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Annual Report 2007

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Annual Report 2007 Christian Peacemaker Teams Teams of trained peacemakers reducing violence through: • Biblically-based peacemaking • Nonviolent Direct Action Jessica Phillips stands vigil for 4 CPTers • Joining Local Peacemakers kidnapped in Iraq CPT: Getting in the Way 2006-2007 From the Co-Directors... We’ve all heard the old adage: Nothing in life is certain but death and taxes. But the commitment to nonviolence has many in Christian Peacemaker Teams living under taxable levels to avoid paying for state-sponsored violence and death. And res- urrection is the ultimate vocation of followers of Jesus who, according to Tom Cordaro, committed the supreme act of civil disobedience by rising from the dead. “Resurrection was illegal! When the state puts you to death, you are supposed to stay dead.” (Tom Cordaro, “To Wake the Nation: Nonviolent Direct Action for Personal and Social Transformation;” Pax Christi USA) This year the world, and CPT with it, have re- peatedly journeyed through the cycle of death and Harmeet Sooden and Jim Loney free at last after rising, captivity and freedom. During the captivity of 118 days of captivity four CPTers in Iraq (November 26, 2005 - March 23, Shortly after being 2006), we were wrapped in shrouds of uncertainty freed from 118 days in captivity, CPTer Jim together with so many throughout the world who Loney wrote: experience prison and disappearance. “We will most certainly fail in this call. I did. With the killing of full-time Corps member Tom And I will fail again. This does not change Christ’s Fox on March 9, 2006, every CPTer revisited the call teaching that violence itself is the tomb, violence is to risk our own lives in the faith that God will use the dead-end. Peace won through the barrel of a gun active, thoughtful, nonviolent love to transform the might be a victory but it is not peace. Our captors world and end war. had guns and they ruled over us. Our rescuers had Even before the bigger guns and ruled over our captors. We were other three cap- freed, but the rule of the gun stayed. The stone tives were re- across the tomb of violence has not been rolled away. leased to “I am learning that there are many kinds of freedom, the prisons and many kinds of tombs. Prisons of the answer mind, the heart, the body. Tombs of despair, fear, echoed back confusion. Tombs within tombs and prisons within from every prisons. CPT team “There are no easy answers. We must all find throughout our way through a broken world, struggling with the the world: paradox of call and failure. My captivity and rescue Yes. YES. have helped me to catch a glimpse of how powerful YES! the force of resurrection is. Christ, that tomb- 2 busting suffering servant Son of God, seeks us wherever we are, reaches for us dren of generations of past immigrants, flood the in whatever darkness we inhabit. “The streets to call for a new day of respect and civil rights. “May we reach for each other Hope rises as delegations explore possibilities for with that same persistence. The Tomb breaking out of the tomb of violence and partnering tomb is not the final word.” - Toron- for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Star, Easter Saturday, April 15, 2006. is not Uganda, Oaxaca, and the Philippines. Tom Fox has died. Millions No, the tomb is not the final word, and the resur- have died. But the tomb is not the the rection is a participatory event. Are you called to rise final word. Hope rises in Kenora up in a new way? Rise up to participate in a short- and Bear Butte, in Palestine and final term CPT delegation. Rise up to join the Corps of Iraq, as acts of courageous com- word.” Christian Peacemaker Teams full time or as a Re- passion are remembered and act- servist. Rise up to undergird this tomb-busting work - CPTer Jim ed out again amidst life-shattering through persistent prayer or financial support for occupation. Hope rises in Colom- Loney CPT. The call echos. The stone is rolled away. Who bia as communities declare them- will rise up to freedom and new life? selves territories of peace. Hope rises when recent Carol Rose & Doug Pritchard immigrants to the United States, supported by chil- CPT Co-Directors Peacemaker Delegations Short-term delegations of 7-14 days link com- munities experiencing violence with concerned individuals, churches and groups offering par- ticipants a first-hand experience of the trans- formative power of Gospel nonviolence. Delegations serve as a primary mechanism for persons interested in active peacemaking and human rights to participate directly in CPT’s violence-reduction ministry. Often delegations can ask questions, visit certain officials, or test new avenues of nonviolence in ways that strengthen the work of on-going teams. In FYE 2007, 140 people participated in 16 CPT delegations: Congo delegation member Unjin · Five to Palestine/Israel, in May, July, October, Lee with children in Luvungi. November and January. · Three international delegations to Colombia in May, July, and January and one national delegation during Holy Week. · Three to the Arizona / Mexico borderlands in February, April and May. · Two to Kenora and Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows, Ontario) in March and July. · One to the Democratic Republic of Congo in October. · One to Tennessee and West Virginia focusing on depleted uranium (DU) weapons production, in conjunction with CPT - Northern Indiana’s Stop DU campaign. 