Delegates of the International Mission of United Methodist Churches visited the West Bank city of Bethlehem and met with Palestinian families in villages and refugee camps around the city. The delegates initially spent three days in Arab areas in Israel in order to observe the living conditions there.The 90 members of the visiting delegate are from several Methodist Churches in the USA and several countries around the globe.
The delegates listened to complaints from the residents regarding the harsh conditions they are facing under occupation and the ongoing Israeli violations and assaults.
Reverend Byron Kaiser, from the Methodist Church in Chicago stated that they delegates came to the area to observe the conditions the Palestinians area facing under occupation and the conditions the Arab residents of Israel are undergoing.
Kaiser added that he and the delegates managed to observe several issues that the international media fails to report on such as the ongoing settlement construction and expansion, the roadblocks, invasions, arrests, killings and demolishing oh homes.
He also said that the delegates came here to know the truth about the situation in order to deliver the message to the people in the United States and added that he previously visited several Palestinian refugee camp.
He called on the American people to spent some time in trying to get informed about what is really happening in Palestine, and the harsh conditions that residents have to face on daily basis in addition to the injustice practiced against them by the US and Israeli policies.
