It is with great horror and sometimes speechlessness that we observe how the spiral of violence in Israel and Palestine has been escalating for weeks and is still causing incredible suffering today. As an organization that has been involved in trauma care and peace building for many years, we know what violence does to people. Violence only creates losers and it cannot lead to a peaceful solution. Rather, war and violence leave deep scars, often lasting for generations. Our concern and solidarity is with the civilians affected by this violence. We therefore appeal to all political leaders and civil society to work towards an immediate ceasefire.
For over 20 years, we have been in contact with people on both sides who are working for peace against all odds. Even now, some of them are not giving up hope of a peaceful solution. A Palestinian participant, whose father was in prison for years, called his Israeli friends after October 7 to ask if they were safe. An Israeli participant, whose father is among the hostages, wants to make sure that her Palestinian friends are okay. Both want to continue working for peace and justice in the Holy Land and against voices of hatred and revenge. These quiet voices of reconciliation are hardly being heard at the moment. But they do exist and we believe that listening to each other and acknowledging suffering can help to break out of the spiral of violence.
The people of Palestine and Israel need our solidarity and support beyond the prevailing logic of war. Together with our local partner organizations, we continue to educate people about the effects of violence and trauma and support those affected by violence. And we will continue to create spaces for understanding and recognition of the suffering of others in the future. We stand for the conviction that the human lives of Palestinians and Israelis are equally valuable and that the protection of both communities must be ensured equally. We refuse to lose our humanity and pray for peace together with our sisters and brothers in the Holy Land. In the words of a participant at our Summer Academy for Intercultural Dialogue: “And yet I choose hope!” The courage of these people is extraordinary. Let this hope inspire and encourage us!
The Board of Directors and the team of the Wings of Hope Foundation
