September 4, 2001

One of the lasting images from our visit to Hebron last December.

Today an email appeal came from the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) working in Hebron. We visited them last December as part of an international delegation. Since then, the situation has worsened dramatically. Recently, the UN-Mandated Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) has filed a complaint against the Israeli government, as their delegation has been subject to repeated attacks and harassment by Hebron settlers, not to mention a slander campaign, targeted at them. This has left the small CPT team of five Americans and Canadians spread more thinly than before, responding to crisis after crisis. They have appealed to their friends around the world, and particularly those already here, to lend a few days if they can to help. Hebron is one of the true extremes of this conflict, and the prospect of going there fills us with some hesitation. But we are also compelled by the importance of their work and have decided that we will spend a few days there this weekend.