Peace-Building in Israel and Palestine: Social Psychology and Grassroots Initiatives

204 Pages·2011·3.012 MB·English

by  Julia Chaitin (auth.)

Peace-Building in Israel and Palestine
Previouslypublishedbooks
Inside-Out:PersonalandCollectiveLifeinIsraelandtheKibbutz(2007)
Coeditor,ChildrenintheShadowoftheHolocaust (2007)
Coauthor,AStudyofPalestinianandIsraeliEnvironmentalNGOs,2000–2001
(2004)
Coauthor,ParenthoodandtheHolocaust (2001)
Peace-Building in Israel and Palestine
Social Psychology and Grassroots Initiatives
JuliaChaitin
peace-buildinginisraelandpalestine
Copyright©JuliaChaitin,2011.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2011 978-0-230-11508-8
Allrightsreserved.
Firstpublishedin2011by
PALGRAVEMACMILLAN®
intheUnitedStates—adivisionofSt.Martin’sPressLLC,
175FifthAvenue,NewYork,NY10010.
WherethisbookisdistributedintheUK,EuropeandtherestoftheWorld,
thisisbyPalgraveMacmillan,adivisionofMacmillanPublishersLimited,
registeredinEngland,companynumber785998,ofHoundmills,
Basingstoke,HampshireRG216XS.
PalgraveMacmillanistheglobalacademicimprintoftheabove
companiesandhascompaniesandrepresentativesthroughouttheworld.
Palgrave®andMacmillan®areregisteredtrademarksintheUnited
States,theUnitedKingdom,Europeandothercountries.
ISBN 978-1-349-29641-5 ISBN 978-0-230-33921-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230339217
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Chaitin,Julia.
Peace-buildinginIsraelandPalestine:socialpsychologyandgrassroots
initiatives/byJuliaChaitin.
p. cm.
1. Arab-Israeliconflict—1993—Peace. 2. Peace-building—Israel.
3. Peace-building—Palestine. 4. Socialpsychology—Israel.
5. Socialpsychology—Palestine. I. Title.
DS119.76.C4832011
956.9405(cid:2)4—dc22 2011003102
A(cid:1)catalogue(cid:1)record(cid:1)of(cid:1)the(cid:1)book(cid:1)is(cid:1)available(cid:1)from(cid:1)the(cid:1)British(cid:1)Library.(cid:1)
Design(cid:1)by(cid:1)Integra(cid:1)Software(cid:1)Services
First(cid:1)edition:(cid:1)August(cid:1)2011
1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
(cid:53)(cid:83)(cid:66)(cid:79)(cid:84)(cid:71)(cid:70)(cid:83)(cid:83)(cid:70)(cid:69)(cid:1)(cid:85)(cid:80)(cid:1)(cid:37)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:74)(cid:85)(cid:66)(cid:77)(cid:1)(cid:49)(cid:83)(cid:74)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:79)(cid:72)(cid:1)(cid:19)(cid:17)(cid:18)(cid:22)
ThisbookisdedicatedtoalltheIsraeliandPalestinianpeacebuildersthat
IknowandthatIhaveyettomeet.Yourcommitmenttocreatinga
nonviolent,healthy,andsustainablefutureforusallgivesmethestrengthto
continuewithmywork.
Contents
Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xiii
1 Introduction:PersonalandHistorical-PoliticalBackground
totheBook 1
2 PsychosocialFactorsConnectedtotheArab-Jewish/
Israeli-PalestinianConflicts 23
3 “HowCanWeSpeaktoOneAnother?”Dialoguebetween
JewsandPalestiniansonthePathtoPeaceandSocialChange 55
4 AdvancingScienceTogether:UndertakingJointResearchin
theIsraeli-PalestinianContext 77
5 PoliticalandPeaceTourismintheHolyLand 99
6 JointVenturesforPeace:WomenandSustainableHuman
DevelopmentintheIsraeli-PalestinianContext 119
7 Co-CreatingPeaceWhenYouCan’tMeet:TheCaseofGaza
andtheSderotRegion 137
Co-authoredbyEricYellin
8 ItCanOnlyBeDoneIfWeDoItTogether:Promising
DirectionsforCo-CreationofaJustPeaceinthe
Israeli-PalestinianContext 153
Notes 175
References 177
Index 195
Foreword
IwasfirstintroducedtothequestionofPalestinein1948,whenmyfamily
moved from Beer Sheva to Gaza. I was only four years old at the time, but
I remember that day. I remember my mother pushing our sewing machine
into the waiting truck, and my father, with a dismissive wave of his hand,
indicatingthatshebestleavethemachine.Yearslater,Ihadlearnedthathe
wascertainwewouldbehomeagainintwoweeks.Becauseofwhatsheleft
behind,mymotherwassadforyears.
