Roni Keidar lives in Israel on the border of the Gaza Strip. Her message is: As long as the people on the other side don't have a life worth living, Israelis won't have peace. On the difficulty to get people to listen – without putting the relevant people on the defensive.
Since 1982 we have been living in Netiv Ha’asara, an agricultural village on the border of the Gaza Strip. A village first established in 1972 in the Northern Sinai and evacuated in 1982 in accordance with the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.
1984-1989, we went to Egypt, where my husband worked as agricultural consultant. It was there that I was first exposed to the two sides of the Israeli/Palestinian history and discovered the power of dialogue in bringing people together.
For the past 16 years the region I live in has been under constant threat of missiles, rockets, Mortar Shells and tunnels. Throughout these years I have witnessed damage to homes and greenhouses, the loss of life and the ongoing fear of the next alert and the next rocket.Together with my friends in Other Voice we try to make people understand that until people on the other side of the border do not have a life worth living neither will we have security and peace.
Roni Keider lives in Netiv Ha'Asara and is part of the NGO "Other Voice". Photo: Roni Keidar
People often ask me if I am on the right or the left of the political arena. My answer to that is that people on the right call me a “lefty” whereas people on the left do not think I am left enough.
I am a Zionist. I believe Israel is the Jewish Homeland and that we have no other. I do believe that this is the only place on earth where we, the Jewish people, can feel at home and walk with our heads up high, without any fear of being hurt, degraded or discriminated just because we are Jewish. Does that make me right-wing?
On the other hand, I believe that there is yet another people, the Palestinian people. They also see this small piece of land as their homeland, a place in which they can feel at home and walk with their heads up high, without any fear of being hurt, degraded or discriminated. I realize that as long as we do not acknowledge and respect their rights, we will not have a moment of peace and quiet. I believe that life on the Palestinian side means life on our side. Life in Gaza means life in Netiv Ha’asara, my village on the border of the Gaza Strip within the internationally recognized borders of Israel. Does that make me a “lefty”? So be it.
We all really and truly want the same
The trouble starts when people on either side take their ideas to the extreme. None of us has a problem with convincing the convinced. But what happens when I speak to an audience that doubts what I have to say – let alone completely disagrees with every word? How do I get them to listen? Certainly not by one sided accusations that put the listeners on the defensive instead of focusing on finding solutions of how to move forward in a positive direction. If we want our message to be listened to we must remember that we all really and truly want the same – to live in peace alongside our neighbors.
Our argument is on the how. If we want to make a change we must not be condescending but be understanding and emphatic to other ways of thinking just as we want other to be emphatic to ours. Extremism drives us further and further apart. We need to focus on the road of understanding and tolerance. The danger lies in forgetting our first and foremost aim in the struggle for justice and righteousness: to make things right, to educate as to what can or must be done and what should not and by putting a mirror before us to illustrate how things could or should be done differently.
Breaking the Silence – in their drive they forget their limitations
Let us take an organization like Breaking the Silence - Israeli soldiers talk about serving in the occupied territories.
Israel has a compulsory military service. The young men and women are well trained in whatever field they are assigned to. I believe that we have a moral military force with high standards of what must and what must not be done. I also know that these young men and women are under enormous stress and pressure or even downright fear. They are afraid of seeing their friends being injured or even killed before their eyes, they are afraid of every shadow on every corner.
Yes, sometimes mistakes happen, sometimes things are not implemented in the most ideal way. It is very easy for us to sit at home and criticize some of their actions and/or orders. But these men and women from Breaking the Silence were there, saw what was happening and try to cry out and put over a message “beware of what is happening behind the walls where no one can see”.
But what actually happens is that in their drive, they forget their limitations. They forget that we are, unfortunately, at war and in their frenzy for justice they publicize here and abroad without providing the whole context of reality only providing “ammunition” for all those who wish to use it against their own people. What good do they actually hope to achieve? Do we really think that someone out there is going to change what is happening here? Does the international community really care? Is it not simply putting the relevant people here on the defensive instead of making them seek for solutions and rectify what is wrong?
Bridges instead of tunnels, love instead of hate
On the other side, men women and young boys and girls going out in the streets knifing, shooting and suicide bombers, are they helping their people or are they actually making life more and more impossible? I know and feel that when they have nothing to lose they will happily give their lives up. Mistakes and injustice are done on both sides and extremists do not help the situation only make it that much worse.
It is us the people on both sides who show understanding, empathy and are willing to give a chance to life that can create bridges instead of tunnels, love instead of hate, a healthy economy instead of frustration and warfare.
