The schedule for the 2017 Conference is below. Speaker bios are linked from within.
50 Years Too Long: A CMEP Advocacy Event
June 2017 marks 50 years of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, an occupation which threatens the security of Israel and imposes harsh burdens on the Palestinian people.
Hosted by Churches for Middle East Peace, “50 Years Too Long” is an advocacy summit for American Christians to gather, learn, and advocate for constructive ways to pursue a just and sustainable peace in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).
Participants will learn how to advocate for an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza and put that learning into practice by visiting government representatives to promote a solution that advances security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians.
Sunday, June 4
5 pm – 6:30 pm (Doors Open at 4:30 pm)
Location: Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church (900 Massachusetts Avenue NW, D.C.)
Keynote Address
Honorable George Mitchell and Alon Sachar: A PATH TO PEACE: A Brief History of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations and a Way Forward in the Middle East
Monday, June 5
Doors Open at 8:30 am
Location: Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church (900 Massachusetts Avenue NW, D.C.)
9 am: Keynote Address
Rabbi Roos, Senior Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Washington, D.C.
10 am: Panel: Christian Perspectives: Christians in the Region, Theological Perspectives, and American Responses
Jim Zogby, President of Arab American Institute
Josh Vis, Church Engagement Facilitator, Reformed Church in America
Dale Hanson Bourke, Author of Skeptics Guide to the Israeli Palestinian Conflict
11:30 am: Realities on the Ground
Chelsey Berlin, Director of B’Tselem USA
Raed Jarrar, Government Relations Manager at American Friends Service Committee
12:15 pm: Lunch on your own
1:45 pm: Stories of Hope
Yousef Bashir, Legislative Fellow, Office of Senator Bernie Sanders
Manal Omar, Associate Vice President for the Middle East and Africa Center, United States Institute of Peace
3:15 pm: Panel: Domestic Activism: Intersectionality with U.S. Based Movements
Andrea Smith, Associate Professor at University of California, Riverside.
Lisa Sharon Harper, Chief Church Engagement Officer at Sojourners
Brad Parker, Attorney and International Advocacy Officer at Defense for Children International – Palestine
4:30 pm: Keynote Address
Dr. Husam S. Zomlot, Chief Representative of The PLO General Delegation To The United States
Tuesday, June 6:
Doors Open at 8:30 am.
Location: Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church (900 Massachusetts Avenue NW, D.C.)
9 am: Advocacy Training
Jessica Pollock-Kim, Director of Legislative Affairs, Churches for Middle East Peace
Kyle Cristofalo, Director of Advocacy and Development, Churches for Middle East Peace
10:15 am: Panel: Power of Effective Advocacy
Craig Swandby, Senior Advocacy Associate at World Vision
Hady Amr, Nonresident Senior Fellow – Foreign Policy, Brookings
Lara Friedman, President of Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP)
11:15 am: Lunch on your own, transition to Capitol Hill
1 pm – 4 pm: Congressional Meetings – location and directions will be provided
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Closing Session and Prayer Service (Location on The National Mall – specifics will be provided)
