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ANOTHER WAY Non-Violence As a Mentality and Strategy in Palestine: Materials for Education

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ANOTHER WAY Non-Violence As a Mentality and Strategy in Palestine: Materials for Education Ref: ME65E05 Date: August 2005 ANOTHER WAY Non-violence as a Mentality and Strategy in Palestine: Materials for Education AEI-Open Windows Culture and Palestine Series Bethlehem, 2005 ANOTHER WAY Non-violence as a Mentality and Strategy in Palestine: Materials for Education TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 1. The Basis: A Mentality of Peace and Non-Violence 2. An Educational Approach to Non-Violent Action in Palestine 3. Why Non-Violence? 4. Voices 5. The Strategy of Non-Violence 6. Communicating Your Cause 7. Afterword Resources AEI publications PREFACE This brochure is a reflection of our experiences during the last Intifada. They include the organization of a great many non-violent actions over the years. In “Youth, Non-Violence and the Land,” a project supported by the British Cafod and the Belgian Broederlijk Delen, we discussed our experiences for the purpose of designing a number of non- violent action scenarios. The scenarios were developed during fieldtrips in the Bethlehem-Jerusalem-Ramallah region of Palestine in the academic year 2004-5. Through investigation of the concrete details of organizing non-violent actions, and thinking through the various dilemmas involved, young Palestinians became aware of the potential for non-violent action. Following Raja Shehadeh in his diary “The Third Way” (written already at the beginning of the 1980s, and published by Quartet Press, London), we call non-violent action a strategy which on the one hand does not accept the situation as it is but on the other hand does not address the adversary through armed struggle. As non-violence can take place in many different ways, a single definition is difficult to give. In this brochure we show the spiritual basis of non-violence, give examples of non-violent struggle and let some Palestinian voices speak about non-violence. At the same time we present an action model, based on our experience, which may help us to think through and design non-violent actions. This brochure can be used by Palestinian youth and educators who would like to become more knowledgeable and involved in non-violent action. It may also be used for discussions between Palestinians and international visitors in discussing forms of cooperation so as to make non-violent actions more effective. It is for this reason that we decided to have the brochure in English, although a large part is also available in Arabic (contact our office for this . We acknowledge with gratitude the support by Cafod and Broederlijk Delen for the project and this brochure. Moreover, we would like to thank the following persons for their comments and editorial remarks upon a previous draft: Mechtild Kappetein and David Lindberg of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, and Debbie Vanden Dungen, a Canadian volunteer at AEI-Open Windows AEI-Open Windows Bethlehem May 2005 1. THE BASIS: A MENTALITY OF PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE Usually we look at non-violence as a strategy, but it is a strategy based on a non-violent mentality and an inner peace-building practice. For some years, AEI-Open Windows has practiced exercises in developing inner peace; a practice we called RRCA: Read, Reflect, Communicate and Act. These are the four steps: • Reading passages from the Holy Books and from persons inspired by those Books such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Reading implies an active learning and listening attitude. • Reflecting upon the passages and detecting commonalities among the different Holy Books in an act of common faith and spirituality. • Communicating one’s readings and reflections within the group and opening the floor for discussion. • Understanding the relevance of the readings and reflections for one’s practical life, and looking for options on how to act out the wisdom of the Books. This is our approach for building inner strength based on spiritual values. The readings, such as the Sermon of the Mountain in the Matthew Gospel, help us to see the truth of values relevant to our own life, and to look for non-violent ways of implementing them. Pax Christi Flanders, a section of Pax Christi International, suggests several steps in the development of non-violence. Inner strength is a major goal, not only of the individual but also of the group. It requires awareness of oneself and of the group’s interaction, and overcoming the negative power of violence. “The most important contribution here is mental force. The contribution of everybody, women, men, old and young people, sick and healthy, is required. Everyone of them can help in his or her own way. (…) We have to make an appeal to the religious and philosophical convictions of all the participants. That allows the force of justice, truth and charity to do their work. That is the spiritual formation and alongside this a