These are dark days for anyone working for and hoping for a peaceful shared future in Israel/Palestine.  My heart breaks as I follow the daily violence in the past two weeks.

It seems that fear and hate are ruling. It seems that there is no adult around to stop the violence, no leader brave enough to calm the waves of fear. Instead they stoke the fires of  existential anxieties and the circle of trauma and more violence continues.

But there are others more courageous than our leaders that are taking to the streets. 2,500 people came together in Jerusalem: Jews, Arabs, and Palestinians marched through the center of Jerusalem calling for an end to the current round of violence and calling on people to support coexistence and a solution to the occupation.

There were people there from Hand in Hand  – an NGO that brings together thousands of Jews and Arabs in six schools and communities throughout Israel. They are proving on a daily basis the viability of inclusion and equality for all citizens of Israel.

There were people there from the Parents Circle
a grassroots organization of bereaved Palestinians and Israelis that promotes reconciliation as an alternative to hatred and revenge.

The Parent Circle’s Peace Square met on 10/10 and 10/17 in Jaffa to provide a public space for dialogue and an alternative to hatred and fear. Read Israel 21c’s article about the Peace Square and other joint peace building work online.

There were people there from Women Wage Peace  –  a group that works to bring about a viable peace agreement. Israeli and Palestinian women leaders’ came together and issued a mutual statement: Enough is enough.  Read their petition and support their call to the end of violence HERE

I’m proud of the resilience and leadership of these and many more communities and the courage they show. They are the light for me. Please support these voices for sanity in any way you can.