“Dear [Canadian] Ambassador Bercovici and Representative Katherine Verrier-Fréchette:

Sincere greetings from Susiya in the South Hebron Hills.

As Canadians we are delighted to invite you to come to Susiya. Dianne, Patricia, and I, Lenora, are three Canadians on the ground providing protective presence with the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).

Today, Thursday, July 16, 2015, the American Consul will arrive in Susiya.

Previous embassies or consulates that have visited include the United Kingdom, Sweden and a commission of representatives from the European Union.

Next week representatives from Holland, Switzerland and Norway are scheduled to arrive. The EAPPI team in Susiya consists of people from most of these nations.

Canada’s representation is noticeably absent. The three Canadians are the largest contingent: all other nations have one representative.

The United Church of Canada recently sent the Ramallah Consulate an update on the symbolic importance of the demolition of Susiya Village. With all the international attention Susiya has gained throughout the years, the demolition and fall of this village in particular sets a precedent for all villages under demolition orders in area C [click here and here].

Rabbis for Human Rights have decided to join the EAPPI team for overnight protection in Susiya beginning July 20th until August 3rd, the period identified by CONGAT and the DCO as time when the demolition will occur. Yesterday the order came that 32 structures will be demolished following Eid ul-Fitre.

As we monitor during this most difficult time, an official Canadian presence would be most appreciated.

I await your response.

Sincerely,

Lenora”

For a related posting on my blog: click here.