Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land
Aim
Maintain a permanent relationship and open channels of communication between religious leaders in the Holy Land in order for them to reflect together as believers, on main issues of conflict between our peoples; sustain close working relationship with the political leadership of the Government of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, especially on issues related to the role of religion and religious communities; engage with our respective communities in the Holy Land in order to promote peace and justice, foster, on grassroots and national levels, an environment of mutual acceptance and respect; engage with religious leaders internationally and particularly in the Middle East, in pursuit of a durable and just peace in the Holy Land.
History
The Council of the Religious Institutions of the Holy Land was established in 2005. It is the first ever consultative body representing the highest official religious authorities in the Holy Land encompassing two peoples and three religions.
IRD Activities
- Young Religious Leaders
The CRIHL have stated their goal and commitment to 'promote an environment of mutual acceptance and respect between Palestinians and Israelis, in particular between the respective faith communities, through dialogue, education and media'
- Inter-Religious Teaching
In 2014, CRIHL started a new project targeting teachers of religion. The project facilitates workshops of inter-religious dialogue as a means to promote peaceful coexistence through better understanding of religion in schools. The project aims to bring teachers of Christianity, Islam and Judaism together, and let them discuss and learn from each other, both about each others' religions, but also about how religion is and could be taught. The overall goal is that the teachers will keep these experiences and lessons learnt in mind when continuing teaching religion to young students living in a tense area.
Main Focus Countries of Activities
Israel - State of Palestine - Ramallah, State of Palestine - Bethlehem, State of Palestine