When we are in conflict, when we feel threatened, when we fear and mistrust the other, we tend to stress a security mindset that justifies “might makes right” and de-emphasize a peace mindset that sheds light on goodness, justice, and “right makes right.” Sometimes, however, a war, the loss of loved ones, a dispossession, or new information causes us to question, to reevaluate our assumptions and beliefs. That has been my experience and that of many others living in Israel/Palestine.
In June 1967, my family and I had a brush with death. Living a few hundred yards from no man’s land separating East Jerusalem under Jordan from West Jerusalem under Israel, we experienced firsthand the Six-Day War. As the fighting intensified, we had to leave our home. In the heat of battle, my 18-year-old brother and I (11 years old) became separated from the rest of the family and had to fend for ourselves. Neither side knew of the other’s whereabouts or condition. Upon our return home several days later, we learned that two of our close neighbors were killed.
Once the border dividing Jerusalem was dismantled, we were able to cross it and interact with those we once called “enemies.” While we still remember the fear and the pain, we made a conscious decision to traverse the psychological boundary as well toward dialogue, healing, and forgiveness. Yes, the issues separating Jewish Israelis and Palestinians persist, but these must be resolved through diplomacy, negotiations, and mutual recognition, not dehumanization and aggression. Resorting to violence to avenge, to oppress, to effect change in one’s favor only, though satisfying to some, diminishes the whole.
As Israel and Palestine come to terms with what is ailing them and as many Jewish Israelis and Palestinians wrestle with their own personal and national challenges, there are those on both sides of the divide who refuse to play the zero-sum game, opting instead to speak truth to power and to take risks for peace, as I have highlighted in my book, Peacebuilding in Israeli-Palestinian Relations. Among them are Robi Damelin, Sami Awad, Gershon Baskin, and Huda Abuarqoub. Each has overcome the border and is making a real difference.
Robi Damelin immigrated to Israel from South Africa in 1967. Her life took a tragic turn when her son David was killed by a Palestinian sniper while serving in the Israeli army reserves. Instead of channeling her personal pain into thoughts of revenge, she joined the Parents Circle-Families Forum, a grassroots organization of Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost immediate family members due to the conflict. In an interview with Just Vision, she stated, “The pain breaks down barriers very quickly between Palestinians and Israelis in the group. There’s a sense of trust. It’s not hummus and hugs—it’s much deeper than that; it’s acknowledgment and empathy, which happen … because we recognize each other immediately through the pain.”
Sami Awad is the Executive Director of Holy Land Trust. In childhood, he heard about the killing of his grandfather during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and at age 12, he began to be inspired by his uncle Mubarak Awad’s work in Palestinian nonviolence resistance against the Israeli occupation. Awad puts his vision into action through deep personal transformation and through serious advocacy and activism. For him, nonviolence is the means to ending injustice and occupation. It makes the walls between peoples fall and creates mutual trust and respect that are key to promoting peace based on a shared acknowledgment of rights and equality.
Gershon Baskin, who immigrated to Israel from the United States, is a peacebuilding pioneer. For him, peace is not a product or service we secure or a “dove” pin we wear. Peace is an intergenerational endeavor involving both “self-reflection” and “soul-searching” as well as reaching out to the other. When properly cultivated on the inside, it will be profoundly expressed on the outside. Peace cannot be imposed on the other; only when the invitation to peace is freely accepted will it thrive. Hence, conflict is more likely to be resolved when it is based on relationships of trust and cooperation.
Huda Abuarqoub is the regional director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace. Her lifelong plan is to dispel stereotypes of Palestinians and Jewish Israelis against each other. For her, the language of enemy-making and victimhood is corrosive and can only lead to fear and violence. Common ground and mutuality of interests open the door to understanding and trust. Internal dialogue work becomes possible, facilitating a reconsideration of the narrative of fear and the healing of personal and collective traumas.
A careful review of the lives of peacebuilders reveals that they embody common traits. They are usually motivated by a vision larger than themselves; affiliative and sensitive to the needs of others; trustworthy and trusting of other people’s motives and methods; collaborative in nature, enabling them to be catalysts as they involve others and arrive at consensus; receptive to change and to discarding biases and old habits; tolerant and conceptually complex concerning events, ideas, and people; flexible and willing to compromise; interdependent and supportive of each other; and focused on the common good. Those interested in peacebuilding in Israeli-Palestinian relations can benefit from learning about empathy and ways to humanize the other. If this happens on a larger scale, the current barriers to peace will likely be diminished and the peace process will progress more smoothly.
Peace, as a path and as a destination, is our individual and collective responsibility. Each of us might highlight one or more aspects of the peace journey, but all of us contribute to its ultimate success. The transformation starts within and radiates to the world!
Saliba Sarsar
Dr. Saliba Sarsar is a Professor of Political Science at Monmouth University and President/CEO of the Jerusalem Peace Institute. His teaching and scholarly interests focus on the Middle East, Palestinian-Israeli affairs, Jerusalem, and peacebuilding. Among his authored books are Peacebuilding in Israeli-Palestinian Relations(2020) and Jerusalem: The Home in Our Hearts(2018). His edited books include The Holy Land Confederation as a Facilitator for the Two-State Solution (2022) and What Jerusalem Means to Us: Christian Perspectives and Reflections(2018). His most recent co-edited books are Democracy in Crisis Around the World (2020); Continuity and Change in Political Culture: Israel and Beyond (2020), and What Jerusalem Means to Us: Muslim Perspectives and Reflections(2021).
Dr. Sarsar is also a peace advocate and a public speaker. He is the co-Founder and President/ CEO of the Jerusalem Peace Institute, a non-profit that highlights Jerusalem as humanity’s shared gift as central for a just peace.
