As negotiations began in Washington, a grave isolated act of violence took place on Route 60, near Hebron, and four Israeli settlers were killed. In response, several Palestinians and Israelis expressed their disappointment in this extremist act of violence and encouraged the each other to focus on peace building -- especially during times of war.
"This is the extremists, it's not the Palestinians," said Ayelet Shahek, from The Association for the Commemoration of Bat-Chen, an Israeli organization that was set up to commemorate Shahek's daughter who was killed in a terrorist attack nearly fifteen years ago. Since that painful event, her and her husband established a peace organization that holds many coexistence events. This weekend, they will be holding a series of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, Mind of Peace, in Bethlehem. "We must invest in the peace negotiations, even though this event was meant to stop them."
Manal Tamimi, a Palestinian leader from Nabi Saleh -- one of the Palestinian villages with the strongest non-violent movements in Palestine -- remarked, "We [Palestinians] are against terrorism as a form of resistance. Settlers are human beings as well. They are not my enemies, Jews are not my enemies. Only the people who want to kill me are my enemies."
"Enemies don't make peace negotiations during peace time, peace negotiations happen during war and conflict," said Ali Abu Awwad, a non-violent Palestinian leader from Beit Ummar, outside of Hebron. "If people think that the negotiations will be easy, they are mistaken...This event tonight is embarrassing for both politicians and their nations. It is the result of the many lost opportunities for peace." He urged the Peace Camp to not make the mistakes of the past, and be led by fear and anger, but to "believe that peace is possible" and prevent future events like this by recognizing both people's rights for peace and security and providing people on the ground with the tools for peace.
"As a peacemaker, I don't feel that this event weakened me," said Awwad. During the Gaza War, while the Israeli army killed over a thousand Palestinians, he met with Israelis in peace dialogues. "I expect Israeli society to understand how hard it is for my side to keep going with the Occupation on the ground. I expect Jewish people to understand that violence is not the language of hatred -- violence is the language of anger and suffering. I expect them to overcome their fear by knowing and being affiliated with the reality that Palestinians live in."
Watching the news, he said, "If the media will turn this event into a Hollywood movie, they must know that sometimes they are the worst enemy of peace -- our blood and pain, on both sides, is not for sale."
Another Palestinian, Assam Bau, a member of the Bereaved Families Forumsaid, "This is not the work of the Palestinians, it is a few extremists. Palestinians are against violence, we don't want an Intifada, we want peace."
"Violent behavior comes from the Occupation and when there is not an Occupation, we will not have violence" said Adam Nerk, an Israeli peace activist and one of the founding members of Natural Peace Tours, a peace organization that brings Palestinians from the West Bank to spend a day with Israelis in Israel.
Living in both Israeli and Palestinian society, everyday he meets people who are working for and deeply committed to peace. "Even though there is a conflict between Hamas and Fatah and Israel and Palestine, a real conflict between people on the ground doesn't exist anymore. This is something that we must know and remember in this time."
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Given that bizarre and glaring omission, it is nearly impossible to trust anything in the article.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hamas-official-israeli-settlers-are-a-legitimate-military-target-1.312108
Hamas makes the valid point that the settlers can be treated under international law as a legitimate military target. The settlers are heavily armed, are stealing Palestinian land, and attack Palestinians on an almost daily basis. This terrible attack is unfortunately, the expected outcome of Israeli aggression and crimes. It is also the result of leaving Hamas out of the negotiations.
Your link is to read what Hamas says?
Does anyone not know ?
They say "settlers" are an army so they are legit targets?
And that includes pregnant women it seems.
The only crime here Salty is the failure of the Arabs to accept Partition 60 years ago, going to war and then going back again two decades later - and LOSING
Had they won and exterminated all the Jews I wonder if there'd be any whining for all the Palestinian Jews slaughtered? Those Jews who always lived there. Of course not.
Today's victims only a few decades ago were swaggering with their promise to have Jewish blood running in the streets. But they lost Salty so get used to it. Many perhaps the majority only lived in Palestine for little more then 2 years. And those people came because large Jewish farms needed workers. Jews bought land. Many of your heroes were squatters
The rest of it is your delusional fantasy which wouldn't stop after withdrawal from the West Bank just like it didn't stop after Gaza, and just like it always existed long before a single settlement was ever built.
This is nothing more then the usual religious intolerance perpetrated by Islamists against the infidel. It will never stop until Islamism is stopped, it has nothing to do with occupation. It's just about Jews who they see as the very worst of
How do you feel about the seven orphans? Nevermind don't answer it we know.
The road where these people were killed is a "Israeli only" road. If a Palestinian was caught on it they would either be arrested or killed. That's daily violence
So no, what he was saying was not intellectually dishonest at all
You should let that be known to Palestinian "supporters" in the West who support violence from Palestinian extremists and don't believe in peace.
As critical as I am of settlers, I have no information that these are the repulsive ilk that chops down olive trees or heaves garbage down on the heads of the native population of Hebron. And eve if they were, they deserve reform school, a civilized education and not more violence.
I look forward to a time where Jews, Palestinians, Hotentots- anyone can live anywhere in the world in peace and mutual respect..
You might say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one....