Mission impossible? - Israelis and Palestinians working together for peace | DW Documentary

Key Concepts International Solidarity of Women, Peace Activism, Nonviolence, Combatants for Peace, The Third Narrative, Pro-Solution Approach, Humanity of the 'Enemy', Impact of October 7th, Loss and Grief, Coexistence, Shared Land, Ending the Conflict, Rejecting Demonization, Creating Hope, Shared Future, Equality, Freedom, Independence.

Call for International Solidarity and a New Language for Peace

The video opens with a powerful call for international solidarity, specifically from women worldwide, to affirm their commitment to peace. It highlights the urgent need for a "new language" and innovative ways to reach more people in the pursuit of peace. This sets the stage for exploring alternative approaches to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, moving beyond traditional divides.

Personal Testimonies of Loss and the Quest for Humanity

The narrative is deeply anchored in personal experiences of profound loss, particularly following the events of October 7th.

• Vivian's Story: A daughter recounts the tragic death of her mother, Vivian, a lifelong peace activist. On October 7th, Vivian was in her house, communicating with her daughter via phone and text until she reported "they're inside the house." Her remains were later found in her room, confirming her death there. The daughter expresses immense grief, stating, "I just started to process losing my mother and her dying," and heartbreakingly adds, "When my mother was killed and she wasn't killed as a human, right? She was finished like a bug." She borrows a friend's phrase, "I want my mother to be a victim of peace and not of war," underscoring the desire for a different reality. This testimony highlights the dehumanizing nature of violence and the personal toll it takes.

Ali Abawad's Journey from Violence to Nonviolence

Ali Abawad, a Palestinian born in the West Bank to a refugee family who lost their home in 1948, shares his transformative journey:

• Early Activism: He joined the First Intifada in 1987, throwing stones and spending four years in prison. He clarifies his motivation: "All what I what I did was about to raise my voice to tell the world that I exist. But I was not aiming to hurt anyone."
• Disillusionment and Personal Tragedy: Hopes for a Palestinian state after the Oslo Accords failed, leading to the Second Intifada in 2000, during which he was shot in the knee by an Israeli settler. Shortly after, his older brother, Yousef, was "killed very violently by Israeli soldiers."
• Turning Point and Realization: This series of events almost led him back to violence, but he realized "anger is blindness." A pivotal moment came when he met bereaved Israeli parents who had also lost loved ones. He recognized their shared humanity: "I realized that, you know, they're just like us. You know, the devil has a face and the devil is not a devil. It's a human being."
• Philosophy of Nonviolence: Abawad advocates for a "pro solution" approach, emphasizing that "we don't need more divide. We are divided enough and we don't need more sides." He defines his "weapon" in the struggle not as his own humanity, but "my enemy's humanity. And this is the reflection. You become a mirror to your enemy." He stresses that nonviolence requires immense courage.

Combatants for Peace: Bridging Divides

The video introduces "Combatants for Peace," an organization comprising former Palestinian prisoners and ex-Israeli soldiers working together.

• Shared Experience of Loss: One member, an ex-Hamas member from the First Intifada who spent seven months in Israeli jail and carries a bullet in his neck, shares his profound loss: "I lost really more than 60% [of my family]... children, kids, women, men, old men, old women" in Gaza. He echoes the sentiment of shared pain with Vivian's daughter, stating, "I understand your feeling as well because it's the same with me too... I'm against the violence against the the guilt. I don't want that happened. I'm I'm with struggle against the occupation but not in violence. Yeah. Without violence. M. I don't need to kill anyone by my name." This highlights a commitment to resistance without violence.

The "Standing Together" Movement and a New Vision for Peace

Young Israelis, many of whom have only known Netanyahu's leadership, articulate a critique of the "old peace camp" in Israel, which they describe as exclusively Jewish and telling Palestinians to "wait."

