Category: Keep Hope Alive

Rifat Kassis Joins Peacemaker’s Board of Reference

We are delighted that Rifat Odeh Kassis has agreed to join our international Board of Reference.

Rifat is the General Coordinator of Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice, being one of its founding members. He co-authored the Kairos Palestine documents ‘A Moment of Truth: A Word of Faith, Hope and Love from the Heart of Palestinian Suffering’, ‘Kairos for Palestine’ and ‘Cry for Hope’: A Call for Decisive Action.

Rifat Kassis was born in Beit Sahour and for more than twenty five years has been a leading figure and expert in the Palestinian, regional and international child rights community. 

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Olive Picking Program in Palestine

Peacemakers is partnering with the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the YMCA in Palestine and Alternative Tourism Group (JAI-ATG) to promote their olive picking and olive tree planting programmes. To find out more visit their website.

This agricultural event is of special significance to the Palestinian economy when all energies and efforts are mobilized. The program aims to assist Palestinian farmers living close to illegal Israeli settlements who are vulnerable to attacks or land seizure.

Besides olive picking, the program features introductory presentations about the current situation in Palestine and the effects of the Apartheid Wall, tours in the old city of Jerusalem, Hebron, and Bethlehem, in addition to evening sessions, cultural event and social gatherings.

In December 2019, Stephen assisted with the olive tree planting project and also contributed to the 2020 Calendar.

Reflections on Olive Tree planting in Palestine: Anne Martin

The olive tree is the symbol of peace, and of prosperity.  It is plain and frugal, surviving in poor soil, lasting for thousands of years and yielding precious fruit and oil.  The annual Olive Tree Planting in February is part of a programme called Keep Hope Alive.  The intention is to support Palestinian farmers by protecting their land from being taken over by settlers.  

The sites chosen for tree planting were strategic.  The farmers are prepared, their legal ownership of the land established;  the risk posed by neighbouring settlements or outposts assessed so that the most vulnerable land gains from planting; the hundreds of olive tree brought from the nursery and the group of internationals assembled to start the planting. 

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Keep Hope Alive: Olive Tree Planting in Palestine

One of the Five Marks of Mission widely adopted as an expression of contemporary Christian mission is “to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth”.

Stephen has just returned from participating in the Olive Tree Planting Campaign organised by the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA\YWCA in Palestine and the Alternative Tourism Group (ATG). The JAI-ATG Olive Planting Program, lasts for 10 days in February each year.

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Jahalin Bedouin

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Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, director of Jahalin Solidarity campaigns for the Bedouin community of Al Khan Alahmar in the Wadi Kelt region. Overlooked by the illegal Israeli colony of Kfar Adumim and facing a demolition order as well as occasional settler attacks, the 35 families seek to live and prosper on their historic lands they have lived on as refugees since 1952. Their school is made of mud and rubber tyres. Find out more about how you can support the Jahalin Bedouin here www.jahalin.org

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