While this has been a hard and discouraging year in Israel, there’s more to the story. There is no need to recite here the litany of the trampling of peace and human rights. There’s no need to compare the corrupt and violent actions of Israeli and Palestinian leaders (and followers).
But that is not all that has happened. This year has also witnessed a broad array of actions of those pursuing peace, advancing justice, speaking truth to brute power. For every home demolished, there have been scores of good people – Israelis, Palestinians, and others – to help rebuild it. For every bomb exploded, there have been courageous Palestinians to condemn it. For every act of collective punishment, there have been brave Israelis who defy its enforcement.
Let there be no doubt: Peace is inevitable. There are powerful and caring people on both sides who are demanding an end to war. These people light the path.
A happy and peaceful Jewish New Year to everyone.
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Background: All emails of the left in Israel are read by the Israeli authorities, therefore we sometimes do not announce the specific nature of the activity or the meeting point. I have deleted phone numbers.
For those in Israel, a partial listing of events in the coming days:
18 September: Committee Against House Demolitions (Bat Shalom, Rabbis for Human Rights, Gush Shalom, Peace Now) Solidarity visit to the Jabber family near Hebron.
18-24 September: The Israeli Committee for Mordechai Vanunu and for a Middle East Free of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons – a week of international protest.
18 & 20 September: Yesh Gvul – conscientious objection to service in the occupied territories – dissemination of informational flyers in Jerusalem.
22 September: Hebron Solidarity Committee Vigil against apartheid policies in Hebron – action in Hebron.
25 September: Committee Against House Demolitions (Bat Shalom, Rabbis for Human Rights, Gush Shalom, Peace Now) – action at the Jabber home near Hebron.
27 September: Mothers and Women for Peace – seminar at Kibbutz Ha’Ogen.
6 October: Yesh Gvul – conscientious objection to service in the occupied territories – travel to settlements to distribute information and flyers.
6-8 October: Bat Shalom – north branch (Megiddo, Nazareth, and the Jezreel Valley region) Succat Shalom. A daily demonstration to protest the occupation followed by panel discussions featuring prominent Israeli Arab and Jewish women and an arts program.
16 October: The Rapprochement Dialogue Center with the Nablus-West Jerusalem Dialogue for Peace Picking Olives for Peace – Travel to Nablus to pick olives in the surrounding villages, followed by a joint picnic. Israeli and Palestinian families together; children over 4 warmly invited.