Combatants for Peace
By Stephanie Van Hook
There is something fundamentally hopeful about nonviolence. And so it’s important for us to share hope with others whenever we find it. Today I want to highlight an organization based in Israel and Palestine, Combatants for Peace. Comprised of former combatants on both sides of the conflict, they have a firm commitment to nonviolence. A recent post on their Instagram feed shares their values and why they do the work that they do:
“We are Palestinians and Israelis creating a new story based on our shared humanity.”
We recently interviewed two CfP, Sulaiman Khatib and Chen Alon, on Nonviolence Radio with filmmaker Stephen Apkon, who directed a new film about their work, There is another way. It is one of the best films I’ve seen about nonviolence within the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
The Metta Center is proud to be a co-sponsor of their Joint Memorial Day Ceremony,
The Joint Memorial Ceremony provides a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand strong in demanding an end to the occupation and ongoing violence. The ceremony occurs yearly on the eve of Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Memorial Day). In Israeli mainstream culture, the ceremonies that are most often held to honor this day serve to reinforce cultural narratives of pain, victimhood, and hopelessness. The Joint Memorial transforms this narrative by bringing Palestinians to the Memorial alongside Israelis to mourn side by side and model another way forward.