Retired solicitor’s human rights mission to the West Bank

RETIRED solicitor John Booth from Lymm has flown out to the Israeli-occupied West Bank to work as a volunteer human rights monitor, under the auspices of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).
John’s role as an ecumenical accompanier will involve the daily monitoring of human rights abuses on the West Bank, as well as providing a protective presence to local communities.
Prior to becoming a solicitor, John worked for the British Council in the Middle East. He is a Quaker and an Arabic speaker.
He said: “My primary aim is to do what I can to help improve the daily lives of local people in the Tulkarm and Qalqiliya areas of the West Bank, where I will be working. With so many appalling events taking place elsewhere in the Middle East, this conflict is easy to forget. I want to help ensure that that does not happen and that we do all we can to support the realisation of the two-state solution.”
The EAPPI is a World Council of Churches sponsored programme and has been running since 2002. It is supported in the UK by many major churches and aid bodies. Ecumenical accompaniers come from more than 25 countries in total. They work in groups of four or five in locations around the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.
John said: “This is a huge challenge. The situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is very complex. Many Palestinians are living under intolerable circumstances, but younger generations of Israelis are themselves equally victims of a situation which they did not themselves create. One of the greatest tasks for the EAPPI programme is to show Israelis that we are not either pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli. We are there to promote the observance of human rights and social justice by both sides. Ultimately, that will improve the lives of people on both sides of the fence and contribute towards a just peace”.
Upon his return to the UK in December, John will be giving talks and hosting events with any interested groups. Anyone who would like  to host such an event, or who would like to stay in touch with John while he is on the West Bank, can contact him at [email protected]. He will be contributing to the EAPPI UK and Ireland blog at http://eyewitnessblogs.com.