On behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC), a delegation visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories from 27 to 30 June. The delegation met the patriarchs and the leaders of the Christian communities in Jerusalem, and the representatives of church-run institutions and ecumenical organizations. The interlocutors also included Israeli and Palestinian militants campaigning for the promotion of human rights and for peace. The delegation took upon itself the task of being the mouthpiece of the recommendations formulated in January by the Committee of the COE that had invited the Churches to “support the efforts for peace in the Middle East based on international law”; to “remain at the side of the Churches in the Holy Land and their members“; and to “collaborate with the Churches and with the ecumenical organizations to reinforce international aid in favour of a global peace founded on the justice and security of the peoples of this region”. The visit forms part of the preparations for the International Ecumenical Colloquium to be held in Geneva on 6 and 7 August.
