Acting Out on Gaza
Good morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay and welcome back!
Well Tom, international events are at center stage once again with the recent and tragic attack on several ships on a humanitarian relief mission to Gaza by the Israeli military.
The international community is up in arms, as it should be, because the attack resulted in the death of at least 10 civilian aid workers with many more wounded and the ship was carrying aid to those in need in Gaza when attacked.
But Tom, I’m going to take a step back today and offer a different perspective on the whole situation.
We’ve seen such violent scenarios enacted over and over again with Israeli-Palestinian relations in the region we’ve come to know as the Middle East…
…it seems like the troubles there are as old as time and never-ending…
But regardless of the politics or history of these conflicts –and regardless of what labels we choose to apply – be it claims of “aggression” or “terrorism” – once again, men, women and babies are needlessly dying, being injured, being displaced or generally having their lives turned upside down…
And in a lot of cases, many of the lives lost, lives the news so sterilely refers to as “casualties” – as if there was something casual about losing a loved one — had nothing to do with the politics that brought the situation about in the first place…
So, with all of this conflict and death –and in light of this most recent loss of lives in the region – how can we push for peace in a way that makes sense and recognizes the common humanity of Palestinians and Israelis…?
Well, on one basic level, there is a fairly simple answer: We act on it.
That’s right… we act on the principle of our common and shared humanity despite our differences…
Let me give you an example, one that literally shows us how folks can recognize each others’ humanity while acting to change the world…
There is an organization located in Israel called Peace Child Israel that, over the past two decades, has promoted peaceful coexistence using theater and the arts for Palestinian and Jewish teens…
While they are taught about democratic values, tolerance and mutual respect, Palestinian and Jewish teens also work together to create original dramas about coexistence … The plays are performed, both in Arabic and Hebrew, for family, friends and the public at-large …
Peace Child Israel has continued its work for 22 years despite the ongoing politics and violence that continues to affect the lives of its young participants…
The program is currently run by Melisse Boskovich, a former Israeli extremist who now is only extreme in her desire for Arabs and Jews to coexist and live together peacefully …
In practice, Sybil, it means that a facilitator, along with Boskovich, sits in a room with a group of Arab and Jewish teenagers and gets them to talk about their prejudices, fears and hopes before they work on a production together…
Critical thinking, non-violent communication, and listening skills are reinforced as participants get trained in conflict resolution, issues of equality, and cultural differences…
So it’s a program that uses art that, hopefully, will one day have a positive impact on the art of politics and, in turn, prevent, of course, the art of war…
And its lessons, Jay, go beyond the theater, and even beyond Israeli-Palestinian relations…
For no matter how bad things get – no matter how many people die needlessly whether in war, terrorism or on a ship bearing aid for people in need—there is still no substitute for getting people in the same room to engage in dialogue and interact with one another constructively…
You can learn more about Peace Child Israel at mideastweb.org/peacechild
Akbar Ahmed, a college professor and former Pakistani diplomat, puts it best:
“Dialogue by itself is empty… But dialogue that leads to understanding leads to the idea of actually getting to know each other… When people become friends, they don’t think of blowing themselves up and killing each other. They are prepared to make compromises, to change, to accommodate.”
Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.
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