On Thursday, Nov. 14, Loyola hosted a lecture welcoming three members of Combatants for Peace and Justice, an organization dedicated to uniting Israelis and Palestinians in a fight for peace, justice, equality, and freedom. The lecture comes at a time of heightened violence between Israel and Palestine, with the group hoping to inspire efforts to end conflict and share a vision for peace.
During the event titled, “Partnering for an End to War and a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine: An Evening with Combatants for Peace,” Elie Avidor, Iris Gur, and Aziz Abu Sarah all addressed a large crowd on Thursday night at Loyola. Their messages and stories were extremely powerful and offered attendees a deep and personal look into the lives of men who chose resilience in extremely dark and scary times. The event provided insightful and inspiring stories of transformation. The speakers told how they turned their lives around when they began to reject violence and chose peace.Speaker Elie Avidor, an Israeli combatant said, “These are extremely dark times for Israelis, Palestinians, and many Americans. Combatants were formed as Israelis and Palestinians took a leap of faith. They recognized something in each other, they recognized that they reject violence.”
Combatants for Peace is a nonprofit organization that works to end the violence between Palestine and Israel. It was founded on the shared belief that the only way to end the conflict is through nonviolence and cooperation. The organization, which consists of men and women from both Israel and Palestine, works together to reject the violence and spread its message. They work to advocate for peace, justice, and respect, and their members are actively working to spread this message.
Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian peacebuilder whose brother was tragically murdered by Israeli soldiers. When Abu Sarah’s brother was murdered by Israeli soldiers, he said for eight years he chose violence and was filled with anger, hate, violence, and revenge.
“I was very angry, I was much better, and the main thing I wanted was revenge,” Abu Sarah said. “I participated in everything from throwing rocks, to writing, to refusing to learn Hebrew. I was not going to speak the language of the enemy.”
However, when Abu Sarah finally realized that with every choice he made to hate, he was allowing those who killed his brother to control his life with hate. He remembers the first steps in starting his activism.
“Every time I chose hate I was being a slave to the people that killed my brother. And realizing that was a freeing thing because not only did that person kill my brother, but also controlled my life,” said Abu Sarah. “I realized in class that we do have the power to choose. Regardless of what other people do to you, you always have the ability to make your own choices.”
As the event ended their message was apparent. Peace is a personal choice and despite the violence in Israel and Palestine transformation is possible. The messages shared in the lecture conveyed the message that even in dark and violent times, we as individuals can make a difference.
