Words from our Jewish-Arab movement in these dark times

JVL Introduction

Standing Together is a grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice.

Here it reports on the current situation and its attempts to continue dialogue, build bridges, maintain hope: “There are two nations living here, and neither one is going anywhere.”

Standing Together, Newsletter, 10th October

We are devastated. Over the past few days, we have watched as almost 1000 Israeli men, women, children and elderly people were taken from their homes and murdered by Hamas. Jews and Arabs across Israel are hurting and mourning loved ones every day, and we are now anxiously witnessing Israel’s brutal retaliation on Gaza.

Amidst the horror and devastation, our communities have been meeting and organizing all throughout Israel to build “a Jewish-Arab Solidarity Watch” so we can acknowledge the loss, support each other and our communities, and prepare for an escalation of intercommunal violence within Israel. Our movement has a vital role at this moment. Please consider supporting us.

Nobody deserves to be murdered. Nobody deserves to lose their loved ones, their homes, and their communities. No Jew or Palestinian should have to pay for the actions of their leaders – or their neighbor’s leaders – with their lives. This war is bad for everyone in this land.

The damage to the psyche of our nations in Israel-Palestine has already been done. We are all led by cowards who exploit this fear, refuse to act in our interest, and have led us to endless cycles of violence. Our government will tell us that we need to use every military force available to us in order to return back to “normal”, and regain “peace and quiet”. We must not buy into the illusion that security can be achieved through military action. There is no future here – for any of us – without ending the occupation and guaranteeing independence, freedom, and security for both peoples.

As a grassroots Jewish-Arab movement in Israel, we are particularly concerned about the inevitable heightened ostracization and discrimination of Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and increased tension between Arabs and Jews. In times like these, solidarity and partnership are more important than ever. We have begun to form groups of people in several cities in Israel, especially mixed cities, to be ready to join initiatives aimed at strengthening the relationships between Jews and Arabs during these times. With 10 “solidarity watch” WhatsApp groups around the country, we have begun efforts to mobilize Jews and Arabs to go through this moment together.

Wars in Israel-Palestine transform the country into its most polarized form – and it is our duty to resist that in every possible way. There are two nations living here, and neither one is going anywhere. Our response to wars cannot remain restricted to our “side”, it needs to shift towards solidarity for everyone who lives here. This message is not only crucial here, but also needs to be heard within the international community. None of our “leaders” have our interests in mind. Don’t pick sides, but rather choose to stand in solidarity with all of us – the people in Israel/Palestine.

Our politicians are more focused on revenge than they are on bringing back the over 100 hostages currently held in Gaza. We started a petition with nearly 6000 signatures, to demand that our government prioritizes the lives of those captured.

Now, more than ever, we must work together and focus our efforts on strengthening our communities, ensuring everyone has access to a clean shelter and a roof over their head, and creating safe shared spaces in mixed cities. We will continue working on advancing solidarity between all Jews and Palestinians, towards peace, equality, and justice in Israel.