Can this inspire a new Israeli-Palestinian peace movement
For activists Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah, reviving a joint peace effort is 'the biggest antidote to extremism.'
By Oren Ziv
June 29, 2024
"Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah are an unlikely pair. Inon, 49, is an Israeli tourism entrepreneur and the founder of Abraham Hostels. He lost both of his parents, who lived on Kibbutz Netiv HaAsara, during the Hamas-led assault on October 7.
"Abu Sarah, 44, is a Palestinian peace activist, journalist, and tourism entrepreneur who founded MEJDI Tours, and a resident of East Jerusalem.
"When Aziz was 9 years old, his older brother Taiseer was arrested and held in prison for nearly a year; shortly after his release, Taiseer died of internal injuries he sustained while being tortured in prison.
"The two met after Abu Sarah wrote to Inon in the days after October 7, expressing his condolences for Inon's murdered family. Since then, they have been leading a personal and public campaign against revenge and in favor of reconciliation...
“Inon: ‘We have been kidnapped by extremists, on both sides, and those extremists thrive on bloodshed, revenge, and killing. Now is our time to draw up an alternative - ideological and political - that will change the discourse, and that's what we're doing...
"’There was a poll conducted by aChord showing that 74 percent of Israeli citizens support a diplomatic agreement. The poll shows that maybe we're not reading the map correctly. Besides, no one is currently offering an alternative, and that's where we come in. For the first time in many years, we are proposing a solution to the unsustainable status quo and the ongoing bloodshed. That's our mission...
"’We are dreaming, but with a plan - to make peace by 2030. We need to constantly check that our actions are effective. This is exactly the formula to create hope, imagine a better future together, and make that future a reality.’
“Abu Sarah: ‘The reason you see polls in which many Palestinians respond against peace, or expressing support for violence or for Hamas, is because of the lack of vision or political process. Once there is a vision, that people see that there is another way, it will change. That's why I said we are the biggest threat to the extremists. Once a road is provided, it will be adopted by the vast majority of Palestinians.
"’In the Bible, in the book of Proverbs, it says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." And in the absence of a political vision for a peace movement, in the absence of joint work, the only alternative is violence. I have no doubt that Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza will support the movement if they see something real.'"
A version of this article first appeared in Hebrew on Local Call.
Oren Ziv is a photojournalist, reporter for Local Call, and a founding member of the Activestills photography collective.
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