• Critique of Old Approaches: They argue, "we have no time to wait. We cannot wait for someone to wake up one day and to say today I'm I'm going to you know do this historic compromise and and achieve peace with the Palestinians."
• Combined Interests and Shared Loss: The "Standing Together" movement advocates for combining the interests of both Palestinians and Jewish people, acknowledging that "both are losing from this reality." They differentiate the losses: Palestinians pay "the ultimate price for the occupation and the war in death in tens of thousands," while Jewish people "pay a different price," as seen in the October 7th attacks.
• Rejection of Dehumanization: They strongly condemn government ministers who claim "there's no such thing as an innocent Palestinian, that the children of today are the terrorist of tomorrow." They assert, "We know that the people in Gaza are not the same as Hamas just like the majority of people in Israel are different from our government."
• Motivation: Their commitment stems from a desire to live and raise families in their home, necessitating action for change.

The Third Narrative Podcast: Challenging Binary Perspectives

Ibrahim, an Arab citizen of Israel from Nazareth (representing 20% of Israel's population), and Amira from East Jerusalem, introduce "The Third Narrative" podcast.

• Problem of Binary Narratives: They observe that social media often reduces the conflict to "black and white," "very contrasting narratives" that are either "pro-Israeli" or "pro-Palestinian," inherently meaning "anti-the other side."
• Solution: Their podcast aims to provide an "original and authentic initiative" to share diverse identities, views, and experiences from the ground, moving beyond one-sided perspectives.
• Critique of International Engagement: They criticize the international community for using Israeli and Palestinian voices to "fuel Islamophobia and anti-semitism," comparing the global discourse to a "football match" focused on "slogans," "chants," and "flags," which they find "disgusting."
• Call to Action for Outsiders:
  • For those "with no skin in the game," they urge: "you do not need to choose sides. Choose humanity. Choose to help us end the conflict without choosing one over the other."
  • For those "with a skin in the game," they advise: "support your own people... but you don't need to demonize an entire people for that."
• Creating Hope: Acknowledging the current lack of hope ("Everyone sees black when they wake up because we saw so much blood"), they emphasize that "the only solution is to create hope," even when it's difficult.

A Vision for Coexistence and Shared Belonging

The speakers articulate a clear vision for the future:

• Goal: To create an environment where "the Jewish and Palestinian identity will be practiced in a fashion that no one has to pay the price of his dignity, freedom or security."
• Challenge of Emotions: They identify that "Israelis are led by fear today. Palestinian are led by anger," leading to endless conflict.
• Call for Awakening: They question, "How much innocent souls we have to lose until we wake up until we realize that none of these identities will be can be ignored forever or can be rejected forever."
• Interdependent Freedom: A powerful statement declares, "I don't want my freedom to be built on Jewish graves. I want my freedom to be built through Jewish hearts and cons consciousness."
• Shared Responsibility: Both sides have a "tremendous responsibility... to wake up and design a national plan that can serve all of."
• Gaza's Reality: They acknowledge the suffering in Gaza, describing the land as "bleeding," yet also full of people "ready to do anything possible to change this reality."
• Belonging to the Land: The ultimate goal is for everyone to "learn how to belong to it together" in this beautiful land.

Conclusion: Practical Solutions for a Shared Future

The video concludes with a pragmatic assessment of the conflict's future:

• Irreversible Reality: The expulsion of either 7 million Jews or 7 million Palestinians is not a viable or realistic outcome. "7 million Jews are going to remain living on this land... 7 million Palestinians are going to remain on this land."
• The Only Solution: Given this fact, the only path forward is "a solution that acknowledge the fact that all of us are going to remain and that all of us deserve equality, freedom, and independence."
• Call for Pro-Solution Partners: The final call is for everyone to be "pro solution in a practical way," recognizing that "there are so many people here and in Israel and in Palestine who can be their partners for change."

The overarching message is a fervent plea for a shift from division and demonization to a shared commitment to humanity, nonviolence, and practical solutions that ensure dignity, freedom, and security for both Israelis and Palestinians on the same land.