Combatants for Peace

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Combatants for Peace (Hebrew: לוחמים לשלום‎‎; Arabic: مقاتلون من أجل آلسلام‎‎) is a bi-national movement of Israelis and Palestinians who lead a non-violent struggle against the occupation, and support a peaceful solution of two states for the two peoples: Israeli and Palestinian.^[1] The movement was formed in 2005 by Palestinians and Israelis who had taken an active role in the cycle of violence, and decided to drop their arms and work together to promote a peaceful solution through dialogue and non-violent action.^[2] Originally, the activists on both sides were solely ex-combatants: the Israelis as soldiers in the Israeli army and the Palestinians as participants in the violent struggle for Palestinian freedom. Today, members of the movement include also men and women who have never taken an active role in the violent struggle in the area. They received the prestigious Courage of Conscience Award from the Peace Abbey in 2009.

The goals of the organization are:

To raise the consciousness in both publics regarding the hopes and suffering of the other side, and to create partners in dialogue.
To educate towards reconciliation and non-violent struggle in both societies.
To create political pressure on both governments to stop the cycle of violence, end the occupation and resume a constructive dialog.

In view of these goals, the movement operates in the following ways:

Holding ex-combatants' meetings, allowing each side to understand the other's narrative.
Holding in-house meetings and educational lectures in public forums on both sides (universities, youth groups, schools etc.).
Direct actions and protests against the policy of occupation and its outcomes such as road blockings, house demolitions, limitations on Palestinian farmers and confiscation of land by Israeli settlers.^[3]^[4]
Organizing joint daytrips and educational tours of Israelis to the West Bank.
Solidarity actions such as joint olive harvests and agricultural work, to help Palestinian farmers who have difficulties in working their lands near army posts and Jewish settlements.
Producing special events such as the joint Memorial Day ceremony for victims of the conflict on both sides: Palestinian and Israeli.
Providing information and raising public awareness globally through media and international lecture tours.^[5]

Combatants for Peace has organized a series of meetings between veterans from both sides, most taking place in East Jerusalem in the early years, but have expanded now into three local groups operating between Tulkarm-Tel Aviv, Beersheva-Hebron and Ramallah-Jerusalem. In 2007 they were awarded the 2007 "Search for Common Ground" Award.^[6]

The organization is perceived as radical left in Israel politics, and as such draws criticism also from advocacy organizations such as StandWithUs which criticized Combatants for Peace, claiming that "Combatants for Peace presentations are one-sided (blaming only Israel for the ongoing conflict)"^[7]^[8]

Sources

"120 former Israeli, Palestinian combatants in new peace drive" Haaretz. October 4, 2006.
"New movement: IDF soldiers and Fatah prisoners" YNet. October 4, 2006.
Combatants For Peace in Los Angeles, February 2007

References

External links

Combatants for Peace official website
CFP members Yonatan Shapira and Bassam Aramin interviewed by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!, January 22, 2008 (video, audio and/or print transcript)
Omer Goldman Shministim and Daughter of Deputy Director of Mossad Official Website:"People who use violence are wrong!" - www.omergoldman.com (In English with video and radio interviews including kidnapping/torture of Palestinian children and IDF )

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