Statement of opinion on the violence at the Gaza border

These are extremely difficult days for all of us who wish, work, and educate for peace in our region; for all of us who advocate for equality and justice; for all of us who believe in a two-state solution; for all of us who thirst for vibrant democracy, including Palestinians, Jews, Arabs, and Israelis.

It is urgent that we raise our voices!

Palestinian and Jewish members of Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom truly believe that peace is possible between the two peoples. We have chosen to live together for 40 years. We believe that both the Israeli government and the Palestinians can choose peaceful means – instead of violent tactics – to address and resolve the conflict. Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom calls on our international partners and asks all individuals and organizations throughout the world which support nonviolent struggle against conflict to:

• call for an official investigation of the IDF’s recent actions in Gaza;
• unite through legitimate protest activities;
• publicly advocate for an end to Israel’s inhumane blockade of Gaza; 
• agree to, and become signatories of, any proposal that calls for the defense and protection of Palestinians in Gaza
• demand that the Israeli government allow both Arabs and Jews who are active in peace and human rights work to enter the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.

We have been following the recent gut-wrenching events in Jerusalem and Gaza closely. For 11 years, Israel has exercised a blockade of Gaza. Through this blockade, Israel has controlled Palestinians’ access to water and electricity, prevented the development of commerce, destroyed numerous homes, schools, and health centers, and wounded or killed countless civilians. Israel’s blockade has made the lives of the two million Palestinians living in Gaza unbearable.

President Donald Trump’s decision to open the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on May 14th was not a coincidence – it was a unilateral, provocative, and arrogant act intended to hurt the Palestinian people and contradict the international community’s stance on Jerusalem’s political status. On the day of the U.S. Embassy’s inauguration, Palestinians commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Nakba (known as the “catastrophe” during which 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their land) by peacefully protesting in the West Bank and Gaza for their right to return to their homes.

In response to their suffocating conditions, residents of Gaza have been demonstrating nonviolently against the blockade that has transformed Gaza into the largest and most crowded prison on earth. On May 14th alone, the Israeli army killed 60 unarmed Palestinian protesters along the separation fence. Throughout the past several weeks, IDF snipers have killed 100 unarmed Palestinians and wounded 12,000 civilians, including women, children, and people with disabilities.

Most of the Palestinians and Jews from Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom view the Israeli army’s use of force as excessive. We believe that the IDF’s determination to use violence to disperse nonviolent Palestinian demonstrators from the separation fence has triggered a dangerous escalation of the conflict. Additionally, within Israel, Israeli police officers have increasingly responded to peaceful Palestinian protests with unjustified violence.

Our community believes in, embodies, and promotes the use of nonviolence to solve the conflict. We are convinced that the conflict cannot be resolved through military force. Missiles and gunfire are not the only methods of fighting for and securing peace. Peace in the region – and justice for the Palestinian people – will only be attained by breaking the Blockade of Gaza, stopping the construction and expansion of settlements, and opening military crossings to facilitate the free movement of the Palestinian people.

Thank you,

Anwar Dawood
Chairman of the Municipal Committee

Eitan Kremer
Chairman of the Board of Directors,
Friends of the Educational Institutions

For more information, please contact Samah Salaime, Director, Communications and Development Office for the Village of Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom at samah@wasns.info.