A Blog by Mohamad Jamous
January 31st, 2023
To my friends, my colleagues, and my family in the Abrahamic Reunion, and in every spot on this beautiful land, at the outset, I send you all a huge amount of love, respect, trust and hope, from what is today the heart of violence, the heart of destruction, the heart of killing, from the beleaguered heart of the Holy Land. My heart is aching for this land that has been watered with the blood of the innocent, with the blood of those who wished to grow up and become makers of hope in their various societies.
I will ask all of you before reading this article to have some calm and some peace. Putting on some warm music would be very helpful for you to feel me well. We are far apart, but you are my family.
Every word I share here stems from a sad and broken heart, a heart that is distracted by what is happening in front of this heart. I will ask you to read this article carefully, and with caution. Every word here is filled with despair, with sadness. I will also ask you to share this article with as many of your friends, families, communities, churches, mosques and synagogues as you possibly can to let them know our situation.
During the past years, when I joined and worked in the family of the Abrahamic Reunion, I presented many programs, wrote many articles, challenged many difficulties, and faced many obstacles. I shared a lot of feelings, whether positive or negative, I talked about my personal life, my family, my studies, my travel to participate in multi-religious programs. I talked about periods the Holy Land went through, periods of violence, periods of happiness, periods of hope.
But today will be a little different. I am writing now with tears filling my eyes. I am writing now with great sadness in my heart because of what has been happening recently in this holy land. Yes, it is a broken heart, lean, sad and filled with so much vulnerability!
The story began many years ago when violence and conflict intensified in the Holy Land through some offensive attacks and events of violence on the Israeli and Palestinian sides. This land has never calmed down, no flowers have grown in the garden of happiness.
We hear daily in the newspapers and media many events of violence prevalent in the Middle East in general and in Palestine and Israel in particular. An offensive attack here, a Palestinian martyr there, demonstrations and protests here, and an Israeli army raid there. This has been our life in our land.
Our work in the Abrahamic Reunion has been very important during these past years and periods when violence occurs. Our programs bring people together, cross-border programs that bring Arabs and Jews close to each other, text study programs, families’ and women’s programs. All these programs were and still are very important and necessary in renouncing the prevailing violence in the region by enabling people to share their feelings, their solutions, and their faiths with one another.
But today I will be a little different and talk about this period which started about two weeks ago. The period of thirst for peace, the period of thirst for calm and stability.
About two weeks ago, at four o’clock in the morning, a large force of the Israeli army invaded the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank and killed more than
ten Palestinians, including a little girl not exceeding eight years old, and a young boy of eleven years old. Palestine woke up to this heartbreaking news, which touched the hearts of all Palestinians at home and abroad. Protests and demonstrations took place throughout the Holy Land, and at some points of contact with the Israeli army, as an expression of great anger at the military operation launched in Jenin.
After this terrible act, Palestine became the focus of the world’s attention, but the story did not end here. Palestinians responded to this offensive by shooting at some Israeli army points, and from here, violence and fear began to dominate everyone.
Since that day, we have been hearing daily about two or more attacks from the Israeli and Palestinian sides. We are hearing of the increasing numbers of dead on both sides, innocent people who have been killed during this wave of violence. Children, women, clerics through no fault of their own have been killed in this conflict.
A few days ago, while we were watching the news, we were surprised by an event similar to that of Jenin, when ten people were killed. This was a Palestinian attack in the city of Jerusalem, killing more than 9 Jews in response to the Israeli army killing ten people in Jenin at the beginning of this wave.
The killing of the Jews angered the Israeli government so much that Ben Gvir decided to practice collective punishment on all Palestinians. The story here has become a story of challenge between governments, in which many innocent people have died on both sides, and the story continues.
Two days ago, an unknown person opened fire on an Israeli restaurant at the Dead Sea Junction (the junction between Jericho and the north of the Dead Sea), then fled to the city of Jericho.
I may mention here that I was scheduled to do a Virtual Reality program with participants from different religions in this very restaurant on the same day!!
As a result of this event the Israeli army completely closed down the city of Jericho. Large cement stones and military barriers and checkpoints were placed at all the main and secondary entrances to the city. Jericho is still completely closed, with entry and exit from the city strictly prohibited.
What has saddened and angered me personally, in the last few days, is my inability to enter Jericho to see and check on my family who live in the city on the one hand, and that it is forbidden to take my mother out for treatment to Ramallah, where I live now, for a major health ailment that she had recently.
Many innocent Palestinians and Israelis in the Holy Land are being killed, collectively punished, humiliated, and imprisoned on a daily basis. Many children and women wake up daily to the smell of tear gas instead of carrying flowers and going to their schools with love and happiness.
Yes, the earth thirsts for peace ….
This is where my role and the role of many peacemakers comes in.
Our role, which we are accustomed to, in facing the greatest difficulties and challenges.
Our role that we have assumed since we were young.
Our role is to end this period, make peace, bring hope and bring happiness to the hearts of many.
Despite my broken heart, despite my sad heart, my hope in God is great, my hope in YOU is great, and my hope in every supporter of goodness and peace in the Holy Land is also great.
Despite my inability to reach and visit my family, you are here, my second family that gives me strength and makes me wake up every day, and I am full of hope for what I do in the field of peacemaking.
Our programs in the Abrahamic Reunion have contributed during the past many years to changing the beliefs of countless people, both Palestinians and Israelis, and our educational programs that target schools and universities have challenged numerous negative beliefs around coexistence. Many have learned that living in peace in the Holy Land is the only way, and there is no other way for us all to survive.
Our various programs have brought many people to believe in the importance of sitting, praying and eating together, Muslims, Christians, Jews and Druze, as one.
Through our programs, people become aware of the misconceptions about responding to every act of violence, and people are realizing the importance of working hard to build our society better and continue to construct the bridge of peace that we started many years ago.
Yes, the land thirsts for peace, and I will irrigate this land with peace as I have done over and over again!
I will wake up in the morning continuing my work of spreading hope, love and peace.
I will wake up in the morning to tell the world enough! Enough of violence. “Yes!”, instead for an equal life for all, dominated by love and stability.
I will wake up in the morning to complete my multi-religious programs.
I will wake up in the morning to tell the world that I am here, and I will stay here, and I will continue.
I am Muhammad Jamous—
I am a peacemaker.
