I’ve heard of the saying from monotheistic traditions: “Whoever rules Jerusalem shall rule the world.” I don’t know if it’s authentic or has been spawned as support to various colonial concepts, but it is certainly illustrative of the significance of that area as a painful spot in the world where their is no lasting peace, and almost no hope of it. They say it was often full of former and present soldiers, sometimes with swords, sometimes with guns. Some call it Palestine, some Israel, some the Holy Land.
When we received the invitation to a peace conference in Israel and my colleagues suggested I should go, at first I had my reservations. As much because of prejudice about the regime in Israel as the political tensions that had erupted once again at the time in a series of lesser incidents happening in Jerusalem and other parts of occupied Palestine.
On the other hand, for me, as a peace activist, it was a challenge to see first-hand the scene of the calamity that has caused such contention and is still a stumbling block and place without peace, where peace agreements have been easily disintegrating for more than sixty years.
For me, as a Muslim, visiting the Holy Land was also important as a spiritual experience and an opportunity to see the places that symbolise, for the monotheistic worldview, a kind of contact between the Heavens and the Earth.
The invitation to the conference titled “A hole in a brick wall” from the wonderful women of the Coalition of Women for Peace from Tel Aviv also included a suggestion that I prepare a presentation of CNA’s work with veterans in the Balkans. This gave me more incentive to attend, seeing that I would be able to present our dilemmas and successes so that we could compare our challenges and lessons from peace activism.
With the wholehearted support of friends from the CWP, preparations for the trip went rather smoothly. Even getting a visa for Israel was simpler than expected.
In fact, the only significant problem I had with the Israeli authorities was the six-hour processing at the airport to enter the country. Of that, four hours of waiting with a few other “suspicious” types and another two hours of questioning in an office. The young security officer had a host of what I thought were stupid questions about my private life in Sarajevo, Islam, the war in BiH, working on reconciliation, the political situation in Israel, non-violence… The first hour was even interesting, because I had been advised by friends and my hosts what to expect. After that, it became quite uncomfortable (especially for someone with experience of wartime violence and possible post-war syndrome). At the end, he let me enter the country showing me the peace sign with two raised fingers. My response was not entirely admirable. The team from Coalition of Women for Peace had to wait for us at the airport until 3 am. Almost the whole time, I was with another participant at the conference, a woman arriving from Boston, but originally from Afghanistan.
The conference was being held in Jaffa, a suburb of Tel Aviv with a Palestinian majority, while our accommodation was in eastern Jerusalem, about an hour’s drive away. Among other things, this gave me an opportunity to meet Palestinian taxi drivers and hear their interesting stories, to take the highway that you can only access if you have Israeli documents and registration plates, and to see first-hand the infamous checkpoints with long barrels and a transporter here and there. The highway running through Palestinian territory is more like a corridor and completely cuts of the areas on the two sides populated by Palestinians. Those on the other side of the highway can cross it only through a checkpoint. But even that, compared to what can be seen in other occupied areas of Palestine, seems like a minor bureaucratic obstacle.
The conference was organised at a very inspiring and pleasant venue, the Lagaat Centre in Jaffa, known for socially engaged plays, film screenings, various promotions, workshops, etc. The themes and the guests at the conference were very engaging. I had an opportunity to hear from and meet people of different profiles: reporters, feminist, LGBT and anti-occupation activists. I heard about examples of nonviolent resistance and activism from different parts of the world (Spain, USA), examples from Israel and Palestine about activism through culture, about feminism as a fundamentally nonviolent principle, etc.
In the words of the organisers, some activists from Palestine justifiably boycott events such as these organised in Israeli areas due to the degrading and discriminatory controls. Some of them would not be allowed to enter territories under
Israeli control. In general, there was an atmosphere of caution and timidity. As I was told, there had been threats from radicals and the conference had been labelled as pro-terrorist. However, while I was there, I did not see any problems or open opponents or critics of the conference, although it was attended by over 100 people. It could even be described as a gathering of people with similar views trying to find an alternative to the current state of affairs.
