Mr. Joe O'Brien:

I thank the Chairman and members for the opportunity to present to them today. The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel is essentially a human rights observer programme established ten years ago by the World Council of Churches. Observers are recruited from various countries around the globe to live and work at seven locations across the West Bank for between three and four and a half months. Volunteers are recruited for this purpose from the United Kingdom and Ireland by Quaker Peace & Social Witness in London. To date, 20 Irish people have served in the field for EAPPI. I was placed in the Bethlehem area for three months in 2009, while my colleague, Mr. Emmet Sheerin, returned in July from a four and a half month stay at two different locations, where he was at the coalface of the problems caused by illegal settlements. The other colleague who has accompanied me today, Mr. David Heap, returned on Sunday after a three-month placement. Observers are deployed to offer protection through non-violent presence, monitor and report violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, support acts of non-violent resistance alongside local Palestinian and Israeli activists, and engage in public policy advocacy.

I will hand over now to Mr. Sheerin, who will speak about his experiences in the field.