Activists Are Still Quietly Working for Peace
By Adam Sella
The New York Times
February 10, 2024
Positions have hardened on both sides in the face of the Gaza war, but some activists refuse to give up hope.
“Many peace groups have been struggling since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which have hardened the positions of many Israelis and Palestinians. But some activists, including those in Combatants for Peace, have quietly started to resume their work…
“Founded by former fighters from both sides of the conflict, Combatants for Peace drew a range of people to its January meeting, including young students just returned from reserve duty in Gaza and longtime peace activists. Some said they were fed up with despair and wanted to latch onto a glimmer of hope…
“Since the war began, support has increased ‘for hard-line positions of violence, and you can see that in both Israeli and Palestinian society,’ said John Lyndon, the executive director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace, an organization of peace groups.
“Alongside the growing hawkish sentiment, he said, there was a rise in ‘opposition, eye-rolling and disagreements with organizations and individuals who are urging for nonviolence, diplomacy and partnership.’
“Chen Alon, a co-founder of Combatants for Peace, encountered that early one day when a neighbor stopped to ask, “Have you finally sobered up?” That is an expression that, since Oct. 7, some Israelis have been using to describe their abandonment of the political left.”…
“Mr. Qassas, who led Palestinians in clashes with Israeli forces during the first intifada, renounced violence after he began working in Israel and came to conclude that not all Israelis were enemies… replied that it was essential to teach children long before fighting became an option, saying they should learn “the depth of the problem, and the needs of each side.”…
“'We talk about the most difficult things,’ Mr. Qassas said, ‘but at least we stayed together and kept going.’
“Both activists, despite the resistance they face, cling to hope that when the conflict finally ends, ‘we will be the infrastructure, the community upon which our joint life will be built,’ Mr. Alon said.
“'If I have sobered up,’ he said, ‘it’s in knowing that violence won’t solve anything.’”
About Heart of a Nation
Heart of a Nation is working to empower emerging American, Israeli and Palestinian changemakers to improve their political cultures.
אנחנו מכנסים הוגים מובילים, פעילים חברתיים, ומחוללי שינוי לעתיד, אמריקאים, ישראלים ופלסטינאים, המחויבים לשיפור החברות שלהם.
نحن أمريكيون وإسرائيليون وفلسطينيون نبني ونكوّن روابط من أجل التعلم والتفكير والمشاركة معًا حتى نشجع الحلول التقدمية بشأن القضايا التي تهمنا جميعًا.