Our hearts are with all of the victims and their families. The situation is still unclear and unfolding, but the difficult questions are already beginning to be asked, and rightly so. What is painfully clear is that this extreme right-wing settler government is showing their inability to keep anyone safe. A government that since its formation has only focused on itself and their agenda to occupy and annex the Westbank, appease those who stand in their way, and entrench the separation of Israelis and Palestinians. We as a community cannot detach ourselves from the extremism and incitement that this government has been promoting since it formed, and the result is the biggest security failure that the State of Israel has ever known. For the sake of every Israeli and Palestinian life – it must go.
For us and our movement, this is a crucial moment where we must all dig deep to find our resolve to move ahead together. This is not rime for revenge, or collective punishment of the innocent. The only solution is ending the occupation.
We call for non-violence, a renewed sense of humanity, and better days ahead for all of our children.
Our movement knows that there is no future without an end to the occupation. We have witnessed nearly six decades of military control over an entire civilian population and a suffocating, unlivable blockade on Gaza for 16 years. CfP was formed almost 20 years ago by those who know, firsthand, that violence only begets violence, no one wins in war, and that we must protect all life by forging another way. We still believe in another way, even now, especially now.
In our bi-national WhatApp groups, Israeli and Palestinian members are sending each other prayers and words of grief and love. In Hebrew and Arabic, they are forwarding safety protocols and practices for calming a trauma response. We are seeing a longing from both sides to see each other safe and for the violence to stop. They are checking on each other’s families, especially those who live on opposite sides of the Gaza border. We are all meeting later today to listen to one another and to discuss actions we can take as a community. Thank you to all who have reached out to us with words of support.
The voices calling for revenge and further violence are louder than ever. But CfP will not stop calling out and showing that there is another way – our movement knows this because they embody and live it out daily.
schwelle project partner Combatants for Peace
