Meeting for Sufferings: Israel and Palestine
‘Please be very gentle… We do not make peace by using words we can’t undo.’
In the afternoon of Meeting for Sufferings (MfS) on 1 June, Friends spent time holding Israel and Palestine in the light. Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) is frequently asked to make, or agree to, statements on the conflict, so this was an opportunity to reflect prayerfully on the situation. Stephanie Hunt, from the Middle East team in Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QSPW), spoke to a report on Quaker work in the region, particularly EAPPI (the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel). ‘We thought it would be helpful to have this space … given the number of questions we’ve had from Friends,’ she said. QPSW Central Committee (CC) recently reviewed EAPPI work and renewed its commitment. Meanwhile, Quaker Committee on Christian and Interfaith Relations had also considered the Society’s approach to peace in the Middle East, and a minute had been sent from Young Friends General Meeting.
