to building equal transformative partnerships with our Palestinian partners in Hebron, and we continue to be committed to re-envisioning and giving our work new life through our faith.”