“If the Abrahamic Reunion will succeed – then we will succeed as politicians.”
– Palestinian Minister Muhammad Madani
On March 22, the Abrahamic Reunion group of religious leaders and peace builders made a journey to Ramallah to meet with the Committee for the Interaction with Israeli Society at the Fatah headquarters, hosted by PA minister Muhammad Madani, and other committee members.
Speaking in fluent Hebrew, committee member Zeyad Darwish described the work of the committee, to meet with any sector of Israeli society that wishes to engage with the Palestinian leadership. He gave examples of their work: inviting city council members of central Israel town Nes Ziona to Ramallah, and receiving a parallel visit of Palestinian leaders to Nes Ziona; and, a series of overseas meetings with a group of prominent rabbis from the Shas party.
As a group of leading religious peace-builders, Jews, Christian, Muslim and Druze, the projects of the Abrahamic Reunion that we shared impressed the committee.
Video Summary Reports from Eliyahu McLean and Hajj Ibrahim Abuelhawa
The committee members asked us to convince Israeli society that there is a partner for peace: “We each bring our own history, let’s talk about the future… The price for peace is less than the price of conflict… We are all brothers, the children of Adam and Eve, we want to build on the positive achievements of Israel, we seek co-existence.”
“The price for peace is less than the price of conflict… We are all brothers, the children of Adam and Eve, we want to build on the positive achievements of Israel, we seek co-existence.”
The Fatah group began by addressing Hadassah Froman, praising the life and legacy of her late husband Rabbi Menachem Froman, who had met often with PLO leadership seeking to find religiously based solutions to the conflict. The main points of our discussion were:
– The Saudi peace initiative: the Fatah leaders presented us with a copy of the Saudi plan, whereby in exchange for a 2 state solution on ’67 borders with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital, 47 Arab and Muslim nations would recognize Israel. “A Palestinian state opens a bridge to the Arab/Muslim world, let’s build a bridge to peace,” they said to us. One Israeli present in our group responded, that the inclusion of the ‘right of return’ for Palestinian refugees makes the plan a non-starter for most Israelis.
– Assertion by the Fatah leaders that the occupation is the root of suffering on both sides.
– How ‘settlers’ can and should be at the forefront of initiatives for Israeli-Palestinian peace: this was addressed by three of the Jewish leaders, Hadassah Froman from Tekoa, Rabbi Yaakov Nagen from Otniel, and Rabbi Hanan Shlesinger from Alon Shvut, each a leader in ‘settler-Palestinian’ dialogue projects.
– Abrahamic Reunion members pressed the Fatah group: How can the committee support and protect Palestinian peacemakers who have been attacked by “anti-normalization” activists because of their work with Israelis. Abrahamic Reunion leaders present, Haj Ibrahim Abuelhawa, Abdel Salaam Manasra and our coordinators from Ramallah and Jericho, each have been threatened or physically attacked for their work with Israelis.
– The issue of the West Bank separation wall that the Palestinians view as a symbol of occupation: Eliyahu said this wall is the result of the ‘walls of fear’, that Israelis experience, the fear for survival from experience of terror attacks. Rabbi Nagen stated our inter-faith work rebuilds trust, this is a crucial part of the effort to tear down the walls of fear that lead to building of physical walls.
– Elana Rozenman addressed the importance of the work between Israeli and Palestinian women, speaking of her work where women gather in safe spaces, bonding deeply as mothers and sisters when men aren’t present.
– Fathers Nael Abu Rahmoun, and Masoud Abu Hatoum addressed the role of Christians in Arab-Jewish peacemaking
– Arab Israelis – and Bedouins in particular – are essential to helping build a bridge of understanding between Israel and the wider Arab world, said Bedouin Imam Khalil Albaz and his wife Sanaa, from the Beduoin community of Tel Sheva.
– The issue of settlements, committee members asked: would you as settlers be willing live as Jewish citizens in a State of Palestine? Rabbi Nagen: how could you guarantee our safety? In my ‘yishuv’/settlement alone 11 people have been murdered.
– Other options to the 2 state solution: a Confederation of States, an ‘Abrahamic Union’; the status quo, leading to a bi-national state solution. Annexation of the West Bank. Ideas were mentioned, the Fatah leaders were insistent that the ‘2 state’ model is the only viable option to consider.
– Who’s to blame? Opinions presented but not resolved: the occupation, the intransigent Israeli leadership, the refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, Palestinian leaders incitement to terror…
Hadassah Froman spoke for all present: “It is our job as peace activists to help the politicians to move the process along.” We all agreed we would continue find ways to work together.
Sanaa Albaz later said, “I was surprised to find out that the PA sees the work of the Abrahamic Reunion (AR) in high esteem, and said that the work of the AR is very important for the two states and very important for the future. The officials we met with told us ‘Don’t look at the past but look at the future – we will support you in the future” – these are the righteous politicians we have been looking for.”
Mohammad from Jericho agreed, saying that, “Mohammed Madani pushed the AR further to continue the path of the AR – to make more dialogue, to influence many people around the world – he said that if the AR will succeed, then we (as politicians) will succeed.”
Some of the Jewish leaders later were more skeptical, noting the Fatah leaders’ unwillingness to acknowledge any part of Palestinian responsibility in the conflict, including the recent round of attacks against Jews.
In any case we all left feeling a positive connection and a hope that these meetings could lead to more dialogue, understanding, and peace.
Report by:
Rodef Shalom Eliyahu McLean, Abrahamic Reunion, Director
with Abdel Salaam Manasra, Asst. Director
Thanks to Arafat Abu Rass and Raanan Malek for event assistance.
