While the world impatiently follows the difficult negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, and in dozens of universities protests spread over the illegality of the occupations which have never ceased in the West Bank, we receive and we gladly share with you the invitation of the Israeli-Palestinian Movement of fighters for peace to participate in joint ceremonies which will be held on May 12 and 15, 2024, in memory of the dead of the war (of all wars) as well as the Nakba.
What is it about ?
These are the two most important events for this organization of peace activists, founded around twenty years ago by a handful of former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian activists with the aim of uniting forces, hearts, stories, resources and creativity for a future of reconciliation.
From a few dozen at the beginning, as we also reported in Pressenza (with two beautiful interviews with co-founders and young people co-directors, the Fighters for Peace, active in the most diverse peace initiatives, both in Israel and in Palestine, have become hundreds, with the growing membership of women and young people as well as “sister” organizations in the States -United too. To the first joint ceremony in memory of the fallen soldiers, which marked the beginning of the movement on May 12, 2006 in an auditorium in Tel Aviv, the joint ceremony in memory of the Nakba was added over the years. Last year, these two events attracted more than 15,000 people to a Tel Aviv park and hundreds of thousands of views online from the rest of the world.
This year, in the climate of tension and acute polarization that has reigned in Israel since October 7, there will be no ceremony in person in Tel Aviv, nor even behind closed doors. Everything will happen online. This is why it will be more important than ever to respond to the invitation to participate in these events, designed as moments of meeting and reconciliation between deeply wounded communities.
We therefore invite the large community of readers, supporters and sister organizations of Pressenza in its different editions to register through these links:
May 12 (7 p.m. Central Europe) – Common ceremony in memory of those who died
https://www.afcfp.org/2024-joint-memorial-day-ceremony
May 15 (7 p.m. Central Europe) – Joint commemoration of the Nakba :
https://www.afcfp.org/2024-joint-nakba-remembrance-ceremony
Both links open up different options, indicating the possibility of registering either individually, as an organization, or as a small group of supporters who meet in the living room of a house; and if possible to contribute (it is not obligatory) with a donation which will be used to finance the numerous social aid projects in the regions most massacred by the conflict. Everything will take place in Arabic and Hebrew, with simultaneous translation into English. In case of difficulties, it will be possible to watch the ceremonies again in streaming with subtitles…
And who knows, perhaps it will be possible to organize something in the coming months to support this peace project which, it is no coincidence, has been rewarded several times (the last time a few days ago in the Basque town of Guernica, on the occasion of the anniversary of the 1937 bombings: https://www.facebook.com/c4peace/posts/759473356338891?ref=embed_post).
To find out more, here are the links to the websites: https://cfpeace.org/ + https://www.afcfp.org
+ Facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/c4peace + https://www.facebook.com/AFCombatantsForPeace
On this occasion, we are pleased to announce the imminent release of an instant book on this beautiful history of fighters for peace that the publishing house Multi-image project in the Pressenza Books (ITA) series and which will be presented on May 30 at the Book Festival for Peace and Nonviolence in Rome with the participation of Luisa Morgantini, Ilaria Olimpico and Daniela Bezzi who edited the book.
Translation, Evelyn Tischer
