Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Hebron | Friday 2 March 2007
The Hebron team will hold a short Lenten fast on Saturday 3 March and Sunday 4 March in protest of the Israeli closure of the West Bank.
The Israeli Forces have closed the West Bank for four days, from Thursday midnight to Monday midnight, citing ‘security for Israeli citizens’ during to the Jewish holiday of Purim as the reason.
“The IDF regards the holiday period as a highly sensitive time, security wise. Due to this fact, the IDF will enhance its alertness to ensure the safety of the citizens of Israel, while preserving, to the best of its ability, the daily life of the Palestinian population,” the IDF said in a statement.
This means that Palestinians will not be allowed to travel to Jerusalem or Israel. Travel within the West bank will be difficult as well. However, the Israelis in the West Bank will be able to travel as they please.
The team will break their fast with a simple communion meal of bread and grape juice each evening. The team encourages others to join them in their Lenten fast for a just peace and to pray for an end to the barriers, both physical and political, which divide the people of this land.
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT’s peacemaking work, visit our website www.cpt.org
Photos of our projects are at www.cpt.org/gallery
A map of the center of Hebron.
The same map is the last page of this report on closures in Hebron: (.pdf)