I gained a valuable insight through the panel on media in Israel where we heard from local reporters from various independent media outlets. As far as I gathered, there is a certain degree of media freedom, but there is also auto-censorship and sporadic biased reporting that is not the result of outside pressure, but the views of the reporter. Some independent media reported relatively objectively on the recent war in Gaza, but there was also an element of selectiveness, which according to some presenters relates to both racism and entrenched political views. Another issue that was brought up was the problem of corporate influence on the objectivity of media that have increasingly been avoiding taboo topics and serious social criticism due to the commercial factor. Still, generally speaking, and probably due to my prejudice about Israel, I was surprised by the degree of freedom of the media, given the overall demeanour of the Israeli regime as quite racist and aggressive. However, this is often the case with views and simplifications based on presumptions. It seems we still live in a time of transparent cruelty that, either often has no need to hide, or sometimes even manages to convince the mainstream of society that things are exactly as they should be. I guess that’s how wars get started, when a small group in a society manages to impose a narrative about the necessity to use armed forces and gains mass support for violence.
Following my presentation on the peacebuilding work of CNA with veterans in our region at one of the panels, unfortunately, the organiser had not planned for questions from the audience. So I couldn’t tell whether people liked what I said or not. But based on some conversations after the panel, individuals had said that what we were doing was important and that they also had similar organisations that bring together veterans from both sides. I think it’s important to mention that in Israel and Palestine, the peace process and dealing with the past takes place at some levels, but it is weighed down by the fact of low-intensity war being constant and conflicts and violence seemingly never-ending. With frequent escalations, like in Gaza in the summer of 2014, or the so-called legitimate occupation of Palestine by the Israeli army, which, as I found out, is mostly taken as such within Israel.
All in all, the conference indicated a series of smaller or larger activities “planting gardens” of peace despite the “weeds” of hatred, violence and war. Globally, we are left to exchange the “seeds” and “gardening skills”, to serve as examples to each other and to testify that peacebuilding is the surest way to Justice.
I should mention that my impressions from the conference, and my whole stay in Israel, reminded my how important it is to bear in mind the complexity of every context where wars are waged. As I am myself aware of my prejudice against Israel as the “bad guy” of the Middle East, it’s important to also understand this society surrounded by countries that are more or less openly hostile to it. And not just because of the occupation of Palestine, but also because of the anti-Judaism we must be aware of. It is important to be critical towards the Israeli regime, but it is also important not to let individuals or groups call for violence and destruction. We all need freedom and peace I have met a lot of good people in Israel that have been working dedicatedly for years on peacebuilding, but that would be judged by people in the neighbourhood simply on account of their origin or nationality.
I dedicated two days of my visit to meetings with Israeli veteran associations and sight-seeing in the Holy Land.
Thanks to the support of the team from Coalition of Women for Peace, I managed to set up meetings with Israeli veterans organisations beforehand. I thus had an opportunity to meet with the Combatants for Peace and Breaking the Silence.
At the conference, I met a pleasant and gentle man, a veteran of the Israeli army and an activist of Combatants for Peace that I spent the most time with. We talked about the situations in our countries, the similarities and difference, our wartime experiences, the role of veterans in the reconciliation process. He explained how they cooperate only with people from Fatah and that with Hamas cooperation is impossible.
He also introduced me to some, for me surprising, facts about Tel Aviv as a very secular environment without conspicuous religious symbols as opposed to other places in Israel, something I had a chance to see for myself. In fact, the city itself is not much different from many European cities. You get the feeling you’re in a Mediterranean Berlin.
