WCC NEWS: EAs witness checkpoints in Jerusalem and the West Bank

WCC NEWS: EAs witness checkpoints in Jerusalem and the West Bank

EAPPI_logo.jpgBy Albin Hillert*

At 4.45, the Qalandiya checkpoint is already crowded, as thousands upon thousands of Palestinians try to make their way to Jerusalem each day.

Qalandiya is the main checkpoint between the northern West Bank and Jerusalem, and ecumenical accompaniers (EAs) from the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (WCC-EAPPI) visit regularly in the early mornings.

 

Their task is to be an international presence and to show solidarity, offer basic support to anyone denied passage, and collect documentation of the situation at the checkpoint.

EAs’ reports feed into the UN system, providing ongoing monitoring of the human rights situation in Israel and Palestine.

*Albin Hillert is communication officer for the World Council of Churches

This article includes a photo essay.  For the full article with photos, click here.