Proud Member of The Moms Clean Air Force
Print This Post
Jul
16
On a day when Hezbollah supporters declare, “Israel is shedding tears of pain. Lebanon is shedding tears of joy,” I find solace in this report from Jonathan Berger, published in Thought Leader from the Mail & Guardian:
Robi Damelin is a beautiful woman. She emigrated from South Africa to Israel many years ago and today runs the public relations work of the Parents Circle – Families Forum, an organisation of “bereaved Palestinians and Israelis … [that] promotes reconciliation as an alternative to hatred and revenge.”
…
Ali Abu Awwad’s brother Yousef was also killed at a checkpoint during the second intifadah. At the time, Ali was in Saudi Arabia for medical treatment after having been shot in the leg by a settler. His brother’s death – at the hand of an Israeli soldier – took place at the entrance to their village of Beit Ummar. Home to about 12 000 residents, the village is on the main road between Bethlehem and Hebron, not far from the settlement of Gush Etzion.
…
When I listened to Robi, Ali and Rami last week, the true horror of the conflict hit home – a seemingly endless cycle of violence that is fuelled by the occupation and its settlements. For them, the political had become the personal.
Rami, whose father survived Auschwitz, believes there is no way other than reconciliation – “because the other way leads nowhere”. “It is not our destiny to kill each other in this Holy Land”, he explained, recognising that it is not about “whose pain is bigger.” Instead, it is about active citizenship and accepting responsibility to change the way each side sees the other. For this gentle man, “standing aside is a crime”.
…
For Ali, whose eyes seemed to glisten with tears, resistance to the occupation is not about “trying to normalise a situation that is not normal.” For him, “non-violent resistance is the most powerful weapon against the occupation.” And perhaps a reconciliation process grounded in justice – and not revenge – is the most powerful form of resistance of all.
If I wasn’t doing whatever it is I tell anyone it is that I’m doing now, I’d be working with a group like Parents Circle – Family Forum. Its existence, and the existence of other groups that seek to use non-violent resistence and express, and live the expression, that our destiny is not to kill each other in the Holy Land, is not a whim or an insignificant effort.
And even if it was, it would still be worthwhile. Things do not have to be the way they are.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:35 am July 16th, 2008 in Civil Rights, Culture, Foreign Affairs, Israel, Military, Politics
Comments
2 Responses to “On Israel-Hezbollah prisoner exchange”
Voted into Top 25 Political Mom Blogs
Now on sale-WLST essay included!
Posts About Pepper Pike City Council2010 WE Magazine 101 Women Bloggers to Watch
Category Specific RSS
Pepper Pike Cleveland+ Politics Women Ohio Elections Law Jewish
[...] On Israel-Hezbollah prisoner exchangeOn a day when Hezbollah supporters declare, “Israel is shedding tears of pain. Lebanon is shedding tears of joy,” I find solace in this report from Jonathan Berger, published in Thought Leader from the Mail & Guardian: … [...]
I personally think it is deplorable what happened as a result of the prisoner exchange. Why does it not surprise me that while the poor Israelis are returning in coffins, the terrorists are going home free amid cheers and celebrations in a state that allows such an organization to thrive. It’s really disgusting and appalling. May God be with the families of these brave soldiers.