Gaza - Israeli Conflict
In a recent Marist Messenger, the Provincial of the Marist Brothers, Br Peter Carroll, wrote on the Israeli – Gaza conflict. In this message he responds to the horror unfolding before us and provides suggestions as to how we might support the innocent on both sides and try to influence decision makers.
Br Peter draws our attention to the Prayer of the Mothers video that was created 7 years ago. It is a powerful expression of hope in what presents as an intractable situation. The symbolism and message are even more significant today.
From the website:
The song Prayer of the Mothers, was born as a result of an alliance made between singer-songwriter Yael Deckelbaum, and a group of courageous women, leading the movement of Women Wage Peace.
The movement arose in summer 2014 during the escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, and the military operation Tzuk Eitan.
On 4 October 2016, Jewish and Arab women began with the joint March of Hope project. Thousands of women marched from the north of Israel to Jerusalem in a call for peace. A call that reached its peak on 19 October, in a march of at least 4,000 women half of them Palestinian, and half Israeli, in Qasr el Yahud (on the northern Dead Sea), in a joint prayer for peace.
The very same evening 15,000 women protested in front of the Prime Minister’s house in Jerusalem.
The marchers were joined by the Nobel Prize for Peace winner Leymah Gbowee (Leymah Gbowee), who was significant in ending the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003, by the joint force of women.
In the song, Yael Deckelbaum combined a recording of Leymah, sampled from a YouTube video in which she had sent her blessings to the movement.
Another video giving expression to hope for a better future in this part of the world is the documentary The Narrow Bridge. Thanks to the tenacious efforts of Karen Collins this documentary will soon be available for you to watch.
The Narrow Bridge is a searching journey into the souls of four people who, after searing pain, develop strengths they never had before. We watch with wonder as Bushra, Rami, Meytal and Bassam, women and men who lost a child or parent in violent conflict, transform their grief into a bridge for reconciliation.
The film follows their paths from devastating trauma to courageous activism. But their stories are not just personal. They all belong to a controversial grassroots movement of broken-hearted people ‘Israeli Palestinian Bereaved Families’ who stand side-by-side to end the violence and build a future based on dignity and equality. Despite fierce political and family opposition, they refuse to give up.
Bushra, Rami, Meytal and Bassam all wish they could turn back time to before tragedy struck, but they would never change who they have become. Charting a journey of hope amidst pain, The Narrow Bridge lights a way to personal and social change.
Other suggestions from Br Peter include:
- Prayer – For the release of the hostages being held in Gaza and for peace between peoples. Attached to Br Peter’s letter is a Declaration for Peace and the Cessation of Violence from Br Ernesto, Superior General of the Marist Brothers.
- Become and stay informed – read about the history of Palestine and Israel. For the Jewish people, this is the Promised Land from Old Testament times. More recently, the rise of the Zionist movement in the late C19th reignited the significance of this land and culminated in the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. For the Palestinians, their claim also goes back into history.
- Give Financial Support – there are many humanitarian agencies supporting the victims on both sides of the conflict. The key Catholic organisation is Caritas Australia. Caritas Australia Gaza Appeal
- Express your voice – Br Peter provides the details of both the Embassy of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
I have attached a copy of Br Peter’s message for your information.
Peter Hawes
Assistant Head of School - Mission and Identity