You are invited – Sunday 12 October 2025 – Birstall Methodist Church – 5pm
Neil Parkinson is coming to share his experiences working with "The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel" (EAPPI).
He has recently spent three months there doing this work. Neil was based in the South Hebron Hills visiting communities like Masafer Yatta which featured in "No Other Land", a documentary which won an Oscar earlier this year.
"The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) is an international programme coordinated by the World Council of Churches. It brings people from around the world to the West Bank to serve for three months as human rights monitors.
EAPPI was founded in response to a call from the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem. Since 2002 over 1,500 international volunteers from 22 countries have served as EAs.
Their mission is to witness life under occupation, engage with local Palestinians and Israelis pursuing a just peace, and work to change the international community's involvement with the conflict, urging them to act against injustice in the region.
First and foremost, EAs witness life under occupation. They are on the ground 24/7 and are often the first to respond to human rights violations. EAs live with local communities and participate in daily activities. EAs monitor and report human rights violations, bringing eyewitness accounts to the world's attention. EAPPI has more international human rights monitors on the ground than any other organisation in Israel and Palestine.
EAs engage in protective presence. Their very presence protects vulnerable communities."
For more information about EAPPI https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/global-relationships/opportunities-resources-and-twinning/opportunities-to-serve/volunteer-in-israel-palestine/eappi/
