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Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter leads delegation on visit to the Lutheran World Federation in Jerusalem

Dr. Tawfiq Nasser speaks with President Jimmy. Photo by Anna Johnson, LWF

A delegation from the group “The Elders” visited the Lutheran World Federation campus and Augusta Victoria Hospital on October 22, 2012. The delegation was led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and included former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson as well as former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the World Health Organization Gro Harlem Brundtland.

Dr. Tawfiq Nasser, CEO of Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH), and Rev. Mark Brown, the Regional Representative of the Lutheran World Federation in Jerusalem and the Middle East, received the guests and spoke about the work of the Lutheran World Federation in areas of education and health, as well as the issues of access to healthcare facing Palestinians.

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Bishop Younan Joins The Elders for Discussion on Palestine

Kai Staats - At a Round Table with the Elders, Jerusalem, Palestine Kai Staats - At a Round Table with the Elders, Jerusalem, Palestine Kai Staats - At a Round Table with the Elders, Jerusalem, Palestine Kai Staats - At a Round Table with the Elders, Jerusalem, Palestine

Kai Staats - At a Round Table with the Elders, Jerusalem, Palestine

Today, Bishop Munib Younan sat with the Elders, an independent group of respected leaders who work together for peace and human rights. Founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007 and chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Elders work to find solutions to some of the world’s most challenging geo- and socio-political issues.

This event was assembled in order to update the Elders organization with a current state of affairs concerning the Israeli occupation of Palestine. A number of individuals from a diverse background were present, the former Prime Minister of Norway to representatives from the Carter Center, Just Vision, and al Quds University.

Each person who spoke of the Palestinian experience brought to the discussion a facet of living under Israeli occupation: from the challenge of simple, daily tasks, to the morbid statistics of education, low salaries and education, and the growing number of refugees, people displaced through forced removal or complete destruction of their homes.

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Younan joins local leaders at iftar with The Elders

Carter and Younan in Ramallah

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (left) and Bishop Munib Younan posed for a photo after sharing an iftar meal in Ramallah on Aug. 26. Carter was in the region with The Elders, an independent group of eminent global leaders seeking to use their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity.

Their Aug. 25-28 visit to Israel-Palestine was intended to allow the group to listen to the people affected by the conflict here and to offer their support to all those working for peace.

For more about The Elders, go to their website at www.theelders.org.