3 Palestine a continuing presence since June 1995 school in at-Tuwani despite the Throughout 2006, CPT presence of Israeli military es- supported two teams in Pal- corts. Dozens of settlers invad- estine – one in the Old City ed the village of Tuba destroying of Hebron, and one in the property and attacking people village of at-Tuwani in the and livestock. South Hebron Hills. The Israeli military built a In Hebron, Israel low concrete barrier the length maintained tight military of Route 317 (an Israeli bypass road from the Green Line to He- control of the Old City. Is- Israeli raeli checkpoints became soldiers bron) effectively cutting off the more restrictive with sol- detain entire South Hebron Hills re- Pales- gion from jobs, schools and hos- diers frequently forcing Pal- tinian estinian teachers to pass men. pitals in Hebron and Yatta. through metal detectors on Palestinians from their way to school. Large- at-Tuwani were scale detentions increased arrested, jailed and after the Hamas Party won a fined for protesting majority of seats in the Pal- the construction of estinian legislature. Israeli army patrols invaded this barrier wall. more Palestinian homes and soldiers raided the CPT By the end of the apartment several times. year, the wall Palestinians and internationals including CPT- remained in place ers experienced increasingly violent attacks from despite Israeli court Israeli settlers along Shuhada Street and the road to orders that it be Tel Rumeida. Israeli settlers occupied a Palestinian- removed. owned apartment building near Avraham Avinu set- During the summer tlement for a month before the Israeli government dry season Pales- mobilized 1700 soldiers and police to remove them. tinian shepherds Two video tapes – one of a settler verbally assaulting decided to draw water from ancient cisterns that had her Palestinian neighbors and another showing set- gone unused for some time because of their proxim- tler children attacking a Palestinian child while an ity to Israeli settlements. At first Israeli settlers and Israeli soldier dithered – brought renewed Israeli soldiers denied the shepherds access to this water. attention to the problems associated with Israeli However, pressure from human rights monitors settlements in a Palestinian city. helped Palestinians gain limited access to some of In at-Tuwani, CPT, together with members of these cisterns. Israeli soldiers and settlers obstruct- the Italian peace group Operation Dove, accompa- ed attempts by aid organizations to deliver water to nied Palestinian shepherds, farmers and school chil- Palestinian villages by tanker, in some cases by dren in the area around Ma’on settlement and its puncturing the tires of the tanker trucks. outposts along Route 317. Israeli police arrested numerous CPTers en- On several occasions, settlers from Ma’on at- gaged in nonviolent intervention at various incidents tacked Palestinian children going to and from in both Hebron and at-Tuwani over the year. 4 In FYE 2007, CPT-Palestine: · Monitored treatment of Palestinians at Israeli mil- itary checkpoints and roadblocks. · Intervened during Israeli military invasions of Pal- estinian homes. · Continued regular visits, along with Israeli peace activists, to Palestinian families facing harassment from Israeli settlers in Tel Rumeida, and near the settlements of Kiryat Arba and Harsina. · Provided daily accompaniment for Palestinian children walking to and from school. · Accompanied Palestinian shepherds and farmers to fields where they are exposed to assault by ex- CPTer Sally Hunsberger sits with Palestinian women and children in the rubble of their tremist settlers. home demolished by Israeli soldiers. · Joined Israeli peace groups to replant olive groves destroyed by settlers. · Sent regular reports on events in Hebron and the South Hebron Hills to media and international · Facilitated contact between descendants of Jewish supporters. families and the Palestinian families who saved their lives in Hebron during a 1929 Arab riot that · Provided on-scene briefings and updates for offi- resulted in the massacre of 67 Jews. cials from various embassies, international jour- nalists, fact finding groups, and individuals from · Joined Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in Israel, Palestine, and overseas. acts of public nonviolent resistance to Israel’s con- struction of a “security wall” which cuts through · Hosted six peacemaker delegations. Palestinian territory. Colombia a continuing presence since February 2001 CPT continued to maintain a regular CPT has been able to offer similar accompaniment to presence in Barrancabermeja and the township of subsistence farmers, fishers, and miners threatened the Ciénaga del Opón in north central Colombia by violence elsewhere in the central Magdalena val- throughout the year.
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