As our plane descended into Tel Aviv on Jan. 11, a small rainbow arced over the Holy Land. I had come looking for signs of hope amid a time of devastating violence and suffering in Israel and occupied Palestinian territory. This small sign of God’s promise encouraged me for the work ahead.
I was in the Middle East with Hassan El-Tayyab, FCNL’s legislative director for Middle East policy, and eight other faith leaders as part of a peace delegation organized by Churches for Middle East Peace.
The trip was planned well before the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and Israel’s subsequent bombing campaign and the war in Gaza.
But once the Israel-Hamas war began in earnest, it became even more pressing to join faith colleagues in what became a peace mission. It was also an opportunity to listen to and learn from communities directly affected by the violence.
You can find the rest of the February/March Washington Newsletter, including the rest of this article, in the sidebar to the right.
