Isreal-Palastine
My family is involved in 'Windows'- a charity which helps young Isreali and Palastinian people to meet, participate in activitys together and talk. This sounds kinda basic, but actually what with the strict regulations on movement in and out of Palastine and the predudices on both sides its a challange.
This is an extract from an anual magazine the young people make as part of Windows.. It really moved me, so i wanted to share it.
'Eight years ago, we paricipated together in a summer workshop of Windows in Tel-Aviv. It was in the summer of '97, and I remeber alot of Isrealis there. Those were days before the Intifada, and the atmpsphere was different. Event though there were actions and shootings, the situation was alot easier then than it is today. I remeber that over the course of the workshop, there was a suicide bombing. It was on a wednesday and they told us that there would be a closure and that we, the Palistinians who participated in the workshop, had to return home. This saddened me greatly, because I was happy to meet Isrealis and the atmosphere was pleasent. I remeber that I stayed over at the house of one of the Jewish participants, and I felt how he was scared when he heard about the suicide bombing, and then I understood the Isrealis live in fear because of the bombings. At that moment i felt sympathy towards him and towards all the Isrealis, and that thought stayed with me untill this day. In 1999 I participated in a peace camp in the United States. Everyone there exspressed his opinions of the other. We spoke about coexistance, finding common ground between us, friendships. I had Jesish friends then, but the Intifada changed all that and I cut off the contacts with them.
When i was young i was innocent, and I thought that coexistance between [Isreal and Palastine] in one state was an easy thing. But when I grew up and went through what I went through, and I saw that both sides are just 'against' I stopped believeing in the idea. I came to understand that it's very difficult to live in one country and that we need two countrys. After all we are at war. Its true it isnt an 'army against army' war, because we dont have an army, but its still war. Those who get killed are like soldjers who die at war. Nethertheless, I am agianst hurting citizens. I have met alot of Jews who want peace and I wouldnt want them to die. I can understand actions against military targets, but apsolutely not against citizens, and certainly not against children and elderly people. Someone who desides to commit such actions has his reasons! There are people who have lost thier loved ones or people whose home has been destroyed. Someone whom that has happened to feels like he has nothing more to loose. I have heard of cases where people have commited a suicide bombing simply because they had lost everything. For example, I have heard about a man with a family who worked in Isreal for many years and that was his only source of income. When the intifada started it wasnt possible to work in Isreal and he became very despirate. He saw he couldnt take care of his children, couldnt feed tham and couldnt even supply them with the most basic things. So he desided to take action, maybe out of hope hat the charity organisiations will take care of his children and family.
We live in a cycle of killing on both sides. We are stuck in a cycle of violence and cant get out, not us nor the Isrealis! We kill and kill.. untill when? Untill when will this go on? As i know that there are quite a few Isrealis who think about peace, Im telling you, that there are a lot of Palistinians whi also think about peace. That is why im asking the Isrealis to think agian about the entire situation, and to connect to what we have in common.'
Hadi, 23 a computer engineering student in A-Najah university Palastine.
This is an extract from an anual magazine the young people make as part of Windows.. It really moved me, so i wanted to share it.
'Eight years ago, we paricipated together in a summer workshop of Windows in Tel-Aviv. It was in the summer of '97, and I remeber alot of Isrealis there. Those were days before the Intifada, and the atmpsphere was different. Event though there were actions and shootings, the situation was alot easier then than it is today. I remeber that over the course of the workshop, there was a suicide bombing. It was on a wednesday and they told us that there would be a closure and that we, the Palistinians who participated in the workshop, had to return home. This saddened me greatly, because I was happy to meet Isrealis and the atmosphere was pleasent. I remeber that I stayed over at the house of one of the Jewish participants, and I felt how he was scared when he heard about the suicide bombing, and then I understood the Isrealis live in fear because of the bombings. At that moment i felt sympathy towards him and towards all the Isrealis, and that thought stayed with me untill this day. In 1999 I participated in a peace camp in the United States. Everyone there exspressed his opinions of the other. We spoke about coexistance, finding common ground between us, friendships. I had Jesish friends then, but the Intifada changed all that and I cut off the contacts with them.
When i was young i was innocent, and I thought that coexistance between [Isreal and Palastine] in one state was an easy thing. But when I grew up and went through what I went through, and I saw that both sides are just 'against' I stopped believeing in the idea. I came to understand that it's very difficult to live in one country and that we need two countrys. After all we are at war. Its true it isnt an 'army against army' war, because we dont have an army, but its still war. Those who get killed are like soldjers who die at war. Nethertheless, I am agianst hurting citizens. I have met alot of Jews who want peace and I wouldnt want them to die. I can understand actions against military targets, but apsolutely not against citizens, and certainly not against children and elderly people. Someone who desides to commit such actions has his reasons! There are people who have lost thier loved ones or people whose home has been destroyed. Someone whom that has happened to feels like he has nothing more to loose. I have heard of cases where people have commited a suicide bombing simply because they had lost everything. For example, I have heard about a man with a family who worked in Isreal for many years and that was his only source of income. When the intifada started it wasnt possible to work in Isreal and he became very despirate. He saw he couldnt take care of his children, couldnt feed tham and couldnt even supply them with the most basic things. So he desided to take action, maybe out of hope hat the charity organisiations will take care of his children and family.
We live in a cycle of killing on both sides. We are stuck in a cycle of violence and cant get out, not us nor the Isrealis! We kill and kill.. untill when? Untill when will this go on? As i know that there are quite a few Isrealis who think about peace, Im telling you, that there are a lot of Palistinians whi also think about peace. That is why im asking the Isrealis to think agian about the entire situation, and to connect to what we have in common.'
Hadi, 23 a computer engineering student in A-Najah university Palastine.