psychological transformation is needed. Everyone should have a clear insight into his or her own motivations and reactions as to violence, fear, handling conflictions, power and powerlessness. There we need to learn how to control our own thoughts and feelings, our breathing and corporal impulses. “ “Violence is a negative power that humiliates, injures or kills. When I kill my neighbor I kill my own humanity. Humiliating a neighbor belittles me. Use of violence is always a defeat, even when used under control to avoid more violence or a greater evil. Violence shows and asserts itself in the suffering and the wounds it causes, but violence can be invisible or subtle in the form of hate, revenge, irony and cursing. “ Possible faces of invisible group violence Exercise and discussion (with examples taken from Pax Christi Flanders’ “Seven Steps on the Way of 1. Using the examples above, check to Active Non-violence”) what extent violence happens in the communication within your group. How A stubborn silence can that violence be taken away to build Envy inner peace? An all too quick judgment A pretended friendship 2. How can a strong, non-violent Paternalism communication in the group help Victimizing oneself building non-violent actions by the Blackmail group? Flattery Mocking smiles 3. Explain and discuss the concept of Irony or sarcasm Jihad in Islam. Speaking and acting in the name of the other and without the person’s 4. How can the singing of peace and consent spiritual songs support inner strength? Suspicion Refusing explanations 5. Which subjects and approaches can Not allowing others to speak support a peace education at Gossiping (talking negatively about Palestinian schools? persons while they cannot respond) 2. AN EDUCATIONAL APPROACH TO NON-VIOLENT ACTIONS IN PALESTINE Background Over the last few years, AEI-Open Windows initiated or joined a great many non-violent actions in the Bethlehem area directed towards the end of the occupation or towards the exposure of human rights violations in Palestine: During the last day of the year in 2001 and 2002 we initiated and co-organized, with other Bethlehem and national NGOs, “Justice and Peace” marches to protest against the ongoing curfews and sieges. In the spring of 2003, a period when the Israeli army repeatedly imposed prolonged curfews on Bethlehem and other Palestinian cities, we participated along with other Palestinians and internationals in weekly vigils on Nativity Square. In 2002-3, together with religious leaders and in cooperation with international peace movements we set up a series of walks to raise awareness of the right of education for Palestinian children. In the wake of these vigils we organized an international signature campaign for the right of education for Palestinian children. During the Intifada years we were continuously involved in symbolic and creative actions such as the lifting of balloons with messages attached, the holding of prayers at checkpoints and, most recently, the organization of graffiti writing on the Wall in the company of international visitors. The motivation for initiating or joining these actions is self-evident. The present-day occupation is illegal and the actions resulting from that occupation have been explicitly condemned by international legal authorities and experts, such as the judges of the International Court of Justice in The Hague in their 2004 advisory opinion about the illegality of the Wall. Despite the presence of a diplomatic peace process, the confiscation of land, the demolition of houses, and the uprooting of trees have continued without abatement. We organize the non-violent actions to build hope for a new generation of Palestinians. Many Palestinian youth like to share in non-violent protests because it gives them a specific role and opens up a future in which values of justice, peace, and – in the long run – reconciliation between the peoples are expressed. Last but not least, non-violent actions have proved to be effective across historical periods and situations of oppression. In the case of Palestine, commentators have pointed out that specific conditions which justify non-violent actions from a strategic and practical point of view exist: the presence of international media, the strong legal case upon which the Palestinian cause rests, the presence of charismatic leaders, the possibility of involving Israeli peace movements, and the support from various international actors such as churches. But despite their potential effect, non-violent actions are not easy to organize, certainly not on a massive scale. Participants are often concerned about being filmed or otherwise registered by the Israeli army and being punished for their involvement. They may be prevented, for instance, from traveling abroad, or their family may be affected. Indeed, in some instances the participants’ lives can be at stake. The decision to organize and participate in non-violent actions requires considerable courage. Several persons who participated in anti-occupation or anti-Wall actions during the last two years lost their lives.
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