Zoomcast Notes: November, 2022
Warmest thanks to Huda Abuarquob and Nivine Sandouka for a passionate presentation on the peace building work they are doing with ALLMEP--Alliance for Middle East Peace.
Find out more about ALLMEP at https://www.allmep.org/ and explore the ALLMEP initiatives Huda and Nivine described at the following links:
Summary of Huda and Nivine’s Major Points:
…we need to find ways of talking to one another, not isolating out of fear
…we’re engaged in non-violent co-resistance and peace building
…median age of people in Gaza and the West Bank is around 16 to 20 years old. We must engage them in new narratives. We are stuck in narratives of the past which serve neither Palestinians nor Israelis.
… we must learn to listen to one another. People need to be seen, to be acknowledged. This is especially true for young Palestinians who feel--and often are--invisible to outsiders
…everyone needs to be included--settlers as well.
…we want to move from a binary way of seeing the world to a circular, inclusive view
…it doesn’t matter if we end up with one state, two states, a confederation: if we treat people as equals, the political situation will resolve; look to Northern Ireland and Liberia and the work women peace builders have done for models of how to move forward
…we must take risks to build peace; can’t let our youth on both sides keep moving to the extremes
…there are no honest brokers helping to bring peace
…we must find a third narrative; make space for those hijacked by dysfunctional, confrontational stories
…the outside world must listen to Palestinians and Israelis who live there
…we need to be carriers of peace; we are engaged in conflict transformation
…nations and people need to be held accountable for ways in which their funding makes things worse and heightens dissension and conflict
…continuing the conversation with others is a vital step towards changing the conflict-based narrative. We each have a role in peace building
…getting to mutual understanding of differences as well as common ground is in the interests of a better life for both Palestinians and Israelis.