We welcome you to join us on a prayerful journey of solidarity with our Palestinian siblings through the Philadelphia - Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage. Collectively, we will walk 20 miles, about the length of Gaza (from Gaza City to Rafah). We will walk in solidarity with millions who have been displaced in Gaza, fleeing their homes amid the ongoing genocide.
The Philadelphia - Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage will take place from March 24 - 29, 2024 (Palm Sunday to Good Friday). Organizers, Lisa Sharon Harper and Shane Claiborne, will be joined by friends from across the country who will walk approximately 4 miles per day, each day throughout Holy Week. Participants can walk with Harper and Claiborne every day or on particular days of their choice. The pilgrimage will launch from the Liberty Bell and end at Lockheed Martin in King of Prussia.
Lockheed Martin is the world's largest weapons manufacturer. Many of the arms supplied to Israel for its genocidal campaign were made by Lockheed Martin. Approximately 100,000 Gazans have been killed, maimed, or are missing under the rubble. According to a January 2024 report by the American Friends Service Committee: - On Nov. 9, an Israeli missile hit journalists sitting near Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The missile was reportedly a Lockheed Martin–made Hellfire R9X missile, a version of the Hellfire that was developed by the CIA for carrying out assassinations. Instead of exploding, the missile shreds its target using blades, allowing for a direct hit without collateral damage. The target in this case was not a military one.
- Lockheed Martin supplies Israel with F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, which Israel has been using extensively to bomb Gaza. Israel also uses the company’s C-130 Hercules transport planes to support the ground invasion of Gaza.
- Lockheed Martin manufactures AGM-114 Hellfire missiles for Israel’s Apache helicopters. One of the main weapon types used in aerial attacks on Gaza, these missiles have been used extensively in 2023. Some 2,000 Hellfire missiles were delivered to Israel sometime between Oct. 7 and Nov. 14.
- On an Oct. 17 call with investors, Lockheed Martin CEO, Jim Taiclet, "highlighted the Israel and Ukraine conflicts as potential drivers for increased revenue in the coming years.”
In response, Lisa and Shane will be joined by willing participants in an act of prayerful direct action at the conclusion of a Good Friday service at Lockheed Martin. Other participants will bear witness.
The core convictions outline the motivation, purpose and identity of the global movement. Please make sure you feel comfortable with the tone and culture of the pilgrimage before you register.
There will be a briefing for all participants via Zoom held one week prior to the pilgrimage. (We will email an
invitation.) During the briefing, we will address safety and practical issues,
and provide the final details of the pilgrimage and prayerful direct action.
