๐งตI published an op-ed in Haโaretz, with some contemplations on Israeli national memorial day. Here is a summary of what I said, translated into English. Please read & share:
@EylonALevy
Itโs quite simple: the Palestinian flag doesnโt represent Hamas terrorists. The people who killed my mother and so many other innocents on October 7th do not represent all Palestinian civilians. To suggest this is absurd.
All you are doing is sewing more division and hatred.
In these heartbreaking circumstances, I would rather know that my beloved mom Vivian's name is helping to feed children in Gaza than see it engraved on a missile that kills them.
Tomorrow 150 sick Gazan children are supposed to be flown out so they can be treated in the UAE. Itโs being reported that Netanyahu has decided to delay this, as he fears backlash from his base following yesterdayโs bombing of Majdal Shams.
Politics above human lives, as always.
1/In an interview with
@derspiegel
, I was asked why my mother, Vivian Silver, never lost faith in peaceful coexistence with the Palestinians.
My mother was convinced that we are all equal and can work with everyone as long as we share similar values.
This is what I said a few days after October 7th. Like my friend Maoz Inon
@maozinon
, I believe that war has never been and will never be the answer. This cycle of revenge must stop. Now
โYou canโt cure killed babies with more dead babies. We need peace.โ
The son of a missing Israeli peace activist says that his mother would be mortified by the situation in Gaza, and that vengeance is not a strategy.
โThe sacrifice of your loved ones will not be in vainโ โ
@netanyahu
That's true!
My mother, Vivian Silver, is a casualty of peace. In her name, the peace, security, and freedom that both nations desire will be achieved โ because peace is inevitable!
Heartwarming to see so many British Jews call for an end to the war, return of all hostages & for a peaceful resolution to this conflict.
I paid the heaviest price on Oct 7th & continue to fight for peace in my momโs footsteps. Solidarity from orgs like
@YachadUK
is empowering
๐งต1/ "No wall can offer us security, we must make peace"
Their lives will forever be divided into before and after October 7th. On that day, Elana Kaminka lost her 20y.o son and I lost my mother. Two of us talked about our decision to dedicate ourselves to fight for peace.
2/Secondly, she realized that Israelis and Palestinians are interdependent. If we want to live safe and free lives, we have to work together.
When people ask me "how you can still believe in peace after that",
I say: because October 7 was the result of not trying peace.
3/Only peace will bring us security. October 7 did not bring down this conviction, it strengthened it.
Earlier this week, the major peace event in Tel Aviv "It's Time" brought together 6k Israelis & Palestinians. I'm proud to be part of it, even though I couldn't attend>
"Being a peace activist is not something to save you from being killed in war. It's something to prevent a war from happening, and to create reality where war is not an option."
@WomenWagePeace
@maozinon
4/We have a committed civil society, but no political vision from our leadership. The international community needs to create a political horizon.>
(Pictures: A committed civil society)
ยฒMy mother, Vivian Silver, dedicated her whole life to struggles relating to equality. Gender equality, class equality, peace and coexistence. In turn I developed my own views, usually more radical than hers (you gotta be different from their parents after all).
@WomenWagePeace
5/Investing more in peace projects would change the dynamics. I discussed this at the Chancellery in Berlin. I collaborate with
@allmep
which represent 160+ NGOs in Israel & Palestine.
To read the full article ๐๐ผ
โธTo ensure people are used to thinking about reconciliation, acknowledging the other side - their suffering & ambitions, through trust and partnership.Instead of leaders who bring people with them, they stand still & look back.
@NIFIsrael
@ALLMEP
@maozinon
โถNow unfortunately we can only try and prevent the next October 7th. I refuse to accept the narrative whereby loss is an acceptable part of a conflict which canโt be resolved through means of peace.
Have you been to protests? There are few Palestinian flags.
Itโs unhelpful to pretend Israelis are all pro-peace & Palestinians all arenโt.
Itโs also just not true.
Want change? Support peace activists & those who challenge politicians, rather than doing hasbara for them.
@HowidyHamza
Israelis long for peace, every week Israeli peace activists wave Palestinian flags in Tel Aviv.
In contrast, thereโs no Palestinian peace movement. If someone waved an Israeli flag in Ramallah, theyโd be lynched.
