Give peace a chance!

PIEN's first webinar:
can you join us?

PIEN management committee member Stewart Mills has been engaged in peace and reconciliation work in Palestine and Israel for over 15 years. In January this year, he was part of a group of 22 Christians and Jews who toured Israel and Palestine together, including community lay and religious leaders from the Uniting Church, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and the Inner West Chavurah (a local Jewish community group in the inner west of Sydney).
 
The participants found it a "profound, moving and one of the most intense experiences of their lives". They got to hear from over 50 high profile and grass roots speakers representing a wide range of perspectives on the conflict, including:

• Dr Rami Hamdallah, the Prime Minister of Palestine
• Mr David Keyes, Spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Israel
• Dr Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian political leader and presidential candidate
• Dr Yossi Beilin, one of the architects of the Oslo Accords and a former minister in the governments of Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak.

Stewart will be speaking at our PIEN "webinar" to take place at 7pm AEDT, on Thursday 23rd March, 2017. The webinar will be a simple format, with Stewart speaking for approximately 20 minutes, followed by a time of discussion and questions. The webinar will conclude by 8pm AEDT.

All PIEN supporters are invited to join us - all you need is a phone!

How do I join in? Toll-free dial in numbers for all states are listed here.

When: 7pm, AEDT, Thursday 23rd March

Presentation: Stewart has prepared a PowerPoint presentation on his trip, which you can download here, if you want to see some of the images he collected on his trip.
 

 

An important response -

saying "No" to Netanyahu

Some key messages were proclaimed in the month of February: messages which exposed the Australian government's one-sided policy towards Israel and messages which proclaimed that Australian people, including church folk, are committed to a bigger picture of justice and peace.

Thanks to the hard work and involvement of so many people in PIEN and other organisations, our voices were heard in public spaces and forums. We were able to challenge the public narrative which pretends that Palestinian human rights don't matter or that Palestinians should be satisfied being second class citizens in an occupied land.

Some of the media highlights were:

• Israeli PM's visit to Australia opposed by 60 prominent locals (drafted by PIEN and others in APAN
  Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Feb 2017
• Netanyahu’s Planned Visit to Australia Is Met With Opposition
  New York Times, 20 Feb 2017
• The West's blind support for Israel has done it no favours,
  Mark Kenny, Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Feb 2017
• Friends Don’t Let Friends Slaughter Innocents And Oppress Millions
• New Matilda 18 Feb 2017
• Anti-Netanyahu protesters march through Sydney
• SBS  News 24 Feb 2017
• Bishop George Browning on Netanyahu's visit to Australia
  ABC Radio National 20 Feb 2017

Apart from mainstream TV, radio and print media, there was also some good coverage in church media, including:

• Visit Prompts Prayer Vigils for Palestine
  UCA Crosslight Magazine 22 Feb 2017
• Jerusalem prayers as Israeli PM visits Australia
  The Melbourne Anglican 24 Feb 2017

Some very important coverage which highlights PIEN's important role - which is why we need you as a member and supporter (see below)
 

Become a member! 

This is the time to stand with those in Palestine and Israel who are seeking a just, sustainable peace. This is also the time to join with others in becoming a financial member and supporter of PIEN.

For a joining fee of $20, as well as any other amount you wish to contribute, you will be standing with others committed to peace and justice in Palestine and Israel. Will you join us?

Follow this simple link to complete your membership application. We look forward to you joining us.