We also had a more formal meeting with two female veterans (which is not unusual in the Israeli context, because women are also subject to compulsory military service). It was important for me to hear the details about the organisation that set up successful cooperation between veterans of IDF[1] and Fatah. We talked about approaches and ideas we were working on, and they gave me more details about their activities on joint commemorations for killed Palestinians and Israelis. These commemorations are attended by veterans from both sides. When I asked to what extent such actions reach the public and how much support they get, they replied that the gatherings are reported at the level of the city and a few other media outlets, but that most are opposed to their activities or ignore them. However, just like in our region, this commendable approach is certainly the best way to change the attitude both towards the past and towards the enemy.
We also talked about how it would be good and interesting to meet again somehow and try to establish cooperation between war veterans from Palestine and Israel and our veterans in the region. They invited us to attend their commemoration this year or next year and to keep in touch to explore further possibilities for new meetings. In the meantime, we were invited to organise Skype conversations with local veterans on the occasion of their Israeli Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony.[2]
I had heard of Breaking the Silence much earlier, because of their important work on collecting testimonies from Israeli soldiers about the brutality of the occupation. Many years ago, I watched their video materials that impressed me and gave me hope (along with the genius animated film Waltz with Bashir) that there were many people in Israel with a lot of knowledge and experience, doing great things, and that much can be learned from them about peace activism. Because of the important work they are doing, it was a great pleasure to meet them and talk to them. Given our experience in CNA, we had a lot to say to each other and a lot to exchange.
I also met with the director of their public outreach department who talked without much mystification about his own ethical motivation and experience of participating in the occupation, and about what inspired him to join BtS. He told me about how they get people to testify, how many people were involved in their activities, how they lobby against the occupation at the political level. There are indications of increasing number of deserters and conscientious objectors in Israel, and the figures are not negligible. This is probably why there is such pressure on them from the authorities and radical groups, because they are probably one of the important factors driving this change. Their offices, however, are without symbols, in a humble flat in the suburbs, and without setting up a meeting, they are not easy to find. They do an interesting activity with different groups and individuals – visiting occupied areas of the West Bank with appropriate explanations of the situation there and the important sites. And this without relativizing the brutality of the occupation, and with many details explained.
I was happy to be invited to visit Hebron and gladly accepted. We spent the afternoon together, looking at the various phenomena of occupied territories in the West Bank. From the inevitable checkpoints (that as Israelis we passed with a wave), the huge wall that is till under construction, the road for Israelis, but not Palestinians, and Hebron itself as a symbol of the occupation. Hebron is no stranger to violent conflict, Palestinian houses have barred windows, and there are corridors for getting around the city. Walking into a mosque in Hebron has the kind of security meant for army barracks. There are dozens of horrible details in Hebron, and it was all patiently explained to me by my host who had been to these places as a soldier himself a few years ago. Generally speaking, the concept of settler areas is a particular type of insidious occupation where newly built housing is populated by Israeli settlers and their families, always under IDF protection. In that way, Hebron was gradually almost completely ethnically cleansed.
For someone who has been through a war, all of this was quite a lot to take in. Not because it reminded me of my own experiences, but because of the morbid creativity in implementing violence. Of course, you won’t find an official army document on these methods. This is implemented informally, but very efficiently.
After everything, it didn’t bother me that when we were stopped by one of the many Israeli soldiers, I was introduced as a man from Serbia. I understood right away, and I didn’t care. There was no sense in having him suspect me of being a Muslim, so this was more practical. There comes a time when identities don’t matter. This reminded me of a saying by Rumi: “Not Christian or Jew or Muslim… I have seen the two worlds as one.”
I saw the Israeli veteran, one of the founders of Breaking the Silence sitting in front of a mosque in Hebron, having coffee with Palestinians. I almost cried and hugged him.
The last afternoon and evening I spent in Jerusalem. I prayed for a long time at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is situated right above the Wailing Wall. Even the wailing was calming. A child approached and sat next to me. And Mother Mary was not far from that place.
And I remembered an ayah from the Qur’an: “Those who believe, and have not confounded their belief with evildoing – to them belongs the true security; they are rightly guided.” (6:82)
[1] Israel Defence Forces
[2] This organisation also works on other important activities. For more information, see their website: http://cfpeace.org/.