OurlifeinGazawasn’toverlyhardthough.Sincemyfather’sfamilyorig-
inallyhailsfromGaza,wehadonlytomoveintomyfather’shouse—unlike
most other refugees who had to move into makeshift camps. We were also
surroundedbyanetworkofrelatives—cousinsanduncles—manyofwhom
had had to flee their land as we did. The United Nations Relief and Works
Agencyreadilyemployedmyfather.Mymotherwassoonabletobuyanew
sewingmachine,althoughshehadkepttalking,longingly,abouttheoldone.
We were lucky. Gaza was full of women refugees who begged for bread or
money,whowouldbehappytodohouseworkforapittanceofpay.
Jewsfiguredintomylifeastheenemywhohadstolenourland,whohad
mademypeoplerefugees.IhatedJews.Thenin1956IsraeloccupiedGaza
during its Suez Campaign. Once, in the earlier days of that terrifying time,
Iopenedourgatetoastranger.Hewasared-facedmanwho,influentArabic,
askedtoseemyfather.Iwasshockedtoseehim;themoresowhenhegave
his name as Moshe—an obviously Jewish name. Imagine my surprise then
whenIsawmyfatherhugthisman,thisRussian-looking,Jewishman.They
embraced and cried into each other. Moshe turned to me and said, “Don’t
besurprised,son.Weareoldfriends.”Icouldnotbelieveitwhenmyfather
then said, “We are like brothers.” Moshe was not an enemy, I thought, but
thenwhowas?
Iwasburningwithaneedtoknowmore,butIhadtowaitformyfather’s
“brother” to relax in the company of memories and nostalgia before I had
the chance to ask him, “What about the Jews who stole our land?” Moshe
x ● Foreword
wasnowsippinghistea.Hehadjustdippedapieceoftoastinoliveoiland
thyme. He looked at me, then at my father and exclaimed, “You didn’t tell
him, Rajab?” “Look, son,” he began, “those thieves are the Zionists. They
camefromPolandandRussia.Butwe,theJewsofPalestine,arePalestinians
likeyouare.WelivedhappilytogetheruntiltheZionistscameandshattered
ourlife.Theyareourcommonenemy.”WhatMoshehadsaidhadaprofound
effectonme.NotallJewsaretheenemythen;onlytheZionists.
Experience in Gaza over the last 40 years has brought me in contact
with Israelis and Jews from everywhere. These experiences have made me
aware and enriched my life and given me experience working within areas
of politics, peace, human rights, and mental health. I have found so many
similaritiesbetweenthetwopeople,suchasfearoftheother.
Fear is a drug that dulls our moral imagination and leads us into the
armsofmalignanddestructivefatherfigureswhoturnouttobeclownsand
thugs. This is true for us, the Palestinians, and for Israelis. We have both
beendeceivedandmanipulated.Buttheonusrestsmorewiththemthanus.
Theymadeusrefugees;theycontinuetotakeourland;theykillusinGaza,
theWestBank,andeveninneutralplaceslikeDubai;theyhavethemilitary
mightandthepoliticalsupportoftheUnitedStatesandEurope.
Israeltodayisawarfarestatethatappearstofuelfanaticismandpromote
theprimitive anddestructiveconcept ofa clashofcivilizations. Thisispart
of an effort to avoid a moral and political reckoning that will lead to a fair
divisionoflandandresourcesandthecreationofaviablePalestinianstate.
