Middle East Program
Middle East Awareness and Education Our Middle East Awareness and Education program seeks to further understanding of the complex realities of life on the ground across the broader Middle East region. We also seek to support and act in solidarity with people from the region who are actively seeking nonviolent solutions to the various conflicts raging in that part of the world. While not exclusively focused on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, we do work with people from both sides of that conflict to strengthen the efforts of those who seek a nonviolent and just solution for both parties. Contact Scott Kennedy for more information at 831 423 1626 xt 107. Upcoming Delegations See and hear for yourself by joining a study tour/delegation to Israel and Palestine. To get an idea of what these delegations involve, read about the special Olive Harvest Delegation October 27-November 10, 2007 co-led by Scott Kennedy of the Resource Center for Nonviolence and Adam Horowitz of the American Friends Service Committee www.afsc.org/israel-palestine and the Interfaith Peace-Builders Organization www.ifpbdel.org/upcoming.html. You may read reports of the November 2007 delegation at www.ifpbdel.org/del25 and learn more about efforts to build grassroots support for a just and sustainable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Olive Harvest Delegation participated in the Olive Harvest Festival in Jenin with the Palestine Fair Trade Association: www.palestinefairtrade.org/harvest-festival.html 
Palestinian children atop the wall separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip that was knocked down by Palestinians desperate to break the siege of Gaza earlier this year
A Call for the End of Israel’s Blockade of Gaza &
Palestinian Rocket Attacks on Israeli Civilian Populations
The Resource Center’s Middle East Program affirms that, “any effort aimed only at one side in this conflict will not stop … desecration of all that we hold sacred…” RCNV’s Middle East Program agrees with the statement by Rabbis For Human Rights-North America, that, “As Jews, committed to the dignity of all human beings, we affirm the human rights of those civilians in Gaza suffering from the Israeli blockade, and those in Sderot suffering from the attacks by Kassam rockets fired from Gaza. Both the blockade and the shelling of civilian areas are serious human rights violations. As American citizens, we urge our government to move both parties towards an end to hostility and violence. We reaffirm the statement of [Rabbis for Human Rights] in Israel that any effort aimed only at one side in this conflict will not stop this unfolding desecration of all that we hold sacred… Neither military solutions nor occupation have led to the end of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and the loss of life and desecration of human rights continues. Until the day of peace between Israelis and Palestinians arrives, both parties, as well as the world leaders who influence them, must work to end the violent responses that exacerbate human suffering.” Rabbis for Human Rights-North America www.rhr-na.org The Resource Center is accepting donations to support the efforts by the Israeli Peace Bloc or Gush Shalom to break the siege of the Gaza Strip by bringing humanitarian supplies to the area. Tax deductible donations may be made to support this effort to RCNV. Write “Gaza Convoy” on the memo line of your check or in the memo while making a donation on line by choosing the “donate” line at the top of this page. 
New and make-shift bomb shelters are everywhere in Sderot, Israel, including this playground. Residents have 5-15 seconds from the time the air attack warning system sounds until the rocket hits. A “Kassam Cemetary” at the Sderot Police station includes the remains of hundreds of rockets fired from Gaza that have struck the area. The red and green rockets on the left were fired by Hamas. The rocket in the middle struck on October 31, the day that the delegation co-led by Scott Kennedy visited Sderot.