Two well-crafted articles in today's New York Times about the recent increase in Palestinian-on-Israeli violence focused on motivation. 'Social media campaigns', 'viral videos', and 'crude cartoons' were cited as the causes. No mention was made to the #occupation or the systemic degradations of Palestinians. No reference was made to the horrid conditions in refugee camps, infrastructure destruction, or the long years of suffering under the illegal occupation. The list of grievances is long and stretches back many decades.
But when beliefs and justifications become more valuable than human live the resultant murderous violence is simply evil. Misdirecting our attention to social media's ability to trigger the violent expression of deeply felt pain and resentment will only hinder efforts to halt the carnage.
The path to peace lies along the a compassionate awakening driven by the peace movements driven by Palestinian and Israeli citizens who have seen the light. Why not more coverage of these brave people who are spreading the truth? The New York Times could begin with Building Bridges for Peace
and wait! There's more, of a broad political and social spectrum:
-
Meimad provides a voice for the thousands of religious Israelis who cannot identify with the extremism of the present religious Zionist establishment,and serves as a rational partner with whom the non-religious Israeli majority can enter into significant dialogue.
-
Givat Haviva Institute is one of the oldest and largest institutions in Israel working to advance Jewish - Arab rapprochement, cultural and religious pluralism, democratic values and peace in the Middle East.
-
Peres Center for Peace aims to help make peace a lasting reality by paving the way for new values and mind-sets. The time has come to build a Middle East for the people, not merely for the rulers.
-
Jewish Peace Fellowship - a Jewish voice in the peace community and a peace voice in the Jewish community. A nondenominational Jewish organization committed to active nonviolence as a means of resolving conflict, drawing on Jewish traditional sources within the Torah, the Talmud and contemporary peacemaking sages.
-
The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) office in Israel contributes to, Strengthening German-Israeli relations,Facilitating the peace process and regional co-operation, Improving labour relations, Working for gender equality and, women's empowerment, Democracy education for youth, Applied socio-economic research
-
Dor Shalom is committed to impact the future shape of Israeli society, to breathing new life into the values of peace, tolerance, democracy and social justice, and to preserving the values of Jewish heritage.
-
Bat Shalom is a feminist center for peace and social justice. By bringing together women peace activists, women educators, and women community leaders we are striving to raise one another's consciousness, and to create together a culture of peace and social justice in Israel.
-
Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to informing Americans about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and assisting in a peaceful solution that brings security for both peoples.
-
Har Homa the full story about the land and the building in Har Homa (Jerusalem)
-
Peace Now ('Shalom Achshav') the largest Israeli peace organization
-
Gush Shalom A small but very active group, founded by Uri Avneri.
