The critical question: Is peace and brotherhood possible between settlers from the Religious Zionist movement and Palestinians? This is one of the most important questions for the future of the Middle East, and so we set out to explore it in a secret meeting held in Europe.
For three days, we sat together in a gathering between rabbis from the Religious Zionist community and peace-seeking Palestinian leaders from Gaza and the West Bank, organized by the Talking Peace project.
The meeting was not easy. Both sides came with many fears and concerns. Many left with complex feelings, and yet, despite the difficulties, they felt that there were people on the other side with whom it is possible to speak.
I had the privilege of working alongside the people of Talking Peace in creating the dialogue with Palestinian leaders who represent a new peace camp, and in the delicate mediation between them and right-wing rabbis.
For me personally, this meeting offered a rare opportunity to witness up close the birth of a new political movement within Palestinian society: a Palestinian peace camp that is prepared to fully accept Israel.
We met people such as Mohammed Altalooli, founder of the Abrahamic Movement in Gaza, who is promoting the idea of Abrahamic schools that would teach Hebrew and values of peace. I hope they succeed and transform education in Gaza from the ground up.
Personally, I see great hope here: two sides that the entire world sees as enemies who cannot be bridged sat together in a human conversation, shared their deepest pains, fears, and hopes, and found a listening ear.
As I understand it, the Israeli side saw a different kind of Palestinian leadership — one that is not committed to Israel’s destruction and rejects violent struggle. The Palestinian side saw that such a new path can open hearts and minds on the Israeli side, and that the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people sees special value in the desire and mission to be a blessing to all nations.
From here, each person will return to their home and community. But the lines of communication will remain open, and the possibility of sitting down and speaking about these issues — instead of communicating through the sights of weapons — will remain alive in our consciousness.
A very deep thank you to the participants from both sides. For understandable reasons, we will not mention most of their names. Special thanks to the Talking Peace team: Sharon Leshem-Zinger, Prof. Avinoam Rosenak, Dr. Alick Isaacs, and Rabbi Yitzhak Rubinstein, who created the platform that made such a complex meeting possible.
And thanks to the translation team, Dolly Baruch and Netta Hazan, who made it possible to create a meeting full of understanding across gaps of language and culture.
Tom Wegner
CEO, The Abrahamic Movement
