Today we mark Israeli Independence Day. Yesterday we marked Memorial Day. The confluence of the two days is intentional and appropriate.
19,000 Israelis have been killed since 1947 in wars, terrorism, and other conflict-related events. How many Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, Jordanians, Egyptians, and others have been killed? Probably many more. I move that Memorial Day be redesignated a day for all sides to mourn all the victims of this violent conflict, Israeli and Arab. And that we use the day to reflect upon the need to bring this blood-soaked conflict to an end.
As always, this season presents an occasion to evaluate our national achievements, shortcomings, and – above all – the road we are traveling. As last year, the Yesh Gvul organization (advocating conscientious objection to army service in the Occupied Territories) offered an alternative torch-lighting ceremony to counter the official version. In our – the people’s – ceremony, torches were lit by those who have distinguished themselves in struggle for a more just and peaceful Israel.
Our torch-lighters last night:
Dov Yirmiya: Veteran and aging peace activist known for his ringing call ‘Dai Dam’ – ‘Enough Blood!’
Sha’arban and Majid Kazamel: A Druze couple whose son was killed in a helicopter crash on his way to the war in Lebanon. 53 young men from their Druze town of Beit Jann were killed in the lifetime of the state of Israel.
Neta Amar: An activist lawyer with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, who has been outspoken about many issues, especially Mizrahi oppression.
Jeff Halper: Coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), who spoke eloquently of looking for a way to end the cycle of destruction of Palestinian homes.
Donna Birenbaum: Young and energetic advocate to end the abuse of foreign workers in Israel.
Michel (Mikado) Warschawski: Veteran peace activist, who cited the plight of Palestinian refugees throughout the world and inequality for Israel’s Arab citizens.
Attalia Boimel: One of the Mothers and Women for Peace, who declared that unless Israel arrives at a peace soon with Lebanon and Syria, Israeli mothers will stop sending their sons to serve in the army.
Duddi Maklev: Active in the Keshet – Mizrahi Rainbow organization, which seeks ways to end Ashkenazi hegemony and to democratize Israeli society.
Hanna Friedman: Co-founder and head of the Committee Against Torture in Israel, Hanna was one of the first to expose torture as a routine procedure used against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.
Dedde Beniste: Founder of a community organization in a poor neighborhood, Dedde has relentlessly pursued public housing solutions for the poor.
Eyal Reuveni: A journalist who sat in prison for his refusal to serve in the Israeli Army as a guard of Palestinian prisoners.
Amos Keinan: Well-known Israeli writer and novelist, who dedicated his torch to Emil Gruensweig, a young Israeli killed by a hand grenade thrown into a peace demonstration by an Israeli right wing extremist. Last night’s ceremony last night was held in Emil Gruensweig Park.
What brought tears to my eyes was the quiet presence in the audience of Salim and Arabiyye Shawamre, mother of Lena, whose home was twice bulldozed to the ground within the past year. This couple has every reason to hate Israel. But thanks to Jeff and ICAHD, Israelis have been there for them throughout – to express support, solidarity, and help rebuild their home (twice). The presence at the Israeli ceremony of Salim and Arabiyye is living testimony to the power of efforts for peace and reconciliation.
Hope Flowers
And on the subject of home demolitions, things are heating up. Last Monday, two homes were destroyed in Ussawiye, an Arab village which borders Jerusalem, but has been declared part of Jerusalem by the Israeli government, thus making them particularly vulnerable to efforts to rid the city of its Palestinian inhabitants. The village has consistently paid a high price for its location – homes destroyed, residents killed in clashes with the Israeli police, and land confiscated by the Israeli government to build the Jewish neighborhood of French Hill. Can you believe that this village also has a group of Palestinian women engaged in dialogue with a group of Israeli women from adjoining French Hill?
I am appending below an abbreviated version of a letter from the Hope Flowers School, just outside Bethlehem. This well-named school is unique in the Palestinian Occupied Territories for its teaching of peace and reconciliation. No other school in the territories brings together Israelis and Palestinians or provides Hebrew-language instruction to the children, taught by Israeli volunteers. There is no school more deserving of support and less deserving of destruction. And yet they are now slated for demolition, based on a zoning law that has not been updated since 1942 – and which is applied only to Palestinians, not to Israelis in the territories.
We are frankly horrified that the formal channels have yielded only intransigence. We must act immediately to avert this tragedy. Please send e-mails and faxes to the relevant bodies in a sample letter that I am sending separately.
May next Memorial-Independence Day bring 19,000 flowers to cover the graves with hopes for peace.