Dear Josie, 

Let me start by saying a huge thank you to those who have already supported, whether via donation and/or sharing our emails and posts, all are equally as valuable. 

I am so excited to inform you that our 74th Delegation "Black in the Holy Land" returned back to the states last week, safe and sound.

To finally have been able to lead the first Eyewitness Palestine delegation to the West Bank and 48' since 2022, was the best feeling ever. We also could not have made this happen without YOUR SUPPORT!

A diverse and politically engaged group of individuals embarked on this powerful journey through Palestine. Together, we visited Palestinian cities in 48' and the West Bank including Haifa, Akka, Ramallah, Hebron and Bethlehem, we had dinner at a family home in Al-Am'ari refugee camp, as well as staying two nights in Balata Refugee Camp and visited a Black Bedouin community in Rahat, located in the Naqab. We met with locals, parents of martyred children, lawyers from Adameer and Adala, stduents at Bir Zeit University, as well as religious leaders.

Along the way, the delegation learned about the demolished villages, even visiting a couple, one near Jerusalem called Lifta and the other along the coast called Tantoura where a horrific massacre had taken place in 1948. They witnessed the harsh restrictions on movement, the ongoing theft of land, and were able to learn about and somewhat visualize the broader political agenda that the occupation has for the region. Each encounter deepened their understanding of the painful realities faced by the Palestinian people.

Despite the deteriorating situation on the ground which made it even more difficult to move around with ease, we were still able to cover so much, including meetings with Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Rev. Mitri Raheb, Rev. Munther Issac, Suher Francis from Adameer, Al Haq, Defense for Children International, as well as visits to the African Quarters in Jerusalem, Tulkarem and Dheisha refugee camps, a special meeting with Adam of the African Students Association, and so much more. It was a busy and productive 10 days!

So many memorable moments, however, there is one I feel privileged to have witnessed, and to be honest, honored to have been part of. One of our delegates, Talia, is Palestinian and was the first in two generations of her family to return to their land. We decided to take an afternoon to surprise her with a visit to her fathers village of Safad (now a settlement with not one Palestinian resident), where she was able to video call her family and watch the sunset from the mountain top in the North of Palestine, where her grandparents were born.

There is so much to say about this delegation, from the entry through Jordan - where everyone was held for hours, to the individual journeys of each participant (including our staff), the changes we witnessed on the ground, the uncertainty around every corner, the consistent Palestinian love and hospitality but most of all, the question of what lays ahead?

We will be holding a report-back with our delegates in the coming weeks via Zoom, please stay tuned for those details.

In the meantime, we are in ready to roll in regards to delegations and they are needed now more than ever. We can not do this work without YOUR help! Please, if you have not yet donated and are able to, consider giving whatever you can to help us continue this work.