Taboos are entrenched in all societies. One of the defining features of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the polarization of views on both sides and a lack of willingness to budge from the proverbial 'armchair' of each nation's own narrative.
As four British students, we've been privileged this week to see, first hand, an initiative aimed at changing this reality and providing much needed impetus to the stagnating peace process.
Anthony Silkoff (left), Gary Butterly, David Campbell, and Hala Ousta
The first stop was Sderot, an Israeli town that has suffered rocketing from Gaza for the past eight years. When we asked our host about the desirability of a two-state solution, the reply was: "We could tolerate the existence of a Palestinian state." While hardly an enthusiastic response, it was nothing less than what the OneVoice Movement asks for.
The OneVoice Movement doesn't require that people like each other, just that a two-state solution is accepted on the terms of the masses.
There were, however, some statements from a few that were either based on ignorance, fear or both.
"All they do is terror... every time we give them something they attack," said one resident of Sderot. "Who should I talk to, a terror organization?! They are killing our children in cold blood."
However, there were many more empathetic contributions, talking about the bloodshed on both sides, and objecting to the insinuations that Palestinians had been rewarded for shelling Israeli land: "I'm not giving them something new, I'm giving [land] back to them."
Salfeet, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, suffers from the continued expansion of settlements surrounding it.
"They want to make our lives a nightmare." This statement was emblematic of the feeling in the room. The participants were evidently frustrated and angry, but rather animated at the prospect of having an audience of Western 'ambassadors', as they saw us.
Several parallels could be drawn between the people of Sderot and Salfeet, in that both felt the other side were unwilling to negotiate, that the whole world was against them, but also that both wanted peace in the direction of a two-state solution.
So for us internationals, a lot of food for thought. Hopefully these meetings have provoked and encouraged discussion of these 'taboo' issues in Israeli and Palestinian society. The leadership may not be listening yet; however, the voice of the moderate majority will not be silenced.
OneVoice Glasgow is based at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. To find out more about our experiences, read our blog at: http://ovglasgow.blogspot.com or email us at OneVoiceGlasgow@gmail.com.
Comments