Sadly we need many more Hamzasโฆ
"Families of Oct. 7 victims beg for peace. By ignoring them, Israelโs government dishonors their loved onesโ memories" - by
@emilyctamkin
The only right thing this government should have done since Oct 7 is to make the dead victims of peace, not war.
โดI chose to study law, to be like
@sfardm
, but then I had kids, peace evaporated, and I sank into a political coma. Now, with unbearable pain, and in a feeling of panic, I also joined the
@PCFForg
. This time I'm bereaved, because my mom didnโt survive the massacre on October 7th
"Both - Israelis and Palestinians - have been hijacked by extremists perpetuating the cycle of violence.
To ensure security, we need a diplomatic solution. Security cannot exist for only one side"-
@maozinon
โทWe need a pincer movement: states-people with political visions who want to improve things, leaders who take diplomacy as seriously as they do military action. Simultaneously we need a civil society that will work to ensure people are>
@ALLMEP
@maozinon
@NIFIsrael
ยณWhen I was 20 I became more active but I always felt something wasnโt right: I stood in Sheikh Jarrah, but I wasnโt a Jeruselamite.
I volunteered with Rabbis for Human rights, but I wasnโt religious. I was involved with combatants for peace but I wasnโt a combatant.
โตIโm filled with regret because maybe if I hadnโt waited to return to the peace camp only when it became personal, maybe if none of us had given up, like my mother didnโt give up, we wouldnโt have gotten to October 7th.
The international community needs to invest more in peacemakers and civil society. It would change the dynamic, and the peace movement in Palestine and Israel would grow.
The peace movement is gaining power, but we need the international support!
This is what we are calling the US and we are calling the
@G7
leaders after the last summit in June declared that they will work and support the peacemakers and civil society in Israel and Palestine to
This week, more than 250 civil society organizations and peacemaker allies are calling on
@G7
leaders to center civil society peacebuilding at the G7 Summit in Italy. Join us in spreading the word and demanding support for PEACE in Israel & Palestine
#g7
#PeacebuildingPersists
โFor my mother, the act of driving felt so simple and straightforward,โ says Yonatan Zeigen, Vivian Silverโs son.
He continues, โThe issues may be huge and complex, but the solution for peace is very simple.โ
@TIME
With hope and sadness, friends and family of Vivian Silver invite you to submit nominations for a prize which will be given this year, for the first time, to two women - one Israeli and one Palestinian - who work in one of the fields which embody the values and work of Vivian.
Appalling that a Palestinian peace advocate is being attacked in this way.
Weโre proud to have platformed
@hamzeAwawde
& we look forward to a meaningful discussion with him &
@maozinon
at Glastonbury festival next week. Attempting to shut down crucial conversations is shameful.
"Enough bloodshed, we are all losing. Only dialogue and mutual recognition can pave the way for healing and a future of peace and security.
We all deserve it".
@WomenWagePeace
@ALLMEP
Opinion | We continued to be attacked by missiles and we had no one to trust, neither the government nor the army. We were alone, unprotected, fearing that terrorists had infiltrated Tel Aviv and were waiting for the moment to attack.
"The only way to heal my pain and give it meaning is to create a situation where it does not repeat itself. This is only possible through peace."
An interview I had with
@amnesty_de
to mark 6 months since I lost my beloved mom Vivian Silver on October 7th attacks by Hamas
Silvers Sohn Yonatan Zeigen fรผhrt ihre Arbeit fort. Im Interview sagt er: "Die einzige Art, meinen Schmerz zu heilen und ihm eine Bedeutung zu geben, ist eine Situation zu schaffen, in der er sich nicht wiederholt. Das ist nur durch Frieden mรถglich." 2/2
As
@AzizAbuSarah
and
@maozinon
say: hope is an action! Action that can be made together through envisioning a better future and acting to make this future a reality. We are working together and making efforts to turn the G7 into Peace7: supporting peaceamakers and civil society
Good to join
@F24Debate
and share callโ from 250+ NGOs in I/P & around worldโ on
@EmmanuelMacron
& other
#G7
leaders to finally centre the work of civil society peacebuilders in a bold, multilateral diplomatic strategy that is serious about *actually* ending israel ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ธ conflict
1/ Peace, healing and trust-building must be pursued everywhere.Always.
On June 27th, I'll be in Berlin for diplomatic meetings, panels and promoting peace dialogue in the media.
