For Immediate Release
August 12, 2010
CONTACT: Michael Rabb
720-837-9674
michael.rabb1@gmail.com
Local Resident, Returns from Interfaith Delegation to Israel and Palestine
Palestinian and Israeli youth share perspectives on peace and hope for the future
Photos available upon request or at www.ifpb.org/del34/photos.html (credit: Interfaith Peace-Builders)
Washington, DC — Michael Rabb, a retired US Navy pilot, engineer and resident of Boulder, has just returned from a unique delegation to Israel and Palestine. Mr. Rabb along with twenty other participants from the US, Canada and Italy, landed in Tel Aviv on July 26 for the two-week journey through the conflict zone.
Participants on the delegation explored issues relevant to young people in Palestine/Israel, including efforts to educate and empower future generations working toward a just resolution to the conflict. Two thirds of the Palestinian population and one third of the Israeli population are under the age of 25. More than just numbers, youth in Israel/Palestine play important roles in community development, lead nonviolent struggles for justice, and work together across national lines towards reconciliation. They are also among the conflict’s most tragic victims.
The delegates met with more than 15 Israeli and 18 Palestinian groups representing a wide segment of both societies in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. A special focus was on the work of nonviolent activists and other peace-builders working to create a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.
Co-sponsored by Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) and the American Friends Service Committee – Great Lakes Region (AFSC), this delegation was the 34th organized by IFPB since 2001, successfully educating more than 500 North American citizens about the Middle East and deepening their understanding of its conflicts through eye-witness experiences.
Michael Rabb travelled to the region with IFPB this summer “to see the “‘facts on the ground’ and gain a better understanding of the issues in the Palestine-Israel conflict.” Michael attended graduate school at the University of Colorado (Boulder) and has worked for communications companies in the area including his own voicemail and telephone equipment company based in Boulder. Currently he is employed part-time with an information technology consulting firm as IT Systems Project Manager including work on projects at Denver and Los Angeles airports. Michael is a member and volunteer in a number of peace and human rights organizations including Amnesty International, ACLU, Human Rights Watch, Refugees International, and Habitat for Humanity. Michael and his wife, Jeanne, have lived in Boulder Colorado for the past 30 years. They have two grown children and two grandchildren.
“Break the silence,” says Michael Rabb. “When the Nazis gassed the Jews, the world was silent. Now the world is silent while the Israelis harass, humiliate and steal land from the Palestinians. Our IFPB delegation in Israel and Palestine, witnessed, first hand, Israel’s illegal, immoral and cruel occupation, colonization and apartheid. This regime is causing the systematic and state-sponsored destruction of a people and it’s culture. In international law these acts are defined as ‘genocide.’”
Michael Rabb looks forward to discussing his trip directly. He can be reached at 720-837-9674 (phone) or mchael.rabb1@gmail.com (email).
Mr. Rabb is the 7th resident of Colorado to join an Interfaith Peace-Builders delegation to Israel-Palestine. Previous participants may also be available for interview upon request.
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Interfaith Peace-Builders and the American Friends Service Committee believe in the power of eye-witness experience and transformation. Given the opportunity to speak directly with Israelis and Palestinians, delegates return to North America better informed, more energized, and with a deeper understanding of the possibilities for true justice in the Middle East.
Begun as a program of the Fellowship of Reconciliation in 2000, Interfaith Peace-Builders mission is to give US citizens the opportunity to see and understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict firsthand and to empower these citizens to educate their local communities and advocate for better US foreign policy when they return to the US. Learn more at: www.ifpb.org.
The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace, and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. To learn more about the AFSC’s work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, please see: http://www.afsc.org/israel-palestine/.
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