Elders' Blogs
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There has been a troubling increase in the detention of those involved in peaceful protests against the separation barrier between the West Bank and Israel. Since May 2008, over 140 activists have been arrested in Ni'ilin and Bil’in, two villages through which the wall is built. Most of the detainees are Palestinians, but Israeli and foreign demonstrators have also been subjected to Israeli reprisals. More »
This summer, six Elders – Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Fernando Henrique Cardoso (leader of the delegation), Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu - travelled to Israel and the Palestinian Territories to listen to the people affected by the conflict and to offer our support to all those working for peace. More »
Following the publication of the Goldstone Report on human rights violations committed during the Gaza conflict, Mary Robinson has called for a full and fair debate of the report's findings. More »
At the end of their visit to the Middle East The Elders brought together some of the people they met during their trip to join them for a live discussion, which was broadcast worldwide via our website. More »
During The Elders visit to the Middle East Desmond Tutu was interviewed for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Following publication of the interview Robert Rozett - who had acted as The Elders guide during their visit to Yad Vashem - wrote an open letter to the Archbishop challenging some of the views expressed in the article. Read their exchange. More »
Following The Elders's visit to the Middle East in August, President Carter wrote in The Washington Post about the obstacle posed to a two-state solution by Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations who served as a deputy national security adviser in the George W. Bush administration, contested his viewpoint. More »
As our visit to the Middle East was ending, one of the most poignant encounters we had was with Maher Hanoun and his family in East Jerusalem. For several nights three generations of Hanouns have been sleeping in the street - the women and children in cars and the men encamped on the pavement. They were evicted from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem on 2 August 2009 following an Israeli court ruling. More »
The Elders were unable to visit Gaza but spoke with young people and others via video link. They then went to the West Bank village of Bil'in where a local protest movement against the separation wall is gaining momentum. In the evening they visited a Palestinian family in East Jerusalem evicted from their homes by Israeli authorities.
In a visit to the Palestinian village of Bil'in in the West Bank, the Elders heard how the construction of the separation wall between the West Bank and Israel has denied villagers' access to their own lands. Over the past four and a half years, the village has become a site and symbol of non-violent protest and resistance by Palestinians and Israelis. More »
Dear brothers and sisters of village Bil’in,
My visit to your village was like a pilgrimage to me as a Gandhian. As a Gandhian from India, I believe that you are showing the right path to this war-torn world. More »
Messages for Peace
- Name: Susana Castro
- Location: Lisboa, Portugal