As a psychiatrist trained to deal with peoples’ fears, I recognize the
deep perversity of Israeli thinking and behavior. The contempt, the wish
to humiliate; the depraved indifference to human life, all this strikes me as
symptomatic.Israel’sfearisstimulatedbyright-wingdemagogicpoliticians.
ButitsrootsaredeepandextendbacktothetraumaoftheHolocaust.These
fearsneedtobeseriouslyandcarefullyaddressed.Theycannotbedisparaged
ordismissed.
Let me tell a story from my own practice. One day I was going to my
clinicindowntownGaza.Therewasabigcrowdinthemiddleofthestreet.
Icouldnotkeepdriving,soIparkedmycarandwalkedtherestoftheway.
ButIwassocurious,thereweresomanypeopleblockingthestreet,shouting
andscreaming.Imovedthroughthepeople.Itturnedouttheywerecircling
aroundonemanwhohadaswordandwaswavingitaboutinhuge,sweeping
circles.Everybodywasfrightened,butthemanwasthemostfrightenedofall.
He was defiant, but deeply frightened. And he was one of my patients.
I recognized him. And I sensed that they were going to kill him. Suddenly,
ifhelostcontrol,theyweregoingtojumponhimandhewouldbebeaten
to death. So I worked my way through the crowd until I came face to face
Foreword ● xi
with him. I called him by his first name and I said, “Ahmed!” And he said,
“Dr. Eyad!” He came and jumped on me and threw down the sword. And
thenIwalkedoutwithhim.Iriskedsomething,buthewouldnothavetalked
tojustanybody.IcalledhimbyhisnameandthenIopenedupmyarms.He
stillhadthesword.Hecouldhavekilledme.
Whatdoesthisstoryteach?First,thatwehavetobewillingtotakerisksif
wewanttodisarmfear.Second,thatourapproachmustbegentle,butdelib-
erate.Andthird,thatwehavetounderstandthatpanicispainfulandthatif
givenachance,mostpeople,eventhosesufferingfromamentaldisorder,will
choosetosurrendertheirfear.
WhendealingwithIsraelis,Palestinianshavetoooftenactedinwaysthat
re-arm rather than disarm fear and have too often used rhetoric, which is
crude and tendentious, which vilifies or threatens a whole people. This is
ugly;itisalsopoliticallystupid.
IhaveworkedwithJewsinIsrael,intheUnitedStates,theUnitedKing-
dom, and in every European country. They have been crucial allies, and
their participation in the struggle for justice remains vital to the prospects
for a decent future. We must find common ground, and from this place of
unity,extendourmessageofcoexistencebasedonmutualrecognitionofeach
other’s rights. We need the Israelis, and despite the current collapse of the
peace camp, I continue to have faith that countries, which are so rich in
human resources, will eventually produce a new generation with the vision
andvaluesoftheJewishcolleagueswithwhomIhavejoinedonsomemany
campaigns.
IrememberbeingonaspeakingtourinCanadawithRuchamaMarton,
anIsraelidoctor.Oursubjectwashumanrights.Aright-wingzealotjumped
upinthemiddleofourtalkanddemandedtoknowhowshecouldbestand-
ingsidebysidewithaPalestinianterrorist.Aremarkablewomanandsteadfast
friend,sheproceededtogivehimahistorylesson.Sherecalledherexperience
asayoungIDF1conscriptservingintheNegevduringthe1967war.Agroup
of 30 or so exhausted, dehydrated Egyptian soldiers approached the Israel
position, their hands raised in surrender. To her horror, the commanding
officer gave orders to the machine gunner to open fire. All were massacred.
“That’s why I am here tonight with Eyad,” she said. “I witnessed a crime,
and I am determined to do everything I can to make sure that crime is not
repeated.”
Wemustembraceandhonorpeoplelikethisandfindawaytobuildasol-
idaritymovementinwhicheveryoneconcernedwithjusticecanparticipate.
Lookatthemostimportantfigureswhoareengagedintheinternationalcam-
paigntoendthesiegeonGaza:thejournalistNaomiKlein,thelinguistNoam
Chomsky,thesonofarabbi,NormanFinkelstein,andthesonofholocaust