Like the man said: "War is over if you want it"

[eumelia]

Peace minded residents of Gaza, Sderot meet online, write blog.

Peace minded residents of Gaza, Sderot meet online, write blog.
By Ronit Roccas, Haaretz Correspondent

They used to meet in Sderot. It seems like ages ago. They were a group of Palestinians from Gaza and Israelis, most of whom were from Sderot. A siren could go off at any moment, but they continued to try to understand how sanity could be returned to the region. They thought of starting joint summer camps for children from Gaza and Sderot, and above all they tried to create a dialogue that overcame prejudices and deceptions. But it's been six months since they last met in a Sderot living room.

"We have given up on persuading the authorities to let them leave Gaza," says Danny Gal, one of the dialogue's organizers. "These people do not constitute a security threat. On the contrary, they are a positive and calming element, but the closure on Gaza is sweeping. So we decided to meet online and let the world hear a different voice, from both Gaza and Sderot."

The result is a joint blog, in English (http://gaza-sderot.blogspot.com), which began in January. It centers around two personas: Peace Man from Gaza and Hope Man from Sderot. The two have refused to disclose their identities or give interviews, and Gal speaks on their behalf.
"Exposure would really endanger the life of the fellow from Gaza. The blog would make them suspect him of collaboration. With respect to the fellow from Sderot, this is his decision. He thinks that media exposure at such an early stage would mark him with a stereotype in the town. He wants to see if this gathers momentum first, and what kind of attention the activity receives."

A week without rockets

"Last night was one of the worst," the Palestinian wrote on February 6. "Since two days the situation is getting worse in Gaza, same as in Sderot.

"It started with shooting between Egyptian and Palestinians who wanted to leave the border open, and now from Israeli helicopter and F16, and they say in the news the Israel army will attack Gaza. Many Palestinians have been killed and injured."

In other posts, he described repeated visits to Rafah after the fence along the Egyptian border was breached. "This is the third time I go with my friends to Egypt," he wrote on January 28. "Even though it was difficult it was enjoyable.

"We couldn't leave Gaza for such a long time, so it was a chance to leave Gaza for some time to feel that we are free to leave, even though this is not what we dream for, it gave us hope for freedom."

Gal describes the blogger from Gaza: "He is about 30 years old, a bachelor who worked as a teacher until they closed the school. If he were an Israeli, we'd be buddies. He is a funny fellow who is interested in women, a career, and is considering buying a home, whether he can pay off a mortgage. What hurts him most is that he can't leave Gaza. He started studying for a master's degree abroad, had to come back to Gaza and is stuck there. Now he can't continue his studies."

The blogger from Sderot described a reprise from the Qassams, which was broken all too soon. He wrote on February 3, during a period of quiet, "My wife and I took a walk yesterday afternoon in the fields near Sderot. The weather was excellent, and I was thinking how nice it is to have a whole week without rockets ... it's so easy to get used to a somewhat normal life.

"While walking back home, the dreaded siren started warning of rockets. We lay flat on the ground ... After a couple of minutes we got up and began to hurry, since we left the kids at home."

Gal says, "The writer from Sderot is a man of about 40 who works in high-tech. He loves the area, is connected to his home, the community; his business is there."

A few days after that post, two children were injured in one of the worst recent bombardments. One lost a leg, and Sderot's residents went out to demonstrate. The blogger from Sderot urged: "Don't be fooled by your leaders to think that only violence will change your life for the better."

Like the blogger from Gaza, the Sderot resident also is far from the stereotypes. "Contrary to appearances, there are people in Sderot who think differently, who understand that more violence will not stop the Qassams," says Gal. "They have been living for seven years under Qassams. In the media we hear the agitation. I can't guarantee the numbers, but the blog represents a large camp in Sderot."

The two bloggers first met through the non-profit Center for Emerging Futures (CEF), which Gal helps lead. The organization was founded by Whit Jones, a psychologist and businessman from Idaho who brought two partners to the initiative: Ibrahim Issa, the principal of a school in Bethlehem, and Gal, 38, from Petah Tikva, an organizational psychologist and a major in the reserves. Gal brought his experience in shaping and moderating dialogue at companies to creating an Israeli-Palestinian-international encounter.

"We aren't trying to make peace," says Gal. "People are afraid of one another because of a whole system of prejudices and stereotypes, and when they meet, all their preconceptions change. We hold meetings in Beit Jalla [near Jerusalem, in the West Bank] with Israelis, Palestinians and people from other countries, who bring a soothing influence. But there are smaller meetings, real working meetings, like those that used to be held in the living room of the fellow from Sderot, and they may be held again in the future."

Comments

[talibah-nazahah.livejournal.com]

thanks for posting this. i havent had a chance to read it but will when i get to work... then i will write something more thoughtful :)