5/"To those who tell me that all Palestinians support Hamas, I explain again and again that no, that is not the case. The fundamentalists have been given no alternative, they are suffering, they are their victims.."
4/ "Well, I know very well what happened on October 7th. My child was killed. So no one can tell me that I don't understand or that I'm naive. This cycle of violence must finally end. I have three other children and I want them to live."
@PCFForg
@WomenWagePeace
Laila Al-Sheikh lost her baby, Kusai, when he was 6 months old, in 2002. I lost my mother โ Vivian Silver on October 7th 2023.
It was a sad honor to be alongside Leila in this podcast. But our joint pain is the soil from which our shared future will grow.
I got lots of questions on my previous tweet regarding the status quo at the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa Mosque compound, so I spoke to my friend
@EranTzidkiyahu
to help clarify, particularly on the issue being raised by some - that itโs unfair for Jews not to be allowed to pray on this
1/Aspen, Colorado hosts a significant gathering of America's financial elite and various social activists, intellectuals & journalists. Among them, Israelis and Palestinians like
@PCFFIP
,
@AzizAbuSarah
, & myself strive to foster reconciliation, trust, and hope in the Middle East
3/ "Many times when you say that we need to have a dialogue with the Palestinians, people tell you that you are not realistic, that you do not understand anything, 'Did you notice what happened on October 7?' they make fun of you or call you naive".>
Great to speak to
@JessicaDenson07
and share my(slightly jet-lagged) thoughts on peace, politics & activism.
I think we need more people who are willing to have difficult conversations in order to achieve a shared goal: ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐.
& I wish that wasnโt such a controversial word
2/โThe peace movement has grown stronger.. public opinion is dynamic, it changes. If leaders emerge who will admit that the situation today is worse than ever, that the occupation isn't sustainable, leaders who will propose a political plan for peace, then the world will follow."
I can write that this is how the future will look like, but this is the present : Solidarity. As my wise friend
@AzizAbuSarah
said : "If you must divide us, people should divide us as those of us who believe in justice, peace and equality and those who donโtโ YET.๐๏ธ
@ALLMEP
I met Iris about two months ago. Both of her beloved parents, Judy Weinstein and Gadi Haggai, were murdered in the October 7th massacre by Hamas, and their bodies were taken captive to Gaza.
Please read her words. Iris is an ally and partner standing in solidarity with Hamze.
What alternative to a Palestinian state do Bibi and Gantz propose?
One state with equal rights? No.
They offer no vision for a better future.
Instead, they promote a future filled with endless hate, violence, bloodshed, and occupation.
Itโs time for a
#newleadership
I donโt think there is anything quite more screwed up than
@maozinon
only having 15000 followers while
@EylonALevy
has over 200,000 followers.
There is only one of these two anyone should be listening to.
Can we fix this please?
Over the past 11 months, this brutal war has tragically numbed many to the suffering of others, trapping them in a relentless cycle of focusing solely on their own pain and the anguish of their side. As a Palestinian, I witness the unbearable daily agony of my peopleโinnocent
Last week I was honored to meet a student delegation from
@Kennedy_School
.
The students challenged me with questions on geopolitical issues, diaspora relations, Zionism, democracy & more.
The answer to all these questions is one: Peace.
Thank you
@MayaIlany
for organising ๐
We are creating hope with incredible partners! Thank you to Racheli Shalev and to the 2,500 participants who came the amazing "Petcha Kutcha" event in Tel Aviv led by Anat Safran ans Itay Mautner. I am grateful to have been featured at this event to share my vision with such a
"Israelis&Palestinians working for peace must know that we're not alone. We have many allies&friends.. who call for the leaders at the G7 to finally recognize the importance of civil society peacebuilders, and to put themโ and this vital workโ at the centre"๐๏ธ๐๐ป
1/2 Yesterday
@AzizAbuSarah
& I were pleased to meet with key diplomats and decision makers in the EU institutions - people who share our belief in the need for an equitable and dignified future for Israelis and Palestinians, but have been told for too many years that a peaceful
1/In recent years, my mother has been invited to give a talk to cohorts of Swiss psychology students from
@ZHAW
School of Applied Psychology, who dedicate part of their curriculum to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Some argue that, "It has nothing to do with the occupation," claiming, "Without Islamists, we will have peace." While I also oppose an Islamist government in Palestine, this argument is misguided.
Would settlers stop seizing land from Christians & Muslims if Hamas surrendered?