Ms Lesley O'Connor:

This committee is familiar with the occupation of Palestine. Many members have been on the ground in Palestine and Israel, and some have also met our group while there. I wish to avoid details of the wider issues and to focus instead on two particular crises. The situation has been so bad for so long it can be numbing, and it can be difficult to see one emergency as standing out against the background of the ongoing slow-motion catastrophe. The reality is that two recent events do stand out and are existential threats for a future Palestinian state. They are two events that challenge us to live up to the commitments we have made to support peace and justice in the region. We want to present to the committee on the expected imminent demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and the recent cuts to United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, funding.

While the committee is familiar with our group, I want to quickly state for the record who we are and provide a short introduction to our programme. The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, EAPPI, was founded in response to a call from the heads of churches in Jerusalem. Since 2002, over 1,500 international volunteers from 22 countries have served as ecumenical accompaniers, EAs. The work we do includes monitoring and reporting violations of international law, providing a protective presence, supporting the work of peace groups and undertaking public policy advocacy. We have the largest number of observers on the ground of any group in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and, as such, we are able to provide unique eyewitness testimonies. I am Lesley O’Connor. I was based in South Hebron Hills in 2017. I am accompanied by Patrick Costello, who was based in Bethlehem as an observer in late 2014.