Related to building trust and ACT governance, including strategic collaboration as part of the wider ecumenical movement and learning with other forums
Through the prayer vigil, the APF members have helped to build awareness about the issues plaguing Palestinian society in Gaza and the West Bank. By identifying key humanitarian issues and focusing on one of them each month as part of the prayer vigil organized by the APF, the APF has succeeded in reaching people who otherwise would have little knowledge of or interest in the impact of the Israeli occupation and the humanitarian activities of churches and church-related organizations.
The prayer vigil connects the faith-based character of the APF to its commitment to international law and its efforts to promote and protect human rights. The Israeli occupation has existed and its oppressive tactics have grown in severity over many decades. In response, the APF needs to find ways to keep Palestinian rights in the forefront of international opinion, even when the media turns to other crises and donors grow fatigued due in large part to the length and relentlessness of the Israeli occupation and the lack of a viable peace process.
The prayer vigil communicates the hope of the APF members as people of faith, while at the same time communicating the depth and urgency of the needs of the Palestinian people. It is also important for the APF’s external visibility, but also in relation to its credibility with the local churches and communities with which it is engaged. The prayer vigil has actively engaged each of the APF members and it has often prompted important debates within the APF about the needs and